Knifemakers...questions for ya

[ctom87]

Do you forge your own blades? Have a source that you trust you buy blades from and make your own handles?

What got you started into knifemaking? I love what y'all do. Awesome stuff. I've dabbled with a few blades that I picked up... one from my local Woodcraft, another from Wood World in Dallas, and a third which I bought and haven't put together yet that was forged in Italy. Ironically the one hand-forged in Italy is the worst quality lol. You'd think it'd be nicer.

Anyway, not asking for trade secrets or anything, just wanted to start conversation. Y'all do fantastic work that I admire.

[Razorback01]

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[mavrick]

You are not a knife make if you are only adding scales to a blank. Buy some knife steel grind, heat treat, add scales along with sharping. That’s what knife makers do.

[SamHarper]

I neither forge nor buy blades. I buy steal in bar form or sheet form, and use the stock removal process to make them.

I got started making knives because of the DIY section of this web page. A bunch of guys kept posting pictures of their knives, and I got curious enough to watch some YouTube videos about it. You can only watch so many videos before the bug bites you, and you have to give it a try. That's what happened.

But as far as trade secrets, there aren't that many. Most knife makers are pretty generous with what they know.

Good luck!

[Jason Fry]

Putting handles on a blank is a good entry to the craft, but IMO don’t say you “made” that knife. I’d be looking at Jantz or USA Knifemaker for quality blanks.

Stock removal, making knives by grinding, is a viable process. Best way to make a quality knife as a beginner.

Forging is old-school, kind of mysterious etc. it is a good way to make knife, but you’ll benefit from better tools and training.

Many good Knifemaking books out there. Barney and Loveless is a good intro to the process. $50 Knife Shop is often recommended, but is more traditional than precise. It’s a good read, but don’t take it as gospel.

My book Knifemaking Hacks is all tips and tricks and pretty pictures, not a “how to” book in an orderly fashion.


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[CWendling]

I forge most of my knives. Some kitchen cutlery i do stock removal. Started years ago by putting scales on a bowie blank. Then made one for a friend, then another. Progressed from there to stock removal when people said i 'made knives' knowing all i did was add handles but figured making a blade couldnt be too hard. Then started forging after that. Leather work came along with knife making as well doing the sheaths and that progressed to holsters and stuff as well. And like Jason said, there are no secrets and ive never met any maker who wouldnt teach you every single thing they know.

[coachk]

I've always been a knife enthusiast and got bored on spring break one year (2015). I decided to make one for my nephew and it snowballed from there. Made my 1st 20 knives with a file and sandpaper and used that money to buy some equipment and been adding/upgrading ever since. I started by making fixed blades and have moved to almost solely making pocketknives now (slipjoints). I've met and worked with lots of great people, have knives w my name on them all over the US, and enjoy working in my shop at home! (My knives don't talk back to me when I ask them to do something like my students do!ha)

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[ctom87]

Lots of neat info here, thanks for sharing. I think the next step for me might be buying a few flat steel plates and seeing if I can take grind and sand my way to a blade! What kind of dimensions and what quality steel should I look for? I figure something forgiving to start out. I know nothing about steel though.

[zac221]

Here’s a question. I have a discontinued benchmade that needs a new blade. Is there a way to have a blade made to replace it and what’s the cost for something like that?


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[Razorback01]

PM sent CTOM.

[ctom87]

PM sent CTOM.

Thank you sir!

[SamHarper]

Lots of neat info here, thanks for sharing. I think the next step for me might be buying a few flat steel plates and seeing if I can take grind and sand my way to a blade! What kind of dimensions and what quality steel should I look for? I figure something forgiving to start out. I know nothing about steel though.

I would get a piece of 1084 from the New Jersey Steel Baron, 0.158" thick, 1.5" wide, and however long you want. You could also get some 1080 from Texas Knifemaker Supply around the same dimensions. Both of those are simple high carbon steels that are easy to heat treat. You can quench them in peanut oil and temper them in your oven. Of course there are better more expensive quenching oils, but peanut oil will do a decent job on 1080.

I would also get a book on metallurgy that's geared specifically for the kinds of steels knife makers typically use. I learned a ton from Steel Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist, which you can get for free on line. There's a new book called Knife Engineering by Larrin Thomas that's really good.

Early on when I started making knives, I wrote up a tutorial that summarizes some of the basics of high carbon steels and heat treating that also contains links to books and where to buy things. I was very new when I wrote this up, so my technique for grinding and finishing a knife weren't the best, but the metallurgic part I think is pretty decent, and it's simplified so you don't have to read a whole book.

https://web.archive.org/web/20190717213142/http://poorfolkbows.com/knife.htm

[Jason Fry]

Agree, 1080 or 1084. Jantz sells in smaller quantities.

Also, look up the Texas Knifemakers' Guild on FB. We have events around the state, but two of our bigger ones are in Baird and Abilene.