gnique
Member
I figured out in the beginning that some of the stuff had to be controlled. I figured that there was no reason to cut out and shape a blade if I didn't know at least the rudiments of attaching a handle to it. I bought five blank blades from Texas Knife-makers and put handles on them. That gave me a great deal of satisfaction and taught me the very basics of attaching and finishing a handle. Things like: you have GOT to completely finish the front end of the handle BEFORE you put it on the knife. Cause there ain't NO way you are going to get to it after it is glued and riveted on. After those five I cut out my own blade and shaped it. I still have my first knife that I made from start to finish. I actually even still use it. I like it.
But the absolute biggest trap that I fell into was believing ANY of the heat treating advice that I found in the knifemaking books that everyone reads. ALL of that stuff is wrong. It took me a lot of years to find that out. I really don't know of one knifemaking book that has accurate and honest heat treating information. It pretty much made me mad that I had been duped by people who claimed to be experts who were only interested in promulgating their silly recipes, being known as "experts" and selling books. The only good heat treating advice has been on the various forums. But that takes a lot of work and study to sift the bad advice from the good. And even after you grind down to the good advice you still have a great deal of work and learning and reading to do. Not many people want to spend all that time and effort to learn so they just "heat, magnet, quench" like all the wizards in the books say and let it go at that. That's sad, I think.
But the absolute biggest trap that I fell into was believing ANY of the heat treating advice that I found in the knifemaking books that everyone reads. ALL of that stuff is wrong. It took me a lot of years to find that out. I really don't know of one knifemaking book that has accurate and honest heat treating information. It pretty much made me mad that I had been duped by people who claimed to be experts who were only interested in promulgating their silly recipes, being known as "experts" and selling books. The only good heat treating advice has been on the various forums. But that takes a lot of work and study to sift the bad advice from the good. And even after you grind down to the good advice you still have a great deal of work and learning and reading to do. Not many people want to spend all that time and effort to learn so they just "heat, magnet, quench" like all the wizards in the books say and let it go at that. That's sad, I think.