How To What is this knife

[Raine_R]

Hi, I'm new to knife making and was wondering what this knife was made out of, and how would I go about shaping my own?

 

[i4Marc]

Hard to know what the knife is made out of without more information. If I had to pull a guess out of me jacksie I'd guess the blade was forged from 1084. But it could be from a leaf spring or other found part. The forging gives the blade above the bevels that rough texture. I might guess at Walnut for the handle but I'm no wood expert.

To shape your own you would need access to a forge, hammers and an anvil of some sort to shape the hot metal. You'd also need a pair of tongs to hold the hot steel as you work it, or you can work with a bar of knife steel long enough to handle it with gloves.......or if you had a short piece of steel you can weld on a rebar handle.

It is hard to tell the construction of the knife handle without seeing another angle. If it is a hidden tang it would require drilling a hole in the block of wood and pulling out material until the tang fit inside. But because of the number of pins in the handle I would guess the handle is made from slabs attached to a full tang.

Tutorials for all this stuff can be found in the stickies.

 

[Ken H>]

Raine - it all depends on your skill level with tools, and what tools you have at your disposal. The above sure looks forged, but can be ground from a bar, then a bit of "hammering" on the flats to give the "illusion" of forged. There have been knives made that look really good with no more tools than hand files, but it sure is a LOTS of work. For a good answer, need more info about you, your tools available, and how much work you thinking you're willing to put in the project. From looking at the metal guard/bolster I expect that's a hidden tang. I think I'd consider a full tang for a first knife.

 

[Raine_R]

Raine - it all depends on your skill level with tools, and what tools you have at your disposal. The above sure looks forged, but can be ground from a bar, then a bit of "hammering" on the flats to give the "illusion" of forged. There have been knives made that look really good with no more tools than hand files, but it sure is a LOTS of work. For a good answer, need more info about you, your tools available, and how much work you thinking you're willing to put in the project. From looking at the metal guard/bolster I expect that's a hidden tang. I think I'd consider a full tang for a first knife.

I have no experience in forging knives. I have access to files, bench grinder, and a drill press. I'm willing to put a lot of work into and I have plenty of time for I am a student

 

[A.McPherson]

Spend your time wisely, read first, then plan, then start cutting metal. Read the stickies at the top of this forum and then draw up a simple knife and post the picture here. Get feedback on your design, then go buy some 1080/1075/1084 from a reputable dealer and go at it with files! Have a blast!!