Nolano Posted August 5, 2011 Posted August 5, 2011 I first got into blacksmithing and bladesmithing when I was 14 or 15. I obsessed with it quite a bit for a few years but never really got very far. I kind of took a break for several years. I'm 20 now and working at it again. We had a wet saw blade break at work recently. I took the blade home with me and made a knife from it. Kind of a bad picture, but oh well. Cocobolo handle, brass rivets and guards, high speed steel blade, hardened to 65 rockwell. I also have a question though. I'm getting a belt grinder next week, and there are way too many kinds of belts. Can anyone steer me in the right direction? Quote
Rich Hale Posted August 5, 2011 Posted August 5, 2011 Buy from an established knife supplie place, posse the belt question to them and know up front that good belts ae not cheap! And if that RC score is correct it is way too hard for a working knife and I would be afraid of breakage in use. Quote
Nolano Posted August 5, 2011 Author Posted August 5, 2011 It's a stock removal blade, I simply left it at the hardness the blade was at, which is rated at 63-65. I was concerned as well, but I did a few tests with the material and despite the high hardness it is rather tough, possibly due to it's very high chrome and vanadium content. I wouldn't use it for a longer blade, but this one has a roughly 3.5" blade and so won't see too much stress. But you may be right, we'll see. If I made another knife from these I may draw back the temper a bit, this stuff was a bear just to sand and grind to shape. Quote
Justin Carnecchia Posted August 5, 2011 Posted August 5, 2011 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 Quote
Marksnagel Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Nice looking knife. Glad to see you've rekindled your fire. Mark <>< Quote
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