NCHammer Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Hey everybody, I just finished making my first knife. I had an awesome time and learned a lot along the way and am looking forward to my next build. I’d love to hear what you guys think, what you like or don’t like about it. And especially how you think I can improve it. It’s 1095 steel with a brass pin and teakwood handle. PS. This is my first attempt at making a knife. It was a lot of fun and learned a lot. Still have to bring the edge up to a fully sharpened but I’m awaiting a sharpening stone. I used a small 1x30 inch belt grinder and is severely under powered and I could only source 80 grit belts, so it was chore to get any significant scratches out. I would love a suggestion for a more professional belt grinder, that would be suitable for my needs. Which will probably be smaller knifes but possible a sword in the future? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L. Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Well done, Sir. It should serve you well. How did you do your heat treat? Most of tje scratches can be removed ising a sanding block a progressively finer grits of sand paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryd Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 There are a couple of 4" x 36" belt grinders out there that have 3/4 - 1 horse power for under $200. They will change your life. I guess I'm not supposed to use brand names here, but look for direct drive rather than belt drive, and don't even bother with the $65 model from the cheapest of all tool stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Brand names are okay, just not links to their web site as it's advertising. No harm if folks search out a web site though. Nice blade by the way. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryd Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Buck tools makes a 3/4hp direct drive that will actually hog off some metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHammer Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 I quenched in vegetable oil at nonmagnetic and then put it in the oven at 400 for two cycles about 3 hours each. Thanks for the suggestion on the grinders I'll look into some of the 4x36 grinders. I've been trying to look at some 2x48 grinders but most are fairly expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Be careful the platen extends farther than the motor, if not you'll be very limited how long a blade you'll be able to grind without it hitting the motor. Go ahead, ask me how I know. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryd Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 I done several 8" chef's knives and a 10" filet knife with mine. But it's good to hear about someone else's learning experiences now and then. Oh yeah, the blade in my profile pic. It's a five inch boner made from leaf spring and stabilized spalted alder. The meat manager at our local grocery has the mate to it. He also has a cold room and butcher shop built into his garage. Apparently the boner I made him went through 2 pigs and half a steer before he had to touch up the edge, so I got the HT right through no fault of my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Kocsis Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Changing direction when you switch grits will help a lot with your finish and help get out those deeper tool marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L. Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Some people say "never, ever, ever change directions when sanding". I subscribe to the camp that says " changing direction while sanding helps to find then elliminate scratches left by coarser grits." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Jim L. said: Some people say "never, ever, ever change directions when sanding". Why would one say such a thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Nchammer, Great looking knife for your first! Personally, I think the proportions would look a tad better with a smaller choil and maybe a little bit bigger of a guard. Just me though... One more thing... I’m not sure why 1095 is recommended so often as a great steel for beginners, because a soak time in hardening is recommended. 1084 is easier for beginners who don’t have a controlled heat treating oven at their disposal. Overall, a very nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, C-1ToolSteel said: I’m not sure why 1095 is recommended so often as a great steel for beginners You make a good point, but with a lot of beginners I suspect 1095 is more like 1084 by time they get to heat treating. All those extra heats will gradually decrease the carbon content of the steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim L. Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/19/2019 at 12:40 PM, JHCC said: Why would one say such a thing? I honestly don't recall who said that about not changing the sanding direction. Some how the scratches come right out with decreasing grits and a nice sanding block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Different folks different techniques and opinions. As always YMMV Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 the not changing directions only makes sense with wood working and the grain direction of the wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 That is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfeile Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Nice job on the knife. For a reasonably low cost alternative for a belt grinder, I went with a Bucktool 4x36 and added a Jiffy conversion to it. This changes it to a 2x48 with flat platten and 2 contact wheel sizes. Gives me a lot more versatility and much bigger selection of belts available. The one thing I did notice is that the platten of the 4x36 will twist a little causing your tracking to go all funny. I solved this with some angle iron and a support post of my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerryd Posted May 3, 2019 Share Posted May 3, 2019 Did you build that or are they available commercially? Nevermind, I found the website.....COOL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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