how to make a blade?

[sniper 2]

hiya, i'm quite new to bushcraft and i have been thinking about either altering an existing blade or making my own. the question i want to ask is what tools are needed to create a blade from say an old file, and could it be made by somebody with relatively little metalworking experience. i have no power tools whatsoever but quite a few types of saw an files etc. thanks

dan

 

[Northern Giant UK]

Check out this
http://www.greenpete.co.uk/?page_id=503
He's pretty good but also check out
http://www.britishblades.com/home/index.php
Lots of tutorials & info there.

Hope that helps.
Kev

 

[C_Claycomb]

To copy and paste from something I put together earlier:

How do I make a knife.
There is enough information out there in books and on the Net that you can go as deeply into the subject as you want. Here follow some links to the more useful sites that I have come across, there are doubtless many more.

Forums
www.britishblades.com
www.bladeforums.com
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/

Tutorials
One way of doing a hidden tang
http://www.britishblades.com/home/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=23
And another
http://www.britishblades.com/home/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=27

Here is a good tutorial by our own Klenchblaize on fitting slab handles. Entertaining AND informative
http://www.deerstalker.com/stalker2.htm

Nick Wheeler's tutorial for handle slabs, with photos.
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/cache/articles/nw1/scales1.htm

Mortice tangs. The same things can be done with files and sandpaper and sharp chisels
http://www.primosknives.com/articles/mortised_tangs/mortised_tangs_1.htm

Compendiums of articles and instructions
Bob Engnath’s site, gives step by step instructions on nearly all aspects of knife making.
http://www.engnath.com/public/manframe.htm

A little more advanced, info on making equipment too
http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html

All you ever wanted to know about materials (almost)
http://ajh-knives.com/material.html


I can also thoroughly recommend Wayne Goddards books, The Wonder of Knifemaking and The $50 Knife Shop. The Barney & Loveless book How to Make Knives is also very good and shows how to make slightly better finished knives than those seen in the Goddard books (though the b/w photographs aren’t so clear).

You can make a blade from a file, but the problem is that the file is going to be very hard. You either have to soften it a bit so it isn't brittle, then have a means to grind it in what is still a pretty hard state, or, you have to anneal it to make it soft enough to cut with a file. It would probably be easier to get some O-1 tool steel from somewhere like Cromwell and shape it with a hacksaw, files and wet and dry paper. After shaping you need to get the blade hard, either by getting a suitable torch / building a forge, or finding someone on the forums that can do the heat treatment for you.

You might do as well to see about buying a blade and fitting a handle to it yourself, rather than jumping in at the deep end. It is only a thought

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi Sniper2,
Whilst a good collection of tools make for an easier job, there are ways around it. If you have an old file, throw it into the next big fire you have (mine go in the kitchen range). Wait till the next morning to retrieve it - this should make it soft enough to work with hand tools. To cut the profile of the blade, you could use a hacksaw, or drill adjoining holes (chaindrilling) or a bench-grinder or angle-grinder. Then shape the bevels with the tools already mentioned, finishing with smooth files or emery paper - leave the edge about 1/2mm wide at this point. Drill holes to rivet on the handles while its still soft.
Now the fun bit - get the blade back into a roaring fire till it is glowing red hot - and regularly check it with a magnet, when the magnet no longer sticks (around 800 deg C), quickly quench the whole thing in oil or warm water. Clean it all up again.
Then heat it gently with a gas torch or in an oven, you're looking to get a "light straw" colour - just as the polished metal is starting to discolour. and let it cool slowly to room temperature. This is tempering the blade, trading a very hard - brittle blade for a quite hard - tough blade.
After another clean up, you can look to putting your scales on and sharpening it.
And then you'll have your first ever own-made knife.
Theres no feeling quite like it, though take care as its very easy to get bitten by the bug and not know when to stop!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[sniper 2]

thanks for all the replies. i have managed to get hold of a blade from a friend and will probably just make a new handle for it. the handle on it now is plastic and i am having trouble removing it. it is like a mortice tang going into the handle. does anybody have any ideas how to remove it an maybe how to fit a new one. cheers

dan

 

[Nightwalker]

I have just recently created my first Bushcraft knife and I had no prior metal-working experience. I follow GreenPete's video guide. You can see my knife here
Also I had fun creating a homemade little forge with a friend, you can see that also here

I managed to pickup a few basic tools cheapy, a second hand grinder for £4, then a hammer, file, loads of sand paper and wet&dry all for a pound each