Just want an oppinion.

M

Masterchafed

Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
8
This is my first hand forged knife and im pleased considering i have done no metalwork in the past. please tell me what you think, also the metal isnt entirely straight what could i do to keep the metal flat next time?
dscf5762re9.jpg
 
Masterchafed said:
This is my first hand forged knife and im pleased considering i have done no metalwork in the past. please tell me what you think, also the metal isnt entirely straight what could i do to keep the metal flat next time?
Click to expand...

The knife is obviously rough, but it shows that some very important points have been well understood.
First and foremost, that on a working knife it's far better to have a large grip with a small blade, than the other way round. Most best scandinavian knives are made exactly that way, and for good reasons.
if you properly heat treated that blade, I expect it to be a good cutter and very useful working knife.
Most forged steel won't be straight. You have to straighten it and normalize to relief internal stresses that will make the blade warp during quench.
After forging, heat to non-magnetic and let cool in air. At a dull dark red heat watch for warpage and straighten it with delicate hammer blows. Then, repeat same process, until there's no more warpage.
Heat again to non mag, let soak a minute or so, and then quench in oil.
This will refine the grain of the metal.
Heat again, to non mag and quench. This will harden the steel in a fine structure which will be tough after tempering.
Temper will depend upon steel type and blade structure. The richer in carbon the steel, and thinner the blade, the softer the temper.
If you have specific questions, just ask.
What steel did you use, btw?
If the blade warped in heat treat,
 
We have found better looking knives at the prison.

Please fill in your profile and introduce yourself.

Normalizing will help with warpage. What method and proceedure did you use?

Welcome to Shop Talk
 
It does look a bit like a puukko. I second the large grip and small blade thing. I'd work a bit more on the blade finish or photos so we can see the bevel some. How thick is it? What's the handle material?

It's no uglier than my first knife, but it isn't pretty- good thing about that is you won't be afraid to beat the crap out of it and find out how good a job you did.

On you next one, normalize a lot, tell us about the full heat treat process, and give a classic grind type a try (if you didn't this time, I can't really tell). I'm fond of scandi grinds on smaller knives.
 
Ok, here is another that im working on. now this one is not being forged, this one is being made by stock removal method. Any tips? Thoughts? Opinions? It isnt done yet, so i need to know what to do from here on. i need to take the scratches out and what else? Also, what is a good method for scratch removal?
dscf5773kq0.jpg
 
sand sand sand sand sand.

I mostly go from 80 to 220 on my belts and discs and then from 240 through 320,400 to 600 or 800 on hand sanding. Change directions with every grit and always follow (in my experience) filing with something 100ish. Other than that, looks like a good scandi grind, keep the handle comfortable.
 
thanks for the reply. Do you know about how much a good stock removal made blade would sell for? I'm sure it would be far less then forged.
 
Oh, now THAT is a can of worms.

I'm about to put up a ground (but a bit of hammering to straighten and then normalize, also wanted to add some "aging" effects) bird and trout for $75, but I'm only 7 months into this and my fit and finish aren't *fantastic*. (better than what I've seen at a few scottish games and ren faires lately, but nothing I'd even dare to take out of my pocket near bruce bump for fear of turning into a pile of ashes and blowing away.)

BUT! I could easily, if I had ythe skills and dirt time in, grind a $400 bird and trout. Or forge one. The price difference is in the maker, the quality, even sometimes the social demand.

Does a forged knife cost more than a ground knife? Heh. I dunno. I do know it's more what I said above than the method of making the blade.
 
They will look better and better if you keep the interest in the hobby. Its OK to have some scratches if the knife is for general use. The price will go up as they get better looking and have the correct heat treatment. Be sure to use the heck out of them so you can develop your own designs and their performance.

Sorry for the wise crack about the prison knives but those guys have years and years of experience.
 
Welcome aboard! Your officialy hooked now.

As far as price, what Koyote said pretty much sums it up.

As far as getting the scratches out? Sand, sand, sand, sand, sand, curse, drop back a grit or two and sand some more.:D Best to leave the buffer for the final polish to brighten things up, not to remove metal.
 
The secret about scratches is to be sure to have removed all the coarser ones before going up another step in grit.
Blue ink on the blade helps a lot.
Tip about the knife:

Try working it with a file. Doing at least one knife with a file is great for learning how to properly shape the blade.
If you use a grinder, you MUST have a speed control.
Believe me.
Yes, you can work without. Some great smiths do. But you should have tools that work for you, and you should not have to work AGAINST the shortcoming of your tools unless absolutely necessary.
Speed controls are cheap. Buy one and if you are not proficient in electrical skills, have it installed by a skilled craftsman.

