First finished knife.

[Windom Armory]

Greetings all
Been trolling this site for a while and finally got my first knife forged, and finished. Please don't be gentle on your critiques I'm an 18-year veteran of the Army I can handle anything you bring.View attachment 67347

 

[Dennis Morland]

First of all - Thank you for you service.

On your first attempt - you did a very good job. The knife is a pleasing shape to the eye. Grind lines look fairly even. Plunge lines too. It appears to have a consistent finish to the blade and handle. You have trolled well...

The only complaint that I would have is your picture taking is as bad as mine. Learn to take better pictures. Use the search function and check out "light boxes" and setting the stage (background). Taking and having good pictures of your work is extremely important. Especially that very first one.

Also, use the search function to find a thread started by Bruce Bump on first knife postings. It is pretty long and has several pages. Post your knife and look at every one else's first knife. It is worth the effort. Pretty good stuff.

You are off to a very good start. Keep grinding!!

 

[Windom Armory]

First of all - Thank you for you service.

On your first attempt - you did a very good job. The knife is a pleasing shape to the eye. Grind lines look fairly even. Plunge lines too. It appears to have a consistent finish to the blade and handle. You have trolled well...

The only complaint that I would have is your picture taking is as bad as mine. Learn to take better pictures. Use the search function and check out "light boxes" and setting the stage (background). Taking and having good pictures of your work is extremely important. Especially that very first one.

Also, use the search function to find a thread started by Bruce Bump on first knife postings. It is pretty long and has several pages. Post your knife and look at every one else's first knife. It is worth the effort. Pretty good stuff.

You are off to a very good start. Keep grinding!!

Thank you for the kind words. You and J. Doyle are some of the people I follow to learn the most.

 

[Smallshop]

Great first knife. Not gonna critique cause if your first is that good your second will be better...and so on. You are talented!

 

[Von Gruff]

Welcome to the posting side of our place and starting with a well crafted first knife. I think many of us struggle to get good pics of our knives. The light boxes are an aid that is well worth looking into as they even out the light and do away with detail costing shadows. It is not always possible to get good pics in natural light at different times of the year and when you have to get a knife away to its new owner the light box is a real asset.

 

[Ty Adams]

Very nice first knife! Most people's first knives look like prison shanks. Yours looks like it was well thought out, and care was taken in the fit and finish.

 

[Dennis Morland]

Thank you for the kind words. You and J. Doyle are some of the people I follow to learn the most.

We all follow John Doyle. He is just that good. When I first started he was one of the first makers on KD to reach out to me. He is a great guy and knife maker. He also sells some really nice knife scales/wood. Keep an eye out for his wood posts. I am not even close to being in his class.

 

[Windom Armory]

Very nice first knife! Most people's first knives look like prison shanks. Yours looks like it was well thought out, and care was taken in the fit and finish.

This is my oldest son's first knife. Don't think it should be a prison shank. He is 9.

 

[Sean Jones]

Looks quite good for a first knife. Definitely much better than my first knife.

 

[Windom Armory]

Thank you all for your kind words. This is not my first attempt at a knife is just the first one that showed potential of actually being nice so it got finished.

 

[Chris Railey]

I like it a lot. That thing is clean and to only have two small hammer marks left after grinding is awesome. I know many people that like hammer marks but I like it when you cannot tell if it was forged or stock removal. The only thing I would add to what has been said would be about the knife's balance. How did it balance? I notice there is no taper to the tang but you may have drilled weight reduction holes instead of forging a taper.

 

[Windom Armory]

I like it a lot. That thing is clean and to only have two small hammer marks left after grinding is awesome. I know many people that like hammer marks but I like it when you cannot tell if it was forged or stock removal. The only thing I would add to what has been said would be about the knife's balance. How did it balance? I notice there is no taper to the tang but you may have drilled weight reduction holes instead of forging a taper.

This knife is admittedly quite heavy in the handle. I know the balance point should be right in the ricasso. This knife still moves well. Next time I'll pay more attention to weight and balance.

