What's the Toughest Part for a Newbie to Learn??

N

Nalapombu

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
303
Hey all.

Like many of you I'm sure, I have thought many times about how much fun it would be to try and make a knife. Not forging to completion, but rather the stock removal build type. I wanted to ask a question or 2, if you will permit me.

The way I see it, you can order whatever stock you want to use, cut out the pattern, shape it, and when you're ready, there are places that will heat treat it for you where it's ready for the final steps and then you can send it back and have it annealed when the heavy stuff is done. For those that don't have that kind of equipment, tools or know-how, that seems like a great way to get started.
Would you all agree with that? Did I miss anything or get anything wrong in that really simplistic explanation that I mentioned? Please correct me if I did.

Anyway, after watching several videos of knife making it looks to me like the most difficult part of the knife making process comes after you get the blade shape finished and you are painting that blue liquid on the sides and the edge so you can start grinding away material to make your blade start to take its shape.
Getting that line scribed right down the middle of the edge seems like it would be hard. Then you have to remove material on both sides and the edge so everything matches and is symmetrical by using a belt sander.
Getting the sides even while at the same time getting the right amount of the edge on both sides removed seems like it would take a long time to get right. Looks like it would be very easy to screw your project up right quick on this step.
Are there grinding aides that aspiring knife makers can get to help them grind the right amount of metal away and to be able to keep it all nice and straight?
I have to admit that standing there in front of a belt sander with your roughed out blade shape ready for you to get the edge and sides done seems like a daunting task.

Do you all think that is the most difficult process to learn when you are starting your journey into knife making?

Are there ways to learn it without it being so difficult or do you just have to grit your teeth and get at it knowing that you're gonna screw up many times before you get it right so you might as well accept the eventualities and push ahead trying to learn as best you can?

What do you think? What aides would you suggest a newbie invest in right off the bat to help him or her start making knives without getting too discouraged where they just toss it all in the barrel and quit?

Feel free to add your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you and have a good week.
Larry
 
I'm fairly new. The bevels and grinding are certainly difficult (and I'm still not very good at it) but the absolute hardest for me is shaping the handle! Can't make a comfortable handle to save my life! And of course no matter how nice your blade is if it doesn't have a good handle then it's not going to be a good knife! Bottom line is, DONT OVERLOOK THE HANDLE!!! Lol.

For grinding bevels you migh look at the Bubble jig. It will help you develop good muscle memory the where eventually you won't need it to make perfect bevels!

Daniel.
 
Grinding good bevels is the hardest part of knife making for most, it was for me anyway.
If you haven't already done this, read everything in the "stickies" section of Shop Talk. It goes over pretty much every detail about starting out.
A good way to start to see if you like this craft is to build a file jig. You will learn a lot about getting bevels and plunges even and straight because it forces you to go slow. Aaron Gough did a nice video on how to make one on youtube:
Good luck!
 
Nalapombu said:
Hey all.

Like many of you I'm sure, I have thought many times about how much fun it would be to try and make a knife. Not forging to completion, but rather the stock removal build type. I wanted to ask a question or 2, if you will permit me.

The way I see it, you can order whatever stock you want to use, cut out the pattern, shape it, and when you're ready, there are places that will heat treat it for you where it's ready for the final steps and then you can send it back and have it annealed when the heavy stuff is done. For those that don't have that kind of equipment, tools or know-how, that seems like a great way to get started.
Would you all agree with that? Did I miss anything or get anything wrong in that really simplistic explanation that I mentioned? Please correct me if I did.

Anyway, after watching several videos of knife making it looks to me like the most difficult part of the knife making process comes after you get the blade shape finished and you are painting that blue liquid on the sides and the edge so you can start grinding away material to make your blade start to take its shape.
Getting that line scribed right down the middle of the edge seems like it would be hard. Then you have to remove material on both sides and the edge so everything matches and is symmetrical by using a belt sander.
Getting the sides even while at the same time getting the right amount of the edge on both sides removed seems like it would take a long time to get right. Looks like it would be very easy to screw your project up right quick on this step.
Are there grinding aides that aspiring knife makers can get to help them grind the right amount of metal away and to be able to keep it all nice and straight?
I have to admit that standing there in front of a belt sander with your roughed out blade shape ready for you to get the edge and sides done seems like a daunting task.

Do you all think that is the most difficult process to learn when you are starting your journey into knife making?

Are there ways to learn it without it being so difficult or do you just have to grit your teeth and get at it knowing that you're gonna screw up many times before you get it right so you might as well accept the eventualities and push ahead trying to learn as best you can?

What do you think? What aides would you suggest a newbie invest in right off the bat to help him or her start making knives without getting too discouraged where they just toss it all in the barrel and quit?

Feel free to add your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you and have a good week.
Larry
Click to expand...


What is toughest part for me in knife making maybe it will be the easiest part for you ? Get some steel and try it . . . and let us know which part is most difficult to you and maybe than you will get some good advice . . . . :)
 
Bevels and plunge lines. More generally slowing down when everything seems to be going well. Mistakes come very quickly and can be hard to remedy early on, i often panicked after messing up at the grinder and in my hasty or frustrated attempt to fix it only made it worse.
 
Patience, without a doubt is the hardest thing to learn as a new maker.
Having the patience to really finish with one grit of sand paper before moving to the next. Having Patience to get your grinds equal on each side and matching on the centerline of the blade. Having the Patience to get your plunge lines matching. Having the patience to wait for your skills to improve to the point that you can use more expensive materials without wasting them on rookie mistakes.
Yep patience, toughest thing to learn in any craft I think. It certainly is for me!!
 
I use almost exclusively hand tools. I do use a drill for pin holes, and rarely a dremel to grind on already harden metal if i need to reshape something. I think power tools are a quick way to mess something up, and they also cost a lot to buy and maintain and take up space.

I don't know if you are familiar with the triangle. You have good, cheap, fast. You can usually get two of the three, but not all. I aim for good and cheap.

I have made about 20 knives so far, and recently started folders and the learning curve there is steep. I recently discovered filing jig for doing the blade bevels, and that was a huge improvement for me.

I think the hardest thing for me is getting a good design that works in real life, not just on paper. Also, understanding all of the subtle design elements that don't seem important. And accuracy, very minor changes make a huge difference in the overall shape and feel.
 
Understand what needs to be done, how to do it.

Making a knife really is not that hard.

Making knives that are of high level of fit and finish is the hard part and the best part of this journey.

You can make a knife in a few hours, but you will spend the rest of your life trying to make the best one you can.
 
Easily the most profound aspect of learning a craft like this is learning to see.

Looking is not the same as seeing.

All of us who have become proficient look back at early work and cringe. We see flaws that were invisible to us early in the process. Scratches and gaps, waves in the finish, clunky flow, stupid geometry and dumb ergonomic choices.

Without a doubt, the hardest thing to learn is how to see. That's probably 90% what differentiates a master from an amateur is seeing the flaws. The rest is simply avoiding dumb mistakes and fixing flaws, which is pretty easy relatively soon after you start.
 
what I see is the difficulty understanding that the knife is an extension of your hand. Don't try to make a cool looking knife. Make a knife that is effortless to hold and use for the intended task.
 
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