Samurai 24 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Ok, I've made my first knife blank and am wondering how to heat treat it and temper it. Also how do I mount the handle on the tang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhettbarnhart Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 ummmm...........to know how to tell you to heat treat it we are going to need to know what steel you made it from?and to tell you how to mount the handle we will need a description of the tang and what style of handle you want and even better then a description would be pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmHorus Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Ok take a look under knife making 101 section and do searches on here about heat treating. As Rhett said there are to many unknowns with your post. Researching on your own might give you an idea of what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 24 Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 I cut the shape out of a mild steel sheet. I think maybe it was cold rolled but it was easy to cut so I used it. Don't know if this helps any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Mild steel is a poor knife material. It doesn't have enough carbon to be hardened. As for mounting a handle on the tang, what kind of tang do you have? Attaching a handle on a full-tang knife will be different than a hidden tang. Look at the knifemaking stickies for valuable information. It sounds like you have little experience with metalwork. There are many experienced smiths that will advise you to start with basic blacksmithing and metalwork, and then learn your way from there. Knives are finicky for even the most seasoned smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 24 Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Thanks for the quick replies. The tang is a hidden one. And may I ask why knives are finicky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Making a quality knife requires proficiency in many blacksmithing skills. You need to know what steel you are working with and how hot to work it. You need to understand how metal moves under your hammer, how to efficiently work the steel and not leave hammer marks. Then you need to have at least a basic comprehension of thermal cycling to harden and temper the blade, as well as various techniques for fit and finish. Granted, anyone can grind an edge on a piece of scrap, wrap some leather or para-cord around the handle and call it a knife. A quality blade, however, requires skill, patience, and attention to detail, and the end product will usually beat the pants off any poorly made knife-shaped-object. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 The links I gave yoiuearlier in chat cover basic knfe making,,,too many words for me to retype in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 24 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Alright I looked up all the links every one gave me yesterday and did a little research on my own. I am now wondering is case hardening practical to add more carbon to the steel or should I find some other material and start over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 24 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Also if I do start over what steel grade should I use? I've heard on the forum that 1084 or 1090 are good metals but I've never tried them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Both Steve and I covered material selection in the knfe chat, avileable in the links I gave you. Did that help you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai 24 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 I couldn't make out what some things were. I looked em up this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 See if you can track down a local smith, or take a class and get some hands-on experience. We can talk on the forum and post videos until the world ends, but there is nothing that replaces live, in-person time with someone who knows their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 If you wont read the threads suggested to you here, we cant help you, If you want to pretend to read that your call. If you did read them you would have seen the deffinitions for terms, as you needed to start with basic skills first, that was in the my opening statement fo rthe 100 series classes, and in the pinned New knife maker thread. So you didnt read the posts or follow prior instruction from WmHorus, Maillemaker or listen to Rich and I in the chat room either, tell me again why we should keep this going further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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