Is Knife Making Safe?

M

mathnerdm

Joined
May 2, 2012
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Hey I was just wondering if the process of grinding steel and working with G10 is safe. I'm bout to possibly get into but I'm young and do not want to ruin my lungs and take off years of my life doing so. How safe is it for my health if i wear a good p100 filter/respirator and shop vac for g10 with eye protection for both steel dust/belt grits and G10. I was excited to start this hobby but so many threads on how bad these dusts are for you. I really cant work outside but i can work in an open garage with shop vac. If I have proper respirator should I have nothing to worry about? PLEASE respond! I was really excited but now im pretty scared to approach this hobby. I just need some advice! Thanks and have a nice day!

This is also the filter im looking at http://www.amazon.com/MSA-Safety-Wo...AFAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336595042&sr=8-1

Thanks for all the replys and if anyone has more PLEASE add on! Another thing is, like i said, Im limited to my garage where on the other half park a car. Am i endangering me and my family by grinding knives in their or does the dust settle and not matter? What about G10 sanding with a shop vac next to it? Is this something that once i start i need to always enter my garage with a respirator? Cuz thats just not an option for me
 
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If you take the precautions as listed above, and use some good common sense, you will be fine. You just have to remember that a lot of equipment will bite you when you least expect it.

Overall, its a lot safer than texting while driving.

Robert
 
You've got the right idea. With proper protection as you've already described, you should be fine. Keep them on until you're done vaccuming up the dust after a grinding session.

There are other hazards in a knifeshop, of course... someone said (I'm paraphrasing here) "I think cutting yourself and setting yourself on fire are just a normal part of making knives." Stay focused and watch out for sharp things that don't look sharp, and hot things that don't look hot.
 
As a young person it is really important that you fully understand :
Knifemaking can seriously injure your bank account!

If good safety and dust removal/protection is observed, knifemaking is not all that dangerous. G-10 is a bit more hazardous than regular wood or Micarta, so clean up well after working on it. Consider it exactly the same as working on a fiberglass boat repair.

Most injuries and health problems occur when you don't think ahead, or disregard what you already know. Many of us go out to the shop and don't put on the respirator because we are "Just going to do a few little things"....... two hours later, and full of black boogers we come in coughing.
 
And do keep in mind that we're probably over protective. Not that you shouldn't use a proper respirator when working with these things...just that it's one of the first things we say because it's one of the last that people think about.

It might be brought up a lot, but that's mostly because we don't want people to forget.
 
A standard half mask P100 filter will be fine. Good fitting safety goggles are a must. I hang mine on my grinder so I don't turn it on without putting them on. Some exotic woods can cause allergic reactions on the skin as well as inhaled. I'm sensitive to snake wood I found out, not fun. Just remember basic safety precautions and you'll be fine. I make it a habbit of turning off anything I'm working on when the wife comes in to get me for dinner, too many times have I turned around and bumped into my disc grinder when its off, sure don't want to do that when its on.

No loose clothing, hanging strings (head phones or hoodies), long hair, and some people say gloves as well. Always clamp down anything your going to drill, the whirling blade of doom has bitten most of us from time to time!

Have fun, think three times, measure twice, and cut once, its as easy as 321!


-Xander
 
It's as safe as you are. For example. At my job, I am very safety conscious. Always wear the proper gloves, eye wear, hearing protection, respirator etc.
But.... One day last year I grabbed a dremel to smooth out a finger choil and got a bit of metal in my eye... It was rushing too fast and ignoring my own standards of safety that I place upon myself... I removed a good sized piece of metal from the iris of my eye..... It was a lesson learned the hard way.
A couple things I learned. 1. Wear eye protection even when not doing jobs that need it. 2. Dremel tools rotate in a way that right handed people get the metal and dust thrown at them.... 3. My eyes are critical to my job and hobbies, protect them at all times.

Honestly though, since then other than one poke with a knife tip, I've been accident free. It just takes being deliberate and focused.

Like Stacy said. Your finances are more in danger than your body ever will be if you just follow basic safety protocols!

