What To Do With This Bar?

redsquid2

redsquid2

Rockabilly Interim Pardon Viscount
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
Messages
3,125
First, here is a list of "if's". I ask that you read all of the "if's" before you answer the question.

If you were a relative newbie to knifemaking, and had only profiled 4 blades so far, and...
If you did not have a bench grinder or a belt sander, and...
If you had a couple of long files and a round file and some clamps and vises and an angle grinder, and a power drill, but no drill press, and a Dremel tool, and all kinds of sandpaper and sanding blocks and lots of woodworking tools,

....Then what would you do with this:

6857834909_94c02ea44d_b.jpg


It is 13" X 1 1/2" X 3/16"

:-)
 
If I had all those Ifs, I would set it aside and let someone in, say Virginia, send you a profiled bar of 1084.

If you email me your knife drawing and size, and I'll profile it and send it to you to finish it with files and sandpaper.
If that sound good, let me know.
 
Redsquid2, you just won the lottery.

Stacy, can I also send you all my bars and have you profile them for free?
 
bladsmth said:
If I had all those Ifs, I would set it aside and let someone in, say Virginia, send you a profiled bar of 1084.

If you email me your knife drawing and size, and I'll profile it and send it to you to finish it with files and sandpaper.
If that sound good, let me know.
Click to expand...

Geez, if you're serious, I really did win the lottery.

LOL.
 
I still would like to get responses on what to do with this D2. If I don't find any use for it, I could send it on to one of you guys, as a P.I.F., in light of what Stacy Apelt has proposed.

When I ordered it, I was going to use it as a base to clamp blades to, when I file bevels. However, I ended up never using it. I am still filing the blades the way I was before: clamping them to a piece of 2X4.

bladsmth, do you want some D2? :D
 
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squid
just set it aside for now.It will still be fine when you get around to working onit.Get steel from Stacy.
When ready for H/T if you want send it to me.I'll do it and send it back.
Stan
 
As a new member myself i have been very surprised at how great the response if from the regulars and how willing they are to help us out. Great bunch of guys here.
 
Here is where we are now. The blade will be profiled in .125" 1084.
 

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I'm excited. I have been dreaming up knife designs for backpacking, and this is my favorite one so far.

Of course, there are all kinds of mass-produced folders and neck knives out there that would be perfectly good for backpacking, but buying one isn't as much fun as designing and making your own.

Very generous of you, Stacy, to do this.
 
I am excited about getting the blanks. That's "blanks" with an "s". Stacy included a note that said I get two blanks because I had to wait. Very generous, and the blanks look awesome!

In Stacy's picture, above, mine are the second and third ones from the right. I think they are CPM 154.

I am debating exactly where to put the plunge line, but I may as well just put it somewhere and plunge right in.

Hahaha.
 
I want to file one with a wide flat bevel, and the other one with a scandinavian bevel. I have never made scandi bevels. Are they hard to do?

I almost forgot to mention: thickness is 5/32".

6978114905_b614139f57_b.jpg


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Both styles will file the same. Just keep working up from the edge toward the grind line.


First make a 45° angle filing at the edge to establish the edge thickness and center the edge . Then work back from that reference. The Newbie error to avoid is over-filing at the edge and ending up with a too sharp edge when filing. The edge should be about .040-.050" at the rough filing stage once the bevels are set. Then switch to a finishing file and take the edge to about .030-.040". Switch to 120 grit paper and a hard backing block, and go through the grits up to 400. The edge should be between .015 and .020 by the time you are done. At this point the blade is ready for HT.

(Note to readers - the above thicknesses are for a CPM stainless steel. Carbon steel should be done about .010" thicker)

Some other tips:
A good helper will be to take a board and drill it for two bolts to go through the tang holes. Run the bolts through the holes, and put a drop of CA under the head so it won't fall out. Use wing nuts and washers on the top to hold the blade down tight. Place the blade in place and mark the outline of the tip and edge on the wood with a sharpie. Flip the blade over and mark the edge position again. Take the board and cut away the extra so the knife blank edge is flush with wood edge. This allows easy and precise filing, and quick changes from side to side.


Before you mark the grind lines and start filing, file in the distal taper. These blanks have enough extra meat to allow tapering and then filing the tang to make everything flat. Once filed flat, the blade blank will be about 1/8" thick at the tang, and taper toward the tip, where it is about 1/16" thick. When this is done and looks right, mark the grind lines and start the bevel filing. This avoids the "Sharpened bar of steel" look. The final blade will turn out far nicer done this way.

When filing the tip area, rotate/turn the file as you stroke down and follow the curvature of the tip to make a smooth and even grind line, not a series of flat lines.

Go slow and take a little off at a time. Do both sides, and go back to refine what you just did. DON'T take it all off in the first filing. You will be removing lots more steel as you progress up the grits. You will take off some more after HT,too.
 
You , Stacy, have a talent for writing concise, clear instructions. Same goes for your tutorial.

I keep experimenting with different ways to do the tapering, and I am just looking for the fastest way without a belt sander, which I don't have.


Question; Would it be a mistake to do the tapering with a random orbit sander with 50 grit?.

I have a 14" bastard file. It slides a lot rather than biting like I want it to.

I also tried clamping the file down, and holding the blank in my hand. That works pretty fast.

I think I will stop the distal taper now, because i don't want to over do it, seeing how it is my first distal taper.

Here is an update pictorial.

Finding center of edge:

6842782690_216d40688a_b.jpg


That was the sparkling clean microwave in the background.



6842784376_2745166d0e_b.jpg


I did a little work on the bevels, then I remembered Oh, yeah. I was gonna taper it.

So here is where I tried tapering with the angle grinder

6842783100_7ee0ac13db_b.jpg


Here is tapering by holding the blank in my hand and pushing it against the file

6842783578_b0b6da1260_b.jpg
 
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If you go at that with a random orbital sander and 50 grit paper all you will do is put a bunch of scratches in the blank while simultaneously scraping the abrasive off the paper. Stick with the files.
 
Orbital sanders are for removing finishes from wood. They have no use in making knives. That 14" bastard file is your friend now. Don't fear it. Learn to master it.
 
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