New Thread: First knife started pictures, progress and critiques

[Blacknboostn]

Will be adding text on a computer... Made many mistakes that I have learned from already

Please feel free to critique...

Problems and mistakes on my side are:

Edge is off center. will be using layout dye or sharpie and a caliper to fix this in the future

top of bevel is crap. my own skill will develop, this is my first knife ever.

plunge lines are horrible

I would have continued to fix this, and want to ask advise as to how, my edge is already pretty thin. potentially I can grind the edge down a little farther and then rework the beveals into the top.

I like the handle, but as a noob i could be wrong and maybe i shouldn't like it haha.

I did not stick as closely to the laid out design as I would have liked intially. what else can I fix that needs to be done?

any questions on my process and why?

i have not ground further than 60 grit yet.

-T

 

[kellygoose]

What tools did you use?

 

[Blacknboostn]

What tools did you use?

Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder and a hacksaw (that will get old very quickly)

it is .187 thick stock from Aldo.

Also, work was done freehand with no rest.

I believe some of the top bevel issue may have come from an unstable workstation... I deserately need to build a real workbench.

the issues with the edge being off center was really just my own stupidity and forgetting that I should probably mark that out.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Is this 1084?

All this crap will come, bud. Keep up the positive attitude and DO NOT FEAR FAILURE!

 

[Blacknboostn]

Is this 1084?

All this crap will come, bud. Keep up the positive attitude and DO NOT FEAR FAILURE!

Negative sir, it is 1075

fortunately I don't give up easy! There is so much to learn here

 

[chopsuey9999]

Looking good so far, I probably would have drilled the holes first too before grinding just so that I wouldn't have a semi sharp spinning piece of metal to deal with in case it snagged in the drill press. I've learned that if you keep chasing mistakes and not laying out stuff you'll end up with an uneven grind, I've been there before when I was making knives with a file on a black and decker work bench haha. Just learn and do better on the next one, keep up the good work!

 

[Matt Rochester]

The front pin is too close to the plunge. That pin is where the front of the handle should be. Overall it looks good. Make sure your pins are symmetrical. The front one and back one should be the same distance from the end and then center up the middle one between the two. As someone who just HT'd 7 blades without drilling my holes in the tang, go ahead and drill them before you forget!!!

 

[Blacknboostn]

New pin location. Will need to use 1/4 inch pins or bolts

This looks better than the previous location, thanks!

Gah... Better next time.

Would I stand better chance of improving if I took 1/4 to 1/2 off the belly and doing a full flat grind? Just get rid of the top of the bevel altogether?

Compared to the old location

-T

 

[Blacknboostn]

Also, the edge closest to the plunge is VERY thin... Possible to cut a choil there and salvage that area? Will be learning from fixing my mistakes as well lol

 

[Robert L Sr]

Check out Aaron Goughs hand filing jig on his YouTube channel under Gough customs. I would finish it off with hand files and the jig as they are nowhere near as aggressive and it really cleans up the bevels and edges.

 

[Robert L Sr]

Grind the edge back a little. A choil might improve the looks and make it easier to sharpen.

 

[Blacknboostn]

Grind the edge back a little. A choil might improve the looks and make it easier to sharpen.

will have an update on that this weekend. I have another blank of the same shape that I am in process of hacking out... only so much time when I get home from work!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I have always found a full flat grind easier to learn on. No left-side/right-side issues to deal with Mistakes are much easier to fix, too.

By the time you finish post-HT sanding it will likely be a FFG anyway. Looks pretty good so far. I agree that the edge needs a small choil. handle shape is very good.

 

[Blacknboostn]

Fixed a few of the above mentioned errors... I hope lol. Went to full flat grind, took the edge back a little, added the choil, tried to fix the plunge lines, think I did good from where they were before... Will take it to a finer grit tomorrow and then set it aside for heat treat.

What would the next step be for finalizing the edge from the bevel? Suggestions?

Comments? What do you guys think so far... Definitely think I need more belts already.

-T

 

[scubasteve4sq]

Are you putting a bolster or guard on the knife? If so you will need to drill pin holes to attach it to the knife. If your only using handle material and no guard you don't need to drill anything.

 

[Matt Rochester]

I would pin or bolt the handle and epoxy it. Epoxy is strong but if you drop it on the handle it may pop off. Pins keep it from shifting laterally and corbeys do the same and have clamping force. So, drill your holes before you heat treat and keep us update.

I must have missed some pics. Looks like you already drilled the tang. My bad.

 

[HSC ///]

dude, your hands are way too clean to be a knife-maker...
just kidding, nice meeting you yesterday!

 

[Blacknboostn]

I would pin or bolt the handle and epoxy it. Epoxy is strong but if you drop it on the handle it may pop off. Pins keep it from shifting laterally and corbeys do the same and have clamping force. So, drill your holes before you heat treat and keep us update.

I must have missed some pics. Looks like you already drilled the tang. My bad.

Yep, got that done immediately after your suggestion to do so earlier haha good call

Definitely will be bolted and epoxied.

 

[Blacknboostn]

dude, your hands are way too clean to be a knife-maker...
just kidding, nice meeting you yesterday!

Nice to meet you as well! Not a knife maker yet hahaha. Those had been thoroughly scrubbed before coming in at my wife's request lol.

Looking forward to some more progress this week, stepping all the way up my grits and then hand sanding by the end of this week. This one should be ready for HT soon.

-T

 

[pwheeler]

Nicely done salvaging the grind, looks far better now. Make some extra holes in the tang before HT, it will help a lot with epoxy adhesion, as it allows little bridges of epoxy to form from one scale to the other. Nick Wheeler has a good video on how to clean up your plunges with sand paper. Now all you have to do is be persistent with the sanding, don't leave any flaws or scratches, and you'll have a hell of a first knife. Also, avoid blocky handle syndrome when the time comes. Keep at it, looking good!