 

[Chris Railey]

This knife is admittedly quite heavy in the handle. I know the balance point should be right in the ricasso. This knife still moves well and is definitely something I can use to teach my son good knife techniques.

For most Non-chopping knives I like mine to balance at the finger well which is essentially the ricasso. In my forged knives I will forge a slight taper to the tang but I leave plenty of meat for the grinder so I can adjust the balance. When I have finished my grinding I like the knife to be slightly blade heavy to compensate for adding the scales. If it is handle heavy I will grind more of a taper into the handle area. I try to picture the knife like a scale and see if there is enough weight on the blade side to balance the handle when it is added. Of course it depends on the handle material Micarta and stabilized woods are heavier than raw wood etc. That is a great knife though is the handle zebrawood? What steel did you forge it from?

 

[C Craft]

Real good knife for a first blade!! My first was very lacking for fit and finish. You seem to have a handle on that area already. Keep up the good work!!

 

[DanF]

Thank you for your service, very nice knife.

 

[Windom Armory]

For most Non-chopping knives I like mine to balance at the finger well which is essentially the ricasso. In my forged knives I will forge a slight taper to the tang but I leave plenty of meat for the grinder so I can adjust the balance. When I have finished my grinding I like the knife to be slightly blade heavy to compensate for adding the scales. If it is handle heavy I will grind more of a taper into the handle area. I try to picture the knife like a scale and see if there is enough weight on the blade side to balance the handle when it is added. Of course it depends on the handle material Micarta and stabilized woods are heavier than raw wood etc. That is a great knife though is the handle zebrawood? What steel did you forge it from?

Thank you for the input and advice. When you drill the holes for your taper Tang how do you do that it the process is eluding me? The wood was supposed to be bocote as it stated on eBay got eight pairs of scales for twenty bucks shipped. Blade is 1095.

 

[Chris Railey]

I am not sure what you are asking but I will try to help. I forge the slight taper in during forging but the holes I drill later, after I grind but before I HT. I do a simple HT so my handles are not hardened on purpose. That way I can drill more holes to lighten the tang or I can grind more of a taper on the tang if needed. If you use a HT oven or kiln then your handle will be hard as your blade and further drilling will be a problem. The only other way I know is to punch and drift your holes during forging, which I have done, but if you do that you are married to their location. Sometimes I change the profile of the knife after forging to better fit my taste so I like to do my scale holes right before HT. Hope that helps If I totally missed what you were asking let me know.

 

[Smallshop]

We all follow John Doyle. He is just that good. When I first started he was one of the first makers on KD to reach out to me. He is a great guy and knife maker. He also sells some really nice knife scales/wood. Keep an eye out for his wood posts. I am not even close to being in his class.

i told a sheath maker (after sending him pics of a j Doyle knife) that "...J Doyle is a mentor of mine...he just doesn't know it..."

cat's outta the bag now...though I have a pretty good idea John D know exactly what he's servin' up to a lot of us...

 

[Smallshop]

Thank you for the input and advice. When you drill the holes for your taper Tang how do you do that it the process is eluding me? The wood was supposed to be bocote as it stated on eBay got eight pairs of scales for twenty bucks shipped. Blade is 1095.

that is Bocote.

 

[Windom Armory]

I am not sure what you are asking but I will try to help. I forge the slight taper in during forging but the holes I drill later, after I grind but before I HT. I do a simple HT so my handles are not hardened on purpose. That way I can drill more holes to lighten the tang or I can grind more of a taper on the tang if needed. If you use a HT oven or kiln then your handle will be hard as your blade and further drilling will be a problem. The only other way I know is to punch and drift your holes during forging, which I have done, but if you do that you are married to their location. Sometimes I change the profile of the knife after forging to better fit my taste so I like to do my scale holes right before HT. Hope that helps If I totally missed what you were asking let me know.

I was more asking about getting the holes perpendicular to the center of the line spine rather than the taper. Since asking the question I have done my best Google-foo and found the answer I was looking for. Thank you for the response and information.