User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 6/3/2019 9:33:41 PM EDT
Let's start with a bit of "choose your own adventure".
I started the two with handles on them almost 10 years ago. The two with handles are 1095 that hasn't been heat treated yet. The blued one is cut out of a tramontina cane knife. These are all kind of rip-offs. The one with wood handles is a tracing of the blade on my cold steel "pocket Bushman". The one with micarta handles is a tracing of a really bad custom knife that I bought before I knew anything about knives. The blued one was kind of my take on the tops "frog market special" Which one should I finish first? I'm making myself finish these up before I start making new ones. I have a bar of precision ground 1/8"x 1 1/2" O1 waiting for me. Lol After these three are finished I'll just start posting up whatever I'm making in this thread. Thanks ETA: I suppose a pic helps. Lol  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/8/2019 1:10:48 AM EDT
[#1]
 Attached FileHere's one that I don't need to worry about anymore. At least it got hard. Lol. I'm pretty sure that happened because I ground it too thin. This was also from a strip that was cut off of a sheet with a big shear and it curled up when it was cut. I bent it flat before grinding any blades from it, but all three blades I've heat treated from this piece have had a curve in them out of the quench. Even the one that was only profiled before HT. I'm thinking about skipping the last nearly finished blade that I have from that steel and starting on some precision ground O1 instead, since I'm 99.9% sure the last blade will warp too. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 1:31:03 PM EDT
[#2]
A small update.
I figured I'd try to temper and bend this one straight. It didn't work. I guess an hour at 385 wasn't enough. I snapped it in my hands. Lol At least I can stop worrying about it and move on.  Attached FileI started this one after the other one warped so badly. It's the knife from the second build along that was on the "simple little life" YouTube channel. I made it from precision ground O1. Because of my luck, it warped in HT as well. On the suggestion of @kuraki I tempered it and bent it straight (ish) and it's back in the oven for a second temper. I'm planning to just grind it flat when it's cool.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 7:39:10 PM EDT
[#3]
I should have explained further. After the first temper, counter bend against the warp on a piece of angle iron or something with wire or clamps and temper it again while clamped.
 Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 10:58:40 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I should have explained further. After the first temper, counter bend against the warp on a piece of angle iron or something with wire or clamps and temper it again while clamped. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/125898/SmartSelect_20190615-183853_Samsung_Notes_jpg-980796.JPG On my O1 blade, after the first temper I let it air cool, then bent it in a vice with three bolts spaced to bend where it needed it until it was straight then stuck it in the oven for another hour. The 1095 blade snapped after the first temper. It had been hardened several days before the temper, but I don't know if that matters much. I'll try clamping the blade in a fixture next time. Now that I have a straight, hardened and tempered blade I just need to work up the stones to start grinding on it. Lol One take away from the recent failures is that I'm not going to start on handles at all until after the HT and grinding. I wasted a set of maple slabs on the broken blade and potentially a set of micarta scales on another blade out of that batch. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 11:09:22 PM EDT
[#5]
You should temper things like 1095 immediately, the first temper at least. The low hardenability, fast quenching steels like that can often self destruct without a temper.
Wouldn't surprise me if that blade cracked before the temper. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 11:18:47 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I should have explained further. After the first temper, counter bend against the warp on a piece of angle iron or something with wire or clamps and temper it again while clamped. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/125898/SmartSelect_20190615-183853_Samsung_Notes_jpg-980796.JPG 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/15/2019 11:24:25 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I love the illustration! @wicounsel is going to be upset that you didn't share the pic with him. Lol On my O1 blade, after the first temper I let it air cool, then bent it in a vice with three bolts spaced to bend where it needed it until it was straight then stuck it in the oven for another hour. The 1095 blade snapped after the first temper. It had been hardened several days before the temper, but I don't know if that matters much. I'll try clamping the blade in a fixture next time. Now that I have a straight, hardened and tempered blade I just need to work up the stones to start grinding on it. Lol One take away from the recent failures is that I'm not going to start on handles at all until after the HT and grinding. I wasted a set of maple slabs on the broken blade and potentially a set of micarta scales on another blade out of that batch. And they aren’t “failures.” They are all learning experiences. Kuraki has a whole bin of them he told me at one point. Cool you are keeping at it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/16/2019 11:28:29 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
You should temper things like 1095 immediately, the first temper at least. The low hardenability, fast quenching steels like that can often self destruct without a temper. Wouldn't surprise me if that blade cracked before the temper. Quoted: You need to write a how to book... I would definitely buy the illustrated version. Quoted: I told you his drawrings are the bomb. And they aren’t “failures.” They are all learning experiences. Kuraki has a whole bin of them he told me at one point. Cool you are keeping at it. Thank you for the encouragement. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/16/2019 4:27:28 PM EDT
[#9]
Here's where I'm at now.
