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kvershay

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Jul 30, 2010
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I am just starting in knife making and am wondering if someone can help me by telling me what tools i will need to start out and i know that i will need a forge of some sort so if you guys can tell me what cheaper alternatives i can use in place of one.
 
Yep. Read the stickies... Look up one brick forge for a cheap, easy to make forge. Welcome to the forums!
 
First, I's suggest that you really don't "have to" forge to make knives.
There's plenty of flat stock available which, with a little shaping with
files & elbow grease, will make a servicable knife. Start with 1075 or 1080
steel....

To start, get (or build) a SOLID work bench, and obtain a good vise...the
bigger/stronger, the better.

Hand tools...Buy the best you can find/afford. Start with good files...single
and double cut...10" or better. Use them in one direction only.

Buy hand tools as you discover what you want.

The first power tool should probably be a drill press. ie...you can do just
about all with hand tools....except drill straight holes.

IF you learn that you want to continue making knives, then start adding
the more expensive stuff...grinder...mill....kiln...etc.
 
kvershay said:
I am just starting in knife making and am wondering if someone can help me by telling me what tools i will need to start out and i know that i will need a forge of some sort so if you guys can tell me what cheaper alternatives i can use in place of one.
Click to expand...


We haven't got a hope in hell of typing out everything you need to know, but there are good books and videos.

Start here:

absolute cheapskate way of making knives.
http://www.filestube.com/50d16183920eb9ab03ea/go.html


This is a nice list
http://www.knifedogs.com/showthread.php?t=5285

This thread on BF has links to some of those books linked as online, or pdf previews.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603203


A good HT basics video
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.ntis.ava08799vnb1/ava08799vnb1_512kb.mp4

Green Pete's video on how to make a Mora style bushcraft knife - simple jig stock removal with hand tools and a neo tribal / unplugged type heat treat. "Green Pete" posted it for for free distribution.
It is available here for those who can use torrent files. + plus more too.

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4995247/Greenpete_s__Knifemaking_Basics_-_Make_a_Mora_Bushcraft_Knife
SEE THE OTHER STUFF TOO


The $50 knife shop book is popular and starts a lot of people off but:
I find it confused me for a long time.
The goop quench is BS, there are commercially made quench oils available, (maybe even mentioned in the new edition)
Found steels are interesting,but require the skills of an experienced smith to be able to work and heat treat properly., you can buy proper steel cheaply(mentioned in the new edition)
Cable damascus is interesting, but not a beginners project either.

It leads you to believe that forging is necessary, but you can just file and grind everything away to create a knife (stock removal)

I like:
David Boye-Step by Step Knifemaking
Tim McCreight-Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects from a Master Craftsman

Forging:
Lorelei Sims-The Backyard Blacksmith - I agree that is a good one , forging in general no knifemaking.
Jim Hrisoulas- has 3 books on forging, all 3 are good &available on Amazon

There are many videos available now, some are better than others, but all better than nothing.
 
Russ, are you saying i can find steel online that all i need to do is cut it out and it will be strong enough to use?
 
No....It will still need to be heat treated. I started to type out something
about that, but chose not to as that's another topic...and it's well served
by the stickies which Kevin Cashen has posted here.

I recommended 1075 or 1080 because they make very good blades, and are
the easiest to heat treat well.

The best of luck to you.....it's a great journey, and a potential to
learn alot.

Keep asking questions...
 
kvershay said:
Russ, are you saying i can find steel online that all i need to do is cut it out and it will be strong enough to use?
Click to expand...



You can get soft annealed steel that you can drill saw and file to shape, no need to heat red hot and hammer it into a knife shape.

after all shaping is completed whether it is by stock removal, or forging, then you heat treat.
You can send this out to professionals for good heat treating for about $10-15 plus + shipping costs both ways

Read this to understand stock removal
absolute cheapskate way of making knives.
http://www.filestube.com/50d16183920eb9ab03ea/go.html

Watch this video to understand heat treating.
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.ntis.ava08799vnb1/ava08799vnb1_512kb.mp4
 
ok, i looked at all the stuff you guys told me to and now im more confused than before! I get that i should have 1075 or 1080 steel but i cant find any online, and i found some forges i could easily make but i dont know how long to put the knife in for or any details like that. If anyone knows a website or video or book i could look at please tell me, thanks
 
I am a person that loves to help others. I, like many others here will go out of my way for people that are on the right track. You aren’t.

