knife insperation and ideas

**hayshaker** · 05-30-2015, 09:48 AM

i,m new at this metal knife making deal i tried sometime back and quit now i'm back at it
i'm using a old twoman saw blade for the knives. but im stuck on the idea part where do you all
get your insperation from. oh and as for tools i have a angle grinder sawsall and 4x48 belt sander
what are some other bench tools i would need to make this easer and produce a better blade?

**crashdive123** · 05-30-2015, 12:25 PM

You should be fine with the tools you have. A drill press is handy and can sometimes be found at yard sales and flea markets in the $10 range for small ones. As far as inspiration.....I make what I like. I'll look at other knives, pictures on line and in magazines and get an idea that grows into what I end up with.

**Wildthang** · 05-30-2015, 01:14 PM

Start out simple! Find a knife that would be the right size with the right shaped blade and use it for a pattern. Learn the skills of just making a knife before you get fancy. Make a nice usable bushcraft knife with a wooden handle!
You probably will learn all the things not to do making your first simple knives!

**hayshaker** · 05-30-2015, 04:06 PM

thanks all really. i went to bing images and went wild printing i hope before long i can post a photo
of some thongs i've done.

**MrFixIt** · 05-31-2015, 07:30 AM

I look at antique/museum grade knives, but mostly stick to working tools.

**Wiggy** · 05-31-2015, 08:08 PM

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Here's a few I've made from a two man saw blade. The main tools you need are a cold chisel to get the blade shape roughed out, a grinder works after that but don't get it too hot or you'll ruin the temper. Just grind a little and then dunk it in water to keep it cool. You'll want some good hand files to do the fine work on it. If you decide you want to use pins to hold the handle on, you'll have to anneal the steel on the handle with a torch. Make sure the handle section is facing upwards since heat rises and you don't want to mess with the temper of the blade. I don't care what kind of drill bit you use, you'll never get holes drilled through that steel without annealing it first. For pins, I use brass brazing rod. I also back up all my handle scales with a two part epoxy, if for no other reason than to keep moisture from getting under there.

**hayshaker** · 06-01-2015, 08:15 AM

wow wiggy those are beautiful thanks so much for the tips and insperation.ANEAL thats the ticket
but what color am i looking for when heating the blade.

**crashdive123** · 06-01-2015, 01:11 PM

If you're annealing with a torch, you will want to heat it till it glows red and then cool it as slowly as you can (sticking in a bucket of vermiculite works). You will either want to coat the blade with a heat blocking paste (welding shop) or wrap a cold, wet rag on the blade while heating.

**kyratshooter** · 06-01-2015, 02:45 PM

If you have a bucket of sand available you can spot heat as Crash stated and then burry the blade in the sand to cool.

A big thick blade will often take several hours to cool in sand and the metal will be dead soft so you can drill.

That works especially well with files.

**Wiggy** · 06-01-2015, 02:56 PM

To fully anneal the steel you would have to heat up the steel until it's glowing red as others have stated. You'll know when you're there because the steel will become non-magnetic. That lets you know you're in the "transformation range" of the steel. However, just to drill through the steel you won't have to anneal it totally. just heat it up good and hot until you see some color on it and then let it cool slowly, for this purpose you can just let it air cool and it should be soft enough then that you can drill through it. You will still have to use a carbide drill bit but you'll be able to do it easily.