New to the trade

T

TreeButcher

Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
15
I am new to the trade and I ran across this forum while looking for raw materials, read a little, and decided to join.

I am a tech nerd by trade and a hobbyist woodworker (thus the TreeButcher handle) from a long line of master carpenters.
I inherited my great-grandfather's hand tools and pretty much lost everything in the tech crash just before the millennium, so I learned to do a lot on a shoestring, including making (by hand) my own chisels from whatever scrap metal I could find and sticking a handle on them.

So the next logical step was to make the knives I always wanted, but couldn't afford to buy.
I took some photos of my woodwork to the office, and I had three customers before I knew it that asked me to make them some knives too, so I bought some exotic hardwoods for handles, now I need some good steel to start with.
I think the City would have an issue with me building a forge in my garage, so I'll have to stick with grinding until I get my own land.

So now the learning begins...

Any pro advice would be much appreciated!

~TreeButcher
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

Community Center is the one forum which is not for talk about knives here,
so I will move this to Shop Talk - BladeSmith Questions and Answers .

Check out the FAQ and look around. We have a lot of variety here. :)
 
TreeButcher,

Welcome to the forums! This is a great place to learn and get information/tips from some of the best in the business. I've learned 90% of what I know about bladecraft from this site.

Where in Texas are you located? There may be makers near you who could offer help.

As far as your question. A good generally recommended beginners steel is 1084. It's a high carbon steel with a very basic heat treatment which you can do at home with a simple, small one brick propane forge. Check the for sale section here in the knife makers' section and see if Aldo Bruno has any of his excellent 1084 left.

If you don't want to have to do your own heat treatment, there are many companies who provide small run heat treatments, but you'll have to check on what steels they accept. Once you decide on a steel (if you're not able to get a hold of Bruno's), check out admiral steel or flatground .com. Even Texas Knife supply. Also, Pop's knife supply usually has a few blade steels in stock.

As for the forge in the garage, many people forge in their backyards or open garages. Think of it like a propane grill or steroids! I don't know of any codes against forges in the city, maybe noise restriction codes....

--nathan

--nathan
 
Treebutcher,

Welcome to the forums. I do have to offer you my condolences though, this obsession er hobby we are involved in is very habit forming..... I have been at it for iver 16 yrs now and still feel like a newbie. i would recommend getting a hold of asmanybooks as possible. The Complete Bladesmith, by Jim Heresoulas, The $50 Knife Shop by Wane Goddard and How to Make Knives By Barney and Loveless. Then get some known quality steel, 1084 is a great start or 5160. Also Bruno has 1084 for a great price. Get to know your materials by making some simple designs first. Keep it to shorter blades until you are comfortable. Read these forums, a lot of great advice is given here freely. That is one thing I love about knife makers, most will not keep secrets and will tell you how it is done. If you update your profile to include the City in which you live someone may even give you an invite to their shop. Good Luck and remember to have fun.
 
Nathan,

Thanks for the info! Once I get things going, I will see What I can do about making my own forge, but I will definitely annoy the neighbors with the hammering; I already do, but I don't care anymore- I love to see the results of my work, even as much as an amateur as I am.
I haven't looked for any bladesmiths here in Round Rock, but I know the Poeple's Republic of Austin frowns on anything that may be remotely used as a weapon, so I think if there is anyone around they'll be in Georgetown or further north...

I have a good thing going here, as even the monster-in-law is excited about it!
So now in one week, I have made my first five customers, and I have to do this right by Christmas.
Soooo.. without a forge, I am most likely starting out with manufactured blades and kits, then moving up to grinding blanks which is how I made my first chisels, so I have enough experience to say I have no idea what I'm doing yet:D
But I intend to learn it.
I mean, I taught myself HTML, VBScript, Javascript, and SQL, so bladesmithing will be fun. At least I know I can host my own website...
So this weekend I intend to purchase about $200 woth of steel, whether they be manufactured blanks, or something I have to grind into shape, I am really looking forward to seeing what my own hands reveal from raw steel & wood.

My first one will be for me: I want to make a nice big heavy Bowie with about 15" of cutting edge, and my handle will be fitted for my hands. I want every one of my blades to be a functional high-quality work of art, and something I would be proud to own and almost cry to sell away...;)

~Charles
 
There are two ways to go about making a knife from scratch. The first you mentioned is forging a knife from glowing hot steel using a forge, hammer, and anvil. The second, which may be a better choice given your situation, is to perform stock removal. In this scenario, you purchase steel of the proper width and thickness you desire, you scribe your shape onto the steel and cut out the profile, and then you grind or file your bolsters into the steel. Depending on the equipment you have available to you, you could use a belt grinder with AO belts and/or a good file. There are many guys and gals here who are making excellent blades using only a hack saw, files, and a drill press. It takes time, patience, and practice, but is completely doable. Using a belt grinder speeds things up considerably, but you loose some of your control, so you have a bit higher of a learning curve to get things precise.

If you'd like to start with kit knives, check out Texas knife supply (quick shipping since you're in Texas, but you have to pay taxes), or Knifekits .com. They have many pre-made and heat treated blades which you can finish with handles of your choice. They also have different handle materials available, if you're looking for something harder to find. Keep in mind, many woods benefit greatly from stabilization, especially when considered in knife handles.

Enjoy the craft!

--nathan

I'm sure there are some excellent knife makers in the Austin area. Maybe hit the yellow pages and see what's out there. Also, browse the sticky at the top of the forum for some great tutorials, suppliers, and how-to's.
 
Right now, I have the 6" Bench grinder (with an unbalanced wheel that I need to figure otu how to balance) 6' floor drill press, my Dremel & and a whole bunch of files.

I am looking at belt grinder this weekend, and I haven't done much looking yet. any recommendations would be appreciated!

with what I have, stock removal (grinding & filing) are my only options as of yet.
 
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