new member wanna show what i made

Joined
Jul 12, 2014
Messages
3
hi all Z3rgor here

Im new to athe site.
I liked knifes since i am a small boy, begged my grandfather to get my first one when i was six years. He bought a cheap stainless knife with a plastic pommel that i broke of the first day of use, after he ground the tip to make it safer :o.
over the years i bought maybe 20 knives (machetes, folders, fixed blades etc.)
Started knifemaking maybe half a year back when i made a little coal forge out of an old gastank.I do the heat treating myself. Its good for heat treating smaller knives, but for anything bigger than 6 inches Blad length i now use a hommade "wash tub forge" variant.
Since then i made maybe 18 or so blades, and gave away about half as gifts. I had a few knives break, a few knives warp, it was a learning process i enjoyed a lot. I like making bigger blades, and mostly use 5mm or 3mm O2 steel (german equivalent to O1). My setup is basically a too weak belt grinder, and 2 angle grinders. When i see a blade i like online, instead of buying it i try to make it. I am not a perfectionist, and do not polish my blades. I am more interested in the functionality, and i test each blade under harsh conditions.

Here are some of the blades i made, hope you guys enjoy:














 
I like 'em. The irregular rounded shape and color reminds me of Gumby.
 
z3rgor,

Welcome. Thanks for sharing your knives with us. It is a fun addiction. Being a perfectionist has little to do with polishing blades. It is a character trait. It has to do with having a critical eye about the work you do and never excepting a result that is less than the best you can do. You have made a handful of fun knives but they all seem to be at the same level of development. Maybe slow down a bit now. Make one knife and use it as an opportunity to learn something. Use the lessons one knife teaches you to improve the next and so on. Trying to do better each time doesn't take the fun out of making knives. It only makes it more fun. You can still concentrate on functionality and hard use. Refining your skills and your knives will only make your knives perform better.

Check out this part of the website: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/741-Shop-Talk-BladeSmith-Questions-and-Answers

Look for the stickies at the top of the page. All the information you need is there. Great work so far. Keep going!
 
Thanks for the imput guys. The handles are affixed with epoxy and 5M screws aswell as round off hex bolts, just what i had laying around. I agree that my knifes lack finish and are crude to an extend. Until now that was on purpose. I stopped when the blade was serviceable. i focused on trying out different handle shapes, getting the heat treat good, making straight grinds etc. compared to what some guys on here produce they are not refined at all.
i should maybe invest in some sandpaper below 120 grit and start refinig my next blade more, and take things to the next level. I know this will take many hours but its the logical next step.

ill post my next blade here
 
personally, I'd rather see one decently finished knife than several poorly finished ones.
I hope the next knife you post gets the full treatment.
It's hard to appreciate your work when it's so under developed, but keep at it.
your commitment to your designs is reflected by how far you take them.
 
As your blades get more refined, you should keep the odd rounded green handle shapes! They almost look like they're melted. I LIKE 'EM
 
Back
Top