Let's Make a Knife, pt 5

Let's see if we can wrap it up here in part 5! I took a ton of pictures, and probably made it seem over complicated, but what the hey! More info is good info. It also made me think about what I was doing.

This is an upside down picture because, honestly, I don't feel like editing it at the moment! Anyway, stuff laid out to fit the handles. Acetone to clean the blade, loctite for the nuts, epoxy, a cup, and a brush.

Let's Make a Knife, pt 4

OK...we're on step 16. Working on finishing the blade and then on to installing the handle.

Now that the blade is cooled after being heat treated, it can be cleaned up. For this one, I'm going to run it over 120 grit, and 320 grit on the flat belt sander.

New Pair of Knives

This is the latest pair of "Outdoor" knives that I've made. That name comes from a general lack of anything to call them. They are about 6" long with 2 3/4" blades.

I really like this shape.

Bubinga handles with brass/SS Loveless fasteners and a brass lanyard tube.

Let's Make a Knife, (sidebar: handles)

Since the next part of making a knife is to put on a handle, I thought I'd write a few thoughts about that outside of the how-to.

A variety of handle materials. From left to right: wood (redheart in this case), carbon fiber, C-Tek, and a few different colors of G10. C-Tek is a colored, resin filled aluminum honeycomb. I haven't used it before, this is my first piece. It tends to be pricey, but I wanted to look at it and try it out. G10 is a fiberglass-like material that is available in a large range of colors. Imagination is the only limit, and this is far from an all inclusive list.

Let's Make a Knife, pt 3

Picking back up with Step 13...

Heat treating foil is important! Since mere mortals cannot afford to have controlled atmosphere kilns in our homes, we can wrap our parts in foil for the heat treating process. It forms a barrier between the part being heated and the air around it. This stuff cuts reasonably well with a pair of quality scissors. Wear something to protect your hands, it's sharp stuff.

Let's Make a Knife, pt 2

Let's continue with this little beastie....

Step 7: We left off yesterday with a 50 grit grind. Tonight I brought it up to 120. You don't want to go all the way to an edge, leave it dull...just a small flat along the edge of the blade.

Let's Make a Knife, pt 1

**Disclaimer: I'm not presenting this as the "only," "best," or any other way of making a knife. This is just the method I'm using...on to business..

**EDIT: As I've typed the subsequent parts, I've realized that my usual long winded approach is sounding longer and windier. I'm not try to over complicate the process, I just stop at points where I think a picture is helpful.

I think it'll be fun to do a step by step on how I make a knife. This particular knife is being made for my friend, Max. He wanted a good paring knife to add to his kitchen.

Step 1: Pick your knife. In this case, we're going to make a "modern" paring knife. The OA size of the knife is a bit under 8" with a 4" blade. This is an easier overall pattern. Side note, I have templates for all of my knives, so I can come back to them later if I want. This is a good time to determine what type of steel and its thickness. (A2...1/8" thick...as you'll see soon)

First Customer Knife

Until now, any knife you've seen here has been made for my own learning. A few have been given as gifts. The second knife I made was given to my friend to say, "thanks," for getting me into this mess. BTW...at best that was a rough knife. But mentors understand their students, and he knew where I was going. And, being the gracious teacher that he is, he appreciated the gift. Almost a year later, and just short of forty knives, I believe my skills have advanced quite a bit.(in other words, I think I've taken the learning curve in stride...some folks learn this much faster, some slower)
.A new friend of mine, a professional chef, asked for a paring knife. Based on my asking price of $75 we actually came to an agreement on a barter. This is her knife. I think it's pretty cool...

I'm calling this shape the "modern" paring knife. About 8" overall with composite (G10) handles.

A Bit of Travel...

Usually, when I disappear for a few weeks its because I'm going somewhere boring for work. This time, however, I was off to England.

I've never been to England before, and I decided that I would see some sights during my time off. Specifically, I stayed in a town called Crewe. I made two trips from there. (Not counting the three hour drive from London.)

The War Memorial in Crewe. A beautiful tribute.

"They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, And in the morning, We will remember them." - "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, 1914.