Polishing my planer blade knife

I dont know if the steel is M2 or D2 steel that I am using for blades but I want to put a mirror like polish on the current knife in progress.
The old blades have rust on them so I dont know how to tell if they are M2 or D2 steel. They are Simmonds brand blades. The company sells both types of blades in the same size. So if some one can throw the pup a bone it would be greatly appreciated.

Well, it won't mater will it? You are going to work the bars as they are in a hardened state. About 40 years ago I used lots of planer blades for knives. I used a slow turning mandrel with white very soft wheels to do the grinding to start with. I was told, the harder the steel the softer the grinding material should be. It worked. You can easily drill holes in planer blades with carbide or even cement drilling bits. My suggestion to you, however, is to buy a piece or two of steel that is already soft and start from there. You can get pieces of different kinds from USA Knifemaker Suppy (the Boss D0G) and Alpha Knife Makers Supply. They have both carbon and stainless steels for sale. Frank

No the exact metal doesnt matter but, added a bit of info just in case it mattered. I live happily yet stressfully at below the poverty line with my family and like my intro post said I work with free things, because thats what I can afford. I spent 8 yrs as an INFANTRYMAN SO EASY IS NOT IN MY VOCABULARY. I asked for help and tips on how to not to be told to go and buy stock thats going to cost me and have no money to send for ht let alone work properly. So thanks for the tip of using a softer wheel to buff with.

wall e, everyone around here is all about advice. Sometimes when you ask it may not be something you may want to hear but no one I know of will intentionally steer you in a wrong direction. What you may have failed to see in you haste to respond is that Frank, told you how to go about drilling and how to go about polishing as well. One question you asked was answered and the other information was thrown in as free.

As for the info about the buying some stock well, he has no idea how deep your pockets are and was only trying to offer some advice to keep you from butting your head against the same wall, that all of us have at one time or another! No need to get your feathers ruffled!

C craft, Feathers werent ruffled feelers werent hurt I was just blunt. Eloquence is not my strong suit. I get exactly how simple soft steel is to grind and polish. Was in steel fabrication and played around with shaping and shining steel. Frank I didnt mean to come off as an ungreatful prk, I did hear what was said about the softer grinding material the faster the grind. I have been using flapper disks on my angle grinder to rough shape the blades then smooth and clean up with 4x36 belt sander. I would love to have a complete knife shop with an oven and kiln and forge to make proper forged knives. Alas I live in a small space and am making it paycheck to paycheck. Am building a propane forge to attempt to craft forged blades, ht and temper with the toaster oven.
Here is the ugly lil project during fit check.

This is being made for my grandfather from the blades, brass and scales he gave me to get started. The holes were drilled with a bit for hardened steel. It looks like a masonary bit with the carbide tip. Took two bits to complete using cutting oil and a hand drill. Drilled slowly to try and not destroy the bits but the first one got too warm and rounded the carbide off like I was told it would

Grind to 400 grit with belts. Then use a 600 grit cork belt with green buffing compound, then 1000 grit cork belt with green buffing compound. then buff with a hard wheel with green buffing compound, followed with a hard wheel with no scratch pink compound, and finish with a soft buffing wheel with no scratch pink compound. I have done planer blades like this and get an excellent polish on them.

Grind to 400 grit with belts. Then use a 600 grit cork belt with green buffing compound, then 1000 grit cork belt with green buffing compound. then buff with a hard wheel with green buffing compound, followed with a hard wheel with no scratch pink compound, and finish with a soft buffing wheel with no scratch pink compound. I have done planer blades like this and get an excellent polish on them.

Thanks steve schnetter just have to find said belts in 4x36 and within my shoe strand budget (too broke for the whole string) lol I have seen a mirror polish on these blades and was asking for just what you gave me, what your experience was and how you got the results.

No harm done whatsoever wall e. Thank you C Craft. If you have a way to get there then do that but try to add a bit with each knife. In another forum I have a signature that says "It doesn't matter how you get there or what its made of, but how good it is when finished." Frank

Frank, I started with some blades and a hand full of antlers and some uhmw and a round aluminum tent stake and made some crude but smooth paring knives and a boning knife next. I got some larger blades and a piece of 1/4" brass flat bar then made a fillet knife and another paring knife before stepping up to thicker blade stock. Heres some of them




Its a bit ugly but fortunately the new owner loved the look it had. The current project is a very sentimental one so am doing it right and slow and deliberate. I am gping to take a piece of black myrtle and cut and shape the brand for my grandfathers ranch then inlay it into the handle on the side with primarily straight grain almost no character in it.

Wall E- if I sent you some complete knife making materials, would you like to give it a try? I'd be happy to send you some steel, wood, brass, pinstock and whatever else it might take.

I'd even offer to slip a couple bucks into the box so you could pay to ship the knife back to me and I'd heat treat it for you. I'd pick up all the shipping, there and back so you could have some good materials to make a nice knife.

Please don't look at it as a charity case...that's not it at all. I understand the situation you and a lot of other folks are in with money being tight. Think of it as a 'Thank you for serving our country' gift. That's my offer.

Feel free to take me up on it if you want. Send me a private message if you want to give me your address and I'll send some stuff out.

-John

wall e

I am with J. Doyle. I do not want to treat you like a charity case. You have not asked for a handout and I do not want it to look as though that is what I am proposing.

But, I like to help fellow knife makers. Especially those that are just starting out. We were all there at one point in life.

I have several wood blocks that I would very much like to send to you. I have a few years supply of wood and need to thin the herd. Some of it is stabilized, some not. Not AAA stuff but all of it usable good looking stuff.