I am having a hard time knowing when to switch to a higher grit so I don't overshoot where I want to end up. Also, the edges of a fresh 36 grit belt are to be respected. They are a lot like a saw. Lol  Attached FileI also had a difficult time keeping the grind even from the plunge to the tip. I ended up grinding it too thin at the plunge. I think it's because I started the grind there with the edge of the belt. Maybe I should start a bit out from the plunge, then work my way back into it after the primary grind is established. I'm hoping that I just need some time to get used to the grinder and maybe some different techniques for laying out the grind lines will help, like scribing two lines for the edge instead of just a center line. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/18/2019 10:42:19 PM EDT
[#10]
So when you are grinding the face of the blade, are you free handing or setting up a jig?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/19/2019 12:40:45 AM EDT
[#11]
I use a jig for the primary grind. I'll probably start trying to go free hand at some point, but I want to get the basics figured out.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/19/2019 11:15:41 AM EDT
[#12]
One thing I do when I'm grinding is watch the sparks coming off the belt. I want to see sparks across the whole width of the belt. If you have sparks on just part of the belt, your grind won't be flat.
Watching for this will also let you know when a belt is worn on the edges or middle. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/19/2019 9:56:25 PM EDT
[#13]
I'll have to figure out a way to see the Sparks. I built a pretty giant work rest so I can use my jigs. It's like 6"x20". Lol
That's a good idea though. The Sparks can't lie. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 7:59:24 PM EDT
[#14]
 Attached FileI reused the handles from the 1095 blade that broke on this one. The two black circles are the micarta pins that I made for them. I used epoxy and copper pins. The slabs are maple that I stained "light cherry" and finished with Tung oil. I'm going to make another one of this pattern but I'm going to try to get some 1" stock first so I'm not wasting 1/2" of steel on each one. I wanted to buy some 1075 or 1084 from the New Jersey steel Barron but shipping is pretty crazy on small quantities. If anyone has a good source for these steels with decent shipping, I'd appreciate it. On this one I still need to get it sharpened and figure out a sheath for it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 9:50:48 PM EDT
[#15]
Not bad at all.
