my first knife out of a file

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Oct 2, 2015
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hey guys , new to the site here , just figured i'd show my first knife out of a file. i know its not pretty and i made this with limited tools but here it is. im not quite finished , i got it dirty batoninf wood and i need to polish and sand a bit more. im trying to figure out if im going to file the handle smooth or not and what material to use for the handles.

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here is a quick explaination and steps i took. please note guys im very opened to criticisme. The reason i am starting with files is because i get them for free and figured it would be a good starting material in vase i screwed up a few times.

unfortunetly i never took pictures of the process.

this is all hand made from a nicholson file. i took the file and annhealed it with an oxi-acythelene torch , and let it cool down to 450-400 degrees then soaked it in motor oil. if i understand this softens the steel to a certain rockwell scale but still leaves the steel soft enough to work with. i then traced my design and cut it out using a hack saw and files to work it. i filed the bevel by hand using a terrible jig i made which i wont be using anymore. its a little croocked. i did what most guys do using a drill bit to mark the center line. the teeth of the file give it a unique look but i would rather the look of a smooth blade and handle. (im looking at getting a grizzly grinder just to grind the bevels) seems like a resonable entry level grinder but im not sure if they ship to canada for a reasonable price. other then that i dont know what to say! i wish i had more time on my hands but between the wife and the young fella i dont have much time on my hands!
 
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This is a good piece of work especially since it is your first. I want to encourage you to continue with the same attention in making that second one.
Frank
 
thanks frank , kind words , it's a great hobby. The hardest part is definetly doing a nice straight and even grind.i'll be putting this year's moose antlers for handles. i hope it works out ok and looks ok. maybe i'll get a cheap belt grinder to start with. hand filing the bevel is definetly a pain in the butt.
 
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