My first kinfe: old nicholson farrier rasp into tactical Bowie

C

CT King

Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
4
Hi Everyone,

I'm posting because I could use some help with this old rasp knife i'm attempting to make.
Ever since I can remember, my dear old Dad has had this nasty old file in his file drawr with big nasty teeth on it. I tried to use the file on various wood projects growing up but the damn thing would just destroy everything it touched(fault of its user). So it sat there.
I moved to metal fab in my teens and with my new love of steel came hours of filing. Always reaching in for the big bastards and rat tails but never the old rusty rasp.... It always caught my eye tho.
Years later hear I am with Dads old rasp, hopefully, going to be put to good use. I cut the profile out with my grinder. Ive made a file jig and filed it down real nice but left .050 of an inch of. Meat left on the edge because id think if it got to thin it would melt the edge when I attemped to heat treat the thing. My plunges look ok but the bigget part is I am having so much fun making this thing..... And that brings me to my confession and my question.
My confession: i'm freaked out im going to screw the heat treat up. Warped blade, cracks......broken.
My question: Does anyone know anything about this type of steel and maybe point me in a good direction for a home done heat treating. Links... Anything would be greatly appreciated.
If i can figure out how, I'll post up pics of the build. O and any advice would be welcomed at any point.
 
Hi Everyone,

I'm posting because I could use some help with this old rasp knife i'm attempting to make.
Ever since I can remember, my dear old Dad has had this nasty old file in his file drawr with big nasty teeth on it. I tried to use the file on various wood projects growing up but the damn thing would just destroy everything it touched(fault of its user). So it sat there.
I moved to metal fab in my teens and with my new love of steel came hours of filing. Always reaching in for the big bastards and rat tails but never the old rusty rasp.... It always caught my eye tho.
Years later hear I am with Dads old rasp, hopefully, going to be put to good use. I cut the profile out with my grinder. Ive made a file jig and filed it down real nice but left .050 of an inch of. Meat left on the edge because id think if it got to thin it would melt the edge when I attemped to heat treat the thing. My plunges look ok but the bigget part is I am having so much fun making this thing..... And that brings me to my confession and my question.
My confession: i'm freaked out im going to screw the heat treat up. Warped blade, cracks......broken.
My question: Does anyone know anything about this type of steel and maybe point me in a good direction for a home done heat treating. Links... Anything would be greatly appreciated.
If i can figure out how, I'll post up pics of the build. O and any advice would be welcomed at any point.
 
.050 at the edge should be hard to warp. i think you will be fine. google " kevin cashen heat treat" and go the the bladesmith info section. it gives heat treat instructions for a few types of steel.
 
I would bring it down to .020. I've all of the knives I've made are from old Nicholson files (5). I've had no problems except one and it was my error for using a 2 second water quench then oil and did it twice and in the second it cracked. The other 4 are just fine, and take a very good edge
 
We don't really know what steel it is, but if it old it's probably something like 1095/W1/W2. If you look in the stickies there should be lots of info on HT those steels. Because we don't know what it is exactly, you may leave a little performance on the table, but should still make a very serviceable knife. 120 degree canola oil should work well. I would leave it at .040-.050 at the edge.
 
Awesome, thank you everyone
31da222e72e3cef7115f678013dfb22c.jpg


Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
 
This is it so far. Lots of work still needed on the flats and spine. Experimenting on para cord handles. Again, thank you all for every bit of advice.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
 
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