/kmg/- Knifemaking General

[Anonymous No.1868532]

Knifemaking general
Show your knifes, projects, tools, workshops,ask question and give advice all around knifemaking, no matter is small or large knife. Discuss all topics about knifemaking.

i forgot where i put my bake, so this is kinda shitty

OP made a Seax
look at OP's Seax

[Anonymous No.1868534]

>>1868532

[Anonymous No.1869116]

I do like a seax, its on my list of things to make one day when I get a chance

Been making some cooks knives out of 26C3 and getting used to the steel, kind of like W2 or 1095 on steroids and it takes a super fine, extremely hard edge. Differentially treated the spine for the purdy line and the edge is running about 64-65HRC as best I can tell. Made a small cleaver type for the kitchen as a test piece and been whacking the fuck out of it for the last month or so and while there's literally no stain resistance it takes a pretty blue-grey patina as well as holding that scalpel edge.
>Swedes
>Kind of a bunch of weirdos, but they make a great steel

Tomorrow on my non-stainless knife making holiday, heat treating some 8" chinese cleavers out of O1 which I've been putting off doing for some time, but got some fresh oil in and no excuses not to get them done.

[Anonymous No.1869149]

>>1868532
so my understanding is that I should file my bevel (don't have a belt grinder so I'm doing everything with files) until I'm very close to the midline, then do the heat treat, then actually put an edge on it with stones, right? pic related is a rudimentary diagram showing what I think is supposed to happen.

[Anonymous No.1869157]

>>1869149
If you make up a jig for the file, it'll turn out pretty damn respectable. Its a fair bit of work to make a big knife that way but it won't cost much.
But yes, if you can get the pre-heat treated form down to about 1mm or thereabouts its generally going to survive some of the worst heat treatments without cracking, burning or other misadventures.
You might want to look at cheap diamond plates though for the final bevel if you're doing it by hand though because it can be very tough otherwise

[Anonymous No.1869193]

>>1868532
Le Epic Manly-Man Rustic Knife, OP!

[Anonymous No.1869227]

>>1869116
nice
my seax has 54 hrc, i probably overforged it, carbon loss, and it is mystery carsrping steel
i need to ramp up my steel game
also chefs knifes are nice

[Anonymous No.1869229]

>>1869193
thx, but it isn't even that rustic

that large knife is way more rustic sadly i missed the oppertunity ot add a nagel

[Anonymous No.1869230]

>>1869149
yes
>>1869157 is correct

[Anonymous No.1870929]

Lil fang from lawn mower blade.

>>1869229
What is a nagel?

[Anonymous No.1870955]

>>1870929
>Lawnmower Blade
Nice Work anon, Could you harden IT?
>Nagel
German for Nail, that's a Metal Part that Sticks Out of The guard gives additional protection

[Anonymous No.1870979]

>>1870955
Thanks for info.
I was not able to harden it when I made it, as I was without means to heat it, so I tried not to overheat it while sanding. It kept some hardness, but mower blade wasn't really that hard anyway.

[Anonymous No.1871495]

>>1870979


>>1870955
Yeah i resharpened lawnmower Blades . And they seem to b pretty soft. But for an exercise in shaping it IS Not Bad. But won't hold Edge too Well.

[Anonymous No.1873232]

>>1868532
Wasted a lot of time trying to interest nephews to anything ham-related and always failed spectacularly.

Kids these days are the epitome of retardness and sperglordry. At most they understand muh Playstatiunz muh Switch muh Xbox, plus the most retarded memes out there requiring an attention span not longer than 0.3 seconds.

Back in the day, I craved to get anything tech available out there, yet my parents never bought me anything, except a few very cheap toys. And they always told me to learn something useful instead of toying around with cables, batteries, electronic junk. They only stopped when I got a degree in computer science.

Kids these days are even more retarded than your average 4chan user. I self-taught electronics and ham shit while working as a computer programmer while studying CS and still having enough time to chase girls. And that was when University was a serious thing, not today's ridicolus exam-stealing by desperate ignorants. Covid shit was the icing on that cake.

