Home Made Knife Thread

[7X57chilmau]

Mac, I pre-curve my blades towards the edge (A-la kukri) prior to forging the edge. Pure magic when you get the amount of pre-curve right and the blade slowly squirms its way towards it's final shape with each hammer blow...

I don't think I'm any more than a very average novice bladesmith. I think I'm simply willing to accept a cruder final product than so many others who perform fine grinds on their blades.

I don't grind more mostly because my grinding equipment is woefully inadequate: A 6" bench grinder with one medium wheel and one wire wheel, and a 4.5" angle grinder and selection of discs.... And angle grinders don't lend themselves to precision work. I desperately need a decent belt grinder, an 8" or larger bench unit and to convert the 6" bench to a polishing centre. Alas, funds not available....

J

 

[7X57chilmau]

Here is a socketed arrowhead I made a year ago... One of 3 I turned out that day.




Entirely forged from 1/4" diameter music wire (1085), this one takes a 5/16" shaft. Hardened and tempered blue. I made said shaft and fletched it with feathers and thread. My 30# recurve is inadequate for this heavy a projectile, but the head took the heat, anyway, in 3/4" plywood.

For all intents and purposes, this is a miniature spearhead like the one I posted a few days ago. Fabrication is the same, but much quicker and easier.

by rights, I should have forge welded the socket seam, but I lack the skill. That is VERY thin metal there, under 1mm by the socket base. The test shots did not show any sign of opening the socket or driving the shaft further into the socket than I did on installing it.

I do not pin the head to the arrow. Better that the head should become detached when the victim attempts to withdraw the arrow. Barbs can, of course, be formed in the blade to ensure this happens. ONe I made did feature that. Looked mean!

Again, forged entirely as amusement and for the challenge / art of the endevour. I have no intention of using any of these things as weapons unless under extreme duress. Knife fights etc. are for idiots and the desperate.

J

 

[Macmac]

7X57chilmau, Anvilfire is a odd site to navigate. Do you post there, or just read the How To's?

 

[Boba Fett]

Kives Made From Rock

My grandfather was a jeweler. He was also an avid firearm and antique collector, a hunter, and knife maker.

After he passed away, we inherited his collection of knives.

In the collection were about 12 knives made from things like marble, jade, tigers eye, and granite. This included the handles and blades.


The one in the following photos is tigers eye and I believe marble. And yes, the blade is made from marble as well. (I emphasize because so many people I show it to at gun shows think the blade is something else until they examine it closer).
























Link to the Album


If you thought you saw a crack near one of the pins, you are correct. This particular knife is our display knife that we show to others and handle a lot. It was sadly dropped some time ago, but thankfully didn't shatter...just cracked in the one spot.

As for the sharpness, well, it isn't as sharp as those knives you see people shaving paper with. It will cut paper as well as other more solid things and I certainly wouldn't want to get stabbed with it or cut myself because it is quite pointy and sharp. But you can only sharpen rock so far and still keep it from being brittle, so it obviously won't be as sharp as a metal knife.

 

[messerist]

You all are too kind. I appreciate your comments! The finger grooves we a request from the guy I made it for. I am not a big fan of them myself. Here is a riflewoman's knife I made for my sister. I pre-bent the blade before forging the edge. I like the throwing knife! Once again, thank you for your comments. I am always looking to improve and to help.

 

[7X57chilmau]

That stone folder is awesome! Perhaps less than practical, but what art!

I like the coffin handle onthat last hunter too....

Mac, anvilfire is weird. I've never posted there. I do use the "iForge How-to's", their presentation is strange but it does the job.... The Armoury link is helpful, and where I bogarted my spear style from (tho I simplified it...)

They have some nice stories and other time-wasters there too, stuff to read and file away for later....

J

J

 

[bikerdoc]

fantastic craftsmanship on exhibit in this thread- keep it coming

 

[Macmac]

7X57chilmau, Yeah I think the best I can do with Anvilefire is use it as referance. Thanks for the link though, as I saw several projects I had wondered about, the basket weave handles for kitchen ware for one. Although I consider that way cheating since i want to do it by splitting out one solid bar.... I enjoyed seeing some of the tricks they use too, like forming the heart hook. I made other items than weapons, and so seeing how others make some of the things I made is nice.

messerist, Your methods are very much like mine. I see the pins in the brass (i think) bolster, which is exactly the way I would do that.

I do not believe in soldering bolsters because it could risk temper in the blade.

The hammer marks or scale/rust from them make no difference to me. I am all about use and not pretty. If pretty happens thats ok, and I strive for pretty in file working. With ease i could live with that knife.

