Curtis87 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 So I'm trying to make a chef's knife for my dad for Christmas. I'm at the rough grinding stage right now. Basically I'm looking for some help getting the two sides flat at parallel. I have a small 2"x28 stationary belt sander and a 4" x 24" hand held. This is where I'm at currently the curve in the spine was caused by forging the bevel, but I'm starting to like the look. Some tells me that it might make it a less effective kitchen knife though. Some opinions on that would also be greatly appreciated this is the blank I cut out and the original design I was going for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flemish Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Find something VERY flat and tape a sheet of sand paper to it. Lay your knife on it ans apply elbow grease. Flemish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 1 minute ago, flemish said: Find something VERY flat and tape a sheet of sand paper to it. Lay your knife on it ans apply elbow grease. Flemish Sometimes I over think things, and the answer is usually the easiest thing. Thanks a lot, I'll go find a good flat surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flemish Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 No problem, Use fresh paper and just keep going to smaller grit until you get the finish you want, Flemish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Use WD-40 on wet or dry paper, makes the paper last longer and gives a better finish. For a chef knife I prefer less curve on the edge but its looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 Boy, I really wish I had flattened this thing out a bit more on the anvil. This is going to take forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Just keep at it you'll get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I've got no suggestions on this one, but this has definitely helped make up my mind to do some more forge straightening on my first knife project before I start flat grinding and beveling. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 2 hours ago, JHCC said: I've got no suggestions on this one, but this has definitely helped make up my mind to do some more forge straightening on my first knife project before I start flat grinding and beveling. Thanks! Yup, you definitely should Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 3 hours ago, Curtis87 said: Boy, I really wish I had flattened this thing out a bit more on the anvil. This is going to take forever. then go do it, nothing stopping you except yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 8 hours ago, T.J.watts said: Use WD-40 on wet or dry paper, makes the paper last longer and gives a better finish. For a chef knife I prefer less curve on the edge but its looking good. NO! WD-40 is a transdermal and will carry any contaminants in solution right through your skin into your bloodstream! It's not as effective as DMSO but it can still poison you. Use water and a little Dawn dishwashing soap. It's very effective and one version or another is industry standard for wet sanding, heck works a treat on your whet stone too. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffrat Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 For hand sanding lubricant, I use either citrus/orange degreaser fluid or simple green. Same for finishing stones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenthunderbolt Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 You might like to do some filework first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 2 hours ago, Frozenthunderbolt said: You might like to do some filework first? Yao started like that but I realized there was a curve so I had to flatten everything out first. Now that that it sorted out I think I should invest in a micrometer before going any further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J.watts Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 10 hours ago, Frosty said: NO! WD-40 is a transdermal and will carry any contaminants in solution right through your skin into your bloodstream! It's not as effective as DMSO but it can still poison you. Use water and a little Dawn dishwashing soap. It's very effective and one version or another is industry standard for wet sanding, heck works a treat on your whet stone too. Frosty The Lucky. Well, I did not know that. That's what I've always used for finish sanding, i guess I should use something else. As many times as I have mentioned using it no one has ever told me that, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 12 hours ago, Frosty said: NO! WD-40 is a transdermal and will carry any contaminants in solution right through your skin into your bloodstream! It's not as effective as DMSO but it can still poison you. Use water and a little Dawn dishwashing soap. It's very effective and one version or another is industry standard for wet sanding, heck works a treat on your whet stone too. Frosty The Lucky. My old woodworking teacher taught me the soapy water trick as well (and it doesn't have to be Dawn). He had some horror stories from when he had used kerosene as a sharpening lubricant, although in retrospect, I think his brain issues may have been caused by other varieties of better living through chemistry, if you know what I mean.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Any good non-fat based soap works Dawn just cuts grease really well and we secrete oils through the skin. I have some stories about using kerosene as a sanding lubricant too but we didn't know any better then. Just thinking about the things we used to do on a daily basis in Dad's shop gives me the willies. WD-40 & co. doesn't like to advertise it's transdermal properties but it's there. Better living through chemistry? Why yes, YES I DO know what you mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffrat Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Or as Frank Zappa used to say.......Trendy Chemical Amusement Aids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worshipdrummer Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Maybe some 40 grit paper, a flat surface and a random orbital sander for the gross work? I would switch to hand tools as soon as I got any where close to my goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 On December 1, 2015 at 10:28:48 AM, Worshipdrummer said: Maybe some 40 grit paper, a flat surface and a random orbital sander for the gross work? I would switch to hand tools as soon as I got any where close to my goal. How close would that be? In terms of edge thickness? i went up to 220 on the belt sander and have the shape I want, I think its ready for heat treating. Gotta Find some finer paper now This is where I'm at now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worshipdrummer Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 In honesty, aesthetically , the knife is ready to be treated and finished. My advice was for the "grunt" work of getting rid of the hammer marks and stuff. I like what you have done a lot. Was it a stock removal or did you forge it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 32 minutes ago, Worshipdrummer said: Was it a stock removal or did you forge it? The OP shows that Curtis87 cut out the initial profile from flat stock, then beveled it on the anvil, resulting in the somewhat more dramatic curve than originally intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis87 Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Yep that's exactly what happened. It took the curve when I roughly forged the bevel. Ill do the Normalizing and HT soon. Just have to make up some kind of oven. I'm debating whether to use a long charcoal forge or a torch and fire bricks. I'm afraid to burn the edge in the coal forge. Might be some time until that happens though since I just had a baby boy last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 On 11/29/2015, 5:48:30, Steve Sells said: then go do it, nothing stopping you except yourself Question: If there is some minor out-of-flatness in an annealed blank (say, about 1/32" at most), can that be addressed with a little careful cold work on the anvil before grinding? (Assuming here that there will be the usual triple-normalization before hardening.) Or should there be an additional annealing in between cold work and grinding? Or is cold work out of the picture entirely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.