Hamradio and CW will go extinct in a few decades. Youngsters think internet will be forever available everywhere, they don't need no stinking radio equipment to communicate without an existing infrastructure. There's not anymore "being a lifelong passionate ham" thing.

So sad.

[Anonymous. No.1873413]

>>1873232
Okay Boomer.

[Anonymous No.1873417]

>>1873232
Is this pasta? I feel like this should be pasta...

[Anonymous No.1873593]

I maked these.

Assorted bits of scrap steel, reforged. Wood from an old set of garden furniture. Leather scraps I bought on ebay. Random bits of brass I had lying around.

[Anonymous No.1873594]

Leatherworking is fun.

[Anonymous No.1874106]

>>1873232
What The fuck has this do to With knife makin

[Anonymous No.1874109]

>>1873593
You should try sanding stuff to a Finish.

[Anonymous No.1874384]

>>1874109
Nah. These are tools, not art pieces.

This was my first knife, a sort of pocket seax. I did end up sanding and polishing this one to a nice finish since it was a gift.

[Anonymous No.1874387]

Do you guys have any tips or tricks for handle making on full tang damascus blade? Without destroying damascus pattern thats on the spine/ bottom of blade

[Anonymous No.1874400]

>>1874387
One of those things you sort of have to plan around prior to etching, don't do pattern welded stuff much any more but on some of my carbon steel stuff with a full tang I do like to blue it. So prior to much in the way of fine sanding I will put the tang on a cutting board, bit of masking tape and cut out the template into the tape. Then I just put that on the scales as a reference, drill the holes and whatever else needs doing, shape them up on a dry fit with no epoxy until its spot on. Take it all apart, do your etch, bluing, or whatever else and then fit them up once its done.
Also be careful to make sure there's no oxide on the surfaces to be glued, quick blast of rough grit and then do the glue up

It is a complete pain in the dick but the results are really worth it in the end.

[Anonymous No.1874403]

>>1874387
If the tang is thinner than the diameter of the handle, you can drill a circular hole about 5mm smaller than the tang diameter, carefully saw or chisel some grooves for the tang, hammer the handle on top of it, and put in two semicircular wedges to hold it.

[Anonymous No.1874413]

Since it says current projects as well. I now have 4 blanks made up. 2 in O1 and 2 A2 i havent had a chance to heat treat them yet. I will be making two diferent types of scales one out of traditional wood (for the O1 blanks) and another set i will be 3d printing most likely out of ABS (tho i do want to see how well PLA holds up in real world testing since there are no moving parts)
If you guys have any thoughts or comments let me know.

[Anonymous No.1874419]

>>1874413
ABS can be a bit of a shit to glue up with epoxy, an old trick is to get the glue surface scuffed up with 60-80grit and then just give it a quick blast with blowtorch to oxidise the plastic. That seems to help it stick better
You should like the A2 though, its a truly great steel for the money

[Anonymous No.1874504]

>>1874400
Sounds good, thanks for the advice.

[Anonymous No.1874506]

>>1871495
Yeah, it is NOT holding an edge too well.
On this one i used steel from bus leaf spring.
Brass is from melted air compressor parts and wood is from old oak barrel.
I have a forge now, so I could harden it.
Its much better than the lawnmover one.

[Anonymous No.1874508]

>>1874506
But it gets rust spots pretty fast.
Even thou it almost all the time drenched in oil.

[Anonymous No.1874990]

>>1874384
no a good knife should have a propper finish, a tool that hurts to touch is not a good tool, and the metal parts are less prone to rus if propperly finished
i also do like everyday use knifes, and knifes for myself, i like an easy but sturdy finish on them, and well i is more comfortable if the hilt doe snto bite into my skin

[Anonymous No.1874991]

>>1874387
well you wpould ahve to make the scales apart from the knife and be very precise with your work

[Anonymous No.1874993]

>>1874506
i believe you looks very nice to me

[Anonymous No.1875042]

>>1873594
pretty much i sometimes make leather covers for my friend's knifes and blades also thats very nice dager

[Anonymous No.1875602]

>>1868532
Making knives, and other blades has always held a certain appeal to me. How exactly does one get started in this as a hobbyist? Is there a commonly agreed upon set of reading material?

