Making a knife

**Camp10** · 12-12-2010, 01:03 PM

My first try at a video...what a nightmare! I had to convert the files, then edit and somewhere in the process, the pic quality went to crap. Oh, and I forgot to save and had to start over.... I think it is still possible to follow the progress. This is part 1. I still have to edit and upload the rest.

**Camp10** · 12-12-2010, 01:05 PM

Ok, something is wrong with part 2...I'll have to try to figure it out.

I think it's working now.

**crashdive123** · 12-12-2010, 01:57 PM

Great vids. It looks like using the tool rest during your hollow grind adds some consistency.

**Camp10** · 12-12-2010, 07:24 PM

**crashdive123** · 12-12-2010, 08:14 PM

I like your forge set-up.

One trick I started using when drilling the steel is to drive a nail into the block of wood that is clamped in my drill vice and the rest the back of the knife against the nail. It works especially well on smaller knives that would not reach the support tube of the drill press - keeps them from spinning round and round and becoming a weed whacker for fingers.

**Camp10** · 12-12-2010, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

I like your forge set-up.

One trick I started using when drilling the steel is to drive a nail into the block of wood that is clamped in my drill vice and the rest the back of the knife against the nail. It works especially well on smaller knives that would not reach the support tube of the drill press - keeps them from spinning round and round and becoming a weed whacker for fingers.

Good idea! I'll have to do that also.

**Camp10** · 12-12-2010, 08:48 PM

**Winter** · 12-12-2010, 09:38 PM

Good stuff. That's a pretty elaborate heat treat. Now I want another knife.

**hunter63** · 12-14-2010, 07:17 PM

I can see where that was a lot of work, with all the steps and all.

Just taking pic's while I'm working on something gets time consuming.
Great job! Thanks!

**COWBOYSURVIVAL** · 12-14-2010, 07:33 PM

Great and straightforward! I use mineral spirits for 1095 myself. I really enjoyed seeing your process it confirmed my knowledge of heat treatment for 1095, I may have gained some of that knowledge from you in the past! Thanks again Camp!

**Camp10** · 12-14-2010, 10:35 PM

I've got to say that I have a new found respect for anyone who posts these things! I just hope I can get the rest of this together, converted and edited before I go nuts trying! I saved in the wrong format, lost a few pieces that I've had to drag out of the trash and have spent about an hour editing for every 10 minutes of video...I sure hope someone has learned something from these! If not, someone please lie to me!

**crashdive123** · 12-14-2010, 11:49 PM

I like em. Nice tip using the shape of your contact wheel to hand sand your grinds.

**rwc1969** · 12-15-2010, 01:16 AM

I haven't ventured into knife making, but feel the parts I watched were fairly well done. I'm sure some out there really appreciate you taking the time to put them all together.

If I had the room and tools I used to I would be giving it a go.

**jc1234** · 12-15-2010, 02:10 AM

Thanks for these videos, most knife makers keep their shops and processes pretty secretive. Ive played around with making a knife and I learned that I was doing a few things right and a few things wrong.

Two questions. About how many knives can you heat treat with the same 5 gallon tank of propane? If you keep both your grinding wheels at 60 grit, why do you need different size bench grinders? I shaped my knife using a belt and disc sander and obviously went through a lot of paper, so I was thinking of getting a grinding wheel but stuck between getting a 6" and 10", I cant see an advantage to one over the other.

**Camp10** · 12-15-2010, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by jc1234

Thanks for these videos, most knife makers keep their shops and processes pretty secretive. Ive played around with making a knife and I learned that I was doing a few things right and a few things wrong.

Two questions. About how many knives can you heat treat with the same 5 gallon tank of propane? If you keep both your grinding wheels at 60 grit, why do you need different size bench grinders? I shaped my knife using a belt and disc sander and obviously went through a lot of paper, so I was thinking of getting a grinding wheel but stuck between getting a 6" and 10", I cant see an advantage to one over the other.

First, thanks to all for the pat on the back! I was really frustrated with how badly I have messed these up when I made and saved them and making them useful has been a challenge.

