A few small projects

[Billywing24]

Hello,
Having spent some time living with my dad I have managed to get a few small projects done. I would love you to have a look and give me feedback.

https://goo.gl/photos/bguGHy4XwX9KRSjZ7

The items include 2 knives, one sheath, 4 letter openers(small blades with decorative handles), a bottle stop, a strop and a slingshot.

The steel used came from a circular saw blade and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a decent harden/temper, so the knives aren't functional. Also the letter openers are gifts for family and friends. But this doesn't bother me too much as I wasn't expecting anything great anyway due to it being my first try at making knives.

I don't have a close up of the slingshot as the clouds came over before I could get one that I liked, sorry about that.

I have added a basic description on the info sidebar so you know what you're looking at.

If the link doesn't work or you would like additional photos, don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you,
Billy

 

[Dreadhead]

love those wee blades, and that beech has come out a great hue, very nice look to them.
As a leatherworker that sheath looks nice and functional too (though can't make out if it has a welt or not but with all that stitching and the rivets I think you're covered )

 

[Billywing24]

Haha thank you.

The sheath was more of a temporary fix to getting the larger knife home, I simply folded it over the knife roughly cut it then realised it could look nice, so made the rivets and washers, then stitched it. The second row of stitching was to help the knife fit as I made it too big at first.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Nice work, some very interesting looking projects there.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Mod hat on here. Generally we ask that people post pictures and videos so that they are embedded and visible in the forum post, rather than merely pasting in a link that takes people to an individual's homepage/Youtube channel/Google album.

I grant that it IS more difficult to post images into a forum from Google than it is from something like PhotoBucket, but it is possible, as demonstrated by the photo I pasted into the original post.

Open image in its own Tab in the Google viewer, right click on image and "Copy image address". Use the little "Insert Image" tool just above the post-composition area, select the From URL option and un-tick "Retrieve remote files...". Paste copied image address into the area for the URL, and you're done

Posting into the thread makes it more likely people will respond, so it is worth doing.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Feedback on the knives, well, what have you learned about circular saw blades? was it a huge old blade, or one of the newer kind with brazed tooth inserts? The big old blades made of a single piece of steel can, by all accounts, produce good knives, anything with a tooth insert won't. There are two schools of thought about using recycled steel. One likes the idea from a romantic perspective, the other view is that it holds a knife maker back since they can't be sure what steel they have and how it will respond best to treatment. I am of the second school and reckon that when you start out it is better to invest in some sort of known steel so there is one fewer variable to contend with. Lots of people start with O-1 (oil hardening) tool steel, aka gauge plate, because it is readily available in small sizes and comes precision ground, and can be heat treated to some extent with very basic tools. Just accept that you won't get full performance from it without a furnace, but that beginner-adequate performance is achievable with a torch and some fire bricks.

On the big knife, the pin nearest the blade is probably too near the blade. Have a look at how other folk do it, there are lots of pictures. The two full tang knives' handles are still a bit on the blocky side. Aim to round the handle so that the curves meet in the middle of the handle without leaving a flat area. If you bevel the leading edge of the handle, its good to keep the bevel going all the way to the blade, it makes cleaning the area a lot easier. That 90deg joint can be a rust magnet otherwise.

Looks like you had a lot of fun. Beware, this stuff can get addictive

 

[Billywing24]

I'm sorry for using a link to show the photos, I was previously told thst I had to be a subscribed member to post photos, and that a link to a photo gallery was the preferred way.

The saw blade was a carbide toothed one, it was relatively new, but had been used for 4 months, daily, on teak floor boards, so was blunt. (The same teak I used for the handles). Making the knives were a last minute "I want to try, so I will" sort of thing... So in that sense I'm not too bothered about the steel. If I do further blade projects, I will invest into some decent steel.

As for the last three points, when finishing the knife I realise the pin was too close to the blade, but it was too late, haha. Some good advice about the tapered portion of the handle, I hadn't thought of that. But as for the blocky look to the handles, this was actually the style I was going for. Something about it caught my eye, so left it that way, it fit my hand nicely and gave some grip.

Thanks for the tips, if I make anything else, I will be sure to make another post.

Billy

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hello Billy,

To clarify the photo thing. You have to subscribe to be able to upload photos directly to the forum, but there are a couple of different ways to link to photos stored off-site. One uses tags at the start and end of the a...cide to make some more, best of luck with it!

 

[Billywing24]

Chris, thanks for clearing that up, I understand what you mean now, haha.

Billy

 

[forginhill]

Your work is really nice, Billy. The hardening and tempering are easy compared to the work you did, so it won't be long until you have some excellent knives. The slingshot stick looks great. Keep posting your creations!

 

[Billywing24]

Thanks a lot... I've always loved making stuff, so I admit I have experience. However I'm quite proud of how they came out.

Billy