My first knife, and first post

T

themagicdrainpipe

Joined
May 21, 2014
Messages
3
Hello all!

I just completed my first knife, and boy was it a learning experience. I've been a lurker on here and Reddit a while, but just recently made and account on BF.

Here's some info:

Steel: 1/8" 1084 from Aldo
Grip material: 1/4" Padauk from Keim Lumber (great place in Ohio with a ton of selection and odds and ends)
Pins: 1/4" Brass rod

I don't have a lot of tools, so I will detail the build. As this was my first knife, I figured 1084 would be a good steel to start off with. I ground out the initial shape with an angle grinder, and then refined that edge with a bench grinder. Once this was accomplished, I beveled the edge with a homemade jig, which I made in reference to Gough's knife jig. I then drilled the holes for the pins with a drill press, and a few extra holes for the epoxy to set in. After this, I sanded the blade portion with 120, 220, 320, 600, and 1200 grit sandpaper. I sanded the tang with 120, but left it rough to help with epoxy adhesion.

I then hardened the knife in a fire, checking for non-magnetism. I quenched in oil, and then did two rounds of tempering in my oven, keeping the temperature an average of 400ºF (my oven sucks and would either set itself to 420ºF or 380º and not stay right at 400ºF). I had a remote thermometer that I used to monitor temperature. I expect the hardness to be around HRC 55-58. Who knows though, as this was my first time. I'm reasonably confident in my methods, and have no real way to test the hardness. With use maybe I'll see whether or not it got too soft/too hard.

After this, I cleaned off the scale, and sanded the blade again, and then finished with some black, white, and red polishing compounds. I then cut out the grips, trying to keep the grain of the wood the same direction as the heel(?). I fitted the pins, and then epoxy'd the entire thing together. I did a final sanding of the grips to a comfortable shape, and then did two coats of Tung oil.

I sharpened it as well, with a crappy sharpener. I am going to order a waterstone (1000/6000 I think) here soon.

Overall I am extremely pleased. I could have never imagined I could make something like this (I never took shop class!). There are nicks and scratches here and there, and some other annoying spots, but for a first knife, I am really happy with it. I ordered 48" of 1084, and I have some curly maple and some purple heart too, so expect to see more from me! Maybe I can post some knife designs so I can get some feedback.

Anyways, have a look at the photos and tell me what I did wrong :)

KrRnYnJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KrRnYnJ.jpg

PltmHjN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PltmHjN.jpg

r70WoIs.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/r70WoIs.jpg

SXNnZWk.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SXNnZWk.jpg

h5aDvSt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/h5aDvSt.jpg
 
cool little knife, probably the one thing I would point out, on your next attempt try to keep all the edges of the blade clean and sharp, rounding them off is a bad idea
 
Nice looking little knife, now you're hooked there's no turning back.

First thing that jumped out at me was the scratches in the blade from sanding I'm assuming. Never, NEVER move up to the next grit until you get all the scratches out from the previous grit. Sand in opposite directions as you move through the grits so you'll be able to see any previous scratches. As you get towards your finishing grits sand only the length of the blade with one pull (start at the ricasso area and pull towards the tip) don't keep going back and forth you'll get fish hook scratches. Other than that keep drawing knives and making them every one is a learning experience.
 
All, thanks for the comments!

I do think that the knife was sanded to the best of my ability (I'll admit I hate/suck at sanding) but the sunlight/glare makes the scratches look so much worse. On my second one (in the works right now) I'll try to see if I can eliminate that.

Also, I wanted the knife to have that "soaped" look that some guns undergo for concealed carry so that they don't catch on anything. Purely personal choice, but I can see why some like sharp edges :)

My second one is already rounded, but for the final sanding I'll use a sanding block and see if I can sharpen up the bevel a bit. Once again, thanks for the comments!
 
themagicdrainpipe said:
I do think that the knife was sanded to the best of my ability (I'll admit I hate/suck at sanding) but the sunlight/glare makes the scratches look so much worse. On my second one (in the works right now) I'll try to see if I can eliminate that.
Click to expand...

The worst part of knife making is hand sanding. But it's a necessary evil unfortunately. Unless you don't mind going for a belt finished look but IMO there is nothing prettier than a hand finished blade. Look at some of the knifes folks post un the gallery and you'll see what I mean when you see them.
 
Fletch Helical said:
The worst part of knife making is hand sanding. But it's a necessary evil unfortunately. Unless you don't mind going for a belt finished look but IMO there is nothing prettier than a hand finished blade. Look at some of the knifes folks post un the gallery and you'll see what I mean when you see them.
Click to expand...

Oh I've seen them and I am definitely envious. I didn't know that I needed to sand the length of the blade, or that it should be in single strokes, as you noted earlier. My second one is all done, and I think the sanding looks much better. Thanks again for the advice.

For my third one, I'm really going to try and get the sanding as near perfect as I can.
 
Look up "Nick wheeler, sanding 101" either on here or on you tube, it'll square you away on the whole process, and probably speed things up quite a bit! Good luck!
 
Hi Drainpipe.
For being the first knife you ever made, that`s quite impressive; really nice work.
What made your knife stand out was the grain of the scales at right angles to the blade axis. I`ve never seen that done before, anywhere, by anyone. That`s not a criticism, just an observation.
I was at the lumber mart this afternoon for linseed oil; they had none, but did have teak oil, Danish oil, and 100% tung oil, so got the last mentioned substance instead. Picked up some rosewood billed as "East Indian", and some small ebony billets, Gaboon, I believe, marketed as fingerboard material for guitars, I think. One billet in the bin had been sawn almost through in several evenly spaced places, across the grain. This I rejected as unsuitable for my purposes [knife scales]. Your design has now made me think again.
Thank you.
 
A note on the grain direction:
End grain cuts an cross grain cuts will be inherently weaker. They may split/crack with no warning. That is why you should always use long grain cuts when possible. For special appearance, end grain is used in some cases. Asian Black Palm is one. For any cut like this, the wood should be stabilized, and using a backing spacer to add strength is advisable.


Magicpipe - Welcome to Shop talk. Looking forward to seeing your next blades.
Work on crisper lines and sanding. Also, the handle could stand to be a tad more rounded. For some reason most new makers want a piece of metal sticking out the bottom of the blade at the end of te edge. Ask yourself, "What function will that perform?" and "What problems will it cause?". Taking that projection off allows the entire blade edge to cut evenly. Placing a very small semi-circular indent where the edge meets the ricasso is a far better idea. This is called a choil. It only needs to be about 1/16" deep and 1/8" wide. Most new makers who make a choil make it too large and way too deep.
 
For testing hardness: After the quench and before the temper, lightly run a sharp file over the edge of the blade. If the file skates across the blade without cutting into it, you've hardened it.
 
It is possible to use an orbital power sander on blades. It needs to have a SOLID backing for the sand paper, and you should do the final sanding by hand to make the sanding strokes all go in the same direction.

- Paul Meske, AKA Lonepine
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top