My First Batch of Knives

LongDog

LongDog

Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
139
Hi the name is Mark, just stumbled along this forum and wanted to be apart of it. looks like there are tons of very talented people on the web whom are also kind enough to help out a newb such as myself! Anyways i wanted to get into making knives because i love working with my hands, and this seemed like a challenge, but really its now an addiction. I've been at it for about a month now and these are my first 4, critique no matter how harsh is appreciated.
the first two knives where made without a drill press and belt sander, only files/sandpaper and angle grinder

my first knife, made from 3/16" D2 steel and Hickory
http://imageshack.us/a/img585/9236/lxto.jpg

my second knife, 3/16" D2 cloth Micarta
http://imageshack.us/a/img19/2725/ob1l.jpg


theses two where made with my new tools, craftsman 2x42 and drill press
both laminate "diamond" wood, filed and sanded
3/16" D2
http://imageshack.us/a/img21/6355/6v97.jpg

i have really fallen in love with this and it has proved to be an awesome community to be apart of! thanks

(please notify me if the pics don't work)
 
Last edited:
Mark, welcome to the wonderful world of hand made knives. You seem to be off to a good start. What are you doing for heat treat?
 
thank you! well i have a pit that i heat treat in. its about 2ft in circumference and made out of thick gauge steel. i place coal and my knives in the it and let it rise in temperature together then i hit it with a hair dryer to heat things up a bit. i then test the steel with a magnet to see if it has been demagnetized yet, i also look for a consistent glow of orange, once its hot enough i quench the blades in sunflower oil. then i temper them at 400f for abut 2 hours. its pretty primitive but its all i got :P one day ill have an evenheat!
 
Very nice, Mark.
I really like the Micarta knife!
Do you offer a tanto?
rolf
 
thanks! i have yet to do a tanto but now that you mentioned it i think it would work well on that knife shape!
 
Dog,
This is my first post and I feel honored to use it to brag on your work. The knives are beautiful! I made some knives in high school and they are still bouncing around in various family tackleboxes. Good feeling to know your work makes someones life easier/better. Great work and I hope to see more from you in the future. Really dig the last two!
-Gabe
 
wow, thanks FastAttackTough, i really appreciate that sir! i feel fortunate that i have discovered knife making at a young age. gives me more time to enjoy it and ya'll are definitely going to see more from LongDog Knives!
 
Those are some cool knives LongDog... I hope you keep it up. I'm new to it also.

I joined a while ago but have been ill for a long time and have just now started making my first "real" knife (actual first one was just going through the motions with mild steel).

Thanks for sharing your work.
 
thank you for the support!
well i hope your feeling strong enough to start making some knives, i will keep a look out for your work!
 
Looking like a good start...

My critiques would be probably spending more time on your blades, a higher final finish. Final finishing should run uniform in appearance throughout the knife...

Your heat treat for D2 is also less than adequate IMHO. 1084/1080 steel would be a much better choice given your setup.

Otherwise good sound overall shapes.

Welcome and read the stickies...

Cheerz.
 
thankyou for the tips! i was in the dark about how effective my heattreating was for the metal i was using. i think the switch to 1084 will be beneficial. but i still have 3ft of D2, any sugestions on a better process given within the means im already using? i was working with grits ranging from 100 to 600 exsclusivly, so i just bought some more abrassive material to get my finish up to 1200 evenly. thanks for the critiques and comments! i greaty apreciate them
 
Really great, Mark!

You seem to have the touch.

I'm about to take the plunge myself. I'll be ordering the steel this week...
 
D2 needs precise temperature control. It will harden to some degree by what you are doing, but not ideal. D2 also benefits from a cryo cycle, you need some special equipment to do that properly. I would suggest sending it out to get 100% out of it. Its an awesome steel IMHO if its done properly.

Other than that, sounds like you are on the right track. Keep at it and pay attention to the smallest details. Fit and finish are what turn a good knifemaker into a great knifemaker. That and a dash of creativity... lol.

-Eric
 
thank you verry much sir! i really apreciate the advice. I think i will make the switch to 1080 becasue i dont beleive i make enough knives yet to spend the extra money on outsourcing heat treat to places.. once sgain thankyou for taking the time to help me out!
 
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