My first attempt at a fixed blade.

timcsaw

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Sep 25, 2007
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I just finished this one the other day... It's my first try at a fixed blade build;

It's Brass, white tail deer antler, leather wrap, ironwood, and the crown coin is a Sacajawea dollar (so the knife is worth at least a buck (pun intended)).:D

I bought the blank which came with the brass front guard. The guard was originally cut to fit about an inch further back on the blade, thus showing about a one inch ricasso(?) forward of the guard (I think that's what it's called?).

As originally designed, the forward guard would have been at right angles to the blade, but I wanted to have it angled a bit so I re-worked it to do so.

The rear brass guard and addl. ring, believe it or not, are made from a solid brass door hinge from my local hardware. The wood is Ironwood.

I didn't want to sand down the antler at the second guard, or after the last brass ring, so I drilled and inserted a piece of dowel in front of the 2nd guard, and in front of the horn crown, and then tightly twisted some rawhide shoelace to create the wraps and make a better transition between the horn and guard/crown. I then "painted" the wraps with super-glue to firm and darken them up.

As I've built it, I can pop off the Sacajawea coin and disassemble it completely. I did this because I understand that antler can/will possible shrink some over time (even though I "stabilized" it) and I may need to tighten things up some day.

It was a fun build, other than the smell!:eek:

Yes, now my workshop smells like a dentist office (why didn't anyone tell me working with horn stinks?). Yes, I wore a respirator!:D

(I bought the blank... as I can't do steel myself:().

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ON EDIT: I found a product in my shop that I stumbled on, which I found kind of useful. I'll find the name and edit this... Essentially, it's a liquid, black, rubber material that is designed to create rubberized, non-slip coverings on tools... such as a pair of pliers, dikes, etc. You dip the handle into the material a number of times and it creates a rubberized covering over the handle. Since my file-work on the front guard sucked... and didn't fit very tightly to the blade, I used some of this liquid rubber to fill the gaps between the guard and blade to hide my poor workmanship. It did a real nice job. I can see many uses for it in the future (I thought about filling the void inside the antler with it for example, but chose not to to ensure that I could easily disassemble the knife. Maybe there is a real "knife makers" material out there to do the same thing, but I don't know so I "Macgyver'd" it and used what I had... hence the brass door hinge and rawhide shoelace as well.:D

I'm new at this and just proceed by feel and intuition, so if any of you 'ol timers' can offer any advice/constructive criticisms, they would be very welcomed and appreciated!!
 
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Grinding the blades the best part, I love it when I touch my knuckles on the sander belts and burn my fingers :eek: :D

:thumbup:

I know what you mean about the sander... I have some pretty oddly shaped fingernails and scrubbed up knuckles myself!:D

I'd love to be able to take a raw chunk of steel and create a blade... I just don't have the room or knowledge to be a true "smithy"... I envy those of you who do!;)

Because I don't create the blades myself, I WONT call myself a "knife maker" but rather a "Knife builder/assembler".

Because I have such GREAT respect for those of you who can turn a steel ball bearing into a beautiful blade, and then continue to finish it into a "Custom knife", I don't feel "worthy" to call myself a "maker".

I'm the kind of guy that would love to be able to create something from the raw begining... I mean dig up the iron ore, processes it, create the steel...440C, SV-whatever, grind the blade and go from there to the finished product. THEN I'd be a "maker".:D

Problem is, I'd want to do EVERYTHING in Damascus though and thats a whole new learning curve. (I just love the look of Damascus)

I am jealous of those of you true "smithy's" out there. You all have my respect and admiration!
 
Get your self a bit of carbon steel bar stock, or even an old file will do, and try grinding something out "stock removel" style.
Just heat treating it with a torch will do untill you get a forge and a better idea of whats what with different steels and the like.

