Knife
A knife is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle. It is one of the earliest tools used by humanity, originally made of wood, bone, and stone (including flint and obsidian). With improvements in both metallurgy and manufacturing, over the centuries knives have have been made from copper, bronze, iron, steel, ceramic, and titanium. Knives can serve various purposes, including hunting, as weapons (either melee or for throwing), survival, cooking and eating.
Materials needed
- Steel: Hot-rolled or annealed metal is easier to work with. Soft or mild steel must be hardened after shaping. Stainless steel rod for the pins and tubing for the thong hole might also be needed.[1]
- Crotch walnut wood blanks: Hardwoods are the best woods for knife handles, and professionally stabilized wood is even better. Stabilized wood is easier to grind, easier to finish and lasts longer.[1]
Crafting instructions
Knives can be crafted from zero using a metal blank for the blade and wood or other materials for the handle. Knife blades can be started from scratch by one of two methods: stock removal, or filing and grinding; or forging, also called "bladesmithing". Stock removal is the easiest to do and can be done with a few tools, while forging requires much more experience and tools.[1]
Creating the pattern (metal blade)
Create a full size paper pattern of the blade and trace it onto the blank using a felt-tip pen. Using a metal punch, create starter dimples for a series of holes around the outside edge of the outline. The dimples should be spaced a little farther apart than the full diameter of the drill bit and half the diameter apart from the outline. Bore the holes using a Cobalt drill bit in a drill press. Work slowly, keep the bit lubricated with cutting oil and prevent the steel to get too hot, or otherwise the metal can become "work-harden". Also make sure the blank is clamped solidly. Mark the locations of the pin holes and the thong hole, and bore them as well.[1]
Once all holes have been bored, clamp the blade blank in a solid vise on a sturdy workbench and cut between the holes with a bi-metal hacksaw blade. A metal-cutting bandsaw makes the chore quicker and easier. To shape the blade, the traditional method is filing, which takes time and effort. Clamp the blade blank in a good solid vise and using a new flat bastard file, file the blank down to the outline. Use a file card to keep the file clean of metal filings, and always keep the file at 90 degrees to the blank. Always use complete safety equipment and put a bucket of water under the grinder to catch the sparks. Afterwards, locate the knife edge's center and use a permanent marker to mark over the blank's bottom edge. Place the blank on a smooth, flat surface and use a sharp-pointed drill bit, a little smaller in diameter than the thickness of the steel, to scribe the centerline. Roll the bit along the edge, turn the blank over and roll it again, creating two lines down the blade.
Screw the blade blank down to a solid workbench with the blade protruding over the edge. Use a chainsaw file to create the "plunge" line, where the bevel stops, at the back of the blade. Ise the bastard mill file to draw-file the blade to shape, following both the outline of the blade side and the marked centerline on the bottom edge. Attached the blank solidly makes the task that would otherwise take time and effort quicker. Repeat on the opposite side. Cover the bevel created with the permanent marker and file over it to find high and low spots in the blade.[1]
Fitting the handle blanks
To fit the handle blanks, sand the blade blank lightly, as well as the handles, to make sure they are smooth and flat. Place masking tape on the outside face of one handle blank and clamp it to the blade blank. Bore holes through the blade and blank. Remove the blank and mark the inside and repeat for the opposite handle blank. Mark the outline of the blade blank on the handle blanks and using a bandsaw cut them to shape, leaving the handles slightly oversize.[1]
Cut the pins and thong-hole tubing to slightly oversize in length. Chuck the pins in a portable electric drill and use sandpaper to lightly roughen them and thin them down a bit so they will fit into the holes. They should fit snugly, but not extremely tight into the handle and blade blank holes. If too tight, they can split the handle material. Fit the handle blanks to the blade and tap the pins and tubing in place. Rough-grind the handle and blade blank to shape. Remove the handles, mark the front profile and rough grind them to shape.[1]
Heat treatment
The blade should be heat-treated, the a good knife can be produced without needing a forge or kiln. For this heat treatment, closable container of peanut oil and a campfire will be needed. Let the fire burn down to hot embers and place the blade in the coals using a pair of long metal tongs. Although not exactly the same temperature; many makers use a magnet to know when the steel is ready. Once the blade loses magnetization, leave it for a few minutes to let it reach true "critical" temperature and then let it cool to black. The third time the blade is brought up to temperature, quickly quench the blade in the peanut oil. After it cools; clean the blade and run a file across the edge. Do this a few times to help "normalize" the blade. The edge should be “glassy,” and instead of biting in the file will skate across the edge.[1]
After quenching in the peanut oil, the blade wlll be hard but extremely brittle. Tempering brings the hardness down and the brittleness out of the mmetal. To temper the blade, set a kitchen oven to 400 degrees and place the blade for two hours. Wrapping the blade in a couple of layers of aluminum foil will help keep the blade from smelling while in the oven. Let it cool and repeat.[1]
Finishing the blade
Clamping down the blade securely, using a sandpaper. Start with the highest grit possible to get your scratches out. Back the sandpaper with a block of square Micarta or a piece of flattened wood, and lubricate it with oil. Moving the grit out of the way while sanding helps. Afterwards, work up the grits, working them in 45-degree angles to remove the previous grit's scratches. Sand until you get to the desired finish. Clean up by sanding horizontal lines from plunge to tip.[1]
Gluing on the handles
To glue on the handles, clamp them together to ensure the handle fronts are even on both sides and finish the fronts to the desired grit. Putting a little penetrating oil on the blade and wrapping it in a paper towel, covered with masking tape, helps protecting the blade while putting on the handles. Rough-up the tang and handles a bit to give the epoxy more sticking surface. Clean all areas with rubbing alcohol and mix plenty of epoxy. Roll the pins in epoxy and tap them through one handle side, then glue-up the handles and tap the pins all the way through. Clamp to squeeze down the handles, using Q-tips to clean the excess epoxy. Let dry overnight. If the working environment is too cold, it can be brought to a warmer place. After drying, grind down the pins slowly, since the pins can get heated and burn the surrounding wood very easily. Use a good wood rasp or grinder to shape the handle. Finish with sandpaper. Sand until the handles are smooth and scratch-free, then apply wood finishing oil.[1]
Safety
When crafting a knife, always wear eye protection, such as full safety goggles, and wear a respirator and hearing protection if power grinding.[1]
Dependencies
See also
References
External links
- Knife Making 101: How To Make Your First Knife - Red Beard Ops, 30 October 2020, YouTube
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