OT: Project "Po' Boy Puukko"

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Jun 4, 2002
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Total investment so far $3.32 (that's counting sales tax)
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Roughed out the blade on my lunch break, took me exactly an hour to freehand it on a six inch wheel grinder.
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Coming soon, the polished blade (by hand with sandpaper and a block of wood):D

Sarge
 

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COOL SARGE!!!!! The tang looks a lot longer than what you have drawn out? How will you retemper/reharden the blade? I have almost enough $$ to buy a knife making grinder and can't wait to start grinding!!! looks like a nice user, Good job!:D
 
Don't have to reharden the blade Chris, it's still a no-kidding full hardness file (about 64 RC). Have to cook it in the oven until I get the desired color change (straw yellow) to temper it. Then I use a propane torch to make the tang & ricasso softer (blue) so I don't get a breakage at the blade/handle junction.

My goal in this little project is to make a decent custom knife for under ten bucks. I went with a Scandinavian bevel grind because it works best on smaller knives used for whittling, cutting out leather, etc. (i. e. you can get it sharp as blue blazes)

I'll post pics along the way, and try to answer as best I can any questions about the knifemaking process. I think knifemaking is something every knife lover ought to try at least once. If nothing else it will deepen one's respect for the skills of the kamis at Bir Ghorka.

Sarge
 
Excellent, sarge! I like the lo-tek approach. The old "KISS" rule applies. I woulda been tempted to keep the file parts on the sides of the blade, but I realize that they would probably grab harder materials and load after a while.

Keith
 
Keith, I'm going to leave the sides of the blade unpolished, darken the whole thing with lemon juice, then polish the bevels to a mirror finish. Ought to be a pleasant contrast, and will save me much elbow grease.

Sarge
 
Will be looking forward to the finished product.:)

What are you gonna use for handle material? If I was to where I could get out and cut a piece I would send you some nice well seasoned, over 60 years, Osage Orange.:)
 
Osage is a little tough to carve when it's well seasoned Yvsa, but it's some of the most durable wood I know of. A friend of mine told me of his grandfather's old farm house, all the support posts and beams in the basement hewn out of Osage. The old farm house burned down, and you can guess what survived the fire.:D

Now, as for my handle, since you ask, I've got a scrap piece of brass strip that I can cut a couple of spacers out of. Got a nice whitetail antler graciously shed for my use by a large buck (think of a polished antler spacer sandwiched between to brass spacers). For the rest of the handle I'm probably going to use some of that exotic Amazonian hardwood Pappy sent me (it turns a dark brick red when given a good oil rub, ought to contrast nicely with the brass and antler). Total cost of the handle= zilch, zippo.;) :p :D

Sarge
 
From a rookie maker to another, that looks pretty good :). You're a brave man, going after a hardened file. Here are some pics of my first. All work was done without power tools (except boring a hole for the guard). I would really like to try forging a khuk, maybe for my next project :).

Keep us updated!

http://photos.yahoo.com/mbuswellroberts "Roberts 001." I always have problems attaching photos from yahoo.

Matt
 
Nice looking knife Matt, what did you make the blade out of? Somewhere out in the garage I've got some pieces of very good spring steel (hatch springs from a Bradley fighting vehicle). I also know where to get my hands on a plasma cutter (oh the wheels in my head are spinning now). The spring steel is a skosh over 1/8" thick (thin, I know, but when used on the Bradley they're stacked into "bundles"), 2" wide, and about 14" long. I'm thinking of making a short machete for weed whacking and such.:D

Sarge
 
Groovy!

I just saw some files at the second hand store and was tempted to pick them up. I think I'll go back and get them.

Let me get this straight. You grind, then heat to straw yellow to temper? Do you have to worry about overheating during grinding or does that matter with a file?

I've been thinking about making a crooked knife out of a file, but I'll need to use a forge to make the bend. Maybe I can heat it enough with a propane torch. Hmmm...
 
Originally posted by Howard Wallace
I've been thinking about making a crooked knife out of a file, but I'll need to use a forge to make the bend. Maybe I can heat it enough with a propane torch. Hmmm...

