My first knife

L

LabRat

Joined
Oct 8, 1999
Messages
55
I tried making my first knife from a small file. It is a small paring/utility knife with a mesquite wood handle which I hand carved. It's not very pretty but it holds an edge well and fits nicely in my hand.
Man that file steel is hard! I would have thinned the blade out more at the tip but I just couldn't grind any more with the limited equipment I have. I have a new respect for those who make knives for a living. I've heard it is possible to reduce the hardness of file steel by heating it to non-magnetic and cooling slowly in lime or sand. Then the steel can be shaped easier. Is this true? If so, can it be heat treated again? I guess I should buy a knife kit but I like doing it all with my own two hands. I've read 35's post about drilling through a file. Can the torch method be applied to the whole file? I would appreciate any suggestions or comments. Thanks in advance.
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LabRat

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WARNING: Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. It has been determined to cause cause cancer in laboratory animals!

[This message has been edited by LabRat (edited 21 October 1999).]

[This message has been edited by LabRat (edited 21 October 1999).]

[This message has been edited by LabRat (edited 21 October 1999).]
 
Hey LabRat,
That looks great. I've seen pictures of first knives of a couple of famous makers and they didn't look that good. The overall design looks useful and ergonomic. If I read your post right you ground that without anealing the file? That probably made it a much harder project. I'm sure some of the experts on here can give you some advice on how to do that.
Keep up the good work.
Paul Davidson
 
Anealing - that's the word I was looking for. Yes, the file was ground without anealing. A hard project indeed, but also great fun.

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WARNING: Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. It has been determined to cause cause cancer in laboratory animals!

 
Labrat? You go by Labrat? I thought about Darth Weasel but passed!

Yes, you can anneal your file the way you suggest. You can also wrap it in KO Wool or the like as slow cooling is what you are after! Some folks put one of two extra bars of steel (hot)in to cool with their blade to help hold the heat and slow the cooling.

Yes you can reharden; heat back to nonmagnetic (it called critical temp) and quench! What you quench in kinda depends how far you want to go with knife making and how much you want to learn about metallurgy! Start with oil of oppertunity; olive oil, ATF, even old motor oil, but if you get serious, you should think about a real quenching oil!
Now test with a file. The new blade should be real hard and the file should skate off it and not bite.

Now you must temper. You reheat to between 350 and say 450 bepending on the use. I am talking about file steel. Other steels, other temps. Start at 350 and if you find it to hard bump it 25 degrees. (450 will be mighty soft!) Do it in the oven with a thermometer, known to be good in the oven, for about 1 hour and allow it to cool to room temp. Tempering three times is better than once and be extra sure there is nothing on the blade that will mess up your lady's oven or you may never eat again!!

When you heat to nonmagnetic, creep up on it and be carefull no to over heat!

Oops, Nice job on your first knife! I also have seen many a first or 10th for that matter that couldn't stand up to yours! I have this feeling that if you keep going you will be very good! Keep us posted and if I can help further, feel free to contact me!!

Doug
 
I really am tired! I read my post and I need to make sure I am clear. To harden, I wrote "heat back up....". I should have written "heat the whole blade to nonmagnetic". Sorry for the poor use of the english!

On reflection: You could temper the file as is,to a softer state, 350 degrees or so and your file will be easier to grind. ( You are trusting the file manufactures heat treat) However, you have to be careful not to over heat in the grinding or you will ruin the temper and you blade will be to soft.

Use good american made files 'cause the steel is better! Watch out for horse shoe rasps, some are case hardened and not much good for a knife!

If I write any more, you will think I am writing a book! So good night!

Doug
PS:
Go through the whole heat treat magilla, you will learn more!!

[This message has been edited by Doug W (edited 22 October 1999).]
 
Love the knife. My first is way to embarrassing to post here. In fact, some of my current stuff is too embarrassing to put here, too. The main thing you want to remember about annealing is: If you're not willing to heat treat it later, just temper it.
Again, it looks great. Never sell it. You'll kick yourself if you do.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
Thanks for the advice and the kind words. I will not sell it because my son has dibs on every knife I own (production or otherwise)
smile.gif
.

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WARNING: Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. It has been determined to cause cause cancer in laboratory animals!


 
Labrat, The knife looks good. Way better than my first one. Don't buy the kit knife! You will get more satisfaction from making each piece yourself. Keep up the good work and don't get discouraged if it doesn't turn out right all the time.
 
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