Make a knife... just one little knife.... I'm sure you'll like it!
 
As far as dust settling on things, there is little danger, more of an annoyance. Just wear your repirator when vacuuming, sometimes if I have a lot of dust to clean up I take a spray bottle of water and just spritz the area to help keep it down when sweeping. Most of us are luck to get a corner of the garage for our hobbies, and a few don't even have that! Just be sure that if the laundry is in the garage that it gets picked up before grinding.

Now, what type of tools do you have or have access to? Most start with files, hack saw, drill press and sandpaper. Those methods create very little airborne dust and are quite manageable.

Safety is important, but common sense takes care of it mostly. Think about what a tool does and make sure it does only that on the proper items. Many accidents happen from trying to use improper tools or methods to do something. Common one is using cut off discs to try and cut curves or grind on the flat side with.

The only other piece of protective gear I recommend is a full face shield to be worn over your glasses and mask. They are handy, and are cheap insurance.


Now go get grinding/filing and post up pics of your first knife!


-Xander
 
You obviously know how to take all necessary precautions. In doing so you are quite safe making knives. Best of luck.
 
Hey I ordered some steel and am planning on getting into knife making but I just had a question about the safety of it... I plan on getting a p100 filter for my respirator and a shop vac for the g10 and eye Protecting for both steel and g10 dust. Yet I'm still concerned about working with steel and g10 in my garage where my family and I park cqrs and go in and out of it. It a 2 car garage and I have my own half but I still don't wana put my family and my own health in danger. Will this require to wear a respirator any time I go into my garage even when not sanding/grinding because that's just not an option. Basic summary, is it safe to work in a garage with family and I going in and out without respirators. PLEASE share your knowledge! I'd greatly appreciate it! God bless and have a nice day!

I'm also using a dremel for G10 and sanding belt for steel and working outside just isn't an option
 
Aside from dust inhalation, shop safety should be treated like any other potentially dangerous activity: You can get comfortable, but don't get complacent. Same as with driving an automobile, using a firearm, or building a fire, you need to be respectful of the process and equipment involved.
 
I framed in a separate grinding area in my shop. Not so much for health issues, but more to contain the worst of the dust in one area. It works pretty well, so if that is an option for your set-up, you might give it a try. Generally if I am in my grinding room, I have a respirator on and I try to keep the kids out of that area.

-Mike
 
I do all my work in the garage. I keep a fan blowing with the garage door up and that really cuts down on the dust traveling to the opposite side.
 
My shop is in my basement and for many years I simply hung tarps from ceiling joist to floor to isolate it from the rest of the basement. This did a pretty good job of containing the dust to the shop area. You could probably do the same in your garage.

Kevin
 
YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!!!

Well, we all are eventually. But making a knife or two (carefully) shouldn't remove too many hours off the tail end of life.

Just pay attention, do the right thing and enjoy yourself. After all, if you don't live a little while you're alive, when WILL you do it?
 
"No hoodies or long hair", my ever-lovin' behind. That's de rigueur in my shop.

Tuck it up, suck it up. Keep it lean, keep it clean. No muss, no fuss.
 
james terrio said:
"No hoodies or long hair", my ever-lovin' behind. That's de rigueur in my shop.
Click to expand...

Ya, but you tie it up right ?

Those little hood string thingies in hoodies almost did me in once.
I cut them off in a hurry


Story only, Yale student long hair entangled and asphyxiates



I can post gawdaful pics to prove my point.

Long sleeves

more long sleeves on a big lathe






Those are lathe stories, but lathe, mill, drill press, grinder - anything spinning has that possibility.
 
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That looks bad enough to make you not ever start even thinking about making a Knife.!*
Blood & Guts ~~ you might as well play with C-4 cause those Pic's really look nasty.*
 
One rule of thumb in my shop is any machine I use cannot be stronger than me. I can stall my drillpresses, grinders and sanders. That is not to say I won't get hurt by them but there is waaaaay less of a chance of me becoming a whirling slop of meaty taffy, spewing human effluence upon the floor,walls and ceiling. I wish to avoid that.
 
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