"My very first knife" - post up!

I don't have a picture but I do have the story. I was 12 years old (that was a long time ago) and found an industrial band saw blade somewhere. I used the bench grinder in our garage to grind out, what I thought was, a very nice looking and functional fillet knife. Next I needed a handle so I looked around in the garage for something suitable. Pretty soon I came upon a tub of window glazing compound. The plan was to form it around the tang of the knife and sculpt it to fit my hand. I would have a custom knife fitted to my hand, exactly. After forming the handle I put the knife on the window sill to dry. I checked on it the next day, still soft. I checked it again the next day, still soft again. This went on for a week or so, I'm a pretty patient fellow. After almost two weeks of this I decided to check the tub of glazing putty I had used to see if it went bad or something and printed proudly under the name the label boasted "STAYS PLIABLE FOR UP TO SIX YEARS" Well dang, I just don't have this kind of time, so I pulled the stuff off and found some Plasty-Dip stuff for dipping tool handles in. I dipped my tang a few times, candle style, letting it glaze over and forming it with my hand between dips. I thought it was pretty cool. I kept it for quite a few years but haven't seen it around for a while.
 
I made and sold my first knife for $25 to a friend back in 1988 and never saw it until this summer he came to town with it for a tune up so I took a picture of it. Its made from bandsaw steel and elk antler. Pretty basic by todays best tactical reviews but I was sure proud of it way back then. Look close to the scrimmed makers mark. Its a back to back BB. There are only about 3 top rated tactical knives marked that way before I got a stamp.

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My very first knife was from Kershaw. It was awesome pocket knife no doubt about that!
 
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I made this 16 yrs ago...my first ever...I made 5 and only had three that were heat treated decently...made from O-1. It is a kitchen knife that is beveled only on one side...my theory was that a chopper wants to push the cut pieces away but not the stuff you're trying to pin to the cutting board. It worked real well but I got discourage over my lack of heat treat control...tempil sticks...magnets. I was working a job and starting a business and was just too busy to pursue a hobby...the buddies I gave the other two knives to swear by them. Mine was the least best of the three steel wise but the best handle as I inlaid my name.

so this is right hand only....I did get to prove out some ideas though...and am still using some of those ideas. The blade is too flat and does not "feel" good on the cutting board but it works well...
 
"My very first knife" - post up!

I can't wait to post mine here! This site/forum has changed my life forever! Demo told me to come take a look at this thread. I'm sure glad I did. I just joined the site so I've only seen the recent work from you guys - like the "Tomb Raider" I mean WOW - It is great to see you all post your first efforts. It gives hope to guys like me. It's so nice to meet a group of people who are not afraid to show the truth and help others. I'll be done with my first in prob 8-10 months lol. Again you all are awesome!
Thank you for being here!



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Kwzito said:
I can't wait to post mine here! This site/forum has changed my life forever! Demo told me to come take a look at this thread. I'm sure glad I did. I just joined the site so I've only seen the recent work from you guys - like the "Tomb Raider" I mean wtf lol- It is great to see you all post your first efforts. It gives hope to guys like me. It's so nice to meet a group of people who are not afraid to show the truth and help others. I'll be done with my first in prob 8-10 months lol. Again you all are awesome!
Thank you for being here!



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If making knives won't humble a person, then nothing will. The ego-driven snowflakes will never survive in this endeavor because every lesson learned is paid for with frustration and failure. Even so, my admiration for those who came before is boundless. The existence of the internet- forums, youtube, etc. has allowed me to learn things without needless suffering. Those who learned this craft the truly hard way and who come here to share that knowledge has absolutely earned them a place in Heaven as far as I'm concerned!
 
John Wilson said:
If making knives won't humble a person, then nothing will. The ego-driven snowflakes will never survive in this endeavor because every lesson learned is paid for with frustration and failure. Even so, my admiration for those who came before is boundless. The existence of the internet- forums, youtube, etc. has allowed me to learn things without needless suffering. Those who learned this craft the truly hard way and who come here to share that knowledge has absolutely earned them a place in Heaven as far as I'm concerned!
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John

Ditto! I agree 100%. The masters that share their hard earned knowledge are a great blessing to the rest of us knife nerds. We cannot thank them enough for their efforts.

DeMo
 
"The ego-driven snowflakes will never survive in this endeavor because every lesson learned is paid for with frustration and failure."

Love it! When my 14 yr old son sanded on his first knife for a week straight...knowing that he was going to give it away...I knew he had the "right stuff". Up until then I wasn't sure.
 
Here's my first knife. I made it about eight or nine years ago. I hand filed the bevels and took it to my Dad to heat treat it. The blade is 440c stainless and the handles are a piece of Claro walnut with aluminium tubes for pins. Also my first kydex sheath. I carry it in my coat pocket while hunting.First Blade 001.jpg


Jake
 
I looked through the entire thread again. For some reason, my first knife picture was just an empty picture box. I will post it again. A lot of the first knife pictures are kind of similar.

DeMo

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I think this thread is my favorite thread of all time. Thanks for keeping it going guys. I check it fairly often and see new makers as well as seasoned craftsman posting their works, advice and concerns. The best advice I can give is make knives for the enjoyment and challenge yourself to make the next one just a bit better after learning what you would do different. Sell them and invest in new belts, steel, power tools, education, everything needed to make better knives in the future. As the quality comes up so can the prices, time goes by and before you know it your shop is loaded with tools.
 
Wow, I'm still figuring out the first steps and what blade to use... this thread set the bar high for my first try! Will try to post when it's done... not for a while
 
Ok... I've been biting at the bit to do this. By the way this is definitely cross posted, but I figured I would put it here. There is so much more I could do to this knife to make it better, but I "need" to move forward. Without you all, this would not have happened. This community (Knife Dogs) is fantastic. The forum is run fantastically, and the members will go miles out of their way to help. I've found a lifelong passion, and you all guided me with care, sensitivity, and INFORMATION. I received help from noobs, super pros, and inbetweeners. I don't want to mention names as it may make some people uncomfortable, but you know who you are. If you ever doubt the effectiveness of the Knife Dog pack, just take a look at this thread. I was not in my shed figuring this stuff out on my own... you and your experience were right there with me. I owe you ALL a tremendous debt; I will be forever grateful.

Here it is.

My First Knife

OAL: 8.116 in
Cutting edge: 3.400 in
Weight: 4.875 oz
Blade (edge to spine): 1.130 in
Thickness: 1/8 in
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Figured I'd join in on the fun. Here is my first fully completed knife. I had many more half finished attempts before this one. Made this in summer 2015, terrible finish on the blade, big blocky handle, but it was done! For some reason my makers mark came out better on this one than most of my recent attempts. I need to work on that lol
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And by the way, that ugly first knife is used almost every day that I'm in my shop. I just figured, it's a shop knife now, it doesn't need to be pretty lol

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