Thread: Nicholson File
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Old 10-26-2018, 02:18 AM
epicfail48 epicfail48 is offline
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Jim and Doug both already went over the broadstrokes, and did a good job of it too. My opinion on the matter is if you just want to try grinding out a first blade in order to play around and make something somewhat useful, go ahead and temper the file at 400-450f and have at with the grinder. Youll have to be a lot more careful with heat control, and you can give up on the idea of drilling holes or sawing anything, but the end result will be a knife without a lot of time or resources invested.

If, however, your intent is to make a good knife, youll want to anneal and stress relieve the files first, do your rough grinding, then redo the heat treatment, then the finish grinding and the like. More steps involved, but a better end result. As the files are you dont know how theyve been used and abused, if the original heat treatment was good, what stresses are pent up in the steel and so on and so forth.

Honestly, if this is going to be the first knife youve ever made, id skip the files for now and get some good, virgin steel. Bit opposite from what people usually recommend, starting with the scrap then moving to the good materials, but theres so much going on when youre learning to make knives that sometimes it pays off to take any unknowns out of the equation, like what steel those files are even made of. Save the files and other mystery until youve got a bit more experience with known steels under your belt
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