Justin Carnecchia

Wow, Thanks for the kind words guys. I posted it on the ABS sight and the master smiths who commented only suggestions were about handle length maybe being a bit longer, so I feel like I'm starting to do something right. Joshua, I am always of the point of view to go ahead and try it. Quality of the finished piece will be determined by experience and personal quality standards. I think the second is more important as I see smiths who have been doing it for years make knives that look pretty rough, and I see people who put out fantastic work after just a few. I always give it a try and just make sure I learn from my mistakes. I know there are many things I would do different with this knife next time. Also the knives that don't meet muster for fit and finish or design are good to use for testing. Stuff you don't want to do a knife you're really proud of. Thanks again guys, -Justin

Hi, This is my first try at a bowie. It is 9" from tip to guard and 13.5" overall. W-2 tool steel clay hardened in water for three seconds and canola oil till cool. The guard is 416 stainless and the spacer is 416 and titanium (I used titanium because I had it and it was the right thickness). The handle is stabilized maple burl. The hamon is quite active, with many subtle features including a choji "secondary hamon that runs along the tips of the ashi. Unfortunately I had no luck photographing it. Well here it is, hope you like it. Thanks for looking, as always feedback is greatly appreciated. -Justin

After looking into making one for several months I bought the KMG. It is built like a tank and when you figure in the time ivolved in building very reasonably priced.I have no doubt it will outlast me and it works beautifully. I don't know your skill level but there is no way I could have built as good a grinder. If you absolutly can't afford one or wait you may want to consider a simple two wheel system where the contact wheel is the drive wheel and then there is just a tracking/idler wheel. That will be the cheapest route, and easiest. Then you can save for a better one and if you plan ahead you will be able to re-use the motor. If you google knife grinder you should be able to find some plans. If you have the skill and tools then there are detailed plans for the KMG out there too, but it will require cutting some half inch plate. What are you using now?

Hi, this is my latest project. It is the first full tang knife I've done, next time I'll try bolsters. My idea behind this knife was something I could do in a reasonable amount of time so a hunter could actually afford it. Originally I planned on finishing it on the grinder but I was liking the hamon so decided to polish it. Even with the additional polishing it all came together pretty quick. W2 tool steel with chestnut handle. 5" blade 9.4" overall. So thats it, let me know what you think. -Justin

Nice looking knife, I'm curious why you drilled two holes through the ricasso on a knife that you are subjecting to the 90deg bend test. It seems to me it would introduce a point of weakness. Looking forward to seeing the final results, this is something I need to do. -Justin

Wow thanks a lot guys. I especially like the reference to a Brancusi sculpture . I'll get some more pics when I get it etched and glued.

looking good so far. Much better than my first try. I would recomend a belt sander held upside down in a vise. You can get a 3" by 18" for around $50 new and if you look for one used for much less. I worked like this for around a year and it worked quite well. The biggest limitation seemed to be the lack of belt selection. Files will work too, I'm just not that patient. Keep us posted on the knife, -Justin

Thanks guys, the cable is 1.25". I found about ten feet of it on the side of a logging road last summer.

Hi, This is an 8" integral bolster cable fillet knife. I still have a couple hours of work left on it, it needs etched, glued, and the joint cleaned up. So thats where it's at, let me know what you think, -Justin

I always jump right in. You can't learn without trying. What type of swords are you interested in?

I've only made one folder but I put in a lot of research before I decided on a liner lock. Of the different types it seemed the most straight forward, and there are several great tutorials out there. As for the spring, it doesn't make sense to me to spend the time making a knife only to comprimise the lock with the wrong material. I dished out the $70 for titanium and am very happy with my knife. One thing you may want to consider is making a prototype. For this you could use aluminium for the liners. When its done if you like it then you have an exact pattern to follow for the real thing. Also if you screw up you aren't out $20 of titanium. Yeah I screwed mine up the first try. Just something to think about, good luck with it. -Justin

Owen is right, a smooth steel will work well. My favorite are the oval section diamond steels, these of course actually sharpen. For a traditional steel meant just for aligning edges I would suggest a smooth surface, they just work better. If you think about what the steel is doing, it is just ever so slightly pushing the burrs on the edge back to straight, a flatter smooth surface will do this better than many little ridges. Remember these burrs are almost microscopic on a truly sharp knife so the pressure put against them should be as smooth and even as possible. The biggest mistake I see beginers make is applying to much pressure and going to fast. Oh, I'm a chef and use a knife on average five hours a day. If used properly a good steel can keep an edge sharp almost indefinately. Very intersting idea making one, please let us know how it turns out. -Justin