Talk to Kuraki. Also, at one time I think he was selling some chunks of metal. Time for you to step up to Elmax! |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 10:19:35 PM EDT
[#16]
Alpha Knife Supply sells smaller pieces and uses flat rate shipping.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 10:20:31 PM EDT
[#17]
Quoted: Not bad at all. Talk to Kuraki. Also, at one time I think he was selling some chunks of metal. Time for you to step up to Elmax! I'm stuck heat treating with a forge, so I need to stick with steels that are simple to heat treat. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 10:21:03 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Alpha Knife Supply sells smaller pieces and uses flat rate shipping. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 10:27:44 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks. It's definitely usable and I learned some things. I'm pretty sure the next one will be a bit better. I'm stuck heat treating with a forge, so I need to stick with steels that are simple to heat treat. I like that you put a sharpening choil on there. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 11:10:37 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I am pretty sure he just uses a kitchen oven. Or you can send it in to Bos. I like that you put a sharpening choil on there. I like to have a choil because it bugs me when there's a spot on the edge that you can't sharpen. Lol |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/21/2019 11:16:13 PM EDT
[#21]
me too.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/30/2019 8:38:08 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I should have explained further. After the first temper, counter bend against the warp on a piece of angle iron or something with wire or clamps and temper it again while clamped. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/125898/SmartSelect_20190615-183853_Samsung_Notes_jpg-980796.JPG 
Absolutly gets your instructions across though! |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/30/2019 8:41:20 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG1086_JPG-988241.JPG I reused the handles from the 1095 blade that broke on this one. The two black circles are the micarta pins that I made for them. I used epoxy and copper pins. The slabs are maple that I stained "light cherry" and finished with Tung oil. I'm going to make another one of this pattern but I'm going to try to get some 1" stock first so I'm not wasting 1/2" of steel on each one. I wanted to buy some 1075 or 1084 from the New Jersey steel Barron but shipping is pretty crazy on small quantities. If anyone has a good source for these steels with decent shipping, I'd appreciate it. On this one I still need to get it sharpened and figure out a sheath for it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/4/2019 12:15:29 AM EDT
[#24]
cool
|
|
|
|
Posted: 7/4/2019 2:24:20 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted: Good looking knife! Quoted:
cool I have snuck out here and there and got some work done on a sheath that I hope to have finished this weekend. I'm excited to get grinding on my next one. |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/11/2019 11:59:07 PM EDT
[#26]
I got distracted. Lol
I have a sheath for the last knife mostly finished, I just need to sew, wet form and finish it. I'm trying something weird on it. I'll share once I know if it works or not. (I'll share either way) Here is a picture of the distraction and the sheath. The knife was a planer blade. According to the website, it's D2 at 56-58 Rockwell C. I think I'm going to give it back to the guy who gave it to me. He's a knife nerd, he gave me the steel, and the design was his idea. I think I'm going to do a strider style cord wrap on the handle. It was wrapped in duct tape to make a handle when he gave it to me. I think it'd be kinda cool to find a way to make a "nice" duct tape handle, but I'm not sure how to do that.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/12/2019 7:58:35 AM EDT
[#27]
You could do a Japanese sword style wrap with duct tape as the underlay instead of shark skin.
Grinds look pretty even. |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/12/2019 6:24:34 PM EDT
[#28]
Where do you sell these?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 7/12/2019 7:23:15 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Where do you sell these? At some point in the future I hope to sell enough to at least pay for the hobby. Lol |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/13/2019 11:53:14 AM EDT
[#30]
Not really metal work related, but I'm working on it so I'll talk about it in here. Lol
More distraction from the knife work, but this stuff actually has some economic benefits. Lol This is called a cribbing collar. I guess horses get bored and bite on something like their stall door or a fence post and suck in too much air(or something like that, I'm not a horse guy, or a tack guy. Lol) these collars are supposed to discourage them from doing that. This one has a broken strap and a rivet that came apart.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/13/2019 3:44:03 PM EDT
[#31]
Got the new strap punched and the dye is drying. I'm going to mess with a duct tape idea for the handle on this thing while I wait.
 Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/13/2019 5:12:14 PM EDT
[#32]
Strap still isn't all the way dry, but dry enough. Got it sewn and riveted on. I'll put some bees wax on it later, but it's pretty much done.
 Attached FileNote that the last knife is in the pic and has been putting in work. |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/15/2019 7:01:15 PM EDT
[#33]
I'm done with this one. My weird idea was the pocket clip. It's sewn in with the welt. I don't like how this one turned out, but I like the concept. It is positioned well in the pocket but the clip doesn't hold it well enough to be able to draw the knife without the sheath coming out. I think I'll try seeing a piece of threaded hardware in with the welt and screwing on the clip next time I feel like trying this because I think part of the problem was that I had to bend the clip after it was sewn in.