Pay attention to the noise the grinder does when biting in the metal. When you are properly grinding the surface, it's one noise. When you grind into the angle of the bevel or edge, as you accidentally or intentionally twist the blade, it's another.

For pictures: get a proper camera, and make sure the image is focused. You can't take pictures too near to the object without a closeup function of the lens. To get really close details you need a reflex with proper closeup or macro accessories.
Work on the knives and, believe me, work on the pictures as well! ;)
And don't get discouraged.
Initially you'll be able to produce just lots of steel dust.
Start with rebar, forge it into a bar, try to forge the shape of a knife, then grind it.
This way you won't waste expensive steel.
Stay simple at first.
Which kind of forge do you use?
 
my current forge is only a Wok pan over a paint can with a hole in the side where there is a pipe leading to a hair dryer. But hopefully here in a few days or a week or so i will be building a new one.

About the pictures, my camera is really crappy. It used to work beautifully until the lens stopped coming out all the way when you open it. So that messes with the auto focus and keeps my images from coming out clear.

The knife that im making was done with a belt sander and a grinding wheel, i feel it came out pretty good so far. I am sanding it now though, it is looking great, i managed to get most of the scratches out of one side so far and it is really smooth and shiny.

Thanks for all the tips.
 
"We have found better looking knives at the prison".


LMAOF:thumbup:

This set my mood for the day. Thanks Bruce:thumbup:

Keep at it, try not to get discouraged and enjoy all the learning that it takes to do it well.

Fill out your profile. Welcome to the forums, Fred
 
It sounds like you have a very limited equipment budget, like myself currently. I would recommend a couple good files. They take longer, but will give good results for your patience, and won't mess your work up in a hurry like power tools. It's not hard to file in flat, clean looking bevels with a file. I recommend a large flat file, and a half-round file for finger groves, etc.. (nicholson is a good brand).
 
Blue_Dragon said:
It sounds like you have a very limited equipment budget, like myself currently. I would recommend a couple good files. They take longer, but will give good results for your patience, and won't mess your work up in a hurry like power tools. It's not hard to file in flat, clean looking bevels with a file. I recommend a large flat file, and a half-round file for finger groves, etc.. (nicholson is a good brand).
Click to expand...

I've now got a 4 inch belt, 1x30 belt, 6 and 5 inch disc sanders, a 6 inch grinder and a drill guide. But I doing a lot of my bevel work and distal work by hand with files because I just ain't that good yet. And I spent over $120 on files before I did get the first belt (I got the grinder right away for doing profiles)
 
Hi, it looks like you're off to a good start. I would recommend trying to bring the grind up higher, probably 1/2 of the blade at least. Even if it takes an edge, going up in thickness that quickly will affect cutting performance. You can carry your grinds up a bit at the tip to add in a distal taper to make it a bit more pokey as well.

I also vote for files, get files. Less cleanup, faster in many cases and harder to screw up badly. Don't buy cheap files... but, since you'll probably want to try anyways, don't give up on files if the cheap ones are hard to use. They just suck :D

Masterchafed said:
Ok, here is another that im working on. now this one is not being forged, this one is being made by stock removal method. Any tips? Thoughts? Opinions? It isnt done yet, so i need to know what to do from here on. i need to take the scratches out and what else? Also, what is a good method for scratch removal?
dscf5773kq0.jpg
Click to expand...
 
AcridSaint said:
Hi, it looks like you're off to a good start. I would recommend trying to bring the grind up higher, probably 1/2 of the blade at least. Even if it takes an edge, going up in thickness that quickly will affect cutting performance. You can carry your grinds up a bit at the tip to add in a distal taper to make it a bit more pokey as well.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. it depends on what you are after. On a blade that size if it's thin, I would stick with a scandi grind- but some people don't like them. the way I'm doing some of mine in tyhe 2-3.5 inch blade range with really thin stock (like 5/64 and such) is to do a multi bevel scandi where I run a 10 or 12 degree primary and then do a few passes at 15 and finish the edge at 18. Seems to work well, but I have good results with a straight 15 or 18 degree scandi on some blades.

if you don't want a scandi, pull it back.

How long is that blade, anyway? I was guessing about 2.75
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top