Hey thanks guys. I know I won't have time to resand it anytime soon so I am planning on getting some ferric chloride and doing one mor dip, hopefully setting off the pattern a little more. Scott, yeah its great fun by hand isn't it. Honestly after my first attempt last summer I had decided not to do any more till I got a power hammer but this one went pretty smoothly so I will be doing more soon. Curious about the spring steel, I was under the impression that some of the alloy steels like 5160 could be very difficult to weld. Although from a trailer it could be lots of things including 10-- series. Have you welded any of the chromium steels? I have heard of it being done but I have also heard not to try. How many layers are you going for? With this one I would have done one more fold if I was paying more attention. thanks again guys, glad you like it. -Justin

Read...There is a ton of info on the web. If you don't have a forge then that is your first step. I suggest Ron Reil's sight for all the info you will need to build a forge and burner. Will cost around $100-150. It will also take a week or two, during this time do a little research on knife forging basics. You will also need an anvil, if you can find one cheap great, but any solid chunk of steel with a flat surface the size of your hammer face will get you started. again keep reading. To finish the knife you will need a grinder, I used a small belt sander held in a vise for over a year, possibly something you have already. If not then files will work. If you insist on using scrap to save money, and I did the same thing, use coil spring or old files and quench in oil. I still use vegetable. Even though I used scrap for quite a while I would recomend buying new. Something like 1084 is about perfect and good for beginers. The first two numbers indicate the alloy and the second numbers indicate the carbon content. the 10-- series is very low alloy and will be easy to forge, .84% carbon is a good amount for knives. Basically the 1084 will be forgiving of mistakes and easy to hammer. I tend to disagree with starting with mild or starting with learning things other than knives, if all you want to do is forge knives then start with forging knives. By my third attempt I had a very functional knife. The biggest thing is going to be doing some research. It is lot to expect of this forum to get you started making knives. The information myself and others have given you can point you in the right direction but it will be up to you to do the work. When the forum really shines is when you have already done the research and are forging your knives and you hit a snag with something. I have gotten lots of great information out of these forums but honestly they don't provide a foundation for starting out. That information is easy to find though just google knife forging tutorial. Please don't be discouraged, there is a lot to learn but if you focus on one thing at a time starting with a forge and some type of anvil you will get there fairly quickly. If you have any problems with your forge please ask, and when you get a knife or two done please share your work. Good luck, -Justin

1095, 15n20, and I think I tossed in a layer of mild. Not sure why I put the mild in. It is hard to tell in the pic but it is showing three "colors" shiny 15n20 and then light and dark in between. One of the layers I think the mild is also coming out shiny but not consistently, I don't think I sanded to a high enough grit and the vinegar didn't etch entirely evenly. I am still up in the air as to wether I like this blade, so I may leave it but will most likely resand up to 600g and re-etch before I finish the knife.

Wow, that is so freakin cool. On the site it says 90% energy savings, is that over propane? I can't justify it now but in a couple years when I am running my shop full time I would be stupid not to. With welding is oxidizing still an issue? I suppose you could set up an inert gas system, then do perfect dry welds with no scale. Oh the possibilities, so cool. -Justin

Hi this is my second try at pattern welding. Last summer when I made my first attempt the billet was too big so I cut it in half and stuck the other half in my pile of scrap. Well last week I dug it out and forged this. It is etched in vinegar wich I am not entirely happy with so I will probobaly sand it down and redo it in ferric. If all goes well I will get it finished next weekend. Thanks for looking, -Justin

Horus, what's happening with your katana? Can't wait see it done.

