Looking for knife blanks

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pintail_drake2004

Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
18
Howdy yall, i was wanting to make a few knives-hopefully from a blank first. I am looking for some blanks with out any markings on them. where can i find something like this?
thanks
pintail
 
Buy some annealed bar stock and draw your own blade shape on it. Cut the profile out with a bandsaw, or a hacksaw.

It takes a bit of hard work, but you'll have alot more options this way, and you'll appreciate it more.
 
I have tried my own pattern, cut them out, but cutting my bevel is what is kicking my tail. Ive tried a belt sander, grinder, etc and i just cannot seem to get it right.
here are the 2 blanks i came up with on my first attempt. I want these to be a college graduation present to my brother but i dont have the time to start over now.
P1050206.jpg
 
Jantz and Texas Knifemakers Supply would be my top choices; they both have a wide selection of blades and you can get them in 440C. That's about the best steel you're going to get with kit blades.
 
The ones you cut look good, Whats wrong with them? I used only files for a lot of years to cut the bevels. On a 4" x 1/8" blade it only takes me around 2 hours to put the bevels in. Good, sharp, files are the key.
 
Practice, practice, practice......

Keeping bevels even is what kicks everyone's butt.. then handle fitup...then it becomes making pretty, matching plunges.... then it's guard fitting.... then it's tweaking designs.... then it's matching materials for overall effect...... then it's making damascus.....

Knifemaking is a never ending cycle of kicking your own butt because you chose this hobby :D
 
PD04,
Go for the self done knife....what you started with...1st attempt....looks like a real fine start.....
Don't go for unmarked blanks.....cut/grind your own......you are not without talent....
 
thanks fellas. Just one more ??? for ya. Is there some sort of file guide i can use to keep the bevel consistant? I cooled off a bit and looked them over and they dont look too bad. Still need to work on the bevel but other than that, just need to finish that up and slap a few scales on.
 
And if you get frustrated starting out, I make and sell blanks. The blanks O sell are all made by me, no poor quality import stuff. Check out my website.

Thanks,

Gene
 
To keep file grinds even anchor your elbows and use your body to do the grinding. If you want to go the jig route look up greenpete in youtube
 
there are a lot of ways to keep a bevel angle constant. the one I use on scandi grinds is similar to what you see in the knifemaking videos of "greenpete's knife making" on youtube. Very easy way to file guide. Though i set mine up for draw filing.

Once you've filed enough to have the bevel set, you can use marker and freehand draw file. After draw filing I use 150 grit on a sanding stick (in my case, 1x1.5 ipe scraps, but a good piece of steel works), then 240 and 320. Then I do my heat treating and start back with anything down to 80 grint depending on how thick I left the edge.

Really, though, I'm sold on convex grinds and i do those with a slack belt and.... practice.
 
Those are some fine looking blades PD and like the guys said, you'll be a lot more satisfied finishing your own blades out!!! I sure want to see some pix of them when they're done!! Biggest thing is don't expect perfection and if it's starting to bug you or you're getting too tired, take a break! Also, use a good if not new file! Don't go at it with a worn out p.o.s. file, sheesh, that'll make you want to quit quicker than anything! Get a good file brush too and keep the file clean.
A big help on getting the bevels straight is to mark them off before you start filing. Wipe the blade down good with alcohol and then mark your bevels with a sharp point black Sharpee. Blacken what will be the cutting edge of the blade and then take a scribe and stack enough sheets of paper so the tip of the scribe hits the edge of the blade about 1/32" from the center. Lay both the paper with the scribe on it and the blade on a flat surface and then slide the blade's edge down the scribe. Flip the blade and do it again. Now you have the thickness of the edge you want to leave before heat treat. This is a file guide line, just like the ones you drew on the sides of the blade with the Sharpee.
The rest is up to you, just be patient and you'll end up with a pair of real nice knives!!!
Wow, that was a bunch of jabberin wasn't it!!! :D
 
Well i took a jab at it again and i am very happy i did. Here is what i came up with.
Bevel6.jpg


I used alot of water to keep the blades cool while grinding-the flash changed the blade colors on the right-and went slow and checked often. I do have one question though, I want to heat the handles with a torch to soften the steel so i can drill a hole easier. Will this affect the blade itself or just where i heat up? These are cut from circle saw blades w/o carbide teeth, its hard steel.

Thanks
Pintail
 
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