|
|
Register | All Photos | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | ShopStream (Radio/TV) | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need. |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Lawnmower blades- FINISHED PICTURES!
OK, Large trash pickup was in my neighborhood last week, and I scrounged all the lawnmower blades I could find, and now have a decent stockpile of scrap steel to practice doing stock removal on.
Now, I do not have the money or space to come up with a forge or heat treat equipment right now. If I just went very slowly with a dremel to rough out the blade, and did a lot of grind-and-dunk for the final shaping, could I preserve the heat treat and make a couple more practice knives? I know this is not the reccomended way to build knives, and there are better ways to do it, but CAN it be done? Unfortunately, my wife has been 'shoulder surfing' as I lurk here, and saw enough of the Wayne Goddard books to put her foot down and tell me that I am not allowed to do forging/ heat treat fires in the garage or backyard. So, until I get a shed/ shop I will either be stuck with blade kits or mailing the blades out to get heat treat. __________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" Last edited by bullsi1911; 10-03-2005 at 01:48 PM. |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Hand work
You can do all the work nessessary to make a knife by hand....Get a good draw file or a good mill bastard and go to town!! It takes a lot longer to do it this way, but you can do it if you really want to make knives, and you don't have to worry about getting anything too hot. I'm not sure the heat treat on a mower blade would be suitable for a useable knife, but it's good practice...Personally I love to forge but not everyone has the equipment or space to do it. If your ever in Ga. give me a call and we'll get together and play in the fire!! My shop is always open... I've got plenty of steel and the welcome mat is out!!!
__________________ Remember... hit it while it's HOT!!! |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Mower blades are made kinda soft so that they can bend when they impact the inevitable immovable object. That isn't the ideal way to make a knife that will hold an edge. Further, not all mower blades are made of steel that is suitable for a knife blade even if you did have all the required heat treating equipment. That said, the circumstances that you must work under don't leave you a lot of room to be picky so making a knife the way you are doing it is far better than not making a knife at all - mower power to ya! (Forgive the pun).
If you know anyone with an acetylene torch then you would have access to one way of heat treating the steel.... |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
There are two things I consistently see on TKN:
1. The vast majority of people who stick around here have a burning passion to constantly improve and expand their work. 2. The vast majority have spouses (or 'significant others') that are very supportive. Now that's not to say that we all don't have those occasional conversations about how much was spent on that KMG versus how many shoes have you bought in the last month, but in the long run, the person who meets the criteria of item #1 above can't survive without the person described in item #2. I joke about my wife, but no one in the world has ever been more supportive than her. So I'd say to forget about the lawnmower blade for right now and concentrate on either working things out with your better half, or get busy on that shed. __________________ God bless Texas! Now let's secede!! |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Thanks for the reply, Crickett. I do have a grinder, and the bench sander (Craftsman 2x42), so hopefully I can make it easier then just using file. However, if I need to, I will. But I'd need to anneal it first to make it easier, and then send it for heat treat.
I'm just wanting to sorta copy Wayne Goddard's steps on his first knife that he made without using heat treat. Edit- Oh, Jack- the wife is very supportive of building knives. She is just afraid I'll burn the house down... which is a distinct possibility with me. Plus, I foolishly made the promise of "One Expensive Hobby at a time" when we got married... and I am not ready to give up the very expensive gun habit yet. So I have to make this hobby as cheap as possible. __________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" Last edited by bullsi1911; 09-20-2005 at 12:55 PM. |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Ray, I DO have an Acetylene torch (I was in metal fab about 3 lifetimes ago), Would I need to do the fire brick forge thingie to heat treat?
__________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
If you do the fire brick forge thing then you would only need a propane torch. With an acetylene torch and no fire bricks you can VERY carefully raise the temperature of the EDGE (bottom third of the blade) to non-magnetic (and no higher) and then quench in warm oil. Follow that with a temper in the 'ol kitchen oven after the blade cools. Since smoking motor oil in the kitchen oven is likely to find disfavor in the eyes of your beloved an $8 pawn shop toaster oven could also be used for tempering...
|
#8
|
||||
|
||||
That sounds like something I can try. Should I just do the edge, or since it is a small blade I'm cutting out, could I do the whole thing?
__________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
I do dig the "one expensive hobby at a time" thing.
You might want to use peanut oil for your quench. Smells like something cooking instead of something burning down. __________________ God bless Texas! Now let's secede!! |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
Sure, harden the whole blade if you want to....
|
#11
|
||||
|
||||
Life is not worth living unless you have at least three hobbies two of which are expensive. I found out it is easier to INFORM your wife of something vs. asking. After fifeteen years of marriage she no longer has the strength or willpower to try to change me or discourage me from doing something. Her attitude is "just make sure you keep your life insurance policy current and paid" or the less sophisticated "whatever".
|
#12
|
||||
|
||||
Just remember, it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission!!!
__________________ Remember... hit it while it's HOT!!! |
#13
|
||||
|
||||
Update!
OK, so here is an update on Aaron's first stock removal knife. When hit on the grinder, this blade gives the 'hairy' spark that I read is better for blades. So, Here are some pics!
I decided to go small with my first knife, and here is the rough cut blade: here it is after more shaping and initial bevel (which is a LOT harder then it looks. I ended up using files) Here is the materials for the rest of the knife. The block of wood is salvaged maple from the old cabnets in my in-law's house, the linen Micarta is scrap from a kitchen knife project that went horribly wrong. Will aliminum rod (old guncleaning rod) make a decent pin? That is the next 'salvaged' part I'm thinking of using __________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
I think you will find it a great deal easier by making a larger knife for your 2nd try.
|
#15
|
||||
|
||||
Finished Pics
Parts (yes, the spacer is made from a beer can) Finished Thought someone might be interested in seeing the finished project. __________________ -Aaron ______________________________________ "It's a shame that Stupidity isn't painful" |
Tags |
blade, forge, forging, knife, knives |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|