My first knife shaped object

D

daniel77

Joined
Sep 3, 2013
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5
This is my first attempt at making a knife, and while it certainly didn't come out as well as it might have, I think it's pretty good for a first attempt. I sure learned a ton anyway. It is Alabama Damascus with stabilized and dyed burled birch handles. With the exception of using a drill press for the pin holes, this is entirely done by hand. I probably did more filing on this knife than all of the filing that I'd done in the previous 36 years combined. I heat treated it myself. The handle still needs to be sealed, knife sharpened, and sheath made, but the knife itself is mostly done and I couldn't wait any longer to take some pics and show it to some folks. I am many things, but a photographer is not one of them, so excuse the poor pics.






 
I think that looks sweet!! As a wood guy those handles are stellar. Perfect blend with the blade! Well done.
 
Great job on first knife!
I love the look of Damascus, but I am not brave enough to spend the money on it, maybe after I made 50 or 60 knives will I try some, to afraid I will mess it up and waste the money on it lol
 
Thanks for the reply guys. This knife came from an oddly shaped leftover piece of Alabama Damascus that I got on ebay. It wasn't all that expensive. Probably half of what it normally would have been. This knife was meant to be just for me, and I learned so much on it, that the $75 or so that I have in it, between the scales and billet, was anything but a waste of money. I had another Damascus knife custom made years ago, and it really didn't turn out just as I was wanting. It's good craftsmanship and all, but one of the lines is a little bit off to my eye, and it takes away from it quite a bit in my view. I think I paid $200 for that knife. I like mine a lot more...
 
Good start Daniel.
If you are serious about knifemaking, I would start using more basic materials so the money you save can go towards purchasing tools.
 
For a first knife it looks pretty good. I don't know many who would venture using expensive steel on the first one especially without tools but it looks as though you've pulled it off fine.
I believe you should take another picture outside without the flash but make sure its either a cloudy day or in the shade.
 
Thanks guys. To be clear, this was a knife just for me, thus the splurge. I'm currently finishing up on 7 more, all out of more basic steal, 4 are D2 and 3 are ATS-34. I'm about to start a few more out of old farriers rasps and an old file that I annealed when I was heat treating the 8 I've been working on. I'm certainly open to suggestions as to better starter steels. I was thinking about getting a few feet of 1095 on my next purchase. D-2 takes a fair bit of elbow grease. The ATS-34 was just fine to work with. I didn't find either steel to be pricey. The rasps and files were free, as I train horses and got some old stuff from my farrier.
 
All of these first knives are gifts for Christmas to nieces, nephews, brother-in-laws, and a friend. They have much improved file work over the first. My plan was to get through those and then try and sell a few, using the proceeds to get a belt sander and work my way up from there. Not as a business, per se, just as a hobby that more than pays for itself.
 
daniel77 said:
...just as a hobby that more than pays for itself.
Click to expand...

I was thinking this too at first. That didn't last long. :(;) You know the old saying, how to make a million dollar making knives...start with two millions. :D

As for steel, you probably already know this but 1084 or 5160 would be good starters as well as simple oil finished hardwoods from the local stores. That is all I used for maybe the fisrt 10 knives I made.
 
Daniel, your first "knife-shaped object" is indeed, a very nice knife. Congratulations! I've just embarked on the first steps I need to take towards making a knife...I hope I'm as successful as you have been!

Robert
 
You know the old saying, how to make a million dollar making knives...start with two millions.

Rats I thought I was doing something wrong and it would get better!! Lucky I did not have a mil
 
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