[Anonymous No.1875669]

>>1875602
I think more than anything, its a passion to make stuff that you enjoy the process of doing. Otherwise we'd just go fuck it, buy something shiny from a shop and boast about it

In terms of reading, depends on how you're approaching it. If you're going to be smithing and forging then you might look into the equipment, hammer techniques, heating methods, temperatures and how carbon steels respond under the hammer. Or, you can approach it as a tool maker and machinist does, in which case there's a lot of technical docs for high alloy tool or stainless steels, the specific temps they require, how to avoid oxidisation and working on getting the maximum functionality of that particular material.
For both, there's a lot of shared material as well in terms of learning about edge geometries, some materials sciences, blade shapes to suit their job and handle functionality. As a 'cutler' which is different to a swordsmith or weapons maker, there's far more emphasis on your end product being usable. No one uses swords any more for killing people, everyone still uses knives from everything that needs cutting- food prep, skinning, bushcraft, chopping wood, wittling, opening boxes etc and there's still a very strong, honourable legacy in being a manufacturer that provides tools to people

We're typically a one man show, so all the sharpening, jewellery, leatherworking and carpentry is something you need to also focus on + all the incidental stuff that goes into making knives, how to make jigs, using your tools, making your tools, maintaining your equipment etc

[Anonymous No.1875801]

>>1875669
Smithing is what I had in mind, so I'll look into that first. Did a metalworking merit badge back in boy scouts where they had a forge and such for us to use and it was pretty fun (although they wouldn't let us make knives, fuckin bullshit). Thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.1876909]

Dd

[Anonymous No.1876921]

I'm not interested in knoife making as I do not have a loicense for that. However, I want to take proper care for my EDC folders and/or my chef's knives.
What would be the best way to DIY a strop? What kind of water proof adhesive is the best to join leather and wood?
Also, has anyone ever made an advanced sharpening system such as Lansky or KME?

[Anonymous No.1876946]

>>1875602
Well there are a Lot of books. But Most Often people Just Start and improve from thereany start With Stockermöbel before getting into forging. Others Like me start from forging. Usualy you Just Start making horrible knifes and Overtime improve.

[Anonymous No.1876949]

>>1876921
Strops I've made in the past, get a piece of decent timber that's dead flat, about 6-10cm wide and about 30cm long and some veg-tanned leather
The quick way is just some waterproof epoxy (slow drying- 5min stuff is complete shit) and clamp the leather flat along the length, tidy and get some rubber stoppers so it doesn't slide around. Then you'll want to get some kind of abrasive for it, usually fine wax polish or a fine grit (diamond or silicon carbide usually) and work it into the leather so that its a good cut.

I use a belt grinder, polishers and paper wheels, just don't have hours in the day for special sharpening stones and stuff like that

[Anonymous No.1876950]

>>1876921
WHere do you live? Where does one need a knifemaking license, Here in Germany you can build even legit Frontlader firearms without license

[Anonymous No.1877020]

>>1868532
Cool thread, participating.

[Anonymous No.1877146]

>>1877020
Best looking one itt

[Anonymous No.1877584]

Current project

[Anonymous No.1877639]

I rebladed a chinese knock off sebby

[Anonymous No.1877675]

>>1877639
That looks really good, i did the same thing with old spiderco.

[Anonymous No.1878458]

>>1877020
damn i love those layered handles

[Anonymous No.1879592]

btw fellow knifemakers, what is your secret to first sharpening a knife?
i am just struggling through it, i had the edge down to 1,5 mm, before starting to sharpen, and it is tidious and i think the edge is assymetrical and i want a symmetrical edge one side is far more aggressive than the other,
i put the rough edge on with a small file but my small files are shit

[Anonymous No.1879601]

Makin' stuff

[Anonymous No.1879604]

>>1879592
Just learn to use stones my man. You'll have to at some point if you want to make good knives.
1.5 mm sounds too thick at the edge. What kind of knife are you making?

