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thegeek574

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Sep 3, 2010
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Everyone,
1. I am getting close to completion of my first couple of knives, and one of them is about a 9 inch overall paring knife. i will not be abusing it, and the most jostling it will get is being dropped into the dish drainer. can I go epoxy only? pins would be a huge pain at this point becuase I don't have a drill press nor a car to drive myself to get more bits if i brake the ones I have. I have several people who are more than happy to help me out with drilling, but it is an extra step.

2. My next project will be a couple of basic paring knives for some friends in stainless steel and their favorite color of G10. what would be a stainless steel that has good wear resistance, but is also easy to file? I do not have access to a belt grinder, and so I file everything. i would rather it did not take 8 hours to put in the bevels. I can anneal the steel.

3. I was making a knife for my dad, but put a rather serious gouge in the edge, to the point where I am going to grind it down and turn it into a fillet knife. its bad. I asked him what steel he wanted and he said that he would like something with the best wear resistance. it will be a carbon steel. whats the absolute best wear resistance that can also be filed somewhat easily?

4. are there any big box stores that would carry pins? I am refurbishing a knife for my grandma, and it needs pins somewhere along the lines of 5/32s. it would be really, really nice not to have to buy a $1.50 pin and pay $5 in shipping.

thanks for the help. I am getting so close.
 
1. A light-duty knife will probably be OK with just epoxy. Do not put it in the dishwasher, the moist heat will cause most any adhesive to fail eventually. A basic drill press should be your next tool purchase, before a grinder.

2. Quality stainless will come to you pretty well annealed. Paring knives should be thin stock, certainly no more than 1/8" thick. "Pickle" the barstock in vinegar overnight to make the tough dark mill scale easier to file off. That won't be necessary if you buy precision-ground stock; the extra cost will pay for itself in time saved. CPM-154 and Carpenter's CTS-XHP are excellent stainless steels that hold an edge very well when properly HT'ed; 440C isn't quite as good but is noticeably less expensive and still makes a good knife.

You mention annealing yourself, what sort of set-up do you have?

3. Loaded question... when you say "carbon steel" I think of 1084, O1 etc... both good steels and easy to work with, but far from "absolute best wear-resistance". CPM-3V is a specialized carbon tool steel with outstanding wear-resistance. However it's pricy, hard to sharpen, and requires pro-level HT.

4. You can find pinstock in brass and mild steel at places like Lowes, Home Depot etc. You may also find welding rods in the size you need.
 
Asa for #4- Most hardware stores will have a selection of rods. My local Tru Value has several different sizes of steel, aluminum, brass and even copper rods. They are pretty cheap.
 
thegeek574 said:
Everyone,
1. I am getting close to completion of my first couple of knives, and one of them is about a 9 inch overall paring knife. i will not be abusing it, and the most jostling it will get is being dropped into the dish drainer. can I go epoxy only? pins would be a huge pain at this point becuase I don't have a drill press nor a car to drive myself to get more bits if i brake the ones I have. I have several people who are more than happy to help me out with drilling, but it is an extra step.
Yes, epoxy should work... Since it's a personal use knife, if they come off, you'd have the knife on hand to repair it. IF, and or when that happened, I'm sure you'd have a drill press by then. You can drill them carefully with a hand drill... I could drop some Corbys down your way if you want...
2. My next project will be a couple of basic paring knives for some friends in stainless steel and their favorite color of G10. what would be a stainless steel that has good wear resistance, but is also easy to file? I do not have access to a belt grinder, and so I file everything. i would rather it did not take 8 hours to put in the bevels. I can anneal the steel.

3. I was making a knife for my dad, but put a rather serious gouge in the edge, to the point where I am going to grind it down and turn it into a fillet knife. its bad. I asked him what steel he wanted and he said that he would like something with the best wear resistance. it will be a carbon steel. whats the absolute best wear resistance that can also be filed somewhat easily?
Honestly, the 1080 you have should last a lifetime for your Dad, if its corrosion concern too then wait for the guys to speak up about the paring knife ss steel choices and use that...

4. are there any big box stores that would carry pins? I am refurbishing a knife for my grandma, and it needs pins somewhere along the lines of 5/32s. it would be really, really nice not to have to buy a $1.50 pin and pay $5 in shipping.
Chainring bolts are sometimes used and available locally... If you're going to be making more knives, maybe buy a dozen pins?
OR.... I'm ordering a few items from Tracy at USKnifemaker this week. Tell me what you want and I'll get a couple extra. I think welding rod is also used as pins....
thanks for the help. I am getting so close.
Click to expand...

Good Luck!
 
