Hey guys.
Real quick - does anyone know where to buy steel from in the Seattle area? I came back last week, after I made this knife in NY using all my Dad's and Grandpa's tools!
Here are 2 photos of the first knife I made.
Here was my process:
0. Buy 18"x5/32"x1-1/2" O1 steel and cut an 8" length.
1. Used a bench grinder to get the basic shape, drilled holes for handle.
2. Filed the bevel edge by hand, just eyeballing the angle using 2 jigs with a vise.
3. Sanded the metal with a 110 grit paper.
4. Sanded the metal with a 220 grit paper.
5. Additional edge sharpening with the course side of a double sided sharpening stone.
6. HARDENING - Got the blade red hot in wood stove, verified it was no longer magnetic, then quenched in motor oil around 100 degrees.
7. Sanded the blade 5 minutes after quenching to remove most of oil.
8. TEMPERING - Baked knife at 400 degrees in the oven 10 minutes after quenching for 2 hours.
9. Another sanding with 220 grit paper.
10. Handle (my Grandpa took care of this)
11. Still need to make sheath.
If anyone has any feedback, I'd appreciate it. I know it's not the greatest looking knife but I was using it to carve some wood already. In terms of improvements, these are a few of the things I want to do next time.
1. Start with 2 plunge cuts when making the bevel edge.
2. Give the bevel more depth so its closer to the spine.
3. Mark the center of the blade so it's easier to remove the same amount of metal on each side.
4. Start with an angle grinder to remove initial metal for bevel edge.
5. Finish bevel edge using files and get a consistent angle instead of eyeballing (I have 2 jigs, a sliding bevel, and a protractor but I don't know how to get the angle right).
6. More sanding - Home Depot only had 3 grits of sandpaper and that's not enough to really make it shine.
BTW, here's the knife I was using as a model. As you can see, I have a lot of improving to do on my 2nd knife.
Real quick - does anyone know where to buy steel from in the Seattle area? I came back last week, after I made this knife in NY using all my Dad's and Grandpa's tools!
Here are 2 photos of the first knife I made.
Here was my process:
0. Buy 18"x5/32"x1-1/2" O1 steel and cut an 8" length.
1. Used a bench grinder to get the basic shape, drilled holes for handle.
2. Filed the bevel edge by hand, just eyeballing the angle using 2 jigs with a vise.
3. Sanded the metal with a 110 grit paper.
4. Sanded the metal with a 220 grit paper.
5. Additional edge sharpening with the course side of a double sided sharpening stone.
6. HARDENING - Got the blade red hot in wood stove, verified it was no longer magnetic, then quenched in motor oil around 100 degrees.
7. Sanded the blade 5 minutes after quenching to remove most of oil.
8. TEMPERING - Baked knife at 400 degrees in the oven 10 minutes after quenching for 2 hours.
9. Another sanding with 220 grit paper.
10. Handle (my Grandpa took care of this)
11. Still need to make sheath.
If anyone has any feedback, I'd appreciate it. I know it's not the greatest looking knife but I was using it to carve some wood already. In terms of improvements, these are a few of the things I want to do next time.
1. Start with 2 plunge cuts when making the bevel edge.
2. Give the bevel more depth so its closer to the spine.
3. Mark the center of the blade so it's easier to remove the same amount of metal on each side.
4. Start with an angle grinder to remove initial metal for bevel edge.
5. Finish bevel edge using files and get a consistent angle instead of eyeballing (I have 2 jigs, a sliding bevel, and a protractor but I don't know how to get the angle right).
6. More sanding - Home Depot only had 3 grits of sandpaper and that's not enough to really make it shine.
BTW, here's the knife I was using as a model. As you can see, I have a lot of improving to do on my 2nd knife.
