Outlining a blank for the bandsaw

J

jasperdog032469

Joined
Mar 14, 2007
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115
I was wandering what you use to outline your knife blands before you cut them out on the bandsaw? I tried coating the steel with diecam, layout blue, but it doesnt show up very well. I thought I remembered RW Wilson using some kind of yellow dicam, but I cant find any anywhere. Thanks,

Dave
 
I suppose you could mark your steel however you want. If you want high contrast you could used whiteout, paint, I prefer a sharpie.
 
Often I'll use sharpie if I'm drawing out a new design. If I'm working from a known profile (i.e. making 5 of the same pattern, which I rarely do), I use a carbide tipped scribe and trace the outline. Another thing I often do is to cut the profile out of cardboard and adjust as needed, them scribe the profile from the cardboard to the steel. I haven't used a layout fluid yet, but I would probably save that for grinding flats or tangs. A simple line is all you need to profile.
--nathan
 
Best thing I have found is for mill scale is a silver sharpie and plain surface ground steel is the red or lack thin sharpies. I have also went to art sections and got white pencils to use. Mike
 
I also use a sharpie,keep a handful of them in the shop. I user layout die to scribe grind lines,bolster layout and pin placement after the blade has been profiled and all mill scale removed.
Stan
 
I use a Pencil that has a bright silver (Shows up good on the steel) Purchased from a local welding suply shop (Oxarc) the pencil is made for marking on steel. I also saw that Sharpie is making a new marker for steel has anyone used it yet?
 
I print out my design and cut out along the border. Take some 3M Super 77 spray adhesive and adhere it to the steel bar. Cut to rough shape on the band saw, grind 1/16" over on the profile with the grinder.
 
I have fine point paint markers (Fastenal) in white and black. They are easy to read and very wear resistant. The white will survive high temp, due to the titanium dioxide pigment. I mark the tang with pertinent info,and after a full HT on stainless steel it is still readable on the tang.
 
dykem and a scribe is the way I've seen "most" makers do it. I use this method or sometimes I'll just draw it out or trace my pattern with a sharpie. Most of the time I'm just grinding the blank until it looks right after I cut it as close as reasonable on the bandsaw, so it doesn't serve as anything more than a rough guide.
 
Thanks guys. I was having trouble getting a sharpie to show up, because of the scale. I grabbed a silver sharpie like metioned, and it worked great.
 
I usually glue a paper version onto a piece of cheap, thin mild steel to keep as a pattern. Then I scribe around the pattern onto the knife steel. I think I am collecting patterns....
 
If you have a Ace Hardware or similar store go to the welding section and the have paint pens by Fourney and other weldiing companies. I like the yellow because when it gets hot while cutting out the blade it will trun white but wont' diappear!;)
 
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