Now I am confused... That coffin handle isn't a thrower I hope! (on edit: I see you mean 7X57chilmau's thrower now)

Critical criteria. I always hate this, but..... Since there is no criss guard quillion, when that blade was formed it might have been improved upon, by forging the rear lower edge just below the tang, to 'upset'/'bump up' that area to be slightly wider, so then a 'blade catch' could be drilled and formed, and so have a wider and dull vertical line at the area below the bolsters.

Probably this has already occured to you, and it is pretty much too late now anyway, but next time the idea should be considered.... maybe

If that knife had that to me it would score a 10!

...........................................

That marble knife isn;'t the first stone knife I ever saw, but it is the first folder in stone I ever saw. Is it functional? very nice art, lots of tooling control, which shows if it can be done in stone it can be done in steel.

 

[messerist]

Constructive criticism is always welcome. Most of my knives are made for friends and relatives so they tend to be "just what the doctor ordered." With three little ones and a fourth due next Wednesday I don't find much time to put out a lot of knives. Here is one I finished last fall. I used Sambar stag for the handle and some brass barstock for the guard. Blade is forged from a leaf spring.

 

[bikerdoc]

Nice!!!!

 

[7X57chilmau]

Very nice skinner!

I think I'd have cut the rear of the guard flush with the handle... Kinda looks like a fighter guard on a skinning blade...

How long is the tang? I see the front pin, is there another hidden in the dark stag?

Congratulations on the new little one, and good luck for a smooth delivery! Our second is due towards September, I know whatcha mean about finding the time for knife making.

J

 

[Macmac]

It is always risky lending advice on what another man makes. You had asked.. So I took the risk hoping things would still be ok.

Is it safe to assume you understand the meaning of a blade catch? That you just choose to not build one, because if you don't understand what I mean you need to know.

The catcher and the dull area behind it are all about protecting the user, and serve a very valid purpose, and so it isn't just another little 'fancy' on a other wise very nice knife...

Also be it known I typo with the very best, and criss was meant to be cross... oops!

 

[JTW Jr.]

blade catch ? I think you are referring to a guard perhaps ?

 

[hso]

A "spanish notch" on a SW bowie blade is a form of blade catch. The purpose is to give another blade something to drop down into before it gets to YOUR fingers. Some consider the unground ricasso between the sharpened edge and the guard to serve that role as well, but that's not it's primary purpose. A guard is entirely separate and a different part to protect the hand and is not (usually) part of the blade.

 

[Macmac]

The knife above shown as a "Riflewoman's Knife" 2 pics up, has no cross guard and has no blade catch.

I didn't know there was a term 'spanish notch', which just in my opinion would serve knives like that one well.

I can not personally hadle that knife, but as I see it it is sharp very near the bolters and the grips..

By forging the back of the blade just a little and cutting that notch could help a user not get a nasty cut.

Some many years ago I made this knife and didn't know about the notch at the time or one would be there. I did recognise that if i didn't do something, who ever ended up owning this, which turned out to be my wife, would get a nasty cut, so I forged the area some.

 

[messerist]

Macmac I am very thankful for your input. I also agree that some sort of blade guard was needed in the "Riflewoman's Knife" but My Sister is bigger than me and always beats me up. Really, she likes the knife and I hope that her use of it does not result in a visit to the emergency room! She mostly uses it for "belt jewelry" at rendezvous. I wish I had more of my knives on digital so I could post them for you. Alsa they are on that archaic floppy stuff called "photographs," remember those? As soon as wife is without child we'll see if we can scan some for posting. Macmac and 7X57 chlimau, you guys must read my mind, or we were triplets separated at birth! 7X57 chilmau the big skinner's tang is about 3/4 into the stag handle. Never hesitate to add your much welcomed criticism of my knives. Here is another one I recently made(summer 2008). It is a skinner forged from a file with a 100 year old antler handle! Unfortunately it will be my last post until I can digitize some more photos.
....

 

[alaskanativeson]

I plan to build a workshop that includes quite a few knifemaking tools including a forge. I've never made a knife from a bar of steel but I want to try. I'm a kinesthetic learner, I don't get knowledge from reading about it but from watching and doing. As such I'd like to watch one of you guys who make knives do a project. Since I'm a teacher I have summers off much of the time, if I could come to watch one of you make a knife I'd appreciate it.

 

[hso]

While I agree that a guard of some sort or a ricasso with choil is needed to help keep the user safe there are endless scandinavian designs with neither.

 

[Valkman]

You're always welcome at my shop, alaskanativeson!

