Forgingnoob Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I have a collection of antique tools. I have some old ice block tongs and I was curious. If I make a k ife out of them will it harden they seem to be made of the same metal that old cotton scale balances and hooks were made of. Also I have some old monkey wrenches I want to make knives out of. I have no experience in metal working of any sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 At your current level may I commend to your attention "Step by Step Knifemaking" by David Boye which is available online now. Now what I would suggest for someone wanting to do "art" knives but for reusing ag scrap it's a sturdy start. Look up "spark testing" and "Quench and break testing" as methods to determine if an unknown alloy will work for a blade. Most tools like wrenches are medium carbon steels and so not the best for a blade. Sorry for the terseness, the original long post is swirling down the bit bucket somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyw Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Thomas, was this part of your original post? "search on "spark testing" and the "quench and break testing" Most tools like wrenches are medium carbon and so not the best for blades. Ag tools designed to be in the dirt were often high carbon for wear resistance (plow shares, disks) At your current level may I commend to your attention "Step by Step Knifemaking" by David Boye which is available online now. Now what I would suggest for someone wanting to do "art" knives but for reusing ag scrap it's a sturdy start." I was reading this thread and read the above quote as your reply; then I reloaded the unread content page, clicked on the same thread, and read your above post, which is different than the original one I read. ??????????????????? weird stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Welcome aboard new guy, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. ONE day working with an experienced smith is worth maybe weeks or even months figuring it out yourself. My recommendation is to learn the blacksmith's craft to the point of proficiency before you delve into the specialization of bladesmithing. Trying to learn both at the same time is compounding the effort and maximizing the probability of failure. Set yourself up for success, it'll get you farther faster. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yes the mystery deepens! The truth is out there! (and we will find it and buy it in the back 40 on a moonless night!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Yeah, the format is still wonky. I tried attaching the above Heinlein quote several times and was denied as even "plain text" contained "formatting." I finally gave up, deleted it and wrote good search terms. I submitted it and after seeing your post Thomas there mine was, WITH the quote it refused to accept! Happily the "edit" function seems to work. It's deep dark weirdness alright. I wonder how many pieces of silver IPS wants to make it right? PLEASE don't merge this with my last post. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Now for a suggestion: let a tool collector go over your stash and trade for any rare collectibles 2 or more for 1 giving you even more to work with and not destroying any that should be "collected"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I agree Thomas. sell or trade the tools to collectors for known good knife steels. Most tools would make a crappy knife, so why destroy them? Good steel like O-1 is not that expensive and can be found all over the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Well; I have made bottle openers out of old common NONPLATED wrenches; my mechanic offered me complete access to his scrap pile when I gave him one as a gift... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forgingnoob Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 21 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: At your current level may I commend to your attention "Step by Step Knifemaking" by David Boye which is available online now. Now what I would suggest for someone wanting to do "art" knives but for reusing ag scrap it's a sturdy start. Look up "spark testing" and "Quench and break testing" as methods to determine if an unknown alloy will work for a blade. Most tools like wrenches are medium carbon steels and so not the best for a blade. Sorry for the terseness, the original long post is swirling down the bit bucket somewhere. I will have to check it out ive been saving money to get a forge for the last two years,( I have a forge now) I've watched hours of videos from Walter Sorrells and a lot of other youtubers. I've also read "50 dollar knife shop" and "The Complete Bladesmith" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forgingnoob Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 21 hours ago, Frosty said: Welcome aboard new guy, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. ONE day working with an experienced smith is worth maybe weeks or even months figuring it out yourself. My recommendation is to learn the blacksmith's craft to the point of proficiency before you delve into the specialization of bladesmithing. Trying to learn both at the same time is compounding the effort and maximizing the probability of failure. Set yourself up for success, it'll get you farther faster. Frosty The Lucky. I know guys that "make knives" but they aren't bladesmiths. They buy knife kits from smkw. I know one guy who used to forge knives but be thinks after you quench its hardened and tempered and just needs to be cleaned up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 "Step by Step" does not require the use of a forge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I'm going to make a suggestion, that in some circles is unpopular because it goes against the grain of blacksmiths using scrap for every thing they make. Use a known steel. You will simplify your life. Using known steel eliminates several steps. You won't need to test for hardenability. You won't need to spark test. It will react to hardening and tempering in a predictable manner. Most of the knife makers I know have said this over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 On 12/30/2015 at 9:19 AM, Forgingnoob said: I know guys that "make knives" but they aren't bladesmiths. They buy knife kits from smkw. I know one guy who used to forge knives but be thinks after you quench its hardened and tempered and just needs to be cleaned up. Yeah and I see people operating vehicles on public roads every day who think the turn signal lever are for keeping the PO key handy, not answering a text is stupid, etc. etc. Life is full of idiots learn what NOT to do from them and keep out of their way and their hands OFF your tools. When you say you "know them", is that in person or online? Be very VERY careful what you believe on Youtube till you know enough to filter out the bull nuggets. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forgingnoob Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 On 12/31/2015 at 4:54 PM, Frosty said: Yeah and I see people operating vehicles on public roads every day who think the turn signal lever are for keeping the PO key handy, not answering a text is stupid, etc. etc. Life is full of idiots learn what NOT to do from them and keep out of their way and their hands OFF your tools. When you say you "know them", is that in person or online? Be very VERY careful what you believe on Youtube till you know enough to filter out the bull nuggets. Frosty The Lucky. I know them personally. And I watch YouTube carefully and research what people say I've been researching bladesmith and blacksmithing and I know a blacksmith personally who says he would teach me a bit, but he works 2 jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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