MoustachedBronze Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Hello everyone! I have always been interested by knife making and all, and I've had an (singular) attempt at a knife which didn't turn out too good in my opinion. I want knife making to become my primary hobby, but I am having a hard time finding good equipment that wont break the bank. I don't know what my budget will be but i can say i already have a nice little 45# farrier anvil, some protective gear ( although i will need to replace my gloves and my eye protection, also i need a good respirator) but that's about it. I have a coal forge but its highly inefficient and super loud so i was thinking of moving to propane. I also will need something to put my anvil on, log or stand, doesn't matter. To me the highest priority is safety, next is how expensive, then how efficient. From what i can tell what i need is: A Good grinder A vise A propane forge An anvil stand/ log A respirator, Some gloves, and Eye protection Heat treating stuff (I.e quenching oil, and all that good stuff for tempering, hardening, annealing, etc) Something to hold the hot metal (tongs, pliers, whatever it takes) Possibly a few hammers (Already have a cross pein, and a ball pein) Cuts and other hardy tools Buffing wheels Places to buy the steel (live in northern Houston) (can also buy online if necessary) I think that's all but if i missed something feel free to say so. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Most of these and other questions have been answered in the knife section on IForgeIron. Steve Sells has written knifemaking book, Introduction to Knifemaking, in hardcover or paperback and is for sale in the IFI store. Safety is always first so get a good pair of safety glasses, a full face shield. The rest of the PPE depends on the task at hand. Pack a lunch and a cold drink and read the knife section as well as other sections of interest. If you have specific questions, ask and someone will answer your question directly, point you in the right direction. Houston is a large city. Look for blacksmithing or knife groups in your area and go to the meetings. You will be amazed how much you can learn in just one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 A book I picked up before I even found IFI was "Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop" Im sure Steves book is great and I need to get myself a copy. ( since I'll be out that way, was going to get an autographed copy from the man himself ) I'm no knife maker yet, want to work on some forging skills first. but it shows you can start with little and build up. Yes everything Glenn mentioned is absolutely correct. Most all questions have been answered time and again and the info is out there. Do a lil reading. I've found the guys on IFI love an educated question. they get tired of answering the same old questions everyday. Read in knife makers section And safety section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoustachedBronze Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Thank you both! I appreciate it a lot. ill look into both book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I have Steves book on knifemaking, and it is really good. One thing you should definetly add to that list of tools are some files. I only made a few knives, but Steve tells in his book that his teacher made him start with files and he had to file the knives right next to the belt grinder. Using files then taught him not to leave hammer marks and to be more efficient at knifemaking. Don't want to tell the whole book though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 8 hours ago, MoustachedBronze said: I have a coal forge but its highly inefficient what do you think is wrong with it, and maybe we can help? 10 hours ago, MoustachedBronze said: A Good grinder you could always use files. it will just take a little longer Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoustachedBronze Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 13 hours ago, littleblacksmith said: what do you think is wrong with it, and maybe we can help? you could always use files. it will just take a little longer Littleblacksmith well it just burns through the charcoal really fast, its not bad but the blower broke and to buy a new one would cost about half as much as getting a new propane forge. I have used files before, and i have no problem using them. I guess I'll continue doing that for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Look for a scrap squirrel cage fan. Do not hook it directly to the air pipe but use a 5 inch expandable aluminum dryer vent pipe and leave an air gap between the fan and the pipe. More air, air closer. Less air do not aim as close. Go to the blacksmith meetings with cash in hand and look for a hand crank blower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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