MYOG - Knife

[Greyfox]

No problem what colour do you want I have black and brick red?
Go to pm with this.

GF

[twentyclicks]

Awesome work. This is coming along well!

[Eamonn]

The big one looks bad ass!!

[suspectmonkey]

Really impressive work Dave, hats off for giving it a go.  In fact hats off not only for giving it a go, but also making a really good job of it!  Once you've perfected the technique I might be popping round to yours to hire some time with the forge

[basloan82]

Very impressive work! loosking great!
Kinda just picking up on this forum again now - been a busy summer. 

[pablo]

just seen this thread, fair play to ya for going to all the trouble, and i DO mean trouble.

firstly,you could have got some o1 tool steel stock for 9 quid and saved yourself some grief bollocking about with an old file.
secondly,if youd just filled half an old calor gas bottle (cut lengthways) with a few sticks then a handfull of coal and applied the hairdrier directly youd have easily attained the 800 degrees required before quenching in some old engine oil.
a sample piece from any solid wood floor retailer makes a great handle too in oak,birch,maple,ash,cherry,etc.

thirdly,well done on getting there anyway mate with the resources and expertise you had to hand. id have given up at the file part lol.

everyone should try this knife making lark. .......then buy one from me  

seen this? or was it lost in the archive dungeon? http://www.ni-wild.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=268.0

[pablo]

true enough about gringing one from stock,especially if you have a pattern to start from.

especially woodlore clones,which is why i now make little custom kneckers with buffalo horn handles or stag horn.

the skill lies in the design of a blade and the extra detail like filework,handle shape and leatherwork. its true-any monkey with a linisher could knock something up,but ive seen a LOT of efforts that look plain crap.

saying that ,i guess it basically comes down to two things in the end,functionality as the primary point then aesthetics after that.

as for things i had laying about,id cut the gas bottle long before i needed a forge. it was easy to do though once empty and filling with water to expell any residual gas. my 4 inch grinder went through it like butter and it makes a great fireholder/bar b que too.

`handmade crap by my hands` lol indeed it may be but it,ll probably be the fondest blade you own. every new knife i make becomes my favorite for a short time before i give it away or trade it but i`ll always remember my first one and keep it myself.

good luck with the HT,it can be tricky enough but a general guide would be to let it get hot enough till non magnetic then quench in oil. a good tip is to make sure your quench bath is deep enough so you can fully immerse the hot blade,otherwise it will ignite the surface oil and there will be hot spitting oil all over the show. then into the oven at 220 for an hour.

of course, all the above is relative as some people cant even use a file,never mind make a knife from one

[kiltedrunner]

Looking great! Always wanted to try this myself one day but have 0 equipment/tools and would end up making a very poor knife for way too much.
I did however try handling a lauri leuku blade once. Ended in tears as a drill press is a necessity and the bolster gap was a nightmare.... Anyway these guys have loads of good wood for scales, although I know your planning on doing it for no pence.   http://www.english-handmade-knives.co.uk/
At least for the wee one considering its a hidden tang, a block of curly birch would be well nice!
Also your in good hands with greyfox's advice. Saw his handmade at the bcraft day, its very professional!
Good luck with the rest of it!! You should show it to the guys at britishblades, sure theyd love to see it!

[dean1970]

I was in finland last year and bought a really nice knife.

i think the handle is made using curly wood. very hard and really nice to look at.