my first knife attempt

[Siberianfury]

hi, im josh, i dont post on here that much, i mainly just browse, however i thought i should post my first home made knife "attempt". its made from an old file that i had in my workshop, i have ground it down, heat treated it, added it to a pipe handle and sharpned it.
i also have made a sheath to go with it (the sheath is a bit shabby, its another first attempt).

hopefully i have posted the pictures correctly.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/siberianfury/knives017.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/siberianfury/knives019.jpg


thanks.
josh

[Hoodoo]

I love it! That reminds me a lot of some traditional Appalachian knives I have seen.

[Siberianfury]

thanks, i need to get around to polishing the blade, the problem is that i have hardly any good tools, i had to heat treat it using the kitchen gas cooker, took ages lol.

thanks
josh

[Nelis]

Hi,

Love the antique look on the knive, I think I wouldn't polish it to much if it were up to me....

Also love the embossing on the sheat, could you explain how you did this ??

Grtz,

Niels

[Siberianfury]

well i took some normal garden wire and twisted it into letter shapes, then i heated it up in a fire (my kitchen gas cooker), then i stamped it into the sheath.
i would like to get some more expensive tools but ts just a matter of saving up, im still at college, unemployed and only 18 so it might be difficult.

[Nelis]

Still very nice, I'm going to have to give embossing leather a go.

Grtz,

Niels

[Siberianfury]

nice, good luck with it.

josh

[SOAR]

Good knife mate.

Love the sheath also.

[verloc]

looks awesome and very usable - I like the unpolished blade too.

[weaver]

You show a great deal of talent and resourcefulness. Keep working and making do with what you have and someday you will have everything you want.

[Siberianfury]

You show a great deal of talent and resourcefulness. Keep working and making do with what you have and someday you will have everything you want.

thankyou very much, i will definatly stick at it, my next goal is for a full tang knife but i may need some better experience and equipment first.
:)

thanks
josh

[redneck]

yep, very traditional looking and olde worldy, great job

[Toddy]

That looks like a user, a good practical tool :D Very well done. :approve:

cheers,
Toddy

[NatG]

well i took some normal garden wire and twisted it into letter shapes, then i heated it up in a fire (my kitchen gas cooker), then i stamped it into the sheath.
i would like to get some more expensive tools but ts just a matter of saving up, im still at college, unemployed and only 18 so it might be difficult.

I'm 18 and unemployed too- i know what it feels like to be broke! if you're in the lookout for cheap tools, check oukd bootsales and classified ads in newsagents and papers, also look on ebay. I managed to get a pillar drill, bench grinder, fretsaw set of files, vice and an almost unending source of reclaimed steel for less than £100. Keep at iot, your first knife is ten times better than mine was!

[Siberianfury]

I'm 18 and unemployed too- i know what it feels like to be broke! if you're in the lookout for cheap tools, check oukd bootsales and classified ads in newsagents and papers, also look on ebay. I managed to get a pillar drill, bench grinder, fretsaw set of files, vice and an almost unending source of reclaimed steel for less than £100. Keep at iot, your first knife is ten times better than mine was!

thanks for the advice and the kind word about the knife :). today i went down to the local recyling centre in search of some good steel, no luck:(, but oh well. there is a trading post in my local town which deals in a large quantity of old steel tools E.g. bilhooks, axes, and old files which i will be aiming to purchase. hopefully there will be some good equipment for grinding and things, i am currently using an old hand craned angle grinder which is ok but it keeps coming loose every so often.

thanks
josh

[NatG]

thanks for the advice and the kind word about the knife :). today i went down to the local recyling centre in search of some good steel, no luck:(, but oh well. there is a trading post in my local town which deals in a large quantity of old steel tools E.g. bilhooks, axes, and old files which i will be aiming to purchase. hopefully there will be some good equipment for grinding and things, i am currently using an old hand craned angle grinder which is ok but it keeps coming loose every so often.

thanks
josh

A fe cheap and easy shortcuts:

an angle grinder ( can be had for about £20) a coarse flap disc and a metal cutting disc are all you need to profile and rough grind the blade, then two files- a half round and a flat will be enough to finish the blade.

a cheap and easy forge can be made with an old saucepan, some fire cement and a haridryer( i might be making a new one soon and will do a pictorial thingy)

sawmills, cabinet makers and turners are great for cheap or even free wood

put an advert in a local shop looking for old tools- i got two good engineers vices this way, as well as loads of old saws ( good for cutting stuff and for making blades) and files.

good luck!

p.s. if you can't find any decent steel drop me a pm and i'll send you a few bits to practice on

[Teno]

Like the unpolished blade, the embossing and the embossing method, which I will run to copy right now...

[Ozhaggishead]

I like it mate kind of rustic.I am working on some thing similar using driftwood and bits of bone and a old chisel.What kind of wood did you use?

[NatG]

p.s.s in all of that i forgot to mention i really like it :D

[Siberianfury]

thanks guys :)
The wood i used has just simple pine with wood dye and linseed oil, i drilled a hole in the handle and wedged the tang in tightly with some resin to reinforce it, i also made sure that it wasnt with or against the grain of the wood, so that the wood would not split. I also used the same method i used to emboss the leather on the pommel of the knife, it doesnt show in any of the pictures but i could post it if anyone likes.

thanks
josh

[ANDYRAF]

Don't change a thing on the knife, it looks great, as if it has been around the world and well looked after.

Andy

[elma]

lovely work
looks a good user

Ian

[Nelis]

Hi Folks,

I don't think you need an angle grinder, it just makes is easier to remove to musch metal. I made my
first knive using only a hacksaw and 3 full size files, 1 small round file and sanding paper. Oh yes and off-course some sharpening stones. (result here: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33066 ).

Just takes a lot of patience, but is really satisfying. I haven't done the heat treatment myself, but am planning to on the next knive. I'm thinking about using the BBQ and an hair dryer for this. I allready have a piece of a big circle saw softened as the blade material.

Keep up the good work.