Making your own knife

[filecore]

Hello! New to this forum but I've been reading through this and other threads with great interest. I'm of two minds whether to have a crack at it myself, or to ask if Pablo can do me one - I'm sure that I could probably make one eventually, but it's a matter of time and ability and practice, so I reckon it'll be a while yet! Thanks anyway for the tips and inspiration, you've lifted the veil of mystery to it and tempted me towards having a go (if I can find blanks nearby or online at a reasonable cost). Just out of curiosity, Pablo, how much would you charge for a Ray Mears/Woodlore style knife with a nice leather sheath? I think that's what we're all more or less after, and if £45 still stands, I'd be sorely tempted - might even justify it as a model for my own future efforts!

One more question, actually, which is about the pins and grommets used for fixing the handle into place and for the lanyard hole. Where do you find these, and what's the proper name for them (so that I can search for them myself)? Not the sort of things you normally go buying, and I guess this is one of the reasons why amateurs are so put off from trying this...

[MG1]

The NIBA guys might be able to help you mate.

[Celt_Ginger]

Making your own knife isn't difficult. You can choose to go with simply putting a handle on a blade that someone else has made you or you can get a piece of steel stock and grind your own bevels. I've seen and had a bit of a play one of Pablo's knives and it's not too bad, though i think the heat treatment may have been a bit off, but I'm sure that he'll improve this with practice. personally, I'd recommend FGYT ( http://www.bushcraftliving.com/)  go to "forums" and look in artisan square, Bernie Garland  (http://www.berniegarlandknives.com/ ) or try Brisa ( https://www.brisa.fi/portal/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 ) FGYT and Bernie will do you a blade blank for you to handle, brisa have a huge range of blades and knife making bits and pieces. As far as knife handles are concerned, there's a place just outside Mallusk called the "Wood shed" where you can get lots of great woods at good prices.
All you have to decide is if you want a "Full Tang (where the knife handle steel is visible between the handle wood) or "Stick Tang (where the handle steel is hidden inside the handle wood.

Here's some knives I've made myself.






£45 will definitely get you a blade blank from someone like FGYT and i guarantee you won't be disappointed with it.

You can get any of the makers or suppliers to provide you with pins and lanyard tube, but it's available in long lengths from B&Q, aka Brass rod and tube, lol. 6mm is a pretty standard size.

[filecore]

Those are some beautiful examples. I've been toying with the idea of a 'stick tang' because I like the way you can build it up with layers of different woods and thin layers of bark for some absolutely amazing handles. I was reading this which reminded me of the technique, it's very common in Finnish 'puukko' knives (which are excellent) and I would like to give it a go: http://imageevent.com/paleoaleo/makingabirchbarkknifehandle - anybody here tried this technique before?

Thanks for the tips and links though, I'll definitely check those out. So much to learn, so much to try...

[Celt_Ginger]

I haven't done a birch bark handle......yet, though I have done a few stick tangs. The leuku in the top picture is a stick tang. I have a few Pukko knives and I agree, they are excellent Bushcraft knives.