Professional sharpener, knife enthusiast, aspiring knifemaker introduction/question

[Floridagrinder]

Whats up decided I'd make an account here after coming across some forum posts in my research on knife making and steel types. I have 7 years of sharpening experience professionally and have been playing with knives since a very young age. Just getting started up in getting my own equipment to do my own side business of high end sharpening, very skilled with mechanical and traditional Japanese water stone sharpening. Included is a picture of my first amateur knife making attempt. It is perfectly balanced and the shape and edge are well done, but handle is crudely made of twine soaked in polyurethane and dressed up with steel shavings at the shop. I've had a question that has not been adequately answered through research. I have a large quantity of FREE waste stainless blades from the commercial knife rental service I work at. It is Chinese stuff, takes a decent edge, and polishes real nice. Some knives, like the Chinese cleavers seem to have higher quality steel, like the one I made, and with my skill in grinding and buffing, I can make something pretty nice out of substandard material. Part of my beginning business plan is selling very sharp and practical knives at the flea market for reasonable prices. I am wondering if there is a way with either my charcoal grill or a blowtorch to add carbon to the steel, and perhaps give it a more "unique" appearance to the metal, especially after buffing. This would allow me to produce an eye-catching product to sell to people for a great price to quality ratio. Cheers and thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Cool knife!

There's a section of forums here just for makers, new and vets alike. You may get better replies there.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Welcome to Shop Talk. Filling out your profile can help us help you.

You can't "add" carbon to the blade in any true sense of the term. All you can do is use good technique to avoid any carbon loss. There is plenty of carbon in the steel we make knives out of, so the efforts should be to get the most out of that in a well executed HT. Temperature control, metal choice, soak times, and proper tempering are the things that make a knife appeal to customers. Two identical shaped knives can have quite different cutting ability depending on how well the makers attend to those things.

Also, getting the correct blade geometry for the cutting task the knife is designed for is very important. Since you are a professional sharpener, I assume you already have that knowledge. But for those who are reading this and still learning, there is sharp for a camp knife and sharp for a fillet knife. Both edges are "sharp", but have different shapes and thickness.

The two things that will prevent a potential customer from purchasing a knife and finding out how well it cuts are blade finish and handle details. The blade needs an even and smooth finish. That can range from a perfect 400 grit hand sanding, to a Scotch-Brite belt satin finish, to a mirror finish. All are right in their own circumstance. None should be done half way. The handle need to be ergonomic, pleasing to the eye, and functional. Pay attention to the wrapping on cord wrap handles to avoid crossing strands or bulky tie-offs. Wood should be sanded smooth, and all edges and corners should be rounded. Synthetics, like Micarta, should be evenly sanded to give a consistent surface.

There are many ways to add "unique" looks to the blade. Etching for a darker color, doing yaki-ire for a hamon, partial quenching for a quench line, and many other techniques can make a plain blade have some pizazz. But, these won't cover up for a blade that isn't properly finished. They actually add some steps and extra preparation/finishing to get them right.

A simple way to make screaming sharp blades that have customer appeal and are fairly simple to make is to use techniques and materials that leave the upper blade surface unfinished. These can be blades left "Brut de Forge" with all the hammer marks in the upper bevel, or Japanese style san-mai blades with a layer of soft iron on the top, and a very hard steel edge. This style also lends itself to simple cord wrapped ( over a wooden core) handles.

Have fun, take your time, and enjoy the hobby craft. Work on perfecting you skills. If your blades eventually make you some profit, all the better.

 

[Floridagrinder]

Yes I am aware of blade physics and how to polish steel to varying degrees of finish with graduating abrasive grits. With most of my work (and most blades i intend to make) I prefer to grind and hone a convex bevel at a relatively acute angle. Cleavers, machetes, camp knives, etc I make a bit wider. I was specifically asking if anyone knew something off hand to do with the free stainless already made commercial kitchen knives I have. I can make knives for basically nothing out of them by drawing out the design and cutting it out roughly with a cutoff disc and then shaping it on wheels and buffers, as I did the one pictured out of a high carbon stainless chinese cleaver(the best material out of the stuff I have). I can do a lot of cool things as far as finishing and shaping freehanded with my worksharp machine. Was just wondering if there was a somewhat crude technique I could employ to slightly improve the quality, or at least the appearance of the steel, make it more eye-catching rather than simply polished stainless, and perhaps a bit harder. Not serious quality items in the end but for the price I will sell them, they will be the best knives in the flea market and have beyond hair shaving sharpness. Looking into etching, appreciate quick response.