Tips to shape sheared stock by hand?

E

Entropy Warrior

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Sep 23, 2018
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Hello, I got a few pieces of 1095 and they aren't precision ground. I filed the edges flat with a file, but it is not completely straight. Also, once it gets there, what's a good way to mark a center line? Thanks in advance
 
Look up draw filing on YouTube.

Then use a piece of glass, smooth tile or a machinist’s block and sand paper. Attach the sand paper to the flat surface, then lay your stock on it and make figure 8’s. It’ll get pretty flat pretty quick.
 
Hammer. Whack it till it’s straight.

Put it in a vice with 3 pieces of round stock, two on one side and one on the other. Put the bend on the single. Squeeze.
 
Looks kind of like this when you are trying to straighten it. Helps to have the bolts or pins thru the round stock to keep it from falling in the floor all the time

%5Bimg%5Dhttps://i.imgur.com/0Pm1nmc.jpg%5B/img%5D

Hell. I can't post pics. You take some 3/4" round stock a couple inches long. 3 pieces of it. Drill a cross hole in one end about 1/4" in diameter. Put some round stock or 1/4" bolts thru those holes about three inches long. Open a benchvise a couple inches and hang the round stockin there by letting the bolts in the cross holes rest on top of the vise jaws. The two outside against one vise jaw and the center against the othervise jaw. Stick the blade or stock in between and now it back the other direction by clamping down on it.
 
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0Pm1nmc.jpg


JMGates your pic got messed up. Hope you don’t mind me re-posting it for ya.
 
Thanks, that's just what I was looking for. I was wondering right after what to do about that. On another note, if you all are familiar with Japanese ink lines, I was wondering if some thread and ink might be a good way to mark the edge. Thoughts as to the efficacy or better ways? Your ways?
 
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To mark the centerline, many of us use a center marking scribe. That is a nice tool, but not needed.

Take a drill bit a tad more than 1/2 the size of the steel bar. Lets say the bar is 3/16", so grab a 13/64 bit or 7/32 bit. You want a drill 1/64 to 1/32 larger than 1/2 the bar thickness. If working in mm, use a bit .05 to .1mm larger.
Lay the bit down on the edge of the bench ( or on a flat surface) and clamp it down. You can hold it down by hand, but clamping makes marking easier. Pull the bar along the tip of the drill, marking a line down the edge. Flip the bar over and repeat the mark.
You now have two parallel likes about 15-30 thousandths apart. This is the edge width you will file to.

This works with any flat bar that has a smooth edge. When making a knife, profile the blade, file/sand the edge smooth, and mark the center to see where you should have the file stop.
Mark the spine, too. This gives a centerline to keep distal taper even.
 
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