Beginning Knifemaker!

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

I like the shape of the 3rd.

I could shape a knife, but someone else would have to sharpen it. It would be a toothpick before I finish it.

 

[Axxe55]

I could shape a knife, but someone else would have to sharpen it. It would be a toothpick before I finish it.

I'm still learning myself!

 

[General Zod]

Very nice, my friend. What are you using for handle scales?

 

[Axxe55]

Very nice, my friend. What are you using for handle scales?

Those are about seventy year old oak from parts of an chair leg.

 

[jrbfishn]

The bottom 2 I like. Good designs. Sharpening ain't that hard, just takes a little practice. The key is consistent angles. Along with an angle to match it's use.

Sent by an idjit coffeeholic from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

The bottom 2 I like. Good designs. Sharpening ain't that hard, just takes a little practice. The key is consistent angles. Along with an angle to match it's use.

Sent by an idjit coffeeholic from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

1 thing I didn't learn from my dad was sharpening knives. The other was welding or at least stick welding. MIG welding I can do. TIG=no way in hell!

 

[Axxe55]

The bottom 2 I like. Good designs. Sharpening ain't that hard, just takes a little practice. The key is consistent angles. Along with an angle to match it's use.

Sent by an idjit coffeeholic from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

The top one came for a limb lopper, the middle one from a file, and the bottom one from a limb pruner on a limb saw. I just recontoured the tangs for the handles, annealed them so I could drill the holes for the pins.

I have built myself a bevel jig so I can keep the angles or bevels consistent from one side to the other.

 

[Axxe55]

1 thing I didn't learn from my dad was sharpening knives. The other was welding or at least stick welding. MIG welding I can do. TIG=no way in hell!

My father was an electrician and an electrical engineer, and I learned some from him! My brother is the better at understanding electrical things than myself. I'm very handy with my hands though. I have more creativity than my father or brother though.

Dad taught my brother and I how to weld with an old stick welder in the mid 1970's so we could repair our farm equipment. By the time I got to high school, and in Ag classes, I already knew how to weld better than even the teachers! I became the teacher's assistant in Ag class.

When I got into doing collision repair, I had to learn how to MIG weld. I frigging love a MIG welder! I bought a small 110V MIG welder for my own personal use about twelve years ago. That $300 investment has paid off big time in the things I have repaired and built with it.

 

[Axxe55]

My first two knives that I just finished up earlier.

 

[General Zod]

Not too shabby! What did you use for rivets on the grips?

 

[Axxe55]

Not too shabby! What did you use for rivets on the grips?

Some brass rod from an old gun cleaning rod. The handles are very old oak from some old dining room chairs.

 

[jrbfishn]

If you are going to be at the reunion I will have some knives and show you a couple things that will dress them up cheap and easy. Give you much better handles.
For a first try, especially using scraps, those ain't bad at all.

Sent by an idjit coffeeholic from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Axxe55]

If you are going to be at the reunion I will have some knives and show you a couple things that will dress them up cheap and easy. Give you much better handles.
For a first try, especially using scraps, those ain't bad at all.

Sent by an idjit coffeeholic from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I am going to try and make it. I appreciate the kind words. I'd love to learn something to be able to make a better knife.

Honestly, I am sort of proud of those two little knives, because I learned a lot about making knives, and gained a higher respect for the real knifemakers.

 

[Coltguy]

It’s strange I guess, but I love watching Forged in Fire and I marvel at the skill of some of those people, but I have absolutely no interest in trying my hand at it.

I was ready to start building amazing works of art cause of that show. Then I thought about all the stuff I would need, how much room it would take, and the probability i’d lose a finger or two and I just decided to get another beer.

 

[Axxe55]

<Sigh>

 

[Axxe55]

My third finished knife. I'm going to call this one #3. This one is made from an old very large file, with old oak handles and brass pins.

 

[General Zod]

Nicely done! Good job with the jimping there on the blade spine, too.

I've finally sold a couple of forged items (a less stabby kind - wall hooks!) today. I'm officially a "professional" blacksmith now.

 

[Axxe55]

Nicely done! Good job with the jimping there on the blade spine, too.

I've finally sold a couple of forged items (a less stabby kind - wall hooks!) today. I'm officially a "professional" blacksmith now.

Awesome!

The gimping I should have done differently after looking it over once I finished. I did that prior to putting the top finger groove into the spine. I should have put the gimping into the finger groove instead after I ground it.

But, it's a learning knife.

I'm wanting now to get into the forging of knives as well, and hopefully soon in the future will be able to.

 

[General Zod]

All right...I've got my first piece of 1080 high carbon steel on its way. I'll be forging my first blade soon.

Meanwhile I've branched out from hooks. I'm trying to find the right proportions for hand-forged bottle openers, and yesterday I made this little piece of beauty:



I'm fascinated by the colors that came out in the quench. They're hard to see in the pic, but there's a definite bright bronze color on the "pin" part of the brooch, and in person you can see it fade into a purple shade that fades back into the steel silver. There are hints of the bronze color in some of the twists, too.

 

[Axxe55]

@General Zod I frigging love it! That's pretty cool!

Looking forward to seeing your first blade. Now I'm jealous!