I'm also not happy with the shape of the sheath. The way it is taller than the handle area in front of the handle bugs me and I'll have to figure out how to lay it out so it doesn't do that next time. I also sewed it when I had sampled too many hefeweizens, so a couple of stitches are messed up. That was just shitty craftsmanship on my part. I Know better, and I should tear the stitching out and redo it, but there are enough things that I'm not happy with on this package that I feel like spending more time fixing it will be wasted vs starting on something else and moving forward.  Attached FileI'm finishing up the stabby side project now. I'll share pics when I get it finished. It's going to be kinda trashy, but I'm hopeful that it fits with the "repurposed garbage shank thing" theme that I'm going for. |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/15/2019 7:51:23 PM EDT
[#34]
I'm putting a fork in this one too. I'll probably make a cardboard and duct tape sheath for it as well though. The handle is leather, then ray skin, then a duct tape"cord" wrap. It's not pretty or perfect, but it isn't really supposed to be. The planer blade was handed to me with duct tape wrapped around one end and the statement "maybe someone can make something from it", so I wanted to stay true to it's roots. I'm hoping that the guy who gave it to me likes it. It was fun to make and I feel like it was good practice grinding.
I feel a little bad for making this trashy. Lol. I have no use in the world for a blade like this, but I kinda want one. I'm sure it'll hold up to sitting in a tool box and cutting/stabbing some boxes every once in a while just fine. Lol If I could get a line on these planer blades for cheap I'd definitely try to make a couple more of these. (nicer ones, with a proper handle. Lol)  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 7/16/2019 2:29:30 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I feel a little bad for making this trashy. It looks pretty decent otherwise, don’t dress it down. Keep the duct tape as a minor design element, not the main grip. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/16/2019 8:20:06 PM EDT
[#36]
Happy Friday! Here's hoping to finding time to work on at least one of these for a little bit.
 Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/17/2019 9:42:20 AM EDT
[#37]
I want to see one of you guys make a knife like the little Helle Nying Norwegian work knife. Its small size and handle which allows the same grip feel same regardless of the rotation angle (even with gloves on) makes it a surprisingly useful little knife. To their credit, Helle makes the blade with a three piece sandwich of metals that allows me to get it near straight razor sharp but still tough enough to do some actual work with. I really like mine.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/22/2019 12:12:02 PM EDT
[#38]
I stole a few minutes in the shop last night after the kids went to bed.
I think I'm onto something for primary grinds, but it's still a little early to tell. Instead of starting with 36 grit then 80 then 120 on the bevels, I pretty much just knocked the sharp corners off at a 45° with the 36 then went straight to a 120 to do the bevels. It seems much more controllable. Getting the plunge lines to have the same curve at the top is tricky for me, but I think using finer belts will help me be able to work them into shape more consistently.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/15/2019 7:14:47 PM EDT
[#39]
I talked about fixing one of these in here so I'll post one I made from scratch.
This is for a horse that needed a cribbing collar that's smaller than a commercial small one. This thing ended up being more difficult than I thought it would be when I agreed to build one. It took two trips to visit the horse to get sizes and angles figured out. I'm glad it's done. Most of the tack work I do is repairs. I think this is the only thing I've built from scratch. Hopefully I'll get back on knife work soon, but the salmon are running in the river, so I'm not sure how much shop time I'll make. Lol  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/15/2019 9:28:42 PM EDT
[#40]
Where do you get your leather?
It's good you have a source for thick stock to use on sheaths as well. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/15/2019 10:10:39 PM EDT
[#41]
The leather I have at the moment is from Tandy. I've heard that there's another company up in Seattle that I've been meaning to go check out.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/21/2019 2:18:35 AM EDT
[#42]
I bought this thing hoping that it'd be as slicey as the old hickory and forgecraft butcher knives I inherited from my great grandma. It wasn't. The primary grind was pretty low, leaving it feeling a bit like trying to slice food with an axe.
I bumped the primary grind back a bit and I'll give it a try and see how it works. I'm thinking that I'll probably end up grinding on it some more. Most of the work was done at 120 grit then I worked up to 400 to smooth it out. Before  Attached FileAfter  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 1:00:50 AM EDT
[#43]
I actually did some metal work!