 

[Macmac]

messerist, See if you can learn to call me mac.. Most places have all mac's taken so I added the non-sence. Comes from the fact my real first name is Bill, My middle name is McKay. The primitive events I go to end up with me, and 40 other deaf guys all named Bill, and some poor fool will come along and say "Hey Bill", and 41 fools look back, and in unison say HUH?

There are other Macs there to like Billy Mac, and Wild Bill Mac, and so on, but being subtle I am just Mac..

I am not sure how to steal a picture on line and post it here. I don't have any picture of a knife with what I am talking about. I made them, but never took a pic at the time and they are long gone now.

Maybe hso can help us out..?? I don't know a thing about bandwidth, but I hear about it, just don't get the idea.

hso knows more terms about knives than I do too. I just make them, and don't know all the names of the parts and areas.. I do on canoes, so I am not a total loss.. LOL

Why I can't even pronounce all them fancy words, and my wife is too busy doing who knows what to go ask. She can say any words just by reading them and then somehow she knows what they all mean too, but she is a upstate NY girl and they all know all the words to all the songs by heart.

What really bothers me most about her is she types about 95 words per minute, and can look at me the whole time and talk about any other topic than what she is typing. Sometimes I think I should shoot her because only a demon can do this. But then she is pretty, and so thar's no sence wastin nuthin ... is there?

Oh yeah I am supposed to talk about that knife! Well first of all you don't have to place a picture in each post just to post, so I hope you are not going to have to go away because you ran out of pictures.

And then I am kinda slow, and I might get a new question about a old picture anyway. And how do you know that deer antler is over 100 years old anyway?

I got a big metal trunk stuffed full of antlers and cow horns and some of the antlers look like that one. In fact maybe that one was in my box!

You been pokin in my antlers box lately??

I like that skinner pretty well. What is between the brass guard and the antler? I can't make out just what that is. Might be leather?

 

[Macmac]

alaskanativeson, Is NH USA floats yer stick you could come here too. This Spring after sugarin I must set my forge up, and get it working, just to survive. We could compare skeeters and the like too. I think ours are bigger!

I have a hard hankerin to forge up some hawks too. I never have before but I got the How To in my head, and while I need to learn some more skills, my bet is I can and a will.

I don't have the dough but there will be "Hammer In's" over in the Lewiston Auburn area of Maine where some of the best will do demos and lessons.

These are held in many places so it doesn't need to be way east of where you are now though, just thought to extend an offer.

Summer of 07 a I had a female Kiwi rider (motorcyclist) come for what was supposed to be 3 days or so. The idea to get here, then get the bike here, uncrate it, assemble it and get her moving. Just didn't work out that way.

Took nearly 4 weeks for that bike to come, so I took her places in NH Main and VT on my bike. Sometimes over night which my wife trusts me for. This gal now wants to return to see a NH winter? Her mind is gone..

 

[messerist]

Mac, The spacer between the handle and guard is leather as you suspected. Before I drill for the handle pin I put a similar spacer between the guard and handle just a little thinner. When I am ready to assemble I use a tad thicker piece so that everything snugs up when I put the pin in. I file a point on the brass pin so that it starts easier because with the difference in spacer thickness the holes don't quite line up. I also use a good 2 ton 30 minute epoxy for insurance. I picked up the antler for the handle from a burned ruin out in the woods near Titusville Pennsylvania. The antler had been used as a coat hanger for years in the house. My friends grandmother gave me the antler and she said that she remembered it from when she was a girl. This was in 1988 and she was 95. I just now got around to using it.

 

[alaskanativeson]

Valkman, I appreciate the offer. I'd love to see your set up, but it's going to have to wait for a Christmas break trip to Vegas. About the only way someone will get me to visit a place that is 100 degrees is with a summons and a straight jacket. My Athabascan blood would evaporate. Luckily, I'm willing to bet I'll be able to find a good deal to Vegas in the holiday season.

Macmac, my brother lives in Iowa. There's a good chance we're going to visit him this summer break, if we do I hope there'll be enough time to throw in an East Coast trip that would go from Virginia to New Hampshire.

 

[Valkman]

It's nice in May and April and October but in the summer I'd like it if it were only 100! I don't even go out to the shop until 7pm - just too hot.

 

[Macmac]

Well there is a native here from Ak in summer, winter too, but he goes back to fish in Spring times.

So long as the big one don't come I 'spect ta be around.

I hear ya too on heat. My wife and I went riding on the motor bike one day and found ourselves in South Dakota in 108' We both thought we were gonna die....