First knife, critiques welcome.

KMT

Member
Hello, finished my first knife. It's made from 1/8" O1 tool steel. I cut it out with a dremel tool and did all the profiling and bevel work with files. The handle is made from a piece of maple baseboard that i bought at a local hardware store. Pins are brass pins. the mosaic pin i made myself (although in the pics it hard to see)

I learned a lot from my first knife. #1 don't get in a hurry. I still had a lot of finish work to do on the blade but got anxious and just HAD to get it together. And #2 from now on i'll send them off for heat treating. I made a 2 brick forge and i think it did pretty good, it'll will hold a nice edge, but from now on i think i'll let the pros do it.

the sheath is just a simple sheath that i made myself and finished with antique stain.

Anyway, please feel free to critique me, you won't hurt my feelings (unless you tell me to stop now and take up a different hobby all together). The only way i'll get any better is to know what i'm doing wrong. Thanks for looking.

tim
 

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Looking good for a first knife Tim. You have point out some of your own mistakes already. The only way forward now is to keep at it, the more you do it the better you will get. Just keep on reading some of the past posts on this forum and all will be revealed, keep up the good work.
 
Good first knife. You quickly find out that knife making takes patients and commitment to detail. In the end there is always a huge sense of accomplishment when you complete a knife. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see #2!
 
Great design,and looks like it would be very,very comfortable in-hand!
One thing I'd suggest on your next sheath;
I think the knife handle should sit a bit deeper in the pocket.
I'd bring the front up just another 1" to secure the knife better.
Really looking forward to what comes next!!
 
Thanks all for your compliments and suggestions.

Ironwolf. Good suggestion on the sheath. I was thinking it would be enough to hold but i think your right, another 1/2 or an inch would have secured a lot better. I also wish that i would have put some rivets on both sides near the top where the stitching starts. But now i know for next time.
 
Looks great, I especially like the wood on the handle. Forge heat-treat and sheath for your first knife is a vary impressive undertaking good job.
 
The first couple of wet-formed sheaths I made were a little short,as I had thought as you did.
I found they just weren't that secure,
and over time,the leather will loosen slightly.
To test retention,I grab the sheath by the toe,make a sharp downward throwing motion,
several times,and now,none of the knives slip out.
I've found that a pocket at least 1" will do the trick.
Keep up the good work!
 
Anyway, please feel free to critique me, you won't hurt my feelings (unless you tell me to stop now and take up a different hobby all together). The only way i'll get any better is to know what i'm doing wrong. Thanks for looking.

tim

Tim, it's not bad for your first knife. The bevels remind me of my first knife, very low and at a broad angle. It was more like a cold chisel than a slicing tool. If you'll run your bevel up higher you'll have a knife with better geometry. And if you're going to use O-1 you do need an oven or a professional to get the best from the heat treat. This is arguably the best carbon steel for a knife blade, but it does require more precise control over the temps and the soak time for best performance. Smooth out your design. It doesn't "flow" well with the hump back handle and the raised blade back.

The maple was a good choice. Just make sure you finish it properly. Polyurethane is going to be the strongest top coat you can put on it. Tung oil and Danish oil don't waterproof it at all. Brass pins are okay, but eventually you'll find that people (assuming that you may want to sell some knives) prefer stainless steel. Bronze pins would be a nice alternative if you want a yellow metal. And always pay attention to your finish.

Hope this helps.

David
 
Thanks David for the suggestions. I read and read forums trying to figure out what the best steel was...came down to 1095 and o-1 for me but, trying to find the "best steel" i soon figured out was a matter of pure opinion, so i found o-1 at Amtek and went with that. My bevels are starting to get better, now that i don't try to rush things, plus i polished with the buffer WAY to much on this one (trying to get out the scratches that i didn't take care of when i should have) and that took any since of bevels away (lesson learned). The first thing i found out when i finished the knife was that i didn't like the fit in my hand. I should have tried it out before I went any farther (again, lesson learned).

As for heat treating do you all have any suggestions on who to do it. I have read a lot of good things and will probably go with Peters heat treating, but not really sure how far to finish it before i send it off and do you do any file work (for a thumb grip) in the spine prior to or after treating.....any suggestions?
 
Congratulations on your first knife.

Peters would probably be a great choice for heat treat. He's kind of like family around here and from all reports, does a great job and has wonderful service. If you get in touch with him, he can let you know about all your heat treat questions.

Carey
 
Thanks David for the suggestions. I read and read forums trying to figure out what the best steel was...came down to 1095 and o-1 for me but, trying to find the "best steel" i soon figured out was a matter of pure opinion, so i found o-1 at Amtek and went with that. My bevels are starting to get better, now that i don't try to rush things, plus i polished with the buffer WAY to much on this one (trying to get out the scratches that i didn't take care of when i should have) and that took any since of bevels away (lesson learned). The first thing i found out when i finished the knife was that i didn't like the fit in my hand. I should have tried it out before I went any farther (again, lesson learned).

As for heat treating do you all have any suggestions on who to do it. I have read a lot of good things and will probably go with Peters heat treating, but not really sure how far to finish it before i send it off and do you do any file work (for a thumb grip) in the spine prior to or after treating.....any suggestions?

I am not personally familiar with Peters heat treating, but others endorse him so I'm sure he's fine. Delbert Ealy is a member here on KD and makes damascus with O-1. He can heat treat your blades.

If you're using a file or some grinder that's slow or not particularly powerful you will need to take it to the final size and shape before the heat treat. Maybe in the neighborhood of 220 grit, then finish it after you get it back. If you want file work anywhere on the blade you need to do it before, not after the heat treat.

I prefer O-1 for carbon steel unless I want a hamon. I've made a few blades from W2 for that specific reason. Some makers use 1095 when they want hamons. An advantage to heat treating O-1 is the relatively long time you have to get the temperature down, while 1095 gives you a couple of seconds. An advantage of 1095, 1084, and some other carbon steels is that you can heat treat it in a forge with relative ease, but O-1 requires that you hold it at the proper temp for 10-15 minutes, and that requires an oven. And while I think O-1 is the best carbon steel for knives and several people can make a good argument for it, the fact is that there are several very good steels to choose from, and some will satisfy your needs as a maker better than others.

A good rule to follow, especially at this very new phase as a knifemaker, is to never be fully satisfied with what you've done. At some point you have to accept that a particular knife has to be declared finished, but on the next one you have to remind yourself to improve. How you hold your blades while grinding, or how you hold your file or Dremel, how you hold your sanding block, how you stand or sit when doing each operation, how you place your tongue in the corner of your mouth all work to creating consistency in your work. You also have to learn how to self examine your work and to think in an analytical manner. You've mentioned that you buffed and didn't remove all the scratches first. That's what I mean.

You list Montana as home. I would recommend that you contact Ed Caffrey and enroll in his school. Ed's a very good maker and offers classes. Yeah, I'm sure it's expensive! Way back in the day I got some instruction from a couple of makers in my area, but it would have shortened the learning curve if I'd taken some classes (which no one offered then).

So post pictures of the next knife. I'm sure it's going to be a whole lot better. And ask for constructive criticism again. You'll get better that way for sure.

David
 
Looks good for a first.David has given some excellent advice....follow it.
When you do #2,I would post pic as you do each step{kind of a WIP}
and ask questions,that way you can fix it as you go,just my 2 cents.
Just keep reading all the info you can,and asking all the questions you need to ask,
and PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE....and each knife will be better and better.
Good luck.

God bless,Keith
 
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