make your own knife

[boland magyar]

hi all
we can all go and buy a knife.....some with more money buy the best.
i have been using a brusletto knife for a while and can not fault it.
but even though it is my pal i still think there something missing i.e i did not make it.
so i am going to make my own :yikes: nothing fancy, i can buy those.
my question to you all is.... has anyone done this ...and what did you get out of it.
boland

 

[andyn]

I think you will find that if you search through the edged tools section you will find a lot of people that have made their own knives and a lot of info on how to go about making one too.

Best of luck.

 

[boland magyar]

thanks andyn
i know there are alot of members who have done this and experts at british blades can give you the know how.....but i would like to know how members have felt making there own knife and was it worth it ......call it an inspirational thread
boland

 

[Lord Farquhar]

Evere knife maker starts with is first blade and all of those will be for himself.

Every great jorney starts with a single step.

 

[bushwacker bob]

I made my main user.The metalwork was beyond my facilities so I had a friend from British blades make me a blade to my specs and put a handle on it.
I own several other knives but the 1st one is still my main user.
Nowadays I stick a few handles on for other people.

 

[British Red]

And bleeding great they are too!

 

[Singeblister]

Evere knife maker starts with is first blade and all of those will be for himself.

Every great jorney starts with a single step.

Thats where I started Go for it and see what happens

 

[Outdoorsman]

good luck with your first knife boland. I just finished my first blade, check out my thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21477 I read up alot of info on the web before I started, I reccomend green petes video (theres a thread here with a link to it somwere). Good luck!

 

[Ogri the trog]

... my question to you all is.... has anyone done this ...and what did you get out of it.
boland

Immense satisfaction and a whole heap of confidence.
Whenever you pick up your own knife, there's the knowledge that "I made this, and I can do it again whenever I want."
Then theres the confidence that if it breaks, you can repair or replace part of it without too much hassle. Or if you want one a bit bigger/smaller/different shape, there is nothing to stop you creating whatever you feel you need.

ATB

PS, Greeenpete gets a big Thumbs-up from me as well http://www.greenpete.co.uk/?page_id=503

Ogri the trog

 

[Pignut]

There is a great deal of satisfaction to be had from making your own knife!

It is something I intend to do a lot more of once time allows!

 

[michiel]

Making your first knife is great. I did it a few mo,ths ago and had a great time. I bought a full tang blade and put a handle on it myself. It's not as hard as you might think. Just take your time and enjoy. Handle the knife a lot while filing and sanding. There's nothing like a knife fit to your own hand.

Here's my first effort. O1 steel and bubinga scales. It's been sanded a bit more since then, but you get the idea.

Here's the full progres: http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Album=V4TCBWDG

 

[weaver]

The first knife I ever made took me a month of 4-5 hour days at home after work. It was one of those big American hunting knives with fancy brass and Walnut grips. The sheath I had made at a shoe shop from good leather. The metal was a 12 inch flat file nearly 1/4 inch thick. I did a slightly concave grind half the width of the blade with a wide clip point. It was very strong and heavy and I thought it the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I know better thirty years later and have made much better more useful knives.

I sold that knife to a lady to give to her brother for Christmas and he loved it. He had his collection of over 100 knives evaluated several years later and the appraiser said he had only one knife of any value.

So, what did I get out of making it? I learned how to make a knife. I learned that what one thinks is perfect is only a temporary ideal because perception changes over time as well as one's needs. I learned that other people can appreciate the things I do. I learned that all things pass away and mean nothing in the great scheme of life. I learned there are much easier ways to make a knife than grinding a hard file. But, most of all I had a great time doing it!

 

[baggins]

There is somthing very fufilling about making your own blade, even if you don't get it right the first time.
Be Warned, It can be very addictive and detremental to any relationship you may have (especially if you use the gas fire in the living room followed by the oven, then forget to close the window above the oil quench )
The best thing i,ve found is that if you see a new design or style you like, it can be alot cheaper than going out and buying one.
I've made about 10 or so now, each one was to be the 'perfect' knife for me.
Have a go and you'll be amazed at the support and encouragement you'll get off here and BB.
Good luck and keep us posted
Baggins

 

[Nightwalker]

I have just recently been inspired to make my first knife! Im in the early stages. Myself and a friend was inspired by Greenpete's superb video giving you a intro into knife making. You can checkout the video here:
http://www.greenpete.co.uk/?page_id=503

We have made our own little custom forge and have gathered a good number of tools for steel etc. Its great fun so far!

 

[Nightwalker]

by the way you can even download the entire video in DVD format from here:
http://www.greenpete.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/gpkmv_dvd_isotorrent.zip
He's very kindly provided free to share. Thanks Greenpete!

 

[Zammo]

I've just finished making my first knife and it has been a real learning experience for me, and I've also spent a fair bit of money (about £60 on materials and tools). I thought at first I was going to make a piece of junk but in the end it has turned out quite good, only when you get onto the sanding at the end does the knife really start to take shape. All in all I am quite happy I did it, but its going to take me a while before I get the desire back to make another one.

Now I'm interested in learning to use it for batoning, lighting fires with the matching firesteel I made with it and other interesting stuff.

 

[brancho]

I have nade two knives one from a kit which was a learning experience and the second I bought the blade (brussleto) and the handle and sheath material.
I am well pleased with the second and I pleased with the first all things considered.

 

[John Fenna]

I tried a kit once...and caught the bug!
It is a wonderful passtime(!) and can even become a money spinner....
Try it - its great!
John

 

[Dave Budd]

I've made a few knives now

When I made my first i got a knife that I could hold comfortably in my little hands. After that I got knives that were better quality than those that I could afford. Now the main thing I get out of making a knife is that the rent (mostly) paid Oh and the pleasure of making things htta i love of course

 

[shaunmcdonald]

I have just finished my 1st knife and to be honest being in the shed of an evening really was a nice time. The feeling you get from holding the finished article makes it really worth while.
I read as much as i could about the whole thing before starting and fortunatly had quite a good range of tools already from being a tradesman.
What kept me confident about being able to do it was seeing GreenPete :You_Rock_ make his knife in the field with mininal tools.
Read as much as you can use what information you feel comfortable with then if you get stuck ask for help