My First Knife....

Disco Stu

Disco Stu

Joined
Nov 9, 1999
Messages
1,137
Here it is. After threatening to try it for years I finally got off my butt long enough to make my first knife. And thanks to all of you out there who answered my questions and made it possible.

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It's an 1/8th inch piece of 0-1 almost twelve inches long from end to end. The bottom is actually a bolster (another first for me) and I'm quite proud of it. The blade has a lot of light scratches and pits from where I did stupid stuff. The heat treat was done with an acetelyne torch and I just discovered it is rather poor. The hardened portion extends less than a centimeter past the edge at some points. The tip unfortunately was barely hardened and so it is easy to bend. Ah well, I suppose I'm allowed to make mistakes on my first. Aren't I?

So, whatcha think?
 
Unwrap the handle and re-heattreat the blade. Unless you have overheated the steel, O1 is pretty forgiving.

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Danbo, soul brother of Rambo
 
I like it! Original and sleek
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I would also consider doing the heat treatment again. I think you will like it better if you know that it right on as far as cutting ability goes. Think of it as good practice for the next one.
 
I don't know if I want to put too much work into it. Since it's my first, I probably won't be using it, and I know I won't be using it hard. Also, it does take an outstanding edge, and seems to hold it as well as any of my production knives. It's just that the tip is very thin and it is prone to bend when hurling it at the floor and yanking it out the wrong way. I think if it was fully hardened it might snap instead. Or maybe it is fully hardened at the tip and it's just too thin. Either way, it wasn't designed to stab wooden floors.
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And I tried three times to harden it, this was the best I managed. I'm definately going to have to devise a new method of heating the blade. Besides, I'd rather start again. I have some design flaws worked out and this time I know I'll be making a lot less mistakes. Though I'll probably find new ones.
 
Hey Disco Stu, ( Cool Name!!:0) Like your blade. I would go with you on not re-heating your blade. If you spend a lot of time "fixin" knives you've messed up you become a knife repairman, instead I would make another one as soon as you can and try to not make the same mistakes on that one. That will make you a much better maker. And keep in mind every one you make will have something with it you would like to have done better. Anything made by hand has mistakes. Just try and make each one better than the one before. Keep it up man, you're off to a good start!
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Mark Hazen
 
Disco I did the same thing on my first knife which was 0-1. The tip was thin but kept bending during hand rubbing. Later on I reground it down to a small "personal" style blade, annealed it, and reground another. I reheat treated it and this time walla. The tip is still a fine one but nice and rigid. I got kind of aggressive during the hand rub and the tip never would bend. That is a unique knife by the way. Nice work! Cory

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"I am a shootist."
Clay Allison
"Does this mean we are bladists?"
McAlpin Blades
http://www.geocities.com/mcalpinblades
 
Glad you all like it. I'd like to say the design is wholey mine but I got some ideas after I saw one of Don Fogg's shivs. The man does amazing stuff.
 
:
Disco Stu I have had problems gtting blades hot enough to harden with just a propane torch even with Mapp Gas.
I have found that if I turn on a gas kitchen stove burner and lay the blade in the flame that I can use the propane torch along with the gas burner flame to get the small blades
up to critical a good way up the blade. I have successfully hardened a couple of small blades this way.
Sorta unorthodox but it works for me.
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I hope to build me an outside forge this year in order to forge some blades as well as having a fire hot enough to properly harden them.


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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.
 
Neat looking knife Disco Stu! Looks like you're off to a good start. I know what you mean about Don Fogg's knives, I was quite impressed with the few that I've seen in books.

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Peter Atwood

email: fountainman@hotmail.com
 
A good start... Now put it aside and make more knives. A year from now you'll look back and you will be amazed at how much you've improved. In this business nothing succeeds like practice.
 
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