Ok. thanks for the help. now I have more questions stemming from the answers.
1. can cpm154/cts-xhp/s35vn be filed easily? i kind of figured that the higher alloy a steel would be harder to file than something basic like carbon steel.

James, I have a small forge that i have gotten 1080 up to yellow in.

2. as far as carbon steel, I asked him what he wanted and he said that he wanted optimum edge holding. I guess 1080 would work, but if there are any options that will hold an edge better, that is what I am going for. how is O1? I have a friend who is a machinist and he says that O1 just beats the socks off of 1084. he makes woodworking tools.

3. as far as mild steel pins go, wouldn't they rust? they sound good, but I would think they would look really ugly and be hard to maintain in the handle.

BTW, the drill press is next on the list after steel. I am going over to a friend's house to get a knife drilled in the next couple of weeks. dad may be buying an antique one from about the 1950s. that ain't no chinese junk.

fluid, thanks for the offer, but I have pins. I just need a different size. can anyone recommend a decent cheap caliper?
 
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Pins can be anything round. Most any hardware store carries round brass and steel rod in 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4". Hobby shops carry it in steel, brass, copper, stainless, aluminum, and nickel. You can even use a plain old brass or steel bolts. Put the bolt through the scales and tang, with plenty of epoxy, and snug down the nut just finger tight.....DON'T MAKE IT TIGHT or you will squeeze out all the epoxy. After the epoxy hardens for a day, file off the head and shaft that sticks out. You will have a strong rivet.
 
1. The high-alloy steels you mention are not much more difficult to file, cut or drill than 1080, before hardening. It's after HT that the difference becomes huge. Especially when working with thin stock, I would not hesitate to try them. However... a small forge that can heat 1080 to yellow is cool, but to properly anneal or harden high-alloy steels you need more precise temperature controls and the ability to soak and/or cool down at a prescribed rate for specified times. You may find a knifemaker or machine shop nearby that can help you with HT, or send them to Peters'.

2. O1 is an excellent steel, as your friend described, it's widely used in woodworking tools that need to take a fine edge and keep it. One of the better "plain" carbon steels in my opinion. It's also readily available and you can probably get a pretty good HT "recipe" for it using your forge.

as far as mild steel pins go, wouldn't they rust? they sound good, but I would think they would look really ugly and be hard to maintain in the handle.
Click to expand...
You're right, that's an issue. I mentioned mild steel only because it's easy to find. You could always cold blue them to help prevent that, but the other options would be easier to maintain.

BTW, the drill press is next on the list after steel. I am going over to a friend's house to get a knife drilled in the next couple of weeks. dad may be buying an antique one from about the 1950s. that ain't no chinese junk.
Click to expand...
Cool! post pics if you get it. These guys love old quality tools :thumbup:
can anyone recommend a decent cheap caliper?
Click to expand...
You can pick one up at Menard's/Lowe's/Harbor Freight etc for under $20. Not what the pros use, but it will get you in the ballpark.
 
Thanks all. stacy, that trick is FRICKING AWESOME. that will be used. james, I just kind of figured that that it would be a problem, and so I am exploring other options. Does anyone know where I can get O1 relatively cheaply? it seems kind of expensive from mcmaster-carr. as far as the caliper goes, I am just trying to figure out how thick my edges are.

1 more question, for now. could I send a blade to peters or bos that was basically ready to be sanded and then have the secondary bevel added, or do you have to file off metal after HT? I know they are good, but is this too much to ask?
 
I'm actually going to Pacific Machinery and Tool tomorrow to get some 4140 for my "Godzilla" fullering tool. They have O1 in stock. They said they have a rack with cast offs you can go through for savings....
They are in NW Portland! http://www.pmtsco.com/
 
To answer #1:

You might consider drilling some random holes where the scales will cover (this can be done with a hand drill, as it's not critical they be square) and partially drill some holes on the underside of the scales. I would also rough the sides of the steel and the undersides of the scales up with some sandpaper. Both of these actions will give the epoxy more to grab onto and give slightly more shear strenght as well.
 
fluid, I will look for a time when i can drag mom or dad up there. k to a g, This was already part of the plan. thanks for the tip, though.
 
Question. How thin can I take my edges if they are going to be professionally heat treated? Can I basically have the knife ready to polish and then sharpen, or do I have to leave quite a bit of metal?
 
Be sure to add that you're using 1080 steel.... I'd say the thickness of a dime. You will have a layer of decarb still to take off when you get them back...
 
You are correct, I should have clarified. this is assuming that I was using a super steel. some of the ones I had in mind were CPM M4, CPM S35VN, and possibly some D2.
 
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