Don't worry about it, you learn to sleep with one eye open....

I think I will try another tomorrow to give to a friend, to keep the edge from curving to much again would I just work it on edge more to keep it strait as I work the bevel or are there steps to take while forging the bevel? Any help is great appreciated.

Edited September 27, 201510 yr by NickOHH

I am going to try to forge my first knife on Monday, unless nick uses all the coal so I can't show him up.  If I do get to forge I will post pictures of my attempt.  Luckily I get to learn from Nick's mistakes so I can skip that phase of the process. 

Darlin, you don't need to do anything to show Nick up and I haven't even seen his pic.

I find it easier to keep a single bevel piece like a knife blade straight by correcting it regularly with a wooden whocker, than trying to counter curve it. I like using a short length of B ball bat so it's striking the edge across the grain.

That's just me though and I am not a bladesmith guy.

Frosty The Lucky.

Two ways I've straightened single edged blades that weren't meant to be curved:

1) As I bevel, I sometimes give the area of the spine across from it a smack (usually to aid in the tapering process as well)

2) What Frosty said: heat the whole thing up and give it a smack (or two) with a wooden mallet/board. I've already broken a mallet, so I'll be sticking with chunks of 2x4 from now on.

As a note, one of the instructors I worked under would actually hit the spine to curve it into where you want the edge, and then bevel it to straighten it. Not sure how well that works out as I haven't quite mastered it (and the two techniques above tend to cover everything so far).

Mallets tend to split as the edge is driven into the end grain. I pick up wooden ball bats at yard, garage, etc. sales for cheap. They make excellent whockers and mallets. When I make a mallet, I cut the fat end off, drill it and make the handle from the bat's handle and the rest is a whocker.

B ball bats are De Bomb.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, I was trying to figure this one out too! I'l try both 'wocking' with wood, and starting with a reverse curve, with the bevel to draw it straight.

well a few hours at the forge and i got a couple more, ok so they are still not "pretty" or "beautiful" but i got the blades to stay strait, just worked the sides as i was beveling it. Gave a try at tempering on the forge, worked out nicely.

Acualy, like the first one they are apealing. A maching spoon and fork and presto! His and hers dinnerware

What did you start with as stock? Nice job of keeping them straight. Marcy will need sheathes to go with the fork and spoon too.

Frosty The Lucky.

haha , a sheeth that holds the knife and fork, never know when your gonna have to stop and eat a something! dont be caught unprepared again! build in a salt and pepper shaker and your set.

stock was 5/8 coil spring of a mini van

They have a simular feel as the old GI knives isued with the mess kit. 

Looking good, Nick!

I've only got my wife on the forge a couple of times and she had fun, I even bought smaller hammers for her cause my 3lb. were to heavy. Now we have our son and it's a lot harder for either of us to do much, but it's definitely a good couple activity and in about another year it can be a family activity. Beware knife making is addictive

Thanks Anthony! I'm pleased with them, glad they are better than the first not worse 

Those 2 are set to be SOLD tomorrow to friends so I guess I gotta make more and put that toward a  belt grinder I think . Either they are better than I think or they feel bad for me lol.

It definetly is addictive I want to make more!! Marcy forges with me once and she was hooked too, and now I don't get yelled at for wanting to forge all the time!

Yeah, knife making is addicting, and learning other blades doesn't help much. I figured I'd be okay after learning how to make a sword. Nope. Then I figured I'd be okay after making a pattern welded knife. Nope.

Now I'm here making a costume/prop glaive and experimenting with other knife shapes and sizes that don't need separate handles, just because I can.

 

I've also tried to drag my wife in, but she doesn't do multi-tasking or time management well, so she helps me out by holding things for me or pulling something out of the forge for normalizing, but that's about it. We'll see how that pans out in the future!

Well decided to stick alil walnut on the first one n gave it a full honing.