file for knife

[canman]

Hello,
I am new to this forum, and to blacksmithing and bladesmithing. I have a lot to learn. Where can I learn how to make knives out of files? What type of material should blades be made from? Where does one find suppliers for all materials need? Any information, links or names of books/videos would be appreciated.
Thanks. I am looking forward to see replies.
Kevin

[Rantalin]

Kevin, let me be the first to tell you (as many people will) you should spend some time learning the basics of blacksmithing before moving on to bladesmithing. Practice drawing out and upsetting, practice scrolls and bends and tapering. Get a feel for how to work the metal and how it reacts to your hammer. Then start making some knives. I would reccomend making knives from pieces of mild steel first. Mild steel tends to be less expensive, but does not hold an edge like higher carbon steels. This way you can practice making the shape of a knife. Then you can move on to higher carbon steels. Some books I'd reccomend are The Complete Modern Blacksmith, and Practical Blacksmithing and Metalworking. I've never read any of Jim Hrisoulas' books, so I can personally reccomend them, but everyone who has read them highly suggests they be read. Have fun, and Good Luck!

[irnsrgn]

Trying to do blades without first learning the basics is akin attempting to write a novel without first learning to read and write. After you learn the basics it's just practice, practice, practice. And you will learn something every time you practice. Jim Hrisoulas, will be the first to tell you to learn the basics first as he and everyone else has done.

Everyone has to start at the bottom and work up unless you are digging a hole then you start at the top and work down.

[Woody]

Canman: you will need some basic blacksmithing skills to make a knife from a file unless you are just going to do stock removal, that is taking a file and grinding away everything that don't look like a knife. However you will need more knowledge about the properties of steel and the effects of heat upon the steel. A down and dirty file to knife process follows.

1. Heat the file to above critical temperature, that is the temperature where it goes non magnetic. You can check with a magnet to tell when you are there.

2. Insert the hot file into a bucket containing ashes, vermiculite, lime or other insulating material and let it cool overnight. This will anneal the steel and make it very soft.

3. Grind all the teeth off the file if you plan on forging it into a blade, otherwise the teeth will make cold shuts in the metal as you forge it which will develop into cracks in the finished blade.

4. Heat the blade to a bright yellow and forge to the desired shape, reheating as necessary. Don't try to forge the blade below a bright red or you will put stress cracks in it that will only show up when the blade is near finished.

5. Once the blade is forged to you liking, heat it once again to above ciritical temperature and let it air cool, this is called normalizing and will disipate the stresses developed by forging and shrink the grain in the steel that has grown from the forging process. You will get a more uniform grain structure if you can hold the blade at temperature for a while before letting it cool.

6. Once the blade is cool you can grind and finish it as you desire, then reheat it to above critical temperature and plunge it point first into vegetable oil, this will harden the blade to a glass hard state but it will be very brittle. Take the cooled blade from the oil, wash off the oil and immediately place it in the oven at 375 degrees and bake it for about 3 hours. This will temper the blade, removing some of the hardness and brittleness while keeping it hard enough to hold a sharp edge.

7. After the blade is cooled from the tempering process it is ready for final grinding, polishing and the handle of your choice .

Keep accurate records of what you do so that when something goes wrong, and it will, you don't have to make the same mistake twice. If there is anything I can do to help you let me know.


Woody

[canman]

Thanks for the advice and information. I believe this is going to be an interesting journey........ Great forum!;)

[one_rod]

One thing you do need to do first is check that the file you intend to use is high carbon steel. Many modern files are case-hardened mild steel and useless for making knives.

Here's how I test a file.

Knock the handle off. The tapered part that went into the handle is known as the "tang".

Heat this part to a red heat, hold it at this heat for about a minute, then quench in cold water.

Put the file in a vice with just the tang sticking out. Tap the tang smartly with a hammer. (You shoud wear eye protection when doing this).

It should break off cleanly, as though it was made of glass. The broken edge should show a fine, even, crystalline grain structure.

If the tang bends at all, or needs more than one strike before it snaps, then don't try to make a knife from it. It will never hold a good edge.



one_rod.