want to make a knife (at least I think I do)

[bjs1187]

ok, so here is the deal, it got colder here last night and I realized winter is coming in couple months and thought about a winter project. Some of you have posted some stunning pics of your work. I should probably save myself the headache and just buy a knife, but thought what the heck, why not screw up some perfectly good steel. Anyway, any advice, good reading, or whatnot would be appreciated. I have absolutely no knife making knowledge, however spent a couple years in a fab shop and understand metalworking basics.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[R H Clark]

I started with pre made blades.It's fun and gives you a chance to work on handle skills.You have a semi custom knife without too much trouble.Jantz has recently added some nice blades made from good steel.I wouldn't get anything that just says stainless.

If you want to make your own blade,order a piece of known steel. 5160 or 1075 is fairly fool proff for home heat treating.Make yourself a pattern first,especially if it is to be a full tang,so you know exactly what you need.To forge it to shape I would use at least 3/16 steel or 1/16 for stock removal on a small hunter.

Shoot me a PM if you like,I would be glad to help talk you through the process or answer any specific questions.

 

[Valkman]

The easiest way to learn would be to go on a knifemaking forum and read all the stickies they have and ask questions. You'll have to get some kind of grinder or do it the hard way with files. You'll have to come up with a way to heat treat carbon steel, which is the way most of us start, or go stainless and send it out for HT. Look on youtube for videos, and there are tons of DVD's and books on knifemaking. All that said, nothing will really teach but doing. Good luck.

 

[nevermas]

You don't have to start off with forging your own steel, instead start with stock removal. O1 is a great steel for beginners to start making knives with.

Everything you need to make a knife, grinders/forges/drills/and even cnc machines can be found on craigslist

For steel blanks, I recommend Aldo of NJ.

 

[Fergy35]

Knifedogs is a good forum and it has a beginners section. There are many others too.

check your local library too. Wayne Goddards "$50 Knife Shop" is a great book for getting starting with a minimal investment. You may also find David Boye's "Step-by-step Knife Making: You Can Do it!" along with others. Read them and maybe read them again.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

The good news is, just about anyone with a bit of time or patience can make an ugly but fully functional knife with simple tools using the stock removal method.

Something you can cut your teeth on, is making small utility knives from old hack saw blades. The stock is thin, so it is very easy to shape out the form of your knife 'blank'. That is also helpful for newbies just learning to grind a bevel, because they only require a single bevel on a single side to cut well. The flexibility will limit you to blades the size of a typical kitchen parring knife, but it allows you to get a basic grasp of the mechanics without putting a lot of time or sweat into it - sort of like dipping your toe in the pool.

You can move up to larger, more useful projects with things like old files or other junk tool stock using the same methods and skills. It will be a lot more of the same work, but you will get a more durable product in the end.

If you haven't had enough by then, you can get real crazy and dive down the rabbit hole.

 

[Jason_G]

O1 and 1095 are both excellent carbon steels for beginners as well as pros. They are tried and true steels that are easy to work, easy to heat treat, and do an undeniably great job of doing what a knife ought to do once finished. There are data charts out there for heat treating that will show you proper treatment for a desired Rockwell hardness. An IR thermometer and a torch, and you can even do a differentially heat treated blade at home. You can temper in an oven with a reliable thermometer. I would try a stock removal knife before messing with building a forge. All you need (at minimum) is some good files and a hacksaw or grinder. A Dremmel and a drill will help when you are shaping the handle and possibly drilling holes for hardware or epoxy rivets. Will the first one be a Randall? No, the first one is usually the one that you never show anyone . But that's alright, O1 and 1095 are cheap (relatively), and you can try, try again if you do botch the HT or the grind or something. It's a fun hobby, and for some folks, it turns into a profession. I would skip the ready made blanks and just buy some steel and something for a handle. Hidden tang knives are a little easier to make, but a full tang is not that bad either. You'll need some good epoxy for a hidden tang, and I honestly use epoxy on full tangs as well. If it's a full tang with scales, you'll need some rivets or Chicago screws or some other kind of hardware to attach the scales. If you make a paracord handle, you will just wrap it (there are instructions online, and I'm sure videos on Youtube).

Anyway, there are plenty of folks here that can help walk you through it. No reason not to give it a whirl if you're interested.


Jason

 

[papaairbear]

Wayne Goddard has a book out that is perfect for folks like us. http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956

And here's another tutorial that you may enjoy:
http://www.amazon.com/Knifemaking-Unplugged-Lively-Marian-Sancinito/dp/B000M5AUOY

 

[regularjoe]

I knew next to nothing about knife making, so of course I had to do it. I got a big file at a yard sale, and just went to town on it with an angle grinder. I went slow, never let the steel get too hot. I had a sopping rag and a bucket of water right by me. I made a really cool "Tanto" style knife. The blade is 10 and a half inches long. I had to temper the steel because files are brittle, I did it over three sterno cans. Like a rail hobo or something! I made a simple grip out of tightly wrapped hemp string. The knife is wicked, and it holds an edge like a bastard(file). Just go for it, you will not regret it. I feel like a cave man or something everytime I hold that knife. I am going to hold it right now, as a matter of fact. Have fun.

 

[bikerdoc]

OP, You sound like me a couple years ago.

All of the above is good advice. Ill add Knifeforums.com as thats where I got my basic info. I was a forging disaster due to my bad hands and fingers but stock removal suits me.

Old files grind slow but are good steel and Jantz blades are great.

Enjoy and welcome to our thing.

I know everyone here will be glad to help with advice.

Have at it!!!!

 

[Sam1911]

I'll second what just about everyone else has said: go for it! You can do it!

There are lots of ways to get your feet wet. Buying blades from Jantz wouldn't be a bad option. There are several tricky skill sets involved with knife making -- and making a really good handle is one that is often not mentioned. Starting with someone else's semi-finished blade and putting really good handles on it will give you a sense of accomplishment, a very unique and useful knife, and a feel for working with the blade.

It is amazing how many different ways there are to accomplish basically the same thing, and starting from an entirely clean slate may lead you to some frustration. You really should study the work of others. We've all had knives, of course, and know a bit about them, but once I started assembling, disassembling, adjusting, and otherwise modifying blades and whole knives made by others, I realized that there was SO much to learn about the tiniest details.

How does the tang work inside the handle? How does the sharpened edge meet the tang? Does it have a guard? A choil? Why? What shape is the blade, especially the tip -- and WHY? How much length is there between the front of the handle and the start of the sharpened blade, really? Why is that much unsharpened length present, and what did the maker do with it? How will that affect how the blade is held or how it can be used? What is the angle of the edge when the knife is held in the hand? WHY? What is the angle of the spine of the edge to the handle, and why? What is the thickness of the blade, why, and how does that affect the weight and balance of the knife? Is the blade tapered at all? And, again, WHY?

As I've started making blades entirely of my own, I've run into points in the middle of a build where I realize part A and part B (that I really like) don't meet in the middle quite the way I'd intended, or that I didn't leave enough real estate somewhere to accomplish something I thought I wanted to do -- either leading me to develop the shape in a different direction, or sometimes... well, to the scrap pile!

So, while you absolutely can start with some steel and some handle material and make your own completely organic knife, there is a lot of value in taking things in smaller bites while you educate yourself.