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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 05-09-2016, 11:31 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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Hi new here!

My first, in progress attempt at using a belt sander. its a cheapo 4x36 from harbor freight seems to work but other than free handing it Im not sure a good way to grind the bevel on it? my knife stops being even as the bevel forms since the back part hits the walls of the plenum beside the belt. I'm hoping I can clean this up some but may be a lost cause, its only up to 80 grit belt so it has a bunch of finish work to be done? Its just practice using a mystery metal lawnmower blade at any rate.
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  #2  
Old 05-10-2016, 08:05 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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At least it has a nice shape to it. Maybe it's just the picture but that blade appears to have an edge on it. It would be very unwise to be working on a blade that was sharpened - sharpening is the very last step of making a blade unless you are testing the heat treatment at some intermediate point. Even then, you dull the blade again as soon as the test is done.

Get some 1084 and some files and then you'll have better control for shaping the bevels ...


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  #3  
Old 05-10-2016, 12:35 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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It has a really wide secondary bevel. But its not been brought down to a edge. The more I read and think on it i'll probably clean it up just a bit with some higher grits. then attempt heat treat. Im trying to learn so don't want to spend ages trying to get it perfect. although its not very pretty right now i know.

Last edited by Steve Meyer; 05-10-2016 at 12:39 PM.
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  #4  
Old 05-10-2016, 03:54 PM
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squigly1965 squigly1965 is offline
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welcome

i really like the design of it. was making a knife similar to it but didn't get around to finishing it.

Like Ray said i would definitely pick up some steel of known chemistry. if you get to that point Aldo is a great person to get your steel from. you can search Aldo Steel in google and he is The New Jersey Steel Baron. He's a member here on the forums as well
have fun and grind on

chris
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  #5  
Old 05-10-2016, 07:26 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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I took a few minutes and a higher grit belt, and smoothed out the bevel a little. I think its better. at least it will do for a first try. I'm going to take some smaller chunks of this blade and try different heat treat options then attempt to treat this knife. It won't be great I'm sure but it will be my first attempt. is 1084 the only way to go? I was looking at 01 earlier. Eventually I'd like to move onto forging my knifes, but figured Id start small, while I practice drawing metal and smoothing it and such. Also not pictured but I took a moment to file and smooth out the area between the blade and grip to the back.

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  #6  
Old 05-10-2016, 07:45 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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1084 is an excellent blade steel. It is very forgiving in the heat treat process and it can be treated in a forge to full effect. O1 is more expensive than 1084 and requires an electric furnace if you want to get the most out of it. O1 will HT in a forge and make an acceptable blade but it is alloyed enough that it really does better with more precise temperature control than most of us can manage in a forge.

1084 will be a world apart from that lawnmower blade. For one thing, it will be annealed when you get it which means it will be much, much easier to shape. It will be smooth and flat and of consistent thickness for its entire length which also makes it easier to deal with. But mostly, you will know what steel you are working with and that means you won't need to guess about the HT....


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  #7  
Old 05-10-2016, 07:57 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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Yes oddly enough I find this metal a little more resistant to being shaped than I expect it to be. and hard as crap to hack saw threw, I used my angle grinder.


Looking at aldo steel now. Im not sure out of the two options which thickness I'd prefer. mostly because I can't picture how thick that really makes them. I'm looking to make slightly more hefty blades. they have .156 =5/32 (same as the mower blade and .187 3/16 in stock at 3"x48". Don't mind my thick headed ness. I'll go fill out my profile now.

Last edited by Steve Meyer; 05-10-2016 at 08:08 PM.
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  #8  
Old 05-10-2016, 09:32 PM
Wrankin Wrankin is offline
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Hi Steve,

I'm a newbie like yourself and am just starting to get into heat treating. For my first steel I ordered several lengths of 1084 from Aldo in 0.125 and 0.156. Initially I thought that 1/8" was going to be too thin but it turns out that it's about perfect for a simple 3-1/2" drop point blade, which was my first knife. I really would recommend you stick with making a few smaller blades first while you are getting the hang of grinding and heat treating. Save the thicker stuff for later.

Good luck,

-bill
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  #9  
Old 05-10-2016, 09:34 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Ideally, you would probably like 1.5" wide 3/16" thick stock for most knives if you want hefty blades.

The lawnmower blade is tough to work because you didn't anneal it. It has already been heat treated and hardened to the degree appropriate for a lawnmower blade. That isn't nearly as hard as a good knife blade but it is much too hard to saw, drill, or grind on with hand tools ....


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  #10  
Old 05-10-2016, 09:58 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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The 3" is so that more than one knife could be made out of the same say 8" section of steel, This knife I'm making at its widest is 2"

Ordered the 3/16 thick 4' x 3". I should have gotten more than one what with shipping but its a start, and at $78 doesn't break the bank to bad.

Last edited by Steve Meyer; 05-11-2016 at 05:30 PM.
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  #11  
Old 05-14-2016, 04:09 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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Its funny I just got my 1084 in and I don't want this knife design for my first knife out of it lol. But then I like something a little less conventional but still functional.
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  #12  
Old 05-14-2016, 07:18 PM
RedstickJP RedstickJP is offline
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I think some of the best advice I got when I started was to cut a design out of some cardboard and use that to see if you like the feel of the handle before you cut out the steel
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  #13  
Old 05-14-2016, 10:45 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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Thank you that's actually great advice and not just to check the handle.
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  #14  
Old 05-15-2016, 02:24 PM
Shipshores Shipshores is offline
 
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I started on one those sanders, its really hard to get good plunge lines. If you can I would get the harbor freight 1x30" grinder. It will be night and day and you can order most of the good ceramic belts for it. They will save you a ton because they last way longer.
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  #15  
Old 05-15-2016, 02:28 PM
Steve Meyer Steve Meyer is offline
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I know what you mean about the plunge lines. The belt isn't as wide as the plenum, so its hard to get it even. I can and probably will get one of those, I was worried about the 1/3hp motor though? Ive considered a slight modification to this one to raise the deck so I can use a bevel guide and to reduce the width to be even with the sides of the belt?
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1084, angle, back, bee, belt, belt sander, bevel, blade, design, edge, files, forge, forging, grind, handle, heat, heat treat, heat treatment, knife, knife s, making, metal, sander, sharpening, steel


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