I am losing my patience for people who act like chirping birds in the nest. You were given an incredible list of recourses. Uses them darn it! Hardening and tempering are in every one of those books and videos that you looked at. Life is all about recognising and embracing your curiosity then learning how to learn to get a solid foundation. At this point seeing others work and good questions will help. You haven't left the nest yet...get flying!
 
kvershay said:
If anyone knows a website or video or book i could look at please tell me, thanks
Click to expand...


I guess you missed this the first time i posted it...
there is no way you read the half dozen good books I listed links to in just a few hours
...no kidding these books listed are among the best available on the subject.


This is a nice list of books, many are available to order online if you like reading paper books
http://www.knifedogs.com/showthread.php?t=5285



This thread on BF has links to some of those books as free pdf books.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603203



A good HT basics video
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.ntis.ava08799vnb1/ava08799vnb1_512kb.mp4


Green Pete's video
Green Pete's video on how to make a Mora style bushcraft knife - simple jig stock removal with hand tools and a neo tribal / unplugged type heat treat. "Green Pete" posted it for for free distribution.

It is available here for those who can use torrent files. + plus MUCH MUCH MORE info too.

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4995247/Greenpete_s__Knifemaking_Basics_-_Make_a_Mora_Bushcraft_Knife


You can see the green Pete video in 4 parts on utube also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysKd1cswlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvyPxyVKQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XGnc8mgEBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBcxo4ojmgo



The $50 knife shop book is popular and starts a lot of people off but:
I find it confused me for a long time.
The goop quench is BS, there are commercially made quench oils available, (maybe even mentioned in the new edition)
Found steels are interesting,but require the skills of an experienced smith to be able to work and heat treat properly., you can buy proper steel cheaply(mentioned in the new edition)
Cable damascus is interesting, but not a beginners project either.

It leads you to believe that forging is necessary, but you can just file and grind everything away to create a knife (stock removal)
...and is best for a beginner to start with.

I like these books and you can get many free above:
David Boye-Step by Step Knifemaking
Tim McCreight-Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects from a Master Craftsman

Forging:
Lorelei Sims-The Backyard Blacksmith - I agree that is a good one , forging in general no knifemaking.
Jim Hrisoulas- has 3 books on forging, all 3 are good &available on Amazon

There are many videos available now, some are better than others, but all better than nothing.
if you can't use the torrent files, rent them here
http://smartflix.com/store/category/9/Knifemaking

In the stickies, there is a list of suppliers
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699736
.
 
Last edited:
Calm down, numbers. We've all been impatient at one time.

Yes, contact one of the knife supply shops and order some of the cheapest steel they have. Probably 5-6 pieces about 12" long. Probably 1080 or 440c, if you want stainless.

This is one of the two best websites for knifemaking. Read every WIP you can find in here and you will learn a lot. Some people learn by doing, some by reading.
 
zaph1 said:
Calm down, numbers. We've all been impatient at one time.

Yes, contact one of the knife supply shops and order some of the cheapest steel they have. Probably 5-6 pieces about 12" long. Probably 1080 or 440c, if you want stainless.

This is one of the two best websites for knifemaking. Read every WIP you can find in here and you will learn a lot. Some people learn by doing, some by reading.
Click to expand...

I'm calm.

He obviously missed it completely the first time.
I'm just trying to space it out and make it more readable with better heading and such.
Sometimes the best info gets lost in a "wall of text"
 
Last edited:
ok sorry to make everyone so mad its just that some stuff seems confusing and even more that im a newbie. i'll look everything over again but this time i will read more carefully
 
Thank you numbers. You showed me stock removal and the green pete videos i now have a sense of what to do. and thanks everyone else that posted for the other info i learner about knife making
 
At 15, you would be well advised to find a local maker to show you some of the things that seem so confusing. There is a lot to read before you start, so read all the stickies, and as many of the tutorials as you can, and get a book or two on knife making. There are also many good videos. Since you are a minor, your folks will need to be on board for any of us to offer you much more than the simple, "Read the stickies" advise. Have you dad or mom take you to a hammer-in. You will learn a years worth of info in a day or two.
 
Well the thing is i live in NY and i dont know any knife makers around me even if i travel to the city. and can you give me more info about a "hammer-in"
 
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