Jonathan Smidt Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Alright, so I am sure quite a few of those who check this out will have seen my first two knife attempts. Well, I tried to take in all the advice I could, and as a result, without further ado (is that the right word for the saying?), I present to you all, for critiquing and criticisms, my third and fourth knife attempts. Beforw the pictures....blades are 1084 steel, smaller handle is rose wood, larger handle is pearl inlace acrylester. Heat treat all went well (though on the quench on the larger one I developed a slight bend, so I heated it back up, fixed the bend, real quick, and it was good to go) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Looks like a significant improvement from 1 and 2, so that's what you want. I like the smaller one. Reminds my of what they call a nesmuk (I think) blade. Just a good multi purpose, outdoorsman's sorta knife. The handle material on the larger one is gorgeous, but it looks pretty blocky. Could be partly camera angle, though. How does it fit in your hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 I can definitely see it, but I think it might be exaggerate by lighting and the angle. When I close my hand around loosely I dont feel the edges, but if I grip tighter i can feel them a little, i think the edges fit mainly where my knuckles are. I definitely want to work on making smother rounder handles though, before I move to more complex handle designs with grooves for fingers etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 I agree with C-1, definitely an improvement over your last two. The blade shapes are much better. I would recommend working on your ricassos and plunge lines though, those two features over all others really make a blade look crisp and sharp (no pun intended.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 9 hours ago, Will W. said: I agree with C-1, definitely an improvement over your last two. The blade shapes are much better. I would recommend working on your ricassos and plunge lines though, those two features over all others really make a blade look crisp and sharp (no pun intended.) Will, I will definitely try to work on those.... going to need to watch some more videos and do some reading I think to figure those out, the few classes I've taken were a level 1 and 2 blacksmithing course, and a 3 hour long railroad spike knife course....which didn't cover too much in the finer aspects of knife making (I am taking a 3 day tactical knife course towards the end of December, which may help me as well!). So most of this has just been banging on hot metal with a shape in mind, and trying my best to get there! While I have your attention, curious with regards to the point of the blade, I've had some issue when I'm drawing out the point from the stock that it likes to try to fold in or one end tips over the other, leaving a slight crease that I have to work to get rid of... wasn't as bad for the fourth knife (the longer of the two), but had an issue especially with the third, which required some love from the angle grinder to fix. Is that likely a problem from drawing it out unevenly, or is there a trick I am missing? (I've seen some people just cut the tip profile out of the stock...but that would feel like cheating to me haha). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 7 minutes ago, Jonathan Smidt said: going to need to watch some more videos One of the best little instructional videos I've seen for forging a small knife is from Owen Bush (our very own @basher) on "Forging the Blacksmiths Knife". A very worthwhile half hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 6 hours ago, Jonathan Smidt said: I've had some issue when I'm drawing out the point from the stock that it likes to try to fold in or one end tips over the other, leaving a slight crease that I have to work to get rid of. It sounds like you are describing what is known as fish lips. Where the tip doesnt actually form a point, but both ends fold around where the tip should be. If this is what you are describing, there are many fixes to it, the simplest of which being to forge the taper *from* the tip not towards the tip. I hope this makes sense and is helpful. P.S. be discerning when it comes to getting information from youtube videos. If the video is here on IFI (like the one JHCC very kindly uploaded) then it is likely credible. Folk around here dont care much for misinformation. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Do you have some good files? Those will help a lot with the plunge lines and ricasso, especially if you don't have a belt grinder yet. Lots more controllable than an angle grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Look up draw filing and file jigs. Very simple things can make knives look way better, and increase functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 15 hours ago, Tubalcain2 said: Do you have some good files? Those will help a lot with the plunge lines and ricasso, especially if you don't have a belt grinder yet. Lots more controllable than an angle grinder. Define "good" files, I'm having a real hard time judging what makes a good file, and what types are good (full/half, bastard, etc)....Also...is it possible to start the plunge lines by offsetting the blade with the anvil on both sides?? 14 hours ago, Will W. said: Look up draw filing and file jigs. Very simple things can make knives look way better, and increase functionality. Will do! Didn't get much free time yesterday, but the next two nights I plan on spending looking deeply into everything ya'll have told me to, so that when I get to the forge this weekend I can try to apply these new techniques. (I currently have a blade that I've already hardened though...so that one will not have these new techniques applied to it ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 7 minutes ago, Jonathan Smidt said: Define "good" files Sharp, and properly shaped for the job at hand. Coarse files are good for basic shaping, and finer files are better for cleaning up a piece before you move on to grinding or sanding. Remember that the bigger a file is, the easier it is to hold at the correct angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 1 hour ago, Jonathan Smidt said: Define "good" files, I'm having a real hard time judging what makes a good file, and what types are good (full/half, bastard, etc) For a beginning knife maker I would suggest a halfround bastard, a wide single-cut for drawfiling, and a smaller flat bastard. Just to start, of course. you can not have to many files.I have 25 or so and could use more. Nicholson files are good, Simmons are also good. Just remember you get what you pay for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 I've gotten some great files for cheap at flea markets and yard sales. Look for ones that are gummed up with oil and nameless gunk but that are still pretty sharp underneath. Dirty files can be cleaned. Dull files can also be sharpened with an acid bath (or so I'm told; I've never had to try it myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 I have used a piece of copper tubing as a file card to clean out the gunk and a vinegar bath to "sharpen" old files with moderate success. Some files are just too far gone to benefit much, but if they are just a little dull or rusty the acid bath can give them some new life. In my opinion it's better than before, but still not anything like a new quality file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 Roger that, I"ll grab some of those and see how it goes, learning a lot of this on the fly as I go, which is why I'm asking all the questions...so far all I've really used a file for was to check hardness, and to attempt to file out a hidden tang, and to clean up some pin holes before I got my drill press set up (used a hand drill, broke some bits, and just filed the rest of the hole so the pin would fit lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Get a file card too! Most of the middle/high school industrial arts texts have a section on how to file and such books can often be found cheap (as in US$1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Smidt Posted December 7, 2017 Author Share Posted December 7, 2017 On 12/6/2017 at 12:44 PM, ThomasPowers said: Get a file card too! Most of the middle/high school industrial arts texts have a section on how to file and such books can often be found cheap (as in US$1). Adding to the list of things to get! Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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