I’d like to introduce myself and say hello. First of all I’d like to thank each and every one of you who contribute your tips & tricks, advice, and criticisms on this forum. The information that you provide in this forum has been, to say the least, invaluable to me as I begin my journey into this craziness called knifemaking. Over the last 8 months or so I’ve read every post, sticky and tutorial as well as visiting damn near everybody’s website related to knifemaking.
My father-in-law (a hobbyist knifemaker himself) got me interested in giving knifemaking a try and now it seems that I’m hopelessly hooked on it as a hobby. It’s almost as bad as what M1 Garand owners and collectors call “Garanditis”. I have no desire to try to sell my knives, just making them for myself to use and enjoy and as gifts for friends and family.
My first several attempts were… let’s just say unpleasant. I did the cheapskate greenhorn thing by trying to make my first knives from old files bought at the local flea market. As can be predicted I suffered more than one horribly depressing “PING” when my blade hit the water quench resulting in gaping cracks in the blade. I also had blades warp in every direction including some directions that just might defy the laws of physics. I finally learned my lesson and got myself some good quality O-1 to work with, read some more, worked one step at a time, and took plenty of time to do things right.
As for equipment, I’ve done it the hard way thus far. I have a ton of hand tools for almost any need but proper metal working power tools is where I fall short. The best I can claim working steel is an 8” HF drill press and the usual 6” bench grinder. Buying a proper belt grinder is not an option at this point so I am relegated to using a jigged file and wearing out my elbow joint to cut the blade angle. My father-in-law owns a Burr-King and offered to let me use it whenever I like. As luck would have it when he was showing me how to use the beast the belt decided to pop and it tried to wrap itself around my head like a psychotic bobcat. Hence, I really don’t mind using nice slow files so much.
For heat treatment I built my own forge/oven that is absolutely GARANTEED to put a grin on your face (or a shiver up your spine, depending on your perspective). To finish my blades its sandpaper and whichever elbow isn’t still stiff from filing.
Now I’d like to risk my ego and put my efforts up for you all to see and render judgement. Take a look at my first two good blades and if you find them up-to-snuff you all should give yourselves a pat on the back because they are the result of reading and applying the advice and information you all have shared in this forum or on your individual sites.
Both are from 3/16” Starrett precision ground O-1.
1st knife has a 5 ½” blade, 10” OAL.
2nd knife has a 5” blade, 9 ¾” OAL.
Yeah, I know…..the filework is pretty basic, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. Kind of stressful. One screw-up and it’s going to stand out like a sore thumb every time you look at it. Forever.
LON
http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1stknife5bt.jpg
http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2ndknife7in.jpg
http://img236.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2ndknifef1rz.jpg
My father-in-law (a hobbyist knifemaker himself) got me interested in giving knifemaking a try and now it seems that I’m hopelessly hooked on it as a hobby. It’s almost as bad as what M1 Garand owners and collectors call “Garanditis”. I have no desire to try to sell my knives, just making them for myself to use and enjoy and as gifts for friends and family.
My first several attempts were… let’s just say unpleasant. I did the cheapskate greenhorn thing by trying to make my first knives from old files bought at the local flea market. As can be predicted I suffered more than one horribly depressing “PING” when my blade hit the water quench resulting in gaping cracks in the blade. I also had blades warp in every direction including some directions that just might defy the laws of physics. I finally learned my lesson and got myself some good quality O-1 to work with, read some more, worked one step at a time, and took plenty of time to do things right.
As for equipment, I’ve done it the hard way thus far. I have a ton of hand tools for almost any need but proper metal working power tools is where I fall short. The best I can claim working steel is an 8” HF drill press and the usual 6” bench grinder. Buying a proper belt grinder is not an option at this point so I am relegated to using a jigged file and wearing out my elbow joint to cut the blade angle. My father-in-law owns a Burr-King and offered to let me use it whenever I like. As luck would have it when he was showing me how to use the beast the belt decided to pop and it tried to wrap itself around my head like a psychotic bobcat. Hence, I really don’t mind using nice slow files so much.
For heat treatment I built my own forge/oven that is absolutely GARANTEED to put a grin on your face (or a shiver up your spine, depending on your perspective). To finish my blades its sandpaper and whichever elbow isn’t still stiff from filing.
Now I’d like to risk my ego and put my efforts up for you all to see and render judgement. Take a look at my first two good blades and if you find them up-to-snuff you all should give yourselves a pat on the back because they are the result of reading and applying the advice and information you all have shared in this forum or on your individual sites.
Both are from 3/16” Starrett precision ground O-1.
1st knife has a 5 ½” blade, 10” OAL.
2nd knife has a 5” blade, 9 ¾” OAL.
Yeah, I know…..the filework is pretty basic, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. Kind of stressful. One screw-up and it’s going to stand out like a sore thumb every time you look at it. Forever.
LON
http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1stknife5bt.jpg
http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2ndknife7in.jpg
http://img236.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2ndknifef1rz.jpg
