WRLD Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 I made this for a friend's birthday. It's 1095 with micarta scales. I used my 2 brick forge to heat treat and tempered it with a toaster oven. I started using 1084 after this knife because I wasn't happy with the inconsistent grains I was getting while trying to soak 1095 in my little forge. Going forward I want to be more consistent with my bevels and overall fit and finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
templehound Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 For the second knife that turned out pretty good....thats what came immediately to my mind. As a suggestion or stimulus I would recommend take a look and give a thought in size and design ratio....that design is too much like a spade. It is for most tasks too wide, whether you peel an apple or dress game while hunting.Maybe You can skin with it but when releasing bones out of joints there is simply not enough space most of the time for such a broad blade.....and it would aesthetically look better if not that broad. I dont know if I understand it linguistically right, that you blame the 1084 for the grain structure and thinking with another 1095 it would be better. It is not the steel that is responsible for coarse or/and inconsistent grain....well, it is You and your technique in heat treatment Heat treating with the forge is something for the more experienced maker....but I dont recommend it. It is not accurate! Even after 30 years of forging and knifemaking I never would heat treat without a kiln or oven and a proper thermometer...heat treating is with edge geometry the most important thing to get a good quality knife....it has to be controlled and it has to be clean....HT with the forge without experience is not more than guessing, resulting in uneven solution, coarse grain, cracks, pollution and the like And I really dont understand the term " soaking" ...do you mean the time holding the steel in temperature? If so, the old school and classic technique for time of a knife blade holding in the oven is 1 minute per each millimeter. If you have a blade with 5 mm in thickness, it is the first minute getting it up to temperature and then holding it for 5 minutes. Before You put your focus on bevel looks and finish get the geometry and the forms a bit better under control...starting with the edge. It is still much too tick. near the ricasso it is a thick wedge....and the picture from the back shows the tip ist still blunt and thick and not pointy. Well, that's what I call a clear criticism, but it is well-intentioned, hope you understand it right and get some advantage out of it. Like I said at the beginning for the second piece you did really good....if You focus on the real high performance quality, because thats what all handmades should have, You will be a skilled and very good maker....you got good basics already good Luck Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Everything Templehound says is valid and I will add a bit. The geometry of every knife is dictated by its intended use. All the shape of the body of the blade is doing is giving strength to a particular shape of edge. I would call your example a skinning or leather working knife where a curved edge works best. A general purpose knife like a hunting or camp knife has both a straight and curved portion to the edge so that different parts of the edge can be used for various tasks. Your sheath looks commercially made. Did you start with that and make the blade to fit? If not, you did a very good job on the sheath. Other than that the only other comment or suggestion that I have is to start with a bit thinner stock. As Templehound has said, the blade seems rather thick for its length. that is not any kind of a mathematical formula, e.g. a blade should be X mm wide for every Y cm of length. It is just a subjective "look of the thing." Good job and I expect that your 3d, 4th, and 112th knives will be of even better quality. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 15 minutes ago, templehound said: As a suggestion or stimulus I would recommend take a look and give a thought in size and design ratio....that design is too much like a spade. It is for most tasks too wide, whether you peel an apple or dress game while hunting.Maybe You can skin with it but when releasing bones out of joints there is simply not enough space most of the time for such a broad blade.....and it would aesthetically look better if not that broad. I can completely see what you are saying. I discussed ergonomics with my friend briefly after using it for a little bit and he hit on a few similar points. I appreciate the advice 23 minutes ago, templehound said: I dont know if I understand it linguistically right, that you blame the 1084 for the grain structure and thinking with another 1095 it would be better. I'm sorry, I think I might have misspoke. I was getting inconsistent results attempting to heat treat 1095 steel I switched to 1084 steel and got much better results. From what I understand 1095 steel requires a specific tempature for a specific duration of time in a kiln/forge. I couldn't do this in my forge. When I switched to 1084 steel, I believe that I got better results because 1084 steel doesn't require as precise of a heat treat. I hope I'm not still butchering this. 43 minutes ago, templehound said: Well, that's what I call a clear criticism, but it is well-intentioned, hope you understand it right and get some advantage out of it. Like I said at the beginning for the second piece you did really good....if You focus on the real high performance quality, because thats what all handmades should have, You will be a skilled and very good maker....you got good basics already good Luck Cheers Thank you for the long and thought out comment. I I really want to grow in this hobby and I feel like this is a big part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 (edited) 27 minutes ago, George N. M. said: Your sheath looks commercially made. Did you start with that and make the blade to fit? If not, you did a very good job on the sheath Funny enough, I made the press to make the sheath out of XPS foamboard, It works pretty decent. Thank you! 27 minutes ago, George N. M. said: Other than that the only other comment or suggestion that I have is to start with a bit thinner stock. Completely 100% agree. I've been practice grinding on 1/8 and 3/32 stock and I've liked it much more then the 3/16 that I was using. Thank you for the commemt Edited April 12, 2021 by WRLD Sorry mod I meant to combine those 2 comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 One additional question: are the cuts in the top edge made with smooth curved bottoms to not create stress risers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I believe this is what you are referring to. Yes they are. Should they have been more rounded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 No those look pretty good; thanks for the good picture showing them too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Definitely! I too like to make sure we are 100% talking about the same thing. Plus I'm sure a picture would have gotten me better advice if there were problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 They should make cutting boards with more manly backgrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 You know D. as much as I love a good straight line and as sweet a series of mental images yours produced of carpenters with Manly Men standing behind them, I'm afraid you've been upstaged by WRLD's OUTSTANDING photo of his blade. Do you do a lot of photography or was this a lucky shot, WRLD? I'm doubting luck myself the control of framing, lighting and highlights makes me think experience. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 They were perfect photos. All but the first. The blade seemed blurry. As for manly backgrounds, I had something more along the lines of the Brazilian female national volleyball team. Not the Village People. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 DHarris, ask and you may just receive. Frosty, I've picked up many hobbies and photography was my favorite for a long time. I still love taking photos but I don't take it as seriously as I used to. Thank you, I appreciate the compliment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 I just call them like I see them. I took several semesters of photography in school but didn't go pro. I don't have to think very hard to make decent to good shots and can still compose stills. Not up to where I used to be but I certainly do recognize good technique. I keep advising folk to use oblique light angles, NOT the flash and not shoot perpendicular to shiny stuff, steel is worse for glaring highlights than polished silver. Severely back lit shots get to me too. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Years ago on I believe the BladeForum, the SharpByCoop guy explained how he makes his photos look so good. It is much more than just placing the knife on a rock and taking a snapshot. His photos were every bit as artful as the knives themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Jim Weyer of the "Points of Interest" series; once said that he wasn't the best photographer out there; but he was the best one doing knives at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRLD Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 I enjoyed photography more when I stopped taking it as seriously. Now I mostly shoot with old mechanical SLR cameras when I'm not using the smartphone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 I loved my Canon T-90 but got it stolen with the bag, after a long flight home. I set it on the floor and stepped up to the pay phone leaving it behind me. I went a good 10 paces before I realized it wasn't over my shoulder. At least that won't happen shooting with my Cell phone. <sigh> Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetrot Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 To me that looks like a fine knife for skinning Beaver. Moosetrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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