Again, consider it a thank you for serving this great country. Thank you! Just pm your address and I'll send it out to you.

It should get you started down road and feed your creative side into knife making.

DeMo

wall e, there are a bunch of us out here that started exactly the same way. Heck I still live pay check to pay check, come to think of it!:what!::biggrin: I started with a right angle grinder and a 4x36, so know exactly where you are coming from.

Advice offered is not always solicited but it is intended with good intentions! I frequent several knife forums and this same subject came up on another forum. So nowadays I often look back at the post to see if someone asked for a critique or even if they insinuated that they might want advice before I give it! I have never seen but one site that advice was not offered with the best of intentions behind the advice and I do not frequent their site anymore.

Sometimes a fresh eye is a big help. I have been at the point where there was something I didn't like about an unfinished knife but could not have put my finger on it to see what it was that I didn't like about how the blade had turned out. Usually those lay around for a long time and some never mature.
However here a while back I posted a pic of one, saying there was something about this blade that just would not let me finish it. I had a couple of posts that said this and that was wrong. My immediate reaction was no that's not it but, as I looked at the blade I decided maybe one of the suggestions was right. Figuring I had nothing to loose and tried the suggestion and,............Wow he was right. That is what the blade needed to make it look right!

That is one of the strongest things I have found about most all of these sites. Folks really want to see you succeed and most have been there back when they first got started. You will hear a lot about using known steel. The main reason is that we have all been there, we poured hours of time into a blade that looked good but then it would not harden, or it broke in the quench, etc. etc.!!! What most folks getting started is that good steel does not cost an arm and a leg if you start with small amounts. A known steel gives you all the info you will need to take that particular steel from start to finish. It also lets you know you are not ready to use a particular steel, one because the operation is too complicated for my setup at this time or two because I just don't have the ability to do the type of heat or quench that this steel requires.

I once had a karate instructor that told me when I was having trouble getting down some moves, not all people learn in the same way. He then went on to say some learn by looking at the information in a book, others have to do the move to see how it all works, and there are those who have to use both methods to be able to learn the move. Then I told him there was another method of learning my father always told me about, and that is learning from others mistakes!:biggrin:

For what you are working with your knives are coming along. I have a construction background and I learned a long time ago that no matter how great a craftsman you may be there are certain operations that you cannot preform easily or at all sometimes without the proper tool. I have built cabinets with only a skill saw, rasps and sandpaper but, believe me when I say the whole thing is a lot easier with a table saw, planer and router and generally the product was a whole lot better.

Take a moment to accept the hand extended to you and you just might find this is the next step-up to a new level with your work. Good luck with all of it!

Here is a pic I will share with you, these are two knives that were reshaped, re-handled and made into something that was a knife!



These two while not my best work are still in existence as far as I know. I don't think they have thrown them away, I gave one to my son, and one to my son in law!

I then began making knives from an old two man saw blade and after selling a couple of them I turned around and poured all that money back into buying some real knife making steel, and that money went into handle material and a 5 gal. bucket of Parks 50 quenchent. And so it goes all your profit from making knives goes back into the making of more until, one day you are able to build and sell and actually make a few bucks for real!!:what!::biggrin:

J. Doyle said:

Wall E- if I sent you some complete knife making materials, would you like to give it a try? I'd be happy to send you some steel, wood, brass, pinstock and whatever else it might take.

I'd even offer to slip a couple bucks into the box so you could pay to ship the knife back to me and I'd heat treat it for you. I'd pick up all the shipping, there and back so you could have some good materials to make a nice knife.

Please don't look at it as a charity case...that's not it at all. I understand the situation you and a lot of other folks are in with money being tight. Think of it as a 'Thank you for serving our country' gift. That's my offer.

Feel free to take me up on it if you want. Send me a private message if you want to give me your address and I'll send some stuff out.

-John

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I'm taking it at face value, an experienced knife maker taking a beginner aside and offering a kit to see what he can do. I would love the chance to see and show what can be done with knife steel.

DeMo and C Craft, thank you as well for the words of wisdom and offer of a new experience in this craft.
Walt

I have a fresh set of eyes that comes over every time Im working on something and he always offers his aholish opine about what Im doing and its always wrong even though he has no clue what I am doing. Lol
I have another neighbor who has to date traded me antlers for a boning knife and he didnt care about the uglyness of it being the third knife I made. Just the other day he gave me a oak burl that has seasoned in shed so is good and dry. So now I get to make a good skinning knife for him so I feel we are square, even though it was a gift since Im making knives is more handle material.

You might be grateful for an aholish friend to critique your work, I kind of wish I had someone like that around. I don't know anybody locally that makes knives and your family member's opinions are always biased. I've taken a couple of mine to work and those guys all seem to like them. I don't think the average Joe has an eye for detail or quality. Something that's glaring to me, they don't even notice. Maybe I should email Mr. Aholish some pics of mine for his opinion! Everybody around here is just too darn polite.

Chevytrucking Ill ask him later tonight during my day off ritual. We both are grunts so will be interesting to see this pan out.

That attitude that all they want to do is help me , certainly is the right one!!! I usually have at least one person that comes to my shop for some instruction on making liner locks. They start off as "students" but go out as friends ! Frank

I was challenged by my dad to make pocket knives out of the scraps I cut off the blades the other day. I know thats a slight but more than I want to tackle with the minimal tools and knowledge I have. Some day though. Till then the scraps go into a tub to await their next life.

Wanting to advance your work is a common feeling in this bunch of members and they are all out to help the other maker do it if they can help ! Frank