Howard you can, but it's easier if you use the Mapp Gas instead of the propane.
I started one a long time ago, but tried to bend the crook while it was starting to turn dull cherry red and it cracked on me in the bend.
I wasn't using my patience.:o
But it will still cut okay even if I didn't finish it. Maybe one day I will try another.
Next time I will take the time to keep it a bright cherry red when I put the crook in it.
All that would need to be rehardened would be the full crook and maybe part way up the straight.
Heat it to non-magnetic and dip it in oil. Sand the black off so you can see the bare steel and then draw it in the oven to the straw color Sarge recommends.
It's a lot easier to put a handle on them these days with the modern epoxies and all.:D
 
Sarge, the blade is 5160. It takes a pretty good edge, was easy to work, and easy to heat treat. I heated the blade to non magnetic and quenched it in 135* oil, I repeated twice. I drew the blade at 375* for on hour twice.

Howard, the hell with the file order some 1084 from http://admiralsteel.com/ . I would suggest 5160, but I don't know what you'd do with 20' of it :). If you are going to use a file make sure you anneal it. Heat it to non magnetic then stick it in a bucket of sand or vermiculite, make sure the entire length of the steel is covered.

You can use a hair dryer and a charcoal fire to do the annealing and heat treating (wood charcoal, not Kingsford :)). If you order from Admiral you shouldn't need to anneal though.

As for any tips I can give you, buy a new Nicholson 12" bastard file from HomeDepot, you'll be surprised how quickly it removes material. The file will also keep things nice and flat.

For heat treat you will need to get a magnet, and some good dry gloves :). Heat the blade until the magnet won't stick to the blade, then put it back in the fire for a few more seconds, dip the blade in warm (~130*) quenching oil. Let the blade cool then check it with a file, it should skate along the blade, if it doesn't, heat treat again. You may have some trouble with old files though; some may not be good steel (at least the Chinese ones). That's about all the knife making knowledge I have gained so far, let me know if you have any questions, I am always happy to pool my ignorance or maybe even make up some bull shite for you ;).

Making knives is a lot of fun, good luck.

Matt
 
Nice work so far Sarge. You are a talent with that bench grinder.
I look forward to seeing the completed project.
Regards,
Greg
 
"Sarge, you put me to shame"

I sure don't know about all that Steve, compared to the work I've seen from you, Greg, and Dan, I'm pretty much a caveman. And, lets not forget Yvsa, Keith, or Howard.

My whole deal with the files and cheap bench grinders is to encourage folks to try their hand at making a knife without having to plunk down big money on expensive equipment. If they enjoy it, they can always upgrade. If they don't enjoy it, then they haven't wasted much more than their time.

Besides, danged old files make good knives. I've still got one I made 29 years ago when I was a teenage boy, and it'll peel taters and gut fish with the best of 'em. And here's the kicker Yvsa will like, in spite of not having too much of a clue at the time, that rascal is full convex ground and razor sharp.

Sarge
 
about a 7" long blade with 7/16ths wide full flat grinds and 120 degree bevels that I've sanded/polished to 1500 grit and it's ready for a round guard ala ballock dagger and a handle of absolutely crazy fiddleback maple. It's something like the old Dan D ( Dan Dennehy ) knives he'd only make for Military and LEO's with 4" blades as a hideout knife. I think my blade's gonna end up around 5 & 1/2" to 6". Paid $4 or $5 bucks on sale.

( Kind of an ear, nose and throat knife if you know what I mean. )
 
Very inspiring thread!!!!

Maybe I will progress beyond finishing HI handles and hafting cheap skandinavian blades.

Keep it coniming Sarge!!
 
"cheap skandinavian blades"

I know what your'e saying Firkin, but others that haven't tried Scandinavian blades might misinterpret. The blades from Sweden, Norway, and Finland, are fairly inexpensive. But, you get a very good blade for the money. I'd match good Swedish high carbon steel, hardened to about 60RC (which many of them are), against a heck of a lot of very expensive modern production knives. They'll rust, sure enough, but they'll take and hold an edge like a knife's supposed to.
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These are KJ Eriksson blades from Mora, Sweden. The smallest one on the right is a 3" blade that costs five bucks, ranging up to the big Leukko blade on the left for $29. For folks that want to try knife making, and don't have time to fiddle with grinding a blade, these "cheap" Swedish blades are a very good way to get started. Hold an edge? I've used one more than once in camp in place of my straight razor to shave in the morning.:eek: :D

edited to add: check out the third blade in from the right, a nice 4" puukko blade that sells for the princely sum of six bucks. I've made up so many of them you could fill a bushel basket with 'em. There's been more than a few Texas whitetails skinned and dressed by those very capable little blades:D

Sarge
 
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