No Money, But I want to Make knives

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lazerbanana

Joined
Mar 26, 2016
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Hello Bladeforums!
This is my first post on here and for good reason, I want to start making knives but I don't have the money for a grinder,anvil ect. I do have a forge that I built myself, but one needs much more than that to build knives, Do any of you have an idea of what to do?
 
You can get quite a bit done with a good single cut mill bastard file and a cheap angle grinder.
You should probably be able to find a section of railroad tie and some old sawblades at a scrapyard. Once you ware out your file you can make a knife out of it after you've replaced it.
You're gonna have to spend some money, it doesn't have to be a lot. ( as far as hammers goes, you want to find good old heads and restore them because any new ones that are cheap are crap )
I wish you luck man :thumbup:
 
Moving to shop talk. I would recommend revising your budget, look at your income, figure out where your money is going aside from bills, groceries, etc. If you budget wisely, you can save some money and that can be used or your hobby. Generally speaking, hobbies cost money, as do new business endeavors (you have to spend money to make money).
 
lazerbanana said:
, Do any of you have an idea of what to do?
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A. Get a job and make money.

B. If you already have a job, save money by cutting out unnecessary expenses.

C. If you have stuff that is worth any money that you don't need, sell it.

D. Check your local classifieds for used and affordable tools.

Anything worth doing is worth working for, earning, saving, and sacrificing.

Welcome to Bladeforums :)
 
Research, make a list of what you need, then make a list of what will work in place of those things. It's close to the time of year for yard sales, that's a good option on any budget. If it's something you want to do, you'll find a way.
 
Well, you will delighted to hear hat you will have no money AFTER you start making knives. :D
 
With no money there is no hobby. I think every hobby costs money, some more and others less. Absolute minimum of tools You need to start this hobby are file ("D" shaped is universal), drill or power drill with few drill bits, metal cutting hacksaw and small vise or clamp (vise is better). Buy cheap carbon steel, draw shape, drill holes, cut and file shape. Blade can be made with file with simple file jig (or without it). Finish it by sand paper (use 60, 80, 120 and 180 or 240 grit). I wish You luck.
 
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Start by filling out your profile. Your age, location, occupation/student, hobbies, etc. This will tell us a bit more about you and will let nearby makers offer help and materials.

As far as getting started. it can be done on a shoestring. A file, some sandpaper, and a piece of knife steel is all you need. A forge may be useful for HT, but isn't needed to make a knife.

Start by reading the stickys. They have a lot of knifemaking info. I wrote the one on "How to instructions for making a knife" for a person with no grinder or experience.

After you have some idea of the process, make a sketch of the knife you want to make. Think it through, and keep it simple. A basic drop point hunter with a 3" blade and a 4" handle is a good first knife.
 
Tnere is a lot of talk about ussing a file and sandpaper, wich will work. But i would recomend finding a used craftsman 2 by 42 belt grinder. When i started i used a file and it drove me mad. For handle material find anything you can for cheap just dpnt spend money on expensive exotic wood. For steel you can use RR spikes, saw blades, old files, leaf springs or anything you can get your hands on. Also walter sorrells on youtube has good videos of making knives with minimal tools.
 
Sometimes you just gotta hustle! Plenty of ways to pick up some extra income... If you have a close relative or friend with a shop, you might trade some work to use their tools, although depending on experience with said tools, the owner may not oblige. Of course, you still need materials and consumables.

$50 knife shop by Wayne Goddard used to be a standard resource for makers starting out with little to no tools or funds. IIRC, most of this book (or maybe it's an older version) can be found for free on Google books. The stickies at the top of this forum are another excellent resource.

Knife making is one of those hobbies that can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be, but be advised that you'll likely get out of it only what you put in. If you spend $10 to make a knife, it's PROBABLY going to look like a $10 knife (or maybe only a $5 knife)

That said, I've seen some makers make a better looking knife with $30 worth of files and sand paper than other makers that have made a knife on a $3000 machine.

Now, in the mean time, in lieu of money and tools, you can almost certainly find a pencil and a piece of paper. Start drawing out some designs for when you do get something together. Feel free to share them on here, and we'll help point you in the right direction.
 
The simple fact of the matter is, this hobby costs money. How much? Thats up to you

You could use old springs and saw blades, cut them out with a hacksaw, file them to shape, sand them with sandpaper, HT in a charcoal fire and slap some scraps from the local lumber liquidators on for 40 or 50 bucks

Or you could buy a billet of S35VN, a TW90, a bunch of ceramic belts, a kiln, 5 gallons of parks 50, a dewar of liquid nitrogen, and attach some desert ironwood burl handles and be in 5 grand. Its up to you.
 
stonproject said:
You're gonna need money to buy supplies unless you're hoping for handouts.
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Bingo!

Do what everyone else does when they want something and don't have any money. WORK.

Seriously though when you work hard for the money to buy the equipment/supplies you'll feel more obligated to use it. That is a good thing. You'll have some skin in the game. Knife making can be EXTREMELY expensive. There's always bigger and better tools/equipment out there that you'll want. Supplies are expensive.

Knife making is hard, physical work. Not digging ditches hard, but it can be taxing. Especially if you have a bad back like me. You'd better get used to working if you're going to pursue knife making.

Also, knife makers are some of the best/nicest people I've ever met. We all share a passion for knives and we want to perpetuate the art. Whenever there's a way I can help someone on here with info I will. I've learned a ton here over the years. Many makers are VERY helpful and generous. That being said, it's kind of coming off to me like you're fishing for a hand out. I might be reading you wrong, and if I am I sincerely apologize for the assumption. I'm saying this, not to be critical, but to be helpful. If a maker plans on selling knives, the most important thing they have is their reputation. You don't want to tarnish that, especially before you even get out the gate.

Do what Stacey said and fill out your profile. Give us information about yourself and what part of the country you're in. Perhaps there's a local co-op or school near you where you could visit and learn some things. I'm not opposed to letting a newbie come by my shop and show them the ropes a little and maybe let them grind some steel. I'd like to know a little about the individual before allowing them into the bunker though. :D

If you're really serious about wanting to make knives then you'll work to make it happen. If not, then it probably wasn't worth your time or anyone elses who would've helped you. Start out making a cheap file guide and get some 1084 steel.

Good luck!

ETA: You might look for the book- $50 Knife Shop. You might be able to find it at a library or have your library get it through interlibrary loan.
 
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I've got a poster in my shop " IF you want to do something you'll find a way, IF NOT you'll find a excuse!"
 
Hobbies cost money that's just reality. You can go all out or ease into it with a few hand tools from yard sales. I do it as a hobby with leather working and I'm in about 4 thousand $ so far. And that's cheap ... I went the cheap route with a grizzly 2x72. I made a few knives from free files to start and once I knew I liked it as a hobby I bought myself a 2x72 grinder. Take it from someone that does boating, snowmobiling , camping with his family and an avid gun collector ... Making knives is a cheap hobby. So make it an enjoyable
One and buy the tools that make your life easier. Those who want find ways ... Those who don't find excuses. Save your money , work extra hours or get a second little side job , punch overtime what ever you gotta do.

Oh yea .. Some of the best
Tools are books , a pencil , eraser , paper and geometry set and ruler. David boyds knife making was a good one I enjoyed.There is another one I have and can't remember the title "the complete blade smith" maybe?
 
I just read your post after I wrote mine , I always used that proverb it's an excellent one. One our master corporal often used in BMQ - SQ
 
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