- Joined
- Jul 2, 2000
- Messages
- 1,494
I went to try my hand at making a knife from a file last weekend. I have a Grizzly grinder that my girlfriend bought me a couple of years ago. Ive used it for many projects and have enjoyed making modifications to the grinder itself, but I have never made a knife. This will be my first.
I wanted to make a simple Long knife in the style of the 1700s American frontier to go with a black powder rifle given to me by a friend (Thanks, Tony}. Everything was going good {as per your directions), nice convex grind, some teeth marks still showing, a frontier look. Too good in fact, got distracted (not a good thing with machines) and screwed the grind up. I couldn't get it right after that, junk now. I decided I might as well temper it, stick a broom handle on it and keep it around as a reminder of what not to do. After I found where it landed, I cleaned it off and stuck it in the toaster oven and duh, completely forgot about it.
I came back to a really purple piece of steel. I might not be cut out for this knife making stuff.. Time to see if my propane burner and firebrick forge will really work. Success, it got it hot enough to go non-magnetic (blind pigs will find acorns once in a while). Quench container was a little small though, not to worry for a reminder piece.
Funny thing though, under the scale, somewhere in the heart of that file was a knife that refused to be denied by my bumbling efforts. Here, through luck more than any thing else, is the first knife Ive made. Thanks for the inspiration Sarge.
Other side.
Regards,
Greg
I wanted to make a simple Long knife in the style of the 1700s American frontier to go with a black powder rifle given to me by a friend (Thanks, Tony}. Everything was going good {as per your directions), nice convex grind, some teeth marks still showing, a frontier look. Too good in fact, got distracted (not a good thing with machines) and screwed the grind up. I couldn't get it right after that, junk now. I decided I might as well temper it, stick a broom handle on it and keep it around as a reminder of what not to do. After I found where it landed, I cleaned it off and stuck it in the toaster oven and duh, completely forgot about it.
I came back to a really purple piece of steel. I might not be cut out for this knife making stuff.. Time to see if my propane burner and firebrick forge will really work. Success, it got it hot enough to go non-magnetic (blind pigs will find acorns once in a while). Quench container was a little small though, not to worry for a reminder piece.
Funny thing though, under the scale, somewhere in the heart of that file was a knife that refused to be denied by my bumbling efforts. Here, through luck more than any thing else, is the first knife Ive made. Thanks for the inspiration Sarge.
Other side.
Regards,
Greg