The wife came home last week and said that she had to stop and pick up the tailpipe after it fell off of her vehicle. I went out and checked it out and the rear of the muffler was rusted through as well. I checked with a local exhaust place and they wanted $400 to replace the muffler and tailpipe. Screw that. Lol Amazon had the flowmaster muffler I needed as well as a mandrel bent universal tailpipe kit and a few band clamps for under $300. With those and a chunk of 5/16" rod to build hangers out of I set to work. The muffler was the same model that was in there, so replacing that was pretty straight forward. The tailpipe kit was a few bends with plenty of extra material to be trimmed to fit. So after getting everything all cut and fitted I pulled the whole tailpipe out from the muffler back and welded it up then hit it with some high temp paint to (hopefully) keep the rust at bay for a while.  Attached FileAnd installed  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 4:09:50 AM EDT
[#44]
So any idea what the hanger material is?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 9:31:51 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So any idea what the hanger material is? I ended up only needing about a foot and a half of it and I bought 6 feet, so I have quite a bit to play with. I'll probably try making a couple of picks from it if I can get the heat treat figured out. They'll need to be somewhere between springy and hard enough to almost stay sharp. I've been needing a big pick at work for pulling out stubborn cotter pins and in sticking radiator hoses. I'll probably try forging a couple of small blades too. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 4:48:00 PM EDT
[#46]
My middle kiddo and I ended up unsupervised for most of the day. I asked her what we should do. She thought for a minute and said "SMELTING!"(we're not actually smelting today, she just learned the word when I melted down a bunch of cans and junk and cast the stuff we're melting and casting today)
I asked what she wanted to make and she wanted an aluminum heart, so that's what we did. I traced a heart out on a piece of 1/2" plywood and cut it out on the bandsaw. Here she is packing sand around the plywood heart  Attached FileHere's the top of the part she was just working on, then both halves ready to be cast  Attached File Attached FileHere it is after the pour  Attached FileIt looks like it filled out pretty well.  Attached FileWe're going to clean stuff up and go get some ice cream while we wait for the part to cool down. When we get back we'll get started cleaning the part up on the grinder. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 4:50:24 PM EDT
[#47]
nise
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 9:13:56 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My middle kiddo and I ended up unsupervised for most of the day. I asked her what we should do. She thought for a minute and said "SMELTING!"(we're not actually smelting today, she just learned the word when I melted down a bunch of cans and junk and cast the stuff we're melting and casting today) I asked what she wanted to make and she wanted an aluminum heart, so that's what we did. I traced a heart out on a piece of 1/2" plywood and cut it out on the bandsaw. Here she is packing sand around the plywood heart https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG0080_JPG-1121711.JPG Here's the top of the part she was just working on, then both halves ready to be cast https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG0081_JPG-1121712.JPGhttps://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG0083_JPG-1121713.JPG Here it is after the pour https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG0085_JPG-1121714.JPG It looks like it filled out pretty well. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/78442/KIMG0086_JPG-1121715.JPG We're going to clean stuff up and go get some ice cream while we wait for the part to cool down. When we get back we'll get started cleaning the part up on the grinder. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/12/2019 11:14:42 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It's 5/16" 52100 rod. I ended up only needing about a foot and a half of it and I bought 6 feet, so I have quite a bit to play with. I'll probably try making a couple of picks from it if I can get the heat treat figured out. They'll need to be somewhere between springy and hard enough to almost stay sharp. I've been needing a big pick at work for pulling out stubborn cotter pins and in sticking radiator hoses. I'll probably try forging a couple of small blades too. Isn't 52100 tool steel? |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/13/2019 11:13:53 AM EDT
[#50]
Quoted: It looks like the heart you cut out of wood was cut at a 90 degree angle. It you give it just a little bit of a taper it will lift out of the sand a lot easier and the edges of the sand won't get disturbed. Just a suggestion. Cool project to do with your kiddo. There's definitely a learning curve with it but it's fun. I've been thinking about getting a 3d printer mostly for doing lost pla casting. Lol Quoted:
I thought you said it was "normal" steel, to the exclusion of tool steels. Isn't 52100 tool steel? |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
