CrisAnderson27
New Member
First I'd like to say hello, and thank you all for the opportunity to post up some of my work for commentary and hopefully, critique. Some of you may know me from Don Fogg's forum, or some of the other bladesmithing forums around the internet. I was even a member here a number of years ago, but I've been gone a long time, and my sign in info has surely been long deleted, lol.
Anyhow, on to the point of my post. I've had my shop set back up again for a month or so now, and have been finishing up a pile of old projects I've been carrying around from place to place for the last good while. In that pile was a little 6.5" edge length kitchen knife blank I'd forged out of Aldo's W2. It had a rough grind, the profile was set, and overall it was pretty much ready for heat treat. Now, those of you that remember me will likely also remember that nothing I make is ever through hardened (at least not on purpose) lol. If it doesn't have a squiggly line running along the edge, I want no part in it. This W2 utility deal was no exception. Unfortunately though it didn't seem to want to cooperate. I persevered however, and seven...yes SEVEN (it was...thin...and I quench in 120-140F brine with a bit of dish soap added in no less) attempts later I finally got a result I was satisfied with lol:
I made a quick/temporary denim micarta handle for it and gave it to my dad to use so I could get some feedback on it. Stats are:
Edge length: 6" (153mm)
Width at heel: 1.2" (31mm)
Width at midblade: 1" (27mm)
Width 1" from tip: .54" (14mm)
Thickness at spine above heel: .106" (2.75mm)
Thickness at spine above midblade: .105" (2.67mm)
Thickness at spine 1" from tip (heavy distal taper from midblade on): .055" (1.42mm)
Edge before sharpening: .022 (.55mm)
Final edge is a convex.
All of the above information brings me to why I'm posting here. I've been bitten by the kitchen knife bug, and here is where I've found the best subforum dedicated to the subject lol. I quickly forged out another, bigger blade (8" edge, 1.75" heel, similar profile, and the same W2 from Aldo) which will be ready for heat treat tonight. It seems I've seriously come to love making these things...and don't see myself stopping any time soon. I even went out and bought some hardwood (desert ironwood, wenge, figured walnut, and purple heart) for my first ever wood handles, and finished my first practice handle today. Yes, I made it out of a 2x4 and a piece of copper pipe lol, but its not toooo bad! I'll post a picture below, along with one of the new blade. Honestly, all my blades prior to this had been made with leather wrapped handles lol.
Anyhow back to the subject, I'm pretty happy with how it cuts, lol...but I am hoping you guys might help me improve on it for the next blade. Any information on overall geometry, preferably focused on thickness and tapers etc, would be very...very much appreciated. I've no real intention of selling these (they're mostly for gifts/family and my own/friends personal use), I just hate doing the things I do to anything but the best possible level they can be done at.
Thanks in advance! Oh, and here's those blade and handle pictures, with the freshly normalized and sanded bigger utility knife as a model lol:
Handle:
Blade (and some of that hardwood):
Anyhow, on to the point of my post. I've had my shop set back up again for a month or so now, and have been finishing up a pile of old projects I've been carrying around from place to place for the last good while. In that pile was a little 6.5" edge length kitchen knife blank I'd forged out of Aldo's W2. It had a rough grind, the profile was set, and overall it was pretty much ready for heat treat. Now, those of you that remember me will likely also remember that nothing I make is ever through hardened (at least not on purpose) lol. If it doesn't have a squiggly line running along the edge, I want no part in it. This W2 utility deal was no exception. Unfortunately though it didn't seem to want to cooperate. I persevered however, and seven...yes SEVEN (it was...thin...and I quench in 120-140F brine with a bit of dish soap added in no less) attempts later I finally got a result I was satisfied with lol:
I made a quick/temporary denim micarta handle for it and gave it to my dad to use so I could get some feedback on it. Stats are:
Edge length: 6" (153mm)
Width at heel: 1.2" (31mm)
Width at midblade: 1" (27mm)
Width 1" from tip: .54" (14mm)
Thickness at spine above heel: .106" (2.75mm)
Thickness at spine above midblade: .105" (2.67mm)
Thickness at spine 1" from tip (heavy distal taper from midblade on): .055" (1.42mm)
Edge before sharpening: .022 (.55mm)
Final edge is a convex.
All of the above information brings me to why I'm posting here. I've been bitten by the kitchen knife bug, and here is where I've found the best subforum dedicated to the subject lol. I quickly forged out another, bigger blade (8" edge, 1.75" heel, similar profile, and the same W2 from Aldo) which will be ready for heat treat tonight. It seems I've seriously come to love making these things...and don't see myself stopping any time soon. I even went out and bought some hardwood (desert ironwood, wenge, figured walnut, and purple heart) for my first ever wood handles, and finished my first practice handle today. Yes, I made it out of a 2x4 and a piece of copper pipe lol, but its not toooo bad! I'll post a picture below, along with one of the new blade. Honestly, all my blades prior to this had been made with leather wrapped handles lol.
Anyhow back to the subject, I'm pretty happy with how it cuts, lol...but I am hoping you guys might help me improve on it for the next blade. Any information on overall geometry, preferably focused on thickness and tapers etc, would be very...very much appreciated. I've no real intention of selling these (they're mostly for gifts/family and my own/friends personal use), I just hate doing the things I do to anything but the best possible level they can be done at.
Thanks in advance! Oh, and here's those blade and handle pictures, with the freshly normalized and sanded bigger utility knife as a model lol:
Handle:
Blade (and some of that hardwood):
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