Newbie just starting out.

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bigern26

Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
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Hello all, I am a newbie to knifemaking. I have never made a knife before but I have always been interested in knifes and I finally decided it is time to start a new hobby.
I recenlty purchased " The $50 knife shop" and read it twice.

I am making an order for a piece of O1 steel,
I am making my first knife completly by hand and was wondering if anyone can tell me what files I need and what order to go in with file work and sand paper to get the blade shaped?

I do not have alot of money for tools and such so I need to know just the basic files and sand paper I would need.

I am going to be making a full tang Drop point skinner.

I am going to be doing the heat treating in a 2 firebrick forge with a torch and quenching in ATF.

Also where can I find a couple good wood scales for the handle for cheap?

Thanks for any info.
 
LARGE single cut flat bastard file. Read the stickies for draw filing. chainsaw file, half round, and a good set of needle files
 
If you haven't ordered the steel yet, maybe get some 1084 instead? It'd be a lot cheaper and give you some more tool money... that and would be easier to heat treat in the 2-brick forge.. I had one, and "consistant heating" is not how I'd describe the inside of that thing.
I made my first handful of knives with a large bastard file (bevels), a half-round file (finger groves, etc...) a hacksaw, an old drill press, a rusty C-clamp, a small bench vise (with a block of wood in the jaws to c-clamp the knives to to polish with wet/dry paper).

...Now it seems like I spend as much to make a single knife as I spent on my first shop >_>

I don't know what wood you're looking for... shop around?
Try USA knife maker (I just made an order with them, good people), jantz supply, alpha knife supply...
Good luck :D
 
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If you don't have the means to hold the temperature on the O1 for a good long soak (ten minutes or so), 1084 will probably outperform it.
 
How does the treating of 1084 work?
is it the same, just get it to non magnetic and quench in oil?

Where is the best place to buy 1084?
I can order O1 5/64 in. x 1 1/2 in. 18 inches long for $9.15 plus shipping
thanks for the replies so far......

I have no special wood I am looking for yet. just something nice looking and cheap. lol
 
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bigern26 said:
How does the treating of 1084 work?
is it the same, just get it to non magnetic and quench in oil?

Where is the best place to buy 1084?
I can order O1 5/64 in. x 1 1/2 in. 18 inches long for $9.15 plus shipping
thanks for the replies so far......

I have no special wood I am looking for yet. just something nice looking and cheap. lol
Click to expand...

1084. It will go non magnetic around 1400. You'll want to take it to around 1500. So heat it until it no longer attracts a magnet, and then a little more.

It is important not to overheat the edge or tip. Go slow. Some folks heat inside a muffle. Quench in thin warm oil.

O1 will not respond well when treated this way, but 1084 should be fine.
 
Thanks for the input...
Where is a good place to order 1084 from?

Also what is the difference between 1080, 1084 and 1095?
 
1080 and 1084 will heat treat the same for all intents and purposes. Heat them to a little bit beyond non-magnetic and quench. That's what makes them great beginner steels. 1095 needs a faster quench than you will typically get outside of a purpose-engineered quenching oil, though it can be quenched in brine with some increase chance of the blade failing (cracking). O-1, while very forgiving and deep hardening (it will harden fairly well in just about any oil), needs a soak at temperature in order to fully harden. This means you have to bring it to around 1475 or so and hold it there for 10-20 minutes without over-heating. This is very hard to do in a non-regulated forge. Also, it's hard to keep the heat even over time in a small brick forge (I know, I started out in the same place you're at). The problem with over-heating the steel is that this results in grain growth within the steel and will result in a more brittle blade.

You can get some 1084 from Tracy at www.usaknifemaker.com for a good price. It's located under the metals-->forging steel section listed as 1084FG. Also, Aldo Bruno may have some available here if you check the "for sale" forum and look for the "1084 is in" thread. It's a great beginner steel. But just because I said beginner doesn't mean that it will perform sub-par. It's a good all-around carbon knife steel; it just happens to be relatively easy to heat treat.

Welcome to the forum and the craft, by the way! Have fun and learn as you go.

--nathan
 
Nathan,

I believe that 1080 is more like 1095 than 1084. I could be wrong, but I believe that 1084 has manganese (or something) that makes it deeper hardening and allows it to fully harden in a less than perfect quench. (edit - this is incorrect).

I could be mistaken here.

Nathan
 
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Nathan, I wonder if that's more true of Aldo's stuff, as from what I can find, standard 1084 and 1080 are pretty much similar aside from the obvious carbon content difference?

They should be similar as far as heat requirements, but I couldn't swear to you about the quench, so you may be right. I use Park's 50 for the fast stuff personally.

--nathan
 
Hey bigern26, if you need some scales shoot me a PM I've got a pile of stuff I can send ya some. I think I may have a spare piece of 1084 laying around to.
 
silver_pilate said:
Nathan, I wonder if that's more true of Aldo's stuff, as from what I can find, standard 1084 and 1080 are pretty much similar aside from the obvious carbon content difference?

They should be similar as far as heat requirements, but I couldn't swear to you about the quench, so you may be right. I use Park's 50 for the fast stuff personally.

--nathan
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I looked into it, and as far as I can tell - you are correct. 1084 has a very fast quench requirement.

1084ttt.jpg


This is a TTT from Kevin's site. It appears you have less than one second to get under the nose with 1084. For some reason I thought it was more forgiving than that.
 
joesouth said:
Hey bigern26, if you need some scales shoot me a PM I've got a pile of stuff I can send ya some. I think I may have a spare piece of 1084 laying around to.
Click to expand...

I for some reason cannot send a pm but i think I sent you a email. if not you can email me at bigern26@gmail.com

thank you so much for the offer. I would be interested in anything I can get to help me start out.....
 
Also, make sure you have a good vise. For some several thousand dollars worth of eq in my shop its (they're) the most important tool you can have.
 
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