New to knife making- want opinon on knife I made

H

Honda137

Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
91
The pictures are of a knife I made- it is the 2nd one I ever made. I would like opinions on how it looks or what can be improved on. The steel is 1084. Handle material is cocobolo.
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https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAADZk/cIfdhUpGRfw/s576/photo%201.JPG?gl=US
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...DZM/v2Shckt_5eI/s576/photo_2%5B1%5D.JPG?gl=US
 
Finger guard is 416 stainless. The handle is two scales. I Milled out a pocket for the tang of the knife to fit In and I used loctite e120hp and corby bolts to secure the handle. My equipment is not very good I have a harbor freight 1x30 and harbor freight drill press with xy axis vise. Overall Im very happy with the way it turned out.
 
Honestly, without holding it in my hand and looking real, real hard at it and nitpicking it, can't offer anything. It's appears to be a good, solid, well made knife that anyone would be proud to own. Your fit and finish look to be good, nice tight joint at the guard, good overall shape and design. Could use more pics to get a better idea of how even everything is. Very clean work.

Edited to add: The only criticism I think of, and had to look hard for that, is that the plunge could be angled forward just a hair, that would give it a more balanced appearance.
 
Nice work.

You are off to a good start
 
Really nice work!

Which belts are you using on the 1x30? A scotch bright belt won't work on the littlest grinder, but it is a great abrasive. I got some large pads, cut out a 6" round and spray glued it to a worn psa disk that was already on my side disk grinder (on the side of the hf 4x36). I found it to be a very good finisher before doing final hand sanding. Maybe not what anyone else does, but it worked for me to reduce the amount of hand finishing. I haven't found many things that help work around pure effort, but that was one that I enjoyed.
 
There are two more pictures below the one that shows up, I don't know why they didn't show up. In hand there are some small imperfections mostly caused from the HF 1x30, it's really difficult to get the grind flat and even with it. I used a file guide to get a precise fit on the guard and I also used it on the plunge cut. For belts I have, 36 blaze, 80 AO, 120 blaze, 220 and 400 AO
 
I hand finish the blade from 220 to 1000 then back to 800. For heat treat I used a torch and magnet method, just past non magnetic, then straight to canola oil heated to 120. I tempered the blade @400 for 1 hour 2 times.
 
That is an outstanding 2nd knife. My 20th knife didn't look that good. Way to go on the guard fit, I had lots of struggles with that.

As they say,, "Now go make another" be sure and post it. I look forward to seeing it.
 
Fitting the guard to the blade Took me about 4 hours, the file guide helped a lot. The most difficult process for me was to fit the scales to the tang. I drilled the holes in the tang first. I should have just glued it all up and then drilled through wood and tang at once. I had to line up the holes in the scales and make sure I had a tight fit to the guard. I ruined a pair of scales my first try
 
Lin Rhea did a very good WIP where he fit the scales to a hidden tang, he drill 1/16 pilot holes in one side of the scales. I didn't find his post until after I had already drill the holes in the tang.
 
Geeze, the second knife you ever made and it looks like that!!

You sir have a magnificent talent and a superb skill for knife making.

I cannot wait to see your tenth knife.........................................
 
I think it should be stickied at the top of the page so all the other new makers can see it, and think twice about what they're going to show the world.

Excellent finish on the blade and handle. The joint at the guard looks very tight. Maybe a hint of asymmetry in the handle as you look at it from the top. Could just be the photo, though.

If I had one complaint, it would be that filed notch thing you did at the top of the plunge line. While it's nicely executed, I felt that it really detracted from the clean lines of the knife. If you had continued with it instead of the jimping, it might have been okay. As it is though, it really throws the flow off. If I didn't know better, I'd think you broke the spine with your plunge line and had to come up with something to fix it. While it worked, hiding the goof, it really draws the eye to that one point.

A little detail like that can really make a difference.
 
I kinda like the notch. Don't know what it is for...and I guess that's kinda the point, isn't it? But then again what's the point of a file worked spine? Regardless it's a fantastic 2nd effort.
 
The design I used Is a Jerry Fisk Sendero. I used his design so I could have something to look at and I also think it's one of the best fixed blade knife designs ever. I talked to jerry for awhile on the phone super nice guy! If you look at his Sendero he does jimping similar to what I did, his is obviously way better. I admit it was a last minute decision and I don't really like it. LOL, I felt like I was going to throw up after I started and it wasn't looking to good. I didn't grind to high either.
 
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There are your other 2 images. I would have liked it without the jimping I think, but it really is a nice looking knife for any attempt, it's unbelievable for a 2nd knife. Great job. I would like to hold it and see how the handle feels, the handle design is unique. Go make another is a great idea!
 
Man, the more I look at it, the more I like it. I especially dig the bolster/guard. I'm terrified to try one.

It's always nice to have a piece of inspiration to look at as you go about your work. I pretty much pulled out every knife I have to study. Doesn't matter if it's an expensive custom or a cheap production. Case in point, I grabbed an inexpensive SOG folder and noticed that the plunge lines were really cool. Even if I didn't do something like it it still gets you thinking.

Really great effort. :)

Btw, I can totally relate when you said that you felt like you were going to throw up. That line definitely got a chuckle out of me. :D
 
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