Photos My first knife...

C.Kelly Custom Knives said:
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
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Chad, without this getting too weird. When I was reading your response to my fiancé I nearly teared up. Thank you, it means a lot to me!

Your lists are gold. As well as everyones comments. I completely agree with your thoughts. One thing I've learnt is how much patience plays a part. Knowing what can be a bit rushed, what needs to be done slowly. I find working with hand tools I'll be super motivated at the start of any phase. By the end, I'm trying to get it done so I can move on to the next phase. Just because of the excitement of seeing it come together. Hopefully I've got that out of my system somewhat! :p

Ha... you've just verbalised something that I've not really rationalise in my own mind, with a simple genetic analogy! Ive had ventures into craft before, more so when I was younger at collage. This is the first thing I've really made as an adult. So its something that's been dormant, but that perfectly describes how I'm feeling at the moment.:thumbsup:

The offer for advice is amazing thank you so much. I will defiantly take you up on it. Most people associate knives in London with aggravated assault o_O so its a bit of a struggle to find like minded people. How would I message you? Sorry if that's a stooped question. Im still working out this site.

ps. Ive checked out what I can see of your insta without having an account. Your work is incredible! Handles are outstanding. I also like the look of your mod work. Id definitly let you work on my prized Shaman! ;)

Thanks again!
 
Mister Coffee said:
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.
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Ha ha... yeeees, I knew that. o_O No seriously though. Cool knife history. It totally makes sense if you think about it.

So the grind is a flat, really high, sabre. Kind of like on the Spydy Shaman. It runs parallel to the cutting edge from roughly the top of the clipp (reverse Tanto bit) if that makes sense? It then has a pretty broad secondary bevel. Maybe 2/2.5mm. Its at a 20 degree angle using my Lansky. So roughly 20 :confused:

I can tell you that it cut through a big red Bell Pepper like a laser beam. Way better than some of my much thinner kitchen knives. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
Looks awesome! Very utilitarian. As others stated, get some sandpaper and round the corners at the upper part of the back of the handle. Then use it for a while, find what feels wrong in the hand and fixit. That's the best way to see what requires improvement.

No you have to design a sheath that allows you to carry that knife arround. I think that sheaths count as much as the knife itself.

Mikel
 
irsh said:
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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Hi Irsh... I was reading that as Irish for ages! o_O Ive put together this little image for you with all the major stats on it.

jLt4v0Ah.jpg


As my "workshop" is at the end of a bed in our apartment. No forge. So I bought flat ground O1 tool steel from my friendly neighbourhood steel seller. Online. which I cut, filed etc. No hardness testing im afraid. I can't imagine its off the scale for what's achievable with O1... I think it maxes out at around 62 Rockwell... imagine I'm not close. But I have some anecdotal evidence of its harness. Using my lanky course diamond stone. It took me a good couple of hours of solid work to grind in the secondary bevels. It felt quite hard to me compared to other knives I've sharpened recently too. That said there's lots a play there, so that's not awfully reliable evidence. Not to mention that I think I may need to replace my course stone. :D
 
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Mikel_24 said:
Looks awesome! Very utilitarian. As others stated, get some sandpaper and round the corners at the upper part of the back of the handle. Then use it for a while, find what feels wrong in the hand and fixit. That's the best way to see what requires improvement.

No you have to design a sheath that allows you to carry that knife arround. I think that sheaths count as much as the knife itself.

Mikel
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Thanks Mikel! Yeh, the handle is totally a bit sharp. I may end up doing that. But great advice about using it to get a feel. I was hoping to have it as a keepsake, you know "Little Pete, this was your grandpas first knife" kinda thing. But I guess as long as I don't destroy it, there's no reason I can't do both. :cool:

Im getting a sheath itch for sure. Every time I look at it sitting there out in the open I feel I should apologise. It will defiantly come. Without boring you too much, taking up leatherwork (which I will) is a bit too much for my current situation. Maybe kydex hmmm... something to think about. :)
 
jiggyfly16 said:
Nice attention to detail! Really diggin those handle facets. Also, the way the wood grain mirrors on both sides :thumbsup:
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Thanks for noticing Jiggy. The devil is in the details! I didn't think too much about the grain mirroring to be honest. Symmetry is general how my brain works so it was my default when I cut the wood and decided orientation. Im glad you pointed it out though. It's something I really like. :D
 
C.Kelly Custom Knives said:
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
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Hi again Chad, I could definitely use someone to bounce some ideas off / to give me some advice. I think I've just had my first order here in the UK.o_O

How could we talk privatly? I promise I won't spam you. :cool:
 
AB+ BFG said:
Hi again Chad, I could definitely use someone to bounce some ideas off / to give me some advice. I think I've just had my first order here in the UK.o_O

How could we talk privatly? I promise I won't spam you. :cool:
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Discussing orders here on the forums will be verboten unless and until you have upgraded your membership to a "knifemaker" subscription. Might as well get that procedural matter out of the way up front to be fair to those who support the site with those memberships.

Thanks.
 
Blues said:
Discussing orders here on the forums will be verboten unless and until you have upgraded your membership to a "knifemaker" subscription. Might as well get that procedural matter out of the way up front to be fair to those who support the site with those memberships.

Thanks.
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Sorry Blues. My bad. Im new at this. :thumbsup:
 
A very nice knife, especially for a first time build without the proper tools. I really like the design and would love adding something like this to my collection. Keep up the good work, I hope to see more of you on the forums
 
AB+ BFG said:
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:
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I gotta admit, I feel that pricing is a touchy subject. If I could, I would gladly pay every maker their asking worth and more. However, obviously, on the realistic side and given current value of currency (whatever that means), I'd probably say $275-$350 (200-260 quid) for a completely handmade piece like that in the states would be pretty reasonably. I feel that a realistic British pricing would have to be at least 40-60% higher.

With a small run, having some of the heavy lifting done by local shops, and in a steel like CPM-MagnaCut, I think $200-$225 (145-165 quid) would be about right.

Hahahha, I'm glad my intuition was right! Definitely can see some of the graphic designer influence coming out. Speaking of which, do you have a 3D printer? Might as well take your skills as a graphic designer and put it to use. A handle design could be rapidly modeled, prototyped, and fitted with a 3D printer.

Mods, if the pricing discussion is out of line, please let me know, will delete.
 
scarysamcary said:
A very nice knife, especially for a first time build without the proper tools. I really like the design and would love adding something like this to my collection. Keep up the good work, I hope to see more of you on the forums
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Very kind of you Scary. Hopefully I'll get there one day. And if I do, I will upgrade my membership to a knifemaker and get right in touch with you. ;)

Very motivating feedback. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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