Photos My first knife...

A

AB+ BFG

Joined
Apr 14, 2021
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31
Hi everyone. I'll keep this short as my intention is to post a walk through thread of my process but I just wanted to get some photos up initially and hopefully get some feedback and get talking to some like minded people about my first blade.

OENUWPx.jpg

DXRDYUT.jpg

ZA2a8xP.jpg

LldmGvr.jpg

aMkWrgu.jpg


Anyway, blade is 01. Reverse Tanto with a belly maybe?! :) Brass tubes and Oak handles.

Heat treated with two blowtorches. I feel I got the cutting edge pretty hard, other than the very heal of the blade. :( It was my second quench so I didn't want to push it.

Everything was done using hand tools bar some drilling.

Acid etched, and stone washed. My first stone wash too. Pretty chuffed.

I'd love to get some feedback. Also, some tips as to how and where best to post the walk through. Im struggling with this site a bit.
 
Last edited:
AB+ BFG said:
Hi everyone. I'll keep this short as my intention is to post a walk through thread of my process but I just wanted to get some photos up initially and hopefully get some feedback and get talking to some like minded people about my first blade.

OENUWPx.jpg

DXRDYUT.jpg

ZA2a8xP.jpg

LldmGvr.jpg

aMkWrgu.jpg


Anyway, blade is 01. Reverse Tanto with a belly maybe?! :) Brass tubes and Oak handles.

Heat treated with two blowtorches. I feel I got the cutting edge pretty hard, other than the very heal of the blade. :( It was my second quench so I didn't want to push it.

Everything was done using hand tools bar some drilling.

Acid etched, and stone washed. My first stone wash too. Pretty chuffed.

I'd love to get some feedback. Also, some tips as to how and where best to post the walk through. Im straggling with this site a bit.
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Very nice knife. I like how you make a post "My first knife." And it looks like a knife a cave-man once used. lol, I mean no offense. Just how old are you?
 
I agree with Ed, very good work for a first time.

Looking at the handle closer, it seems like the heal of the handle may be too wide and/or too sharp along the edge for comfortable use. How does it feel?

Good thing it's nice oak, you can easily sand it down some... if needed. Of course it's difficult to feel from a picture :)
 
dirc said:
I agree with Ed, very good work for a first time.

Looking at the handle closer, it seems like the heal of the handle may be too wide and/or too sharp along the edge for comfortable use. How does it feel?

Good thing it's nice oak, you can easily sand it down some... if needed. Of course it's difficult to feel from a picture :)
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Hi Dirk. You're absolutely right! Each scale is probably .7mm too thick all the way down the taper. Full disclosure, it had taken me soooo long doing everything by hand, and I was SOOOOO keen to get it finished out of sheer exuberance, I cut a few small corners. Like you said, I can go back to it and touch it up (which my beginner brain didn't even think of in all honesty). This knife was a sort of proof of concept to myself. If it worked out I would permit myself to wade a little deeper into the world of knife making (power tools :) ) So there's every chance its going on a plinth or in a glass box somewhere ;)

Definitely something I can apply to my next knife so thanks!

In my Bell Pepper cutting, the heel did feel a little awkward. But not too wide which I was surprised about. Also, somehow the sharp right angle fits perfectly into the fold on my hand if gripped with a bit of care.
 
Silent01 said:
Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was self made? I was only joking, thinking you bought this knife when you were young. But no really, it's a nice knife. I thought it was store bought.
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No worries! Its all good fun.

Nah, hand made in the spare room in our apartment. My neighbours hate me, but if it looks like I bought it, im doing something right!

You totally nailed the look I was going for though. Like its seen some stuff! :D
 
That's your first knife? You taking orders, man? :D

Seriously, that's really amazing work. I really like how the grain has a subtle diamond pattern that is very lined up.

The way the handles are shaped is reminiscent of the Chroma type 301 series of kitchen knives (well, at least, with the facets, it gives the illusion thereof).
 
Mister Coffee said:
I like the shape and proportions. The design seems fresh, if not original, to me. Congrats.

What is the intended use?
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Thanks very much Coffee. Very enthusing words!

I like edc knives, leaning towards the tactical. I'm a graphic designer by trade so I just like anything that has something unique or nice about it, aesthetically. So there is definitely a lean towards that in the design. But it is intended for the Kitchen. All belly for some rocking, downward tip for some nice piercing, pretty slicey considering its 4mm thick stock. Simply put, I guess its use is somewhere between food prep / edc. A camping knife of sorts?

As a first go, I was really only looking to make something that looked like an ok knife. A kind of proof of concept before committing to knives as a maker.
 
Spears said:
That's your first knife? You taking orders, man? :D

Seriously, that's really amazing work. I really like how the grain has a subtle diamond pattern that is very lined up.

The way the handles are shaped is reminiscent of the Chroma type 301 series of kitchen knives (well, at least, with the facets, it gives the illusion thereof).
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Ha ha ha... thanks so much Spears. Really put a smile on my face! :cool:

I don't think id feel comfortable selling quite yet. Lots to improve on, but that's the idea. Comments like yours are really encouraging. How much would you pay for something like that out of interest?!

Yes, great observation! I kind of free-styled the handle. Something I need to put a bit more thought into, but a big inspiration for it was one of our 301 style kitchen knives. Great eye! :thumbsup:
 
There's a lot to like here. Impressive first knife for sure! I like the design better than I like my own first knife :).

Here's some of the things I like..
The blade shape
The finger choil
The location and angle of the plunge lines
The style and aesthetic of the handle shaping

Here's some things to focus on for improvement..
Handle ergonomics
Handle material finish and/or stability
Bevel grinding symmetry
Heat treating

What I am most impressed by is a person who decides to "make it happen" and pulls this off in his apartment. The ability to do this tells me you have what I call the "maker gene". My father has it. I have it. My daughter has it. My wife and son...nope..they don't have it :p. Most people don't have it. YOU have it! :D

I am more than willing to help a new knife maker that has the desire and ability to want to learn knife making. If you any questions about how to improve any of your techniques (if you decide to make more knives) you're welcome to send me your questions directly and I'll help out where I can.

Great first knife! Keep it up! :):thumbsup::thumbsup:

Chad
 
AB+ BFG said:
Thanks very much Coffee. Very enthusing words! . . . knives as a maker.
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It's my understanding that camp knives in America in 19th century were originally just kitchen knives and butcher knives. It was later that knives were made as dedicated camp knives. So, you're on the right road. :)

What's the grind? Looks like a flat grind plus a secondary bevel.
 
Looks great to me. Throw up some stats, handle/blade length, steel used so I can get more into what I'm looking at there. Have you hardness tested?
 
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