knifemaking

K

knifeman56

Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Messages
4
I am soon to retire as a tool and die maker after 42 years can any one tell me how to get into knife making
 
welcome knifeman 56 there are a ton of custom makers in texas & okla. i suggest you make the tulsa knife & gun show & shows in dallas & ft.worth. introduce yourself to knifemakers whom impress you with their products.
 
Read the stickies at the top of this forum, ask questions you have, and let folks here answer. You won't always get the answer you want, but you'll usually get a helpful one ;)

Welcome to the addiction!

-d
 
Welcome Knifemaker! Get used to the site... learn to use the search function... there are plenty of folks here willing to help. There is always room for new makers. I was in tool and die for almost 14yrs. That skill set carries over, my friend.... you have a head start.


Rick
 
knifeman56 please check out a knifemaker in the area where you are at our State Association. www.theknifegroup.com There are a couple of short adult education evening classes at the vo-tech at Kansas and Sallisaw. If you need any help olease contact me I am the President and my email address is on site. Mike
 
Al;so go to the Blade forums.com and read the stickies there, look at getting some equipment after you figure you know what to get and have asked what will work best at what you can afford. Being a machinist doesn't guarantee you success with the knife making but the mechanical background can work for you. I wish you well. Frank
 
Hi Knifeman56,

I see you've been a member of Blade Forums since 2004. That's longer than many of us, I guess. Have you been hanging out more in the collector forums, or others, and not in this one? If so, I too will join in welcoming you to the makers' forum. Welcome!

As I see it, there are probably three main facets to a person that will come to play in answering a question like "how can I learn to make knives?".

  1. How do you like to learn, play, work, create, etc.?
    • Of what ilk are you: scholastic, scientific, artistic, etc?
    • Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner?
  2. What resources do you have or have access to?
    • Shop, equipment, tools, utilities, etc?
    • Time, money, skill-sets, health, etc?
    • Actual or virtual: schools, weekend hammer-ins and seminars, makers, teachers, libraries, etc?
    • Materials and supplies?
  3. What goals do you have as a maker?
    • What kind of knives do you like and want to make?
    • Hobbyist, part-time or full-time professional (intended revenue stream?)?
One of the reasons I am so enamored with knife making is that it is such a multifaceted and diversely disciplined endeavor. Some of the fields of effort might include design, drawing, metal-wood-bone-stag-ivory-leather-working, equipment building, forging, machining, jewelry making, casting, engraving, computer programs (CAD, word processing, spreadsheet, accounting, database, correspondence, illustration, website, etc), heat treating, testing, packaging and presenting, sales and marketing, photography, etc, etc, etc.... Where do you want to start?

You've probably asked just about as broad a question as you could. Can you narrow is down some? I'm guessing with your tool and die background you might be more interested in stock removal approaches to knife making rather than forging ones. Would that be correct?

I'm looking forward to hearing more....

All the best, Phil
 
Don't think so much.
Get a piece of steel and grind away everything that doesn't look like a knife.
Get a couple pieces of sumpthin that might make a handle and bolt them on!
Now, you're a knife maker.
Take what you learned on this one and make the next one better.
That's all everybody else does.
Anything else is either thinking too much or showing off.
 
Like Farmer Phill said, decide what kind of knife you want to make and what for, then go to the folks who make similar knives and you will be ahead of the game.

Good Luck!
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Don't think so much. Get a piece of steel and grind away everything that doesn't look like a knife. Get a couple pieces of sumpthin that might make a handle and bolt them on! Now, you're a knife maker. Take what you learned on this one and make the next one better.
That's all everybody else does. Anything else is either thinking too much or showing off.
Click to expand...

Ouch....

Doing is certainly the root of all learning (for most of us) but knowing stuff helps too. Trimming a few corners here and there is nice if you can. Other folks and books, etc, can help shorten the road a bit, I guess.
 
Karl, you're a kick, love your answer.
Knifeman; HEAT TREAT-HEAT TREAT- HEAT TREAT.
Anybody can take a plane or fancy pc of steel, put an edge and handle on it, the trick is make the edge stay there. Then go to fit and finish. Your craftsmanship will come with your desire.
Jerry
 
buy Jim Hrisoulas's books. Some of them are also available in the public domain through scribd.com

but - Jim is a helluva guy, and he deserves money for his ideas and time. He works to teach and spread his info, and he has a lot of it.

welcome - its not just a job, its an addiction.

kc
 
kevin -the professor said:
its not just a job, its an addiction.

kc
Click to expand...

No words ever spoken were more true. Take an old man's advice and take up basket-weaving. "Crack", "Acid", "Meth", "Mary Jane",........ they ain't got nuttin' on knife making.

When you try to lay down at night for a good rest, and all you can think about is how to make the next one better............ Its way too late. You are hooked.

When that first knife sells and the customer is happy........ That is probably the high that can never be re-lived.

Yup, basket-weaving or perhaps lying on the interstate and counting oil leaks on vehicles as they pass is the way to go when you retire.

Hello, My name is Robert, and I'm a knife addict.
 
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