First Try

jcullen

Well-Known Member
Any thoughts on a kit knife as a first attempt, I have a Multitool set up on my 6" grinder, but need some direction on a first try.....Thanks, JC
 
I built a few kit knives last year and here are my thoughts with the limited experience I've got.

If you want a project to get you started and are not set on a style of knife in perticular then I've had good performance from Green River SS blade blanks with Cryo from Texas knifemakers supply.

My wifes kitchen knife gets daily use and takes a wicked sharp edge. It loses that wicked sharpness relatively quickly but remains acceptably using sharp for a very long time afterwards. I've sharpened it twice in 9 months but I really think it's mostly because I like em sharp as I can get em and feel that it would still be humming along relatively sharp if never touched.

I also did a fillet knife from them and the new owner raves about it's performance. the drawback to these blades is limitations on style. FYI though I had no trouble reprofiling with my angle grinder and an 80grit flap wheel.

My first knife was from an ebay seller and there were a couple things that bothered me about it. The bolsters came attached to the blade but were very thin (1/8") and the mating surface between bolster and scale was rounded over somewhat. The blade was polished but appeared to be finished to 120 then buffed. User grade, Ok, but not very attractive nevertheless. This blade was 440c and also took a very fine edge but can't speak of the edge retention as it was a gift for my dad and too late for deer season last year.

That is my experience with kit knives. If your gonna be doing kit knives for awhile get yourself a Jantz Supple catalog. They have an extensive number of choices with pictures. Many of the blades available can also be had from Texas Knifemakers supply with cryo for a slighlty higher price.

Hope this helps ya. I'll try to dig up a few pics of the kit knives I made and find the name of the e-bay guy.

-Josh
 
www.knifekits.com has some great designs by famed knife maker Darryl Ralph. If you are not making your own blades, Check out the MODERN SKINNER. It comes with the bolsters, pins, corbys, etc. Its a great first knife and makes a good gift also.

Its the top one of the pair below, and was one of my first attempts.

Good luck,
Steve
 
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