Tanto Grind tips please

B

BryanR

Joined
Jun 7, 2004
Messages
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Thought I'd try a tanto grind and was hoping for some pointers. Grinding it on an old Nic file I had softened, about 12" long, 3\16" thick. I'd like to keep the taper on the end of the file, so I guess this would be a mod. Tanto grind.

Few other quickies
Can you get a hamon on file steel?
What should I quench in to edge harden? oil?
And should I heat the quench first?

Thanks in advance.

Bryan
 
I'm sure he means 3 1/6.

The answer to all your questions is "yes." :D

Edited to add: Welcome to the forums! Whereabouts are you from in Missouri?
 
Sorry that should have been 3\16". time for bed :) I'm in Saint Charles county, right outside of Saint Louis.
 
Yes , you will get a hamon if you edge quench at full heat or full quench with edge heat. Quench in oil at 130 degrees or go for broke and quench in water (warm) if you have the nerve to crack all that hard work.
 
I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread. I'm fixin to do my first tanto as well.
 
What do they make files from. I thought you couldn't get a hamon on O1?

I grind the profile first, then lay a 45 bevel on each side, or one side depending. I leave a 1/16" at the edge for grinding back/sharpening after heat treating. With the 45s in place I roll the bevel back to my final dimension. That dimention depends on the size of wheel you have, and the proportions of the blade. Look at the JSP Bladerigger site to see what that looks like on a one side bevel. You can flat or hollow grind the main bevel(s) the end should go on flat though. if possible. It's ground the same way: put on a 45 to get your edge thickness, then roll it back to your bevel.

The looks of the knife depend on lots of stuff, but the rake of the chisel tip, the width of the bevel(s), the overall proportions of length to width, and the complementary curves of the back and edge in profile, are key. I don't know what you are after, but I wouldn't want a file profile shape. There should be enough metal in the file to do something interesting, work up a few paterns out of card first to see what you can get out of the proposed piece. Or forge it to shape.

If you are grinding the file, it is possible to grind it without first anealing the steel, I guess it depends on how you are set up to heat treat it. If you don't aneal it, you can't easily get a hamon even if the steel is right, though maybe it can be done with a torch.

Obviously you need to grind the teeth off. which is a pretty quick thing, even with a 1x42.
 
Thanks again for the help guys. I'll post pics if I ever get time to work on it.

Bryan

P.S. I'm using a 2 X 42 Craftman with a 6" disk on the side. Saw it on sale at Sears and needed it to clean up mitered corners on trim..(so the lady of the house thinks :))
 
Bryan, try an experiment first on a wooden paint stick. I get the big ones that they use for stirring 5 gallon buckets of paint from my local paint store. Very handy for experimental blade shapes and grinds. BTW, I had the same anxiety about my first tanto shapes. They are not hard to do at all, just try it and you will see. :)
 
Most files are W series tool steel or 1095. I have never seen one made of O1 but it might be possible. Some cheap files are case hardened but the good Nicholson files make nice knives.

Brian
 
If you are a video buying kind of guy, you could get the tapes that Wally Hayes has produced on making a tanto neck knife and a hunting knife. Tape one is the tanto knife. They are/were a little expensive, check out the Paladin press site which does discount their tapes after they have been around for a while.

If a person wanted to forge this file into shape, what is the approved method for removing the teeth: Forging them flat or grinding them off then forging them.
 
I believe I remember grinding them off b/c forging can lead to air pockets. But I'm not a smith by a long shot.

Bryan
 
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