Received a "Knife Blank" for Christmas...

rje58

rje58

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Please bear with me on this issue. I'm sure it's been addressed before, but my initial efforts using Search have been unsuccessful, and my questions are very basic and hopefully have quick, simple answers.

I received a knife blank for Christmas, from someone who knew of my interest in knives. It's a fixed blade, the edge has been tapered, but not sharpened. There are openings in the handle for pins or screws.

My question is: what is the easiest and cheapest way to sharpen the blade? The edge is tapered, but really thick, and certainly not sharpened or even beveled.

I don't have a grinding wheel or anything similar. All I have are normal basic tools, including a dremel tool. I am not a knifemaker and I am not looking to get into knife making, so if buying a grinding wheel is my best option, then I'm just going to re-gift this to someone who has the appropriate equipment. I could fashion the scales from wood or other materials, but I don't want to spend much money on grinding/sharpening the unfinished blade edge.

Thanks in advance for your patience and assistance.
 
Please post a pic if possible.
What thickness is the edge? If you don't have calipers, a dime is 0.053" and will allow an estimate. This will tell whether the bevel still needs grinding, or just a secondary to make it sharp.
Gluing up and shaping a handle can be done without too many tools.
 
The blade seems to be about 1/8-inch thick and the unsharpened edge is about the same thickness as a dime.

I will try to post a pic soon, used to post pics all the time, but haven't been having good results lately.

Thanks for your reply!

Richard338 said:
Please post a pic if possible.
What thickness is the edge? If you don't have calipers, a dime is 0.053" and will allow an estimate. This will tell whether the bevel still needs grinding, or just a secondary to make it sharp.
Gluing up and shaping a handle can be done without too many tools.
Click to expand...
 
I upload pics to imgur and then post the link, which shows the image right in the post.
If the edge is so thick, then this is likely headed for a regift. Usually you want the bevels below 0.02" or even less before sharpening depending on the style and purpose.
 
Okay thanks everyone! Looks like I won't be keeping this.
 
As a kid, I made a knife-shaped object from a piece of thick steel strapping I found on a construction site by rubbing it against the concrete steps of the back porch. It took a long time, I actually got it sharp enough to cut some stuff, but I abused it a lot by prying and throwing, and eventually traded it off to another kid whose parents confiscated it shortly after. I heard rumors of carving on the window sills, but didn’t see the evidence myself. I’m not saying that you should sharpen your blank that way, just that I know it can be done.

Cheapest and easiest? Those are two kinda conflicting desires. One option is, find and make friends with a local knifemaker hobbyist who has the machine(s). Bribe him/her to grind some simple edge geometry, or better yet, to coach you through it. Practice on some scrap first - power tools help you make mistakes faster and more severely than hand tools. Be safe.

If you have a firmly mounted vise and a good file or two, you could jig up to hold the blade while you file shape it. This method would be quicker than rubbing it against a concrete step.

Consider this however: getting the edge shaped is not your biggest task. Most blanks are annealed or at least normalized, which means they are too soft and will need heat treatment to become a functional knife. That does require some gear and skill - a novice will probably spend lots of time and scrap steel before producing a passable result. I know I sure did.

IMHO, your gift giver has presented you with an opportunity that will not end up cheap or easy, if you choose to take it. It can be interesting, fun, and rewarding, and even profitable (if you’re determined and lucky).

But if you’re not into it, no shame. Trade or give the blank away, and if the giver asks about it, tell them, “making a blank into a finished knife turned out to be more complicated than either of us knew at first.” Best of luck to you.

Parker
 
Thanks! Great story, too.

I could ask the person who gave it to me, but I suspect this is a knife blank from a "knife kit" hobby supplier, and I don't know if those need to heat treated? Or if they already have some heat treatment? If it needs to be heat-treated, then I'm really dead in the water.

It looks like my options are:
1. find somebody who will grind it for me
2. go after it with files
3. give it away
4. toss it in a draw and keep it as a momento
and 1. and 2. are only options IF it doesn't need heat treatment.

Thanks - I think my likely choices are down to 3. and 4.

I appreciate the replies and assistance!

catspa said:
As a kid, I made a knife-shaped object from a piece of thick steel strapping I found on a construction site by rubbing it against the concrete steps of the back porch. It took a long time, I actually got it sharp enough to cut some stuff, but I abused it a lot by prying and throwing, and eventually traded it off to another kid whose parents confiscated it shortly after. I heard rumors of carving on the window sills, but didn’t see the evidence myself. I’m not saying that you should sharpen your blank that way, just that I know it can be done.

Cheapest and easiest? Those are two kinda conflicting desires. One option is, find and make friends with a local knifemaker hobbyist who has the machine(s). Bribe him/her to grind some simple edge geometry, or better yet, to coach you through it. Practice on some scrap first - power tools help you make mistakes faster and more severely than hand tools. Be safe.

If you have a firmly mounted vise and a good file or two, you could jig up to hold the blade while you file shape it. This method would be quicker than rubbing it against a concrete step.

Consider this however: getting the edge shaped is not your biggest task. Most blanks are annealed or at least normalized, which means they are too soft and will need heat treatment to become a functional knife. That does require some gear and skill - a novice will probably spend lots of time and scrap steel before producing a passable result. I know I sure did.

IMHO, your gift giver has presented you with an opportunity that will not end up cheap or easy, if you choose to take it. It can be interesting, fun, and rewarding, and even profitable (if you’re determined and lucky).

But if you’re not into it, no shame. Trade or give the blank away, and if the giver asks about it, tell them, “making a blank into a finished knife turned out to be more complicated than either of us knew at first.” Best of luck to you.

Parker
Click to expand...
 
It might make a good thrower, if you are needing a throwing knife. They are thick and not so sharp.
 
A finished blank should already be heat treated. Just use a mill bastard file to set the bevels, then sharpen normally.
 
Thanks! I appreciate all the input. I'm considering taking a file to it. It's just for fun, I don't need to be overly concerned with the outcome - although I will of course do my best.
 
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