Knifemaking 101

[Desert Rat]

With all of the threads and neat pictures from you knifemakers, I'm getting an itch to try my hand at it. Here's my main problem/s

1. Don't have a clue to what I'm doing.
2. Don't have a forge or a way to heat the steel.
3. Don't have a clue to what I'm doing.
4. Wouldn't know non-knife steel from knife steel if it was bent over my head.
5. Don't have a clue to what I'm doing.
6. Don't know where to get the stuff I need to make a knife even if I knew what I needed.
7. Don't have a clue to what I'm doing.

Anyway, you can see the pattern building here. I've tried reading the past posts and follow the current ones and it's getting really confusing. I know it takes expeirence to get good at it and there are different ways to go about it. Can somebody post a knife building tutorial like Mike did with gun building?

As a refernce starter I found a way to make a simple forge...now if I can find the coal and fire bricks I might have a start.

Forge Link

The author does talk about how to make some coals. Does anyone know if the "cowboy charcoal" that is supposed to be 100% natural hardwood is ok for forging?

Thanks in advance.

 

[LRB]

#1, You don't need a forge to make a knife. You can do it by stock removal. Forgeing does not make a better knife, it is just one way of doing it.
You can find knife steel from numerous sources. A good beginner steel if forgeing would be 1080. A good one for stock removal might be 01. Try "ENCO", for good prices. It comes dead soft, and precision ground. Although a tad expensive it is still a steel others are judged by. It is very high in carbon, and makes a very fine blade even with a less than perfect heat treat.
You should first invest in a few books and videos.
Get a knife magazine, and order catalogs from knifemaking supply vendors.
You are welcome to email me for general info. [email protected]
You might want to check this site also.[url] bladeforums.com[/url]. There are folks there who are more than willing to help you also. It is a great site for beginners, or veterans.

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Head over to your library and see if they have "The Complete Bladesmith", excellent book on the subject and fairly easy to read and understand, see if you can borrow it first and like it before shelling out 50 bux to buy it!

 

[vikingsword]

Since you seem to be interested in forging as an option, I would like strongly suggest a book called "The $50 Knife Shop" by Wayne Goddard. This book is great for anyone with a desire to make a knife or knives who has little or no knowledge or experience in this field. It will help you get started with a minimal of equipment that you may already have or can find very cheap, to get the job done. You can find this book on line at most any book outlet such as Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. You can PM me as well if you would like help or more info, and that goes for anyone else reading this that may want to explore making thier own knife. I be glad to help. Wes

 

[44-henry]

I teach my university students the principles of materials and heat treatment by having them build a simple knife, in fact I just got done filing the blade on the one that I will be using this coming semester in class.

I would recommend the book Custom Knifemaking by Tim McCreight if your looking at learning the basic principles of knifemaking. I've got most of the other books out there, but this is the one that I generally pull out for my class since it is so basic. It covers tools, materials, knife design, sheathmaking, forge set-up ,and also walks you through the steps of producing 10 knives which range from camp knives to jack knives and also a decent section on making damascus steel. There are other books that are more detailed and deal with the finer points of the craft, but I don't think any of them are this basic and do as nice a job explaining the work to a raw beginner.

As far as materials we have used old files, now we are using 01 ground flat stock from Enco. I've got a forge and two modern heat treatment furnaces in my lab along with a host of belt sanders and buffing machines; however, for safety concerns my students use pretty much basic hand tools for the shaping and polishing operations and they make some very nice blades. The hardening and tempering operations are accomplished with nothing more complicated than a propane torch and a small toaster oven. It may be simple,but it works.

 

IMO - If you're interested in forging I would not only get the $50.00 Knife Shop book, but would add Tim Lively's DVD - Knifemaking Unplugged to your list. Tim will walk you through the whole process including making a forge, an anvil, and much more using simple methods.

Any good real hardwood charcoal will work (it's all that Tai Goo, one of the finest bladesmiths in the world, uses. BTW - Tai lives in Tucson and offers day classes, even a couple of his classes can really make the difference if you're inclined that way) - there is no need for coal which can actually be harder to use since it needs to be coked first and the sulphur emissions can cause problems.