[Anonymous No.1879692]

>>1879604
>>1879604
i use stones, but i prefer to do the rougher part with the file bc of speed etc
it's the seax,
might be 1mm, but didn't want to undercut,
i think anything much thinner would get wavy when heat treating.
i am aware that one can't do an propper edge with a file, it was just for rough shaping

[Anonymous No.1879715]

>>1879692
I think I'm getting getting mixed up with your terminology. So you're talking about doing the initial bevels before heat-treat. I thought you were talking about actual sharpening, like the final step when the knife is complete.

Yeah 1.5mm is thin, disregard what I said earlier.

If you only have a small file, you'll need to get better equipment if you want to make higher quality knives.

Set yourself up a wooden jig if you want to be precise with your bevels and plunge lines (if you have them).

Get a really good grinder if you can. They cost a lot but they make the whole process a lot simpler. Maybe even a shitty cheap grinder would be better than your file, but your knives won't get much better with a cheap grinder.

[Anonymous No.1881017]

Been making some of the big ol chop chops, very thin blade on these only about 1.5mm or around 1/16" in burgers across the spine, 8" long and went with O1 because its a steel I always love heat treating. (around 60-61HRC)
>Plus I just had a lot of it lying around

Stabilised timbers are from Tasmania- Tiger Myrtle, Huon Pine and Blackwood. The Huon is quite rare, very old timber and extinct commercially for the most part except for old timber that gets salvaged, finding it with a birdseye figure was a first I've seen. Both the Blackwood (ringed) and Tiger Myrtle are some of my favourites as well from there.

[Anonymous No.1881020]

>>1881017
Nice.
I've used huon pine before. It's so weird, not like any other wood I've worked with. So easy to grind, and waxes up really smooth with a weird semi-transparency like amber. Very cool stuff.

The top one here is Huon Pine. The bottom one is melted beer cans haha

[Anonymous No.1881025]

>>1881020
Its a pretty strange timber to be sure, gets this weird chatoyancy or cats-eye effect, I was kind of worried there for a while that it might be kind of chalky because its so very hard so I chickened out and hand sanded it from 180grit onward up to 600 and a very light, fine blending pad for the rest
Hopefully I'll find some more one day, but I won't hold my breath

Beer cans are a great idea :)
Back in mid WW2 there was a civilian company in Australia that did something similar as basically jungle murder knives for diggers in the pacific and the odd yank that wanted them.
Mind you, they're sketchy as fuck now in terms of legality and even more so as a knife, kind of a knife-shaped, poorly heat treated object

[Anonymous No.1881690]

>>1879715
I have a Lotta Files. I just used The small ones to get The Edge from 1.5 mm to Like 0.3 mm because i didn't want to use Up my Stones for The rough Work. Also Thing IS now eine
I Just Like to ASK for other peoples ideas etc so i can try nee Things.
I am Not too Happy With it but The Edge IS Sharp enough to bite hard Woods reliably. I would have liled IT sharper but i Chose The wrong Angle. Also i only Got 200 eurobucks Out of it which IS already underpay. So i think i won't Invest more time into IT. IT has 54 hrc and Is quite large . I think IT IS very much for what zur Guy paid.

[Anonymous No.1882750]

Quillion dagger wip, final hand sanding before ht. SUP9 spring steel

[Anonymous No.1882784]

>>1873593
>>1873594
>>1874384
Best ones itt the thread because you actually use them instead of collecting them.

[Anonymous No.1882933]

>>1882784
Dude, heaps of makers use their knives. It's one of the best things about creating them in the first place.
https://i.imgur.com/5MKLYpt.mp4

>>1882750
That's looking really slick.

[Anonymous No.1883109]

>>1882750
Great lines on that dagger, she'll be a beaut

>>1882784
I typically test to destruction most new steels until I'm happy with the heat treat, plus I keep a few around which aren't sale quality for whatever reason and just use them in the kitchen or my workshop to check the edge holding, usability of the design over time