Hey thanks guys, I am working at a boarding school in western Montana. Now that you mention it I'm not sure about health code here and wooden handles, but we are not a restaurant so don't fall under jurisdiction of the health inspector. At least we don't think so Anyhow cool, three chef/smiths. Since posting these last pics I have re-shaped the handle some and re-ground the false edge, my camera however is on loan to someone so no pics for now. hopefully soon. Thanks again, Justin

If you insist on scrap then coil springs will work well for blades. I have found leaf springs a little harder to forge.Old files are good too. If you end up getting into this you will want to buy steel, it isn't that expensive, and when you heat treat you will know exactly what you have. I have cracked knives because I thought I had water hardening steel and in fact it was oil hardening. After a day of forging and grinding to get a blade ready to quench it is heartbreaking to have it break because you didn't know what you were using. The cost of new steel is much less than the cost of a day of forging wasted on a cracked blade. When heat treating quench in oil, canola will work fine, this will harden oil hardening steels and water hardining steels and won't crack the blade. If you look up the late Bob Engnath's web site he has a page on spark testing for carbon content. For knive you will want between .5% and 1%. If you don't have an anvil find hunk of steel with a flat surface, the surface only needs to be as big as the hammers face. I use a piece of railroad track stood on end in a bucket of sand. Do you have a forge? There is lots of information on building forges out there, if you want to use gas, Ron Reil's sight is a good place to start. Personally I jumped right in and built a forge, got a hammer at the hardware store and started beating on some old files. I cracked my first blade during quenching. Cracked the second trying to straighten it during tempering, but the third was a decent little knife and hold a good edge, even if it's not pretty to look at. Check Don Fogg's Bladesmith forum, as well as his web site. There is a ton of info on bladesmithing you just have to look for it. When you hit a snag post a question, but you shouldn't count on forums to tell you everything. Hope this helps get you in the right direction, -Justin

Hi, nice looking knife for a first one back to making. What kind of grinder are you getting? Most bladesmiths use 2x72 simply because the selection of belts is so much better than other sizes. I have the KMG from Beaumont Metal Works, for the money you wont find a better grinder. For a more economic unit I want to say Coote or Grizzly both make decent grinders but have not used them myself. I get my belts from usaknifemaker.com they have written up a pretty good overview of belts explaining what to use for what etc. I found it helpful. Good luck and welcome back to knifemaking, -Justin

Very nice! One of if not the nicest European style swords I have seen. I agree with Bob that you should get it profesionally photographed. Definately something to be proud of. -Justin

Hi, so I've just about finished the large drop point which I am now calling a drop point fighter. The handle still needs some sanding and so does the guard but it is 90% there. It is W2 tool steel w/ 416 Stainless guard and brass spacer, w/ chestnut burl handle. The blade is just under 8" and the overall length is 13".If anyone has any suggestions on how to finish the handle I would love to hear. It currently is at around 400g and rubbed lightly with oil, I am thinking maybe polyurethane but don't have a lot of experience finishing wood and welcome advice.So thats it, thanks for looking. Let me know what you think, -Justin

I made a liner lock a while back with pretty good results. All I have is a belt grinder, small drill press, and dremel. Making the lock is as simple as cutting a section of the liner free and bending it into a spring. If you google locking liner tutorials you will find at least three or four good ones, Ray Rodgers stands out in my memory as one of the better ones. His tutorial discusses design, construction, and materials with simple to follow steps. Though it is helpful to have a disk grinder and surface grinder it is very doable without if you are careful. This is the one I made, also by the way the first knife I finished. There are also good tutorials on lock backs and others but the designs seems much harder to excecute. Definately give it a try though, I had a lot of fun and will be doing another in the near future. Good luck -Justin I just reread your equipment list, I missed you have a surface grinder. That will make keeping everything flat and true much easier. Definately give it a try, the hardest part for me was tapping those little holes without breaking the taps. Funny how being cheap works out, I started out making knives because I didn't want to spend $300 for a new knife for work. Well I did end up making the knife I wanted but I've also spent a couple thousand getting there again good luck and keep us posted, -Justin

Hey, thanks guys! Horus, I didn't do a single bevel because I have never seen it on a santuko. It is my understanding that the santuko is a newer design intended to be a practical all around knife, where most af the traditional single beveled knives are very task specific. I have seen gyutos with the single bevel or a 70/30 bevel though and they are of the very thin multi task variety like the santuko, I have been thinking of doing that with the gyuto I make. How's that katana coming? would love to see some pics Thanks Rich, I am hoping the stabilization will adress the issue of cracking. I'll keep my fingers crossed, I have not worked with it before so it is a bit of an experiment. Thanks again, -Justin