Good starter steels for forging (can be used for stock removal as well) are 1075/1080 and 5160. Admiral Steel sells both in knife maker quantities as do knifemaking supply outfits such as Texas Knifemaker's Supply or K & G, which is in Lakeside, Az - both steels are very forgiving in the heat treat, are widely available, widely used by some of the top blademsmiths, and make a real nice knife.

Another way to start on the cheap is using old mower blades (most are 1080/1084), they can be full anealed, worked and re-hardened, or with patience and working slow they can be ground as is into quite a nice knife, albeit a bit "soft", but then old time knives were/are seldom as hard as modern ones.

Watch out though you may become one of us "addicts", and it's a hard addiction to kick (40+ years and counting amd still no relief!).. :thumbsup:

An extensive list of knifemaking suppliers can be found here....
Knife Making Suppliers

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Great resource list, thanks Chuck!

 

[Desert Rat]

Thanks for the links, books and video ideas. I've done some poking around and found another site, it's for general blacksmithing but it has some neat projects.

Blacksmithing

I'm going to have to check out the place in Lakeside, I usually head up the way in the spring for a long weekend.

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

Welcome to the black-booger tribe! I'm a Tucson bladesmith of the Neo-Tribal persuasion. Tai Goo is a good friend of mine, who taught me most of what I know. Check out the Outpost on the Knife Network website, as well as Don Fogg's website forum. We bladesmiths are an amiable lot and are always eager to share any new tidbit of information. We're also somewhat goofy.

 

[Birddog6]

I suggest ya go to [url] www.texasknives.com[/url] and order you a catalog & or go thru their site & possibly you will want to start with a knife kit. Don't make it a difficult one like the folders, stay with a simple sheath knife. They have everything you need in that catalog for making knives Including books & vidios.

First learn to make the knife from stock removal. Then if you want to forge one, go for that as forging is a whole dif road in itself.

If I can be of help give me a email & I will try to help. [email protected] Be sure to put something in the Subject Line like Knives or Rifles or it will get spam filtered to the trash bin as spam if left blank.

 

[chipper]

I use the charcoal stuff you mention exclusively to make knives. It's 5$ a bag and it goes a long way. I would check out the library before investing in any books. I'm really cheap, my forge and blower cost $25 from a farm sale and I make 1 or 2 knives a week on it.
It's a shame you don't live closer. I would be happy to teach you for free. At least what I know. That goes for anyone who lives locally.
I use W1 drill rod from[url] WWW.enco.com[/url]. It's really cheap for 3' of 5/8". 1/2" is pretty small rod and 3/4" is pretty big.
The forge plans will work but the blower from a shop vac will probably be too much air. I've heard of other fellas using a blower out of a dish washer. I guess the dry cycle uses a blower that can work. I personally use an old blower from a blacksmithing forge. I like cranking on it. No electricity needed. A japanese box blower would be my first choice if I needed to make a blower from scratch. Google it and I'm sure you'll find the plans.
Be sure to E-mail if you need more help getting set up.
Regards
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[FPDoc]

I've used a squirrel-cage blower for years. I made a "T" connection that I put a linkage to damper discs so when one closed the other opened so I didn't have the blower working against itself. I've seen folks that just used a disc to cover part of the blower inlet. It doesn't take a huge amount of air, fine control is more important. Hand crank is great too.. gives you time to think.. the forging is actually done in your head while the metal heats. The pounding is all planned before you take the metal out of the forge.. how to hit it, where to hit, etc. then as it cools below forging temperature.. straighten everything up and put it back in for the next heat and start thinking again. Its lotsa fun.

 

[LFC]

For cheap blacksmithing advice, one of my favorite books is Alexander Weygers' Complete Modern Blacksmith. Here's a link that'll get you to Amazon for a look-see:
[url] http://www.amazon.com/Complet..._1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196203145&sr=8-1[/url]