Tubalcain2 Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 First off, I am no knifemaker and don't pretend to be.That said, this is one I finished yesterday, and i think it came out fairly ok-ish. the steel is from an old cultivator tine, the handle is desert ironwood finished with tung oil. Holds an edge just fine. the blade in just under 3 inches. what do y'all think? Criticism? Advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 has a nice profile in my opinion. looks good. If you are making knives, you're a knife maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyiorn Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Looks good, like something of a boot knife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks, both of ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Nice; good character. The handle is beautiful and works well with the lines of the blade. My only criticism would be the bevel: it looks kind of half finished. If you had a really smooth, polished surface with no secondary bevel at the edge, it would look better not only in itself, but also by contrast with the roughness of the brut de forge surface towards the spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 10 minutes ago, JHCC said: If you had a really smooth, polished surface with no secondary bevel at the edge, it would look better not only in itself, but also by contrast with the roughness of the brut de forge surface towards the spine. JHCC, can you expound upon that statement? By my terminology, the secondary bevel IS the edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Sure. Towards the back of the blade (from the spine to about the middle line), there is the brut de forge surface. From about the middle of the blade to just before the edge is the primary bevel. At the very edge of the blade is the secondary bevel; that's the bright line along the edge. Basically like this: Now, I'm suggesting that Tubalcain2 could have a single bevel (concave, convex, or flat; any would work) that goes straight from the brut de forge surface to the edge with no secondary bevel, thus: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thank you for drawing it out. I see what you mean how it has a rather wide secondary bevel, but every knife (at least every knife that has been sharpened) has one. How would you try to sharpen picture 2 without creating a secondary bevel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 This would eliminate that bright line along the edge and make the whole thing look more neat and professional. The problem with the rough grind on the primary bevel and the shine off the secondary bevel is that they make the whole thing look a bit unfinished, even (forgive me, TC2) a trifle sloppy. A super clean primary grind with no secondary bevel would look great. Just now, C-1ToolSteel said: Thank you for drawing it out. I see what you mean how it has a rather wide secondary bevel, but every knife (at least every knife that has been sharpened) has one. How would you try to sharpen picture 2 without creating a secondary bevel? Sorry, we posted simultaneously. For sharpening picture 2, you've got three choices: (1) Sharpen the entire width of the bevel. This would be the better option for a flat bevel. (2) If the primary bevel is slightly convex, you can sharpen just at the edge and blend that sharpening back into the primary bevel. (3) For a flat bevel or a concave bevel, you can (if you don't want to do the full bevel as in (1) above) do a "microbevel". This would be a very, very thin bevel right at the edge. This gives you the greater durability of the secondary bevel while still looking nice and neat. For a knife in regular use, alternating (1) and (3) would probably be your best bet. By way of illustration, here's an in-progress kitchen knife with the effect I'm advocating: (Please not that this is not finish-ground, so there is a bit of rounding at the edge, towards the poing. Ignore that.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 IMPORTANT CAVEAT: When it comes to knifemaking, I am very much a beginner myself, so please take everything I say here with a big grain of salt. However, I spent a lot of time in my former career as a woodworker dealing with blades of one variety or another, and I try to give a lot of thought to the aesthetics of what I make in this present craft. My critique here of TC2's blade is more aesthetic than technical, and I'd welcome the thoughts of some of our more experienced bladesmiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Gotcha. Thanks again for spending so much time explaining. I think you are making some good points. Not exactly sure what you mean by "big grain of salt", but I think I get the point. Being a woodworker, I can totally see how sharpening a full bevel wouldn't seem like a big deal to you, but for the average person, that would be pretty tricky. I guess that's one reason why there are so many kinds of primary and secondary bevels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 thanks for all of your suggestions. the main reason the bevel looks so rough is because i only have one small sheet of 200 sandpaper. i plan to finish it a bit better when i can get more sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeroclick Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 That is a very good looking knife and one I would be proud to carry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 thanks. its definitely my best one so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 1 hour ago, Tubalcain2 said: thanks for all of your suggestions. the main reason the bevel looks so rough is because i only have one small sheet of 200 sandpaper. i plan to finish it a bit better when i can get more sandpaper. What is is they say? The dirty little secret of knifemaking is that you will spend more on abrasives than you ever will on steel! I'm glad to hear that you're planning to do some more sanding, and I look forward to seeing the knife finished up. Remember that the most important thing is not so much how highly polished the final product is (that is, what's the highest grit sandpaper you use) but how even a finish you've achieved. Don't be afraid to go back to a coarser grit (say, 60) to get out all the grinding marks, and then progress up through your grits to make sure you've gotten every single scratch from the previous. Even if you stop at 180 or 220, if the surface is completely even, it will look terrific. I don't know if you've ever read David Pye's book The Nature and Art of Workmanship, but he talks a lot about how these small-scale, close-up details proclaim the maker's skill level and commitment to quality. I know myself how impatient I can be to just get the darn thing done, to have a finished product to show off, and I'm constantly reminding myself to slow down, pay attention to those details, and take the time to get it right. 41 minutes ago, Tubalcain2 said: thanks. its definitely my best one so far. Very true. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikecopXXX Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 I like it a lot. I am wondering is the handle might work loose with only one pin. Keep up the good work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 I used 2 part epoxy to glue the handle on so i don't think i'll have an issue with that. Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanternnate Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 This is just a theory as I'm still just starting myself. With some practice grinding I've been doing what I've found is if the edge is left thicker after doing the primary bevel, the secondary sharpening bevel is then larger and more noticable. I haven't tried the just primary bevel to sharp (what I've read is called a "scandi" grind), but just getting the edge thinner before doing the secondary seems to come out "nicer" between my tests because the secondary bevel doesn't climb as high. Of course I usually mess up and have to grind more to fix the mess up enough that it is never an issue getting things thinner The one other thing I'm struggling to get better at is keeping the transition line crisp. I tend to either have it "wobble" or I round it off which impacts the look. I like the look of the knife a lot. The integral finger guard is cool and your brute de forge texture looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 I think you are right. i am still working on getting my secondary bevels right, myself. it would probably be better if i had done as you said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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