I use that propane tank on the grill so I dont know how long it will go on the forge. I had to move the whole operation from my smithy to the garage to record this because the shop is to small and the forge was to loud in that little space to get any audio. This forge usually runs off a 100 lb tank and it lasts more then a year.

My grinders are belt grinders, the different machines are for different applications. You will see the 12" disk sander and my larger 6x48 belt sander at work for the shaping of the handles. I run the same belt grit in all the grinders through each step so that the metal is worked uniformly through the process. As for as the question about bench grinders, I'll leave that for someone who uses them...mine is just used for its wire wheel.

**crashdive123** · 12-15-2010, 08:57 AM

jc - I have found just the opposite. Every knife maker I have met has been more than willing to help.

When I'm able, I'll put together a series of vids to show the process I use from start to finish. Everybody does it a little different, and I have really enjoyed watching this series of vids. I've learned a lot.

**jc1234** · 12-15-2010, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Camp10

First, thanks to all for the pat on the back! I was really frustrated with how badly I have messed these up when I made and saved them and making them useful has been a challenge.

I use that propane tank on the grill so I dont know how long it will go on the forge. I had to move the whole operation from my smithy to the garage to record this because the shop is to small and the forge was to loud in that little space to get any audio. This forge usually runs off a 100 lb tank and it lasts more then a year.

My grinders are belt grinders, the different machines are for different applications. You will see the 12" disk sander and my larger 6x48 belt sander at work for the shaping of the handles. I run the same belt grit in all the grinders through each step so that the metal is worked uniformly through the process. As for as the question about bench grinders, I'll leave that for someone who uses them...mine is just used for its wire wheel.

So when you were beveling the edge, you were using a belt sander? I thought it looked like a stone wheel of some sort? It was making more sparks than I thought a paper would make.

Originally Posted by crashdive123

jc - I have found just the opposite. Every knife maker I have met has been more than willing to help.

When I'm able, I'll put together a series of vids to show the process I use from start to finish. Everybody does it a little different, and I have really enjoyed watching this series of vids. I've learned a lot.

That would be great. I have asked a few full time knife makers and they are helpful about little tricks and such, but seem very secretive about the setup of their shop and especially their tempering process.

Since I have got both of your attention. I dont have a band saw and I can shape a block steel well enough with grinding into a traditional utility knife shape, but I really want to make my mom a chef knife out of a damascus. Do either of you have any ideas of how to get a blade in that type of straight angel from tip to heel by using just hand shaping and no saw to cut the initial shape?

Also, is it necessary to heat treat a kitchen knife? If I get into knife making, I'll eventually buy a furnace, but for now its just not realistic for me to do so.

**crashdive123** · 12-15-2010, 01:36 PM

The only thing I have used to cut my steel has been a 4" angle grinder with a cutting disc. Yo really do no need a lot of equipment to get started. I just got a copy of$50 Knife Shop on Camp10's recommendation. In it it states that if you were to fully equip a knife making shop it would cost about $20,000. I think that number is a little low personally - which is why so many makers build their own equipment from salvaged gear.

**jc1234** · 12-15-2010, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

The only thing I have used to cut my steel has been a 4" angle grinder with a cutting disc. Yo really do no need a lot of equipment to get started. I just got a copy of$50 Knife Shop on Camp10's recommendation. In it it states that if you were to fully equip a knife making shop it would cost about $20,000. I think that number is a little low personally - which is why so many makers build their own equipment from salvaged gear.

Wow. All I have are hand tools and belt sander / disc sander combo and a dremel and I have done pretty well with that so far. Im not willing to invest much more into it because this is totally just a hobby that Im not even seriously into yet. Im emotionally attached to my current knife and just like to play around the garage sometimes.

I can by a knife blank, but that just seems like cheating. What about the heat treating...isnt that overkill for a chef knife? If not, I can probably send it out to be treated, but Id imagine thats not cheap either. I know it would be cheaper just to buy my mom a knife, but for some reason I just have this unwaivering desire to make her one.