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- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
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I recently bought Kim Breed's new knife Grinding DVD (available here for $40 + $5 shipping direct from Kim and Gary Wheeler (together they are BWBladworks). The video is produced by Daniel Prentice ( DPcustomknives). If you know Kim either personally or from his days of writing knife reviews at Blade magazine, you know what to expect from this DVD already: no nonsense!
The DVD is about 60 minutes long or so. It comes in a simple jewel case and played it both on my computer (2004 Apple iMac using the pre-installed DVD player software) and on a cheap DVD player at home and it worked without any problems on both machines. In the video, Kim shows several different grinds using an el-cheapo 1x42 grinder (that thing throws some sparks!), then Gary shows how to remove scale from blades using a 7" auto grinder. He also does some grinding on the 2x72 grinder and a 6x48.
The basics are covered and you get a good sense of how to mark a blade (and why), basic technique and body positioning and the basic mechanics of how to go about grinding the blade (how to keep the blade moving, how to work carefull to avoid problems, etc). On Gary's big bowie blade he grinds the flats a little high, so he shows how to go back and correct the work to keep the grind from breaking the spine, for example.
Gary also does a great explanation of hollow grinding using a homemade jig. Unfortunately, he makes it look really easy, which means that to do it yourself is probably really hard! But, in any case the video gives you a really clear picture of how to make and use your own jig if you want to do so. This video does not cover freehand hollw grinding, although the principles are basically the same.
The video itself gives quite a clear picture of things. The focus goes in and oyt now and then, and some of the details like seeing the scribe lines they mark out to keep the grind lines centered and that sort of thing get lost on the video. For the most part, though, the video gives you the basics for practicing on your own. Knifemaking is a physcial skill that requires training and proper muscle function and hand-eye coordination, and the only way to develop that skill is to practice.
I'm currently transitioning to using files and hand tools for most of my work to a 2x72 belt grinder, so this video definitely cleared up how to begin. The rest is up to you! I would definitely recommend this video to any new knifemaker, or people like me who've made some knives but are upgrading equipment. Seasoned veterans probably won't see anything on this video that they don't already know, but Kim, Gary and Daniel are planning an entire series of DVDs on various aspects of knifemaking, and they have a forging video ready to purchase (dealing with cable damascus, I believe, as well as a chain damascus piece) already, so more advanced topics will be covered in later installments.
My only recommendation for future videos is to use digital still photographs and cut them in in places where seeing the details is important (like in marking out scribe lines, pointing out small specific details on the knives, etc). Overall, though, I give this DVD two thumbs up and 8 out of 10 stars. Not bad for the first attempt, and I can't wait to see what else these guys come up with!
The DVD is about 60 minutes long or so. It comes in a simple jewel case and played it both on my computer (2004 Apple iMac using the pre-installed DVD player software) and on a cheap DVD player at home and it worked without any problems on both machines. In the video, Kim shows several different grinds using an el-cheapo 1x42 grinder (that thing throws some sparks!), then Gary shows how to remove scale from blades using a 7" auto grinder. He also does some grinding on the 2x72 grinder and a 6x48.
The basics are covered and you get a good sense of how to mark a blade (and why), basic technique and body positioning and the basic mechanics of how to go about grinding the blade (how to keep the blade moving, how to work carefull to avoid problems, etc). On Gary's big bowie blade he grinds the flats a little high, so he shows how to go back and correct the work to keep the grind from breaking the spine, for example.
Gary also does a great explanation of hollow grinding using a homemade jig. Unfortunately, he makes it look really easy, which means that to do it yourself is probably really hard! But, in any case the video gives you a really clear picture of how to make and use your own jig if you want to do so. This video does not cover freehand hollw grinding, although the principles are basically the same.
The video itself gives quite a clear picture of things. The focus goes in and oyt now and then, and some of the details like seeing the scribe lines they mark out to keep the grind lines centered and that sort of thing get lost on the video. For the most part, though, the video gives you the basics for practicing on your own. Knifemaking is a physcial skill that requires training and proper muscle function and hand-eye coordination, and the only way to develop that skill is to practice.
I'm currently transitioning to using files and hand tools for most of my work to a 2x72 belt grinder, so this video definitely cleared up how to begin. The rest is up to you! I would definitely recommend this video to any new knifemaker, or people like me who've made some knives but are upgrading equipment. Seasoned veterans probably won't see anything on this video that they don't already know, but Kim, Gary and Daniel are planning an entire series of DVDs on various aspects of knifemaking, and they have a forging video ready to purchase (dealing with cable damascus, I believe, as well as a chain damascus piece) already, so more advanced topics will be covered in later installments.
My only recommendation for future videos is to use digital still photographs and cut them in in places where seeing the details is important (like in marking out scribe lines, pointing out small specific details on the knives, etc). Overall, though, I give this DVD two thumbs up and 8 out of 10 stars. Not bad for the first attempt, and I can't wait to see what else these guys come up with!
