NFLIFe Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Hello everyone, Beginner knife maker/blacksmith here posting from the last remaining bit of "rural" long island, NY. I'm an Air Force veteran, and currently a ditch digger by day... But by night, many other things. Recently, I've been getting into blade smithing. Right now my setup involves a propane torch stuck in a metal cylinder, hammer, anvil, and an angle grinder for finishing. These are my first three successful knives (I botched the heat treating on two others that didn't hold up to stress testing). All of them are made from old files or chisels, 90% sure they are w2 tool steel. This first one I call my "grapplers knife." No real inspiration for this one, other than wanting a nice strong stabbing blade with a slight back curve to facilitate HEMA techniques that involve trapping wrists/limbs. This second one is sort of a seax/mini-machete/work knife, thick spine and grind, tough temper. My inspiration here was the Anglo broken spine seax along with the kukri work knife (hence slight forward bend and balance) Doesn't take a sharp edge, but it withstands chopping/hacking like a blade twice it's size. Lastly, is the little gem I hammered out last night. The blade is roughly similar to the air force survival knife, but is much lighter and thinner. I made this one as sort of a joke gift for my girl, who has been very concerned about clown attacks. As you can see, all of my knives are a simple full tang, leather wrapped handle design, and all made out of found steel so far. In the future, I'd like to learn forge welding and make cable forged work and fighting knives with stacked leather military style grips... Of course I'm currently lacking the equipment, time, and knowledge to do so. Enjoy, -Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Sceaux-Kukri sounds almost victorian! Strongly encourage you to build a propane forge and get into some in depth forging . Is there an ABANA affiliate near you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFLIFe Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Not sure about ABANA. Might be, considering the arts and farts community out in the Hamptons... Not many bladesmiths I would guess though (the culture here is very anti-everything-cool). I plan on building a coal or propane forge over the winter, but that may be a ways off. I find it amazing how you can forge a knife with minimal equipment and it will be perfectly serviceable... But yet if you want something just a little bit nicer, you could spend $10k on tools and still want for more. Any advice for quick and simple sheath making? I can't decide if I should start with kydex or leather... As always for me, I value function over style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFLIFe Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 Hey all, I posted these in my intro post, sorry if you saw them already. These are all made from old files (w2 tool steel so far as I can tell). They're a bit rough, but currently my finishing equipment is limited to just an angle grinder. Leather lace grips are also simple, but they work well and required no additional purchases on my part. This was my first... The inspiration was from studying HEMA knife fighting techniques; so the edge I isn't the sharpest, but it has a strong stabbing point and a slight back curve that facilitates trapping and controlling your opponent's limbs. duplicate post removed as SPAM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdaleh Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Look for Steve Sells book on knife making or Wayne Goddard s $50 dollar knife shop. Both are very good information for bladesmith's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFLIFe Posted October 27, 2016 Author Share Posted October 27, 2016 Thanks I'll check them out. I've been reading "the complete bladesmith"... Great information, but it definitely doesn't cater to those on a low budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 These are some great firsts! The Complete Bladesmith was how I started too, it's a great resource. Come visit me in Brooklyn, we'll fire up the forge and talk about knives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFLIFe Posted October 27, 2016 Author Share Posted October 27, 2016 Sounds good... Although I'll admit I try to avoid NYC normally (I have a buddy who got arrested by NYPD for carrying a multi tool... I can't imagine what they'd do to me if they looked in my truck!) Do the local laws get in the way it forging at all? I've been told you can't even keep large blades at home in some of the boroughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 It's perfectly legal to have large blades and swords in your home. Transporting them it where things get sticky; they need to be properly bagged/encased and securely locked in a sealed container, transported in a way where access is obviously not swift. My forge is split between a metal fab shop and a lasercutting/cnc shop where there are established businesses, so I get no grief Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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