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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 07-26-2005, 03:29 PM
Adam H. Adam H. is offline
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Heat treating large knives with a torch?

Like the topic says. I have found some nice materials and kind of have a design in mind, now the only thing needed is to find a way of heat treating before I buy anything. I was wondering if it would be possible to heat treat a 10 inch blade (about 15 inches overall, tang included.) with one of those cheap little gas torches you find at hardware stores?

What I want to do is make myself a nice chopper, something you can abuse the hell out of (using it like a hatchet) and still hold an edge. For a handle I was planning on using the last 6 or so inches of a hatchet handle, the part with the nice curved end. The steel is 2 inch wide 3/16 inch thick bar steel, the stuff you find in the back aisle of home depot. Would this all work or am I totally nuts?

It would be something like this:

http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=idea4gs.jpg
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  #2  
Old 07-26-2005, 03:53 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Well, you may or may not be totally nuts but the project won't really work out either way. The steel you are talking about is mild steel and will not harden, spend $10 or so and buy a good piece of blade steel from one of the knife supply houses.

Aside from that, a small propane torch alone will not get that big chunk of steel hot enough all by itself. If you were to make a much smaller blade the torch could work is you built what is known as a 'one brick forge' but the big blade won't fit in such a tiny forge. If you can get access to an acetylene torch that would have the juice for the larger project.

Finally, I would have to suggest that if this is your first blade then you might give serious consideration to making a much smaller knife the first time or two. Every technique for grinding, shaping, attaching a handle, and heat treating is the same for a large knife or a small one but the difficulty of doing each of those things correctly is directly proportional to the size of the knife (translation: big knives are more difficult to make).....


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Old 07-26-2005, 08:57 PM
Adam H. Adam H. is offline
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Thanks for your reply! As for trying smaller knives, how many should I try before making something like the one in the picture on my first post?
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Old 07-27-2005, 09:02 AM
polishguy polishguy is offline
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Welcome to the forum, Adam. I think Ray would agree with me when I tell you that it's not really a matter of how many small blades you SHOULD make before going on to larger sized blades, but it's a matter of how many blades you make that perform to a standard you think is acceptable and if your results are repeatable enough to transfer that performance to a larger format. I highly suggest that you pick up a copy of 'The $50 Knife Shop' by Wayne Goddard. It'll show you the right way to do things on the cheap and come out with a result you can be proud of. Good luck to you.
-Mark
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Old 07-27-2005, 09:11 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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After you make even one small blade you will be in a much better position to judge when you will be ready to try the larger blade. Making that decision won't be entirely a matter of acquiring skill, it will also be a matter of acquiring tools and experience. After all, once you have made the big blade you still have to heat treat it.

The $50 Knfe Shop is an excellent suggestion .......


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