hi, im new here, my first attempt at a knife

[1234]

firstly, hi, hows everyone, im new to this forum and new to bushcraft, i enjoy being outdoors in general, watching wildlife, an avid cyclist (love to just cycle through the countryside), anything hands on craft-ish gets my full attention, interested in trees ( got a couple of bonsai's on the go, a sycamore and a lemon tree) just the the smell of the woods make me feel alive
so learning some bushcraft skills ( mainly tree identification, uses and whatnot, can anyone recomend a store bought book ), some basic survival skills so i can wonder off into the middle of nowhere and be part of the land

well anyway, im in the process of making my first knife and need some advice please. http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad8/account1234/ mobile phone pics, sorry not that good
im making a knife out of an old file (and a mini neck knife out of the remaining bit of file, waste not want not), ive built a small biscuit tin forge, annealed the file, cut the knife out with a grinder, roughly shaped it, put a 30 degree scandi on it (its mainly gonna be used for food prep,feather-sticks, nothing hardcore, i could always put a secondary bevel on it if needs be) and im about to heat treat it today after a final clean up of the edges. so the actual question is how do i protect the tang of my knife , im planning to wrap it (its easy, aesthetically pleasing, easy to change, quite comfortable) being a high carbon steel its going to rust but how do i give it a good protective layer to help minamise this? what do i use? wax, ray mears uses gun oil on his axe, clear coat etc)

any help would be much appreciated
thanks

 

[PRKL]

Cant see any pictures,sorry.


But is it all the way steel,so you wont be putting any handle materials in to it at all?

if so,id suggest you get some gun blue-liquid and repeat blueing several times,it helps to get rust away,as would do oiling it with food grade oil,as it goes into small gaps too and if you use it a lot,it wont have any real time to rust.

You can also get small portions of powder coat from fishing shops,as fishers use it to coat their steel jig stuff.Easy to use in home too,basic kitchen oven is all you need.One well known brand is "coat n catch" if i remember right.

 

[1234]

ive just uploaded them to photobucket
http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad8/account1234/
yes its all steel, i will be cord wrapping it, the wrap will be the handle
ill google them
thanks

 

[QDanT]

Hi 1234 if you post the IMG Code, under the photo in photobucket,into the post it will then show the photo---looking good--- you'll have to post one with them wrapped

ive just uploaded them to photobucket
http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad8/account1234/
yes its all steel, i will be cord wrapping it, the wrap will be the handle
ill google them
thanks

--cheers Danny

 

[1234]

hi danny
didnt think of posting the img codes, thanks
with a lose wrap on, ive got to take it off so i can clean it up and heat treat the blade, bad pics again, ive got to find my 8mp vivitar

 

[brancho]

the blade, bad pics again, ive got to find my 8mp vivitar

Read the instructions you have the camera too close to the subject as can be seen by the background being in focus.

 

[helixpteron]

Hello and welcome!

Are you the same '1234' from BF?

 

[Siberianfury]

i realy done bother with any blade treatment with my tool steel knives, a coat of oil now and again if its not being used and after cleaning, but apart from that i dont bother, just wipe the blade dry after use and it will be fine.

 

[caliban]

That's brilliant. Great knife and great skills and ingenuity making your forge.

 

[1234]

just rembered about this

helixpteron
thanks, hello, and if by bf you mean blade forums then no (thats the only thing i think bf could relate to this being a knife thread and all)

caliban
thank you


well i finished it quite a long time ago, not bad for a first attempt

i know its not the prettiest of things (the whole idea of making it out of a file makes the rough and ready a little more acceptable )but its to be used, it works and i made it which puts a massive smile on my face

 

[TJRoots]

thats really good nice work mate

ATB
TJ

 

[Ogri the trog]

1234,
Hi and welcome to the forum.
I think you are asking how to protect the tang of your knife that is under the cord wrapping - right?
The trouble with covering anything "iron" based, is that the fibrous material will soak up and hold any moisture thats around either from the atmosphere or even your own sweat as you are using the knife.
I believe you have a few options....
1, soak the cord in an oil or wax product - you'll get messy hands every time you use it but its an idea.
2, remove the cord, prime and paint the tang to make it water proof and then re-cover it.
3, Not worry about it and use it anyway, perhaps resorting to removing the cord once a year to check how bad it is getting - the thing with making your own knives is that it can become very addictive and before long I'm guessing you'll want o make something else (perhaps with a different handle) whereupon you'll forget all about the problems you think you are having just now!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[1234]

thanks tj
thanks ogri

went with the 3rd option, gave it a couple of thin layers of candle-wax on the tang, and i will just replace the wrap every now and then
know what you mean about becoming addictive, im already planing another couple of file knifes (finished a little better this time), will start them some time next week

 

[Ph34r]

I actually like to roughness of the blade just above the grind. I suppose it makes it a three in one knife.
1> A knife
2> A file
3> Parachord.