Your clearly able to to the rest of it so give it a go man :thumbup:
 
Tim, that's a great looking knife, especially a first effort. I'm knid of in the same boat as you. I've 'built' several knives from blade blanks but haven't tried grinding my own blades-yet. I have the same fettish for damascus. The main reason I even started knives was because I had alot of scrap exotic hardwood and antler scraps leftover from making laminated longbows. I'm a packrat and save everything. I saw a knife kind of like yours that someone had made from a blank and thought that would be the perfect way to use these pieces. I've learned alot about the construction and hope to try my hand at my own blade in the future because when you buy a blank, you are at the mercy of someone elses design. I've just recently joined this site, and if looking at the remarkable knives made here doesn't light a fire, nothing will. Keep up the good work. We both have a lot to learn. Mike
 
Get your self a bit of carbon steel bar stock, or even an old file will do, and try grinding something out "stock removel" style.
Just heat treating it with a torch will do untill you get a forge and a better idea of whats what with different steels and the like.

Your clearly able to to the rest of it so give it a go man :thumbup:

I've been thinking about using an old file and giving that a try. I noticed some nice work in the recent "Bowie's" thread.

You mention heat treating. I assume that a file can be rough ground to shape on the bench grinder without any need for heating it up to grind it? Then after you have the rough shape, final shaping is via sanding belts. Once you have the blank more finely finished on the sanding belts, then you heat treat? Or do you take it to it's nearly final, finished/600 grit or finer before the heat treat? Obviously I wouldn't want to take it to final 2000 grit/polished finish BEFORE putting the torch to it?

I think you've talked me into giving this a go, so I hope you won't mind some more questions as I proceed.

I appreciate you kind words and advice!
 
Tim, that's a great looking knife, especially a first effort. I'm knid of in the same boat as you. I've 'built' several knives from blade blanks but haven't tried grinding my own blades-yet. I have the same fettish for damascus. The main reason I even started knives was because I had alot of scrap exotic hardwood and antler scraps leftover from making laminated longbows. I'm a packrat and save everything. I saw a knife kind of like yours that someone had made from a blank and thought that would be the perfect way to use these pieces. I've learned alot about the construction and hope to try my hand at my own blade in the future because when you buy a blank, you are at the mercy of someone elses design. I've just recently joined this site, and if looking at the remarkable knives made here doesn't light a fire, nothing will. Keep up the good work. We both have a lot to learn. Mike

Thanks. I've done a few folders but wanted to give the fixed blade a try.

As you can see by my previous, I think I'm going to give it a try with an old file.

I have a "metal" place down the road, but they deal primarily in "cold rolled" steel (whatever exactly THAT is in comparison to file/blade steel?:confused:). I think they may be able to order other steel stock, but I'd have to be quite specific in what I wanted... and I wouldn't really know what to ask for. This same place has ordered brass stock for me recently so I'll check and see what else they can get.

Perhaps someone could give me a detailed description of what to ask them for? Like "Eighth inch by three inch bar stock of 440C, high carbon steel" or what ever I should ask for????

I'll keep my eye on this thread and hope to see some of your stuff...

This knife building/making stuff IS fun isn't it? I'm turning my wife into a "workshop widow".:eek::D
 
I've been thinking about using an old file and giving that a try. I noticed some nice work in the recent "Bowie's" thread.

You mention heat treating. I assume that a file can be rough ground to shape on the bench grinder without any need for heating it up to grind it? Then after you have the rough shape, final shaping is via sanding belts. Once you have the blank more finely finished on the sanding belts, then you heat treat? Or do you take it to it's nearly final, finished/600 grit or finer before the heat treat? Obviously I wouldn't want to take it to final 2000 grit/polished finish BEFORE putting the torch to it?

I think you've talked me into giving this a go, so I hope you won't mind some more questions as I proceed.

I appreciate you kind words and advice!

If your using a file you can grind it when its hard or "normalise" it (get it red hot and let it cool naturaly at room temp) this will soften the steel making it easier to sand and get a good finish If you want to drill holes in it you will defo need to soften the steel.
To harden the steel heat it up and quench it to cool it quickly. You need to normalis ethe steel before heat treat.
This will make the steel hard but you will proabbaly want to temper the blade after hardening so its not too brital.
You should also get a temperline if you a file as there usually carbon tool steel so you can see where its hardened. If you use a scribe or another file to scratch the blade you can feel if its hard or not.
You want to do as much work as you can before heat treat. Its a mare woring on hard steel.

Iv got a small necker I made from a file a while back, Il see if i can find it and post a pic for you.

:thumbup:
 
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