Here's my new batch of knives for 07

[chipper]

Here's my latest batch of knives and leather. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Here's a W1 oil quench and the butt plate I did scrim on.

This guy is 4340 tool steel that I'm giving away at my local gun club as a white elephant.

This is a 1095, the hammon came out nice.

This 1095 was forged outside at about -5f. I didn't get it fast enough into the quench. It came out as hard as I like the metal but no hammon. I suspect the ambient air had something to do with it.

thanks in advance
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[skunkskinner]

I like em all but the twin fork one looks really good.

 

[chipper]

It's funny, most of the folks I've sold knives to don't like the abbo type blade that I represented with the forked horn. It only took me about 30 min. to make it. I guess I'll have to make more.

Thanks for the comment.
Regards

 

[tom hargrove]

those are fine i wish i could pick up the refinement touch that some of you fellows have. :bow: :bow:

 

[PitchyPine]

those are fine i wish i could pick up the refinement touch that some of you fellows have. :bow: :bow:

I hear ya two-bellys :redface: knives look great Loyd. :thumbsup:

 

[BRUN]

I really like those wood handled ones.

 

[LRB]

Very good Lloyd. Glad to see you working with real knife steel. Lose that 4340, it just isn't suitable steel for a knife. Keep going with the good stuff, you will get the hang of it.

 

[Nifeman]

Lookin good Loyd. I like the one with the poured bolster. Pewter really enhances a knife and it's easy to do. keep up the good work :thumbsup: ...Bud

 

[guncobbler]

Wick and Loyd - Can you talk about the differant knife steels? What are the qualities and downsides of the various ones? Thanks, GC

 

[windwalker_au]

Loyd i love the top one,they are all good but the top is my faveret.
bernie :bow:

 

[chipper]

Wick is the expert, I just started making knives less than a year ago in my spare time. He would be better at explaining this stuff but here's my go at it.

What I've learned so far is, everyone has thier favorite steel. My two best friends are cheap and free. W1 and O1 drill rod are real cheap to buy, that's why I like them. W stands for Water Quenched O stands for Oil quenched. Both of these tend to have large quantities of carbon, up around .9%.
Carbon is the element in steel that tends to make it really hard. Anything much above 1% starts making the steel into cast iron. Anything below like .5% and there's not enough carbon to keep the knife hard and sharp.

I favor W1 and 1095 because I like the Hammon to show up. The hammon is the discoloration on a blade where the temper line shows up when the knive maker uses what's called a differential quench. Knives that you buy in Wallmart are all the same hardess throughout the blade. The differential quench allows knife to be reasonably soft, flexable and strong in all areas except the cutting edge. This is important because you can literally bend the knife to 90 degrees and back again without if failing. Comercial knives would simply snap in two. The problem with these hight carbon steels are, they are difficult to work. I have an entire stack of High carbon knives that broke during the hardening process. It's taken me about 6 months of playing around to get my process down to where I can make knives every time. Water quenching is the real doozy. I can do It but it's very difficult to harden knives in water without them breaking.

Other tools steels work real well for knives too but don't tend to have the same qualities in edge hardening and wearability as some of the steels that have large quanities of carbon. This other stuff I mentioned is called 4340 tool steel. It was really designed to make other stuff out of like ball bearing races but I have a bunch of it laying around free so I use it. I can't seem to get the the knife blades made from it quite as hard but they seem to work real well. The best way to start learning about this stuff is have a friend that's a machinist. I have one that's been teaching me how to read a Machinist handbook and so on. It has everything in it about metals. What the metal is good for and how hard it should get, ect. ect. ect. If your just starting out, I would recomend using 5160 steel, it's everywhere and it's cheap. Most automobiles use 5160 for springs. It's lower in carbon and easier to heat treat than some of the stuff I listed like w1, o1 or 1095.

Thanks again for all the comments. I really like making knives as a hobby, I don't make any money at it but I sure enjoy it. I hope some of you will try it too, it's real cheap to get started in and addicting. My whole set up cost about $300 for a used forge and anvil. Please feel free to ask, if there is any way I can help in your journey.

Regards
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[LRB]

Loyd has pretty much covered things. I would add that the ability to make a blade that will bend 90o without failing is part of the test given by the ABS, to become a master, I believe. The edge is allowed to crack, and is not required to return to straight without help, but the blade must not break. The blade is however, ruined, and I have never completely understood the logic behind the test. I would not judge a blade on this ability alone. Passing this test proves nothing about the cutting, or edge holding ability of this blade, and much of that can depend on who sharpened it, and how. Geometry has much to do with that. Knives are cutting tools, and not prybars. There is a type of heat treat that will work on a few select steels, 01 and 5160 for a couple, that will allow such a bend, and a full return, and still be at a hardness that makes a good knife, but it takes a very skilled and knowledgable heat treater to pull it off in a consistent manner, and is best done using molten salt heat treating, and will also depend on blade dimensions, due to the leverage factor.

 

[jeepwj992002]

Loyd those are some pretty sweet looking blades. My favorite is the first one.
:bow:

 

[longrifle78]

Nice lookin knives Loyd, One thing I would like to ad is I would not recomend quenching any blade in water , theres to much risk of cracking a blade you just spent several hours making. I only use thin oil heated to about 100 deg. for all my blades.

 

[k.jacobfrost]

Loyd,

Those are some real nice looking blades. :thumbsup: I really like the first one. The bit of scrimshaw on the handle is a nice touch.

Your signature listed Loveland, Co. Does this happen to be were you reside? I'm currently living in Broomfield, Co. and am looking for people near by with similar interest.

Frost

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Lloyd,

Good job on all of em. I love the looks of the top knife. GW