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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Making knives on the cheap

    Hi Knife makers,
    As there are a few recent posts on knives it would appear that there is a bit of interest around from new members on blade making .For me, the art of custom knife making offered an opportunity to blend my interest in woodworking with my trade skills in metal working. I have enjoyed making a knife for its own sake of blending form, fit and finish into an attractive and durable but still useful item.

    Having that interest over the years I would like to offer some information I have gained about starting bladework from a modest base. Not too many of us have excess dollars to fling about. For that reason I would start off with budget in mind.

    What tools does a new knife maker need?

    • A good bench
    • A good vice with some soft jaws
    • A hack saw. 32 tpi blades and 24 tpi blades
    • A drill press is handy but one can get by with an electric hand drill and drill bits to say 6mm
    • A hammer, center pop, 20mm chisel.
    • Good files, bastard, 2nd cut, and a file card
    • Wet and dry abrasive paper 280 gr,400.,600, and 1000gr
    • A fairly big LPG burner or heating rose for heat treatment

    Some Cheap Knife Making Blade Materials
    • Power hacksaw blades
    • Old files
    • Car leaf springs 6mm thick-they taper down thinner than this at the ends.
    • Broken HSS saw blades.
    • Old type carbon steel rotary saw blades

    Perhaps other members who have made knives could offer their own experiences for making blades on a budget

    Here are some links

    Article on Aus knife maker
    Knife Making | HubPages

    amateur knive maker
    Good stuff on cheap materials and all phases of knife making

    How to Make Your Own Steel Knifes


    Cheers
    Grahame

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Eastern Suburbs Melbourne
    Posts
    218

    Default

    Hi Graham,

    It's been on my to do list for some time. Probably have a go at it in the next few weeks. Only part I'm not sure about is the rivetting of the blade with the handle so thanks for the post.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    kansas mostly
    Posts
    33

    Default

    I've never used a hacksaw when making a knife. No need when you forge to shape and have hot cuts. There are other ways to do the heat treat. A coal or charcoal (hardwood, natural or chunk not briquettes) is easy and cheep (or free) to fashion.

    There are several way to attach the handle to the tang. Generally I peen brass pins. But there are cutlery rivets, chicago screws (sometimes called sex screws), pins can be epoxied in and some folks trust epoxy by itself to hold everything together.

    ron

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Burpengary
    Posts
    3

    Default

    A magnet to get the heat treat correct.

    I could never work out the "reds". The magnet feels if it is non-magnetic prior to quench.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default More cheap blade materials

    Went and found some notes I had made and among the rat scratchings was:

    Bandsaw steel –heavy duty thick stuff- never found any
    Old hedge trimmer blades- good success from an old pair of Cyclone shears
    Old pair of wool shears


    Grahame

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Croydon, VIC
    Posts
    136

    Default

    Currently making one out of a power hacksaw blade at the moment. Once I've got it finished I'll post a couple of pics.
    'What the mind of man can conceive, the hand of a toolmaker can achieve.'
    Owning a GPX250 and wanting a ZX10 is the single worst experience possible. -Aside from riding a BMW, I guess.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Knife blades from industrial mower blade

    Hi Blademakers

    I had been talking to the groundsman at school about knives.The posts recently have got me interested again.

    He has saved me some worn out blades from his ride on mower..I ran a file over them and it just barely bites.Just! mind you, it had to be pushed so hard, it was squeaking and skating off the edges.

    At about 500mm long I should get a couple of blades from each blade.

    Is it worth doing photos of the construction phases?

    Grahame

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Croydon, VIC
    Posts
    136

    Default

    Sounds as if the mower blades are hardened, in which case you need to anneal them so they're soft enough to work using hand tools?
    'What the mind of man can conceive, the hand of a toolmaker can achieve.'
    Owning a GPX250 and wanting a ZX10 is the single worst experience possible. -Aside from riding a BMW, I guess.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Annealed

    yup!
    That why I have to get finger out and complete the half finished oven.
    Understand though,that my place is half finished heaven.A complete collection of unfinished artifacts.

    My anvil though is finished. It is topped with a bit of bisalloy which I had to soften a bit.Got it from the scrappy for $3.00.

    Have you annealed a file and drilled a hole in one.Its a good one to show know it all students who tell me I can't drill hole in a file.
    Then harden it back to where it started.

    Cheers
    Grahame

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Croydon, VIC
    Posts
    136

    Default

    Did it to the current project. A HSS knife made from an old power hacksaw blade. Roughed out the shape on a pedestal grinder, then clamped it to a work bench and filed the edge on it using a diamond file. Used a diamond point wheel to make the hole, rather than attempting to anneal the blade. Not really geared up at work to harden HSS, unfortunately. Still have to polish the edge and make a handle for it.

    Admittedly, it started as an on the spot 'I need a box opener right now', but has developed into a small collection of busted power hacksaw blades piled up next to my toolbox at work. I'm reluctant to use them for anything but quick 'on-the-spot' tooling tho. I really want to get some annealed 1095 and do it properly. Just a case of time and inclination.
    'What the mind of man can conceive, the hand of a toolmaker can achieve.'
    Owning a GPX250 and wanting a ZX10 is the single worst experience possible. -Aside from riding a BMW, I guess.

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