Looking for some insight from the pros out there

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Ekim1428

Joined
Nov 14, 2013
Messages
17
I've been registered on here reading as much as I could for the past year trying to soak in as much knowledge as I could while I collected the essentials to finally get started. This is my first post and I was hoping to get some input from the pros. I've made about 6 or so knives start to finish while really trying to refine my work with each one. I'm still having plenty of trouble getting the hang of it. For the 6 or so blades that made it to the end, I have at least 5 in the scrap bin from screw ups.

My biggest issue seems to be pressure control and consistency when switching from left to right hand grinding. Of course this means I end up chasing the flats too high. I also have a lot of trouble getting a clean plunge and often times get a deep gouge from the corner of the belt biting into the plunge. (picture one shows this) These are some examples of knives I made on a Craftsman 2x42 with a glass platen out of 1084. Please tell me what you think. Any tips or criticism are greatly appreciated.

My goal is to become a part time maker and make a little bit of money and upgrade my shop. But I am not sure when I will be ready to sell quality wise or even how much to charge. Thank you for the wealth of knowledge!

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They look pretty darn good and considering they are some of your first I say they look very good !!! Well done !
The one suggestion I have is for the use of that second knife that I figure is for kitchen use. That "heel" is a poor addition and will some cause problems in use. I suggest you run your grind up the ricasso some. The fist machine sharpening will certainly also show it's an interference. I can't give you an accurate assessment without a lot more pictures and at certain angles, but yes it does look good to sell. I'm impressed with what you have done through so few knives. Frank
 
I'd say you're ready to sell your work, but you must have a Knifemaker membership to discuss selling or prices on this site.

Mike L.
 
To help with that plunge bite....

Radius your platen edge and then get yourself some Gator belts and some J Flex belts to work and clean up the plunge. No matter what belt you do use be sure to break the edge (bend it over the platen) so it is flexible.

Oh also forget about "Plunging" into the plunge line. Start your grinder forward where you want the plunge to be and work back ward into the plunge line bit by bit. Also you need a guide for grinding the plunge to make getting them dead nuts straight easy.

I will the blade without a file guide and then install one and work back into the plunge to get a nice smooth transition.

You work looks good. Keep up the good work
 
Frank Niro
They look pretty darn good and considering they are some of your first I say they look very good !!! Well done !
The one suggestion I have is for the use of that second knife that I figure is for kitchen use. That "heel" is a poor addition and will some cause problems in use. I suggest you run your grind up the ricasso some. The fist machine sharpening will certainly also show it's an interference. I can't give you an accurate assessment without a lot more pictures and at certain angles, but yes it does look good to sell. I'm impressed with what you have done through so few knives. Frank

Thank you for the kind words! I can see how the heel would interfere. I wanted to try my hand at several styles to see if I excel at any of them while trying to come up with my own "signature style" The knives that made it this far are pretty symmetrical but it seems to be more luck than proper technique. I have a real hard time with consistency right to left which I hope comes with practice. The others are in the scrap bin.


logem
I'd say you're ready to sell your work, but you must have a Knifemaker membership to discuss selling or prices on this site.

My apologies. I did not mean to break any rules. Please disregard that question and thank you for pointing that out to me.


AVigil
To help with that plunge bite....

Radius your platen edge and then get yourself some Gator belts and some J Flex belts to work and clean up the plunge. No matter what belt you do use be sure to break the edge (bend it over the platen) so it is flexible.

Oh also forget about "Plunging" into the plunge line. Start your grinder forward where you want the plunge to be and work back ward into the plunge line bit by bit. Also you need a guide for grinding the plunge to make getting them dead nuts straight easy.

I will the blade without a file guide and then install one and work back into the plunge to get a nice smooth transition.

You work looks good. Keep up the good work

Thank you for the tip! This one seemed to be a problem I just could not figure out no matter how steady and carefully I started the grind. I'll give that a shot.
 
Good looking work.
You seem to know what you need to fix, just work slowly towards that and you'll be there before you know it.
Keep at it.
 
Don't worry about your plunge lines. Luck becomes skill with enough practice. I like a high bevel grind. Your knives are looking great. Keep up the good work.
 
It's difficult to really critically evaluate your work with just those pictures, but what I can see looks pretty good. :thumbup:
 
Nice work. It's all about time on the machine and getting the feel. Looks like it's working well for you. I converted my 2x42 Craftsman to a 2x72. Belts last much longer and not much more expensive for the longer life expectancy. Keep up the good work.
 
My comment is to stop taking the photos at such cockeyed "artistic" angles

It's impossible to judge proportion and size when the perspective is skewed like that.
 
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I chose one knife and took pictures of as many angles I could think of without drowning you guys in photos. This is my 3rd knife start to finish. You can clearly see my weak points with pressure control and the plunge (at least the ones that I can pick out)

Don't mind the small scratches in the finish. Those are new.. This was intended as a practice knife and has some minor finish defects from showing people and wiping it down constantly with a rag. No more artsy photos when asking advice here. I have thick skin so please don't hold back. Thanks again guys your input is very valuable to me as my goal here is to learn and improve.

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12345678910 said:
My comment is to stop taking the photos at such cockeyed "artistic" angles

It's impossible to judge proportion and size when the perspective is skewed like that.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. These look good, but the angles make deciding if proportion is good impossible. Save the "art shots" for pretty gals.
 
Ekem1428, I like them, especially number 3 and 4. You have some interesting designs. Keep reading the forum posts and grind more steel. If you are bothered by scratches then watch the Youtube videos on finishing by Nick Wheeler. He takes a lot of time with different sandpapers to make a nice satin finish and he shows some simple to make sanding aids. Larry
 
I'm not seeing a lot wrong with these. Aside from the slightly different grind lines on either side of the blade this one looks pretty darn good. My personal preference would have been to have the bottom of the swedge bevel line drop lower and follow into the spine. You are doing very nice work.
 
How is the heat treat? Do they hold and edge? that is more important than the finish and plunge lines.

Just don't charge master crasftsmans prices and I don't think you will have a problem selling them.
 
I'm a brand new maker myself, and I'd say those are sell worthy. Good work for a beginner!
 
hughewil said:
How is the heat treat? Do they hold and edge? that is more important than the finish and plunge lines.

Just don't charge master crasftsmans prices and I don't think you will have a problem selling them.
Click to expand...

The heat treat seems ok, I beat another one I made to death and it held up very well. I use it as my shop knife now. However, it is a back yard heat treat in a brake drum forge so I won't be selling any of these. I wanted the ability to practice on the cheaper 1084 without having to send blades out or buy an oven just yet. The batch that I am working on now is out of D2 and will be sent to Peter's for a good heat treat.

I have very realistic ideas in mind when it comes to pricing and will likely lowball myself at first to get my name out there. I just don't want to go too low so people think they are buying crap or to the point that I'm working for free.
 
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