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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 06-13-2002, 07:12 PM
TheMadHungarian TheMadHungarian is offline
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Stupid Question

I've ground 2 blades so far, a modified sheepsfoot/wharncliff, and a dagger style letter opener, both were just experiments in grinding technique.

My first attempt was the sheepsfoot, and this was ground from some type of alloy that was used to make jet turbine blades, super hard alloy that never got hot while grinding, the main problem I had, was in trying to achieve a hollow grind, I couldn't seem to get the lines toward the spine of the blade to line up even, my first question is,

Are hollow ground blades harder to do than flat grinds?
Also was the fact that the material was so hard a contributing factor in not achieving equal grind lines.

The dagger with the double grind making a diamond cross section was second and actually came out best.
On this one, I basically tried to remove material slowly and evenly keeping a flat grind, my lines were pretty clean and with more practice I think they'll improve.

The only other question I have is what would the simplest blade shape be to grind, and provide me with the best chance of success, also is a flat grind easier over a hollow ground to achieve uniformity?

Thanks in advance for any advice.


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  #2  
Old 06-13-2002, 08:02 PM
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Bob Warner Bob Warner is offline
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Location: Royse City, Texas
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The answer to your questions depend on who you ask. I do hollow grinding. I have difficulty doing flat grinds. Other people can easily do flat grinds and have trouble with hollow grinds. Some can do both (I hate those guys).

The dagger you did was probably the hardest type of blade to grind, you have to get four sides equal. On a knife like a hunter, hollow grinding is pretty easy. I start left handed and grind until I like what I have, then match that right handed grinding with the edge up. The reason I start left handed is because I am right handed and I seem to be better controlling the blade for the "Matching" with my right hand. I would say hollow grinding is easier, than flat grinding and convex is easier than flat or hollow. The steel being hard is not a factor other than you have to babysit it a little to be sure not to ruin the heat treatment. I work bare handed so that I can feel how hot the steel is. My hands start to burn BEFORE the blade gets hot enough to do damage. This way you just have to be careful with the point. Just make a grinding pass and then dunk in water, rinse, repeat.

The easiest "Style" of knife to grind, again is subjective but my favorite is a drop point hunter and as a new person you should try a full tang without tapering the tang.

No matter what grind you do, Practice, Practice, Practice. Both the hollow grinders and the flat grinders will agree on this point.

Hope this answers the questions from a hollow grinders point of view.

Now the flat grinders will need to jump in.


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Last edited by Bob Warner; 06-13-2002 at 08:05 PM.
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  #3  
Old 06-13-2002, 10:49 PM
Kelly Carlson Kelly Carlson is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Antrim, New Hampshire
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Although fairly new at this, having been grinding for just a few years, I agree that Practice, Practice, Practice is the key.
Buy a supply of inexpensive, unhardened steel, and plan a decent amount of waste while learning.
It's much harder and longer to grind hardened steel, and I only harden small folder blades before grinding, not fixed blades that I can hold with two hands.
I prefer flat grinding and made a tool rest extension of about a foot in length, on which I just slide the blade spine along, edge up. The extended tool rest aids me in controlling pressure and angle evenly for both sides.
I tried the supporting tool rest after reducing a 1 1/2 X 12" piece of nice damascus to a 3/4" X 9" dagger because I couldn't produce 4 even sides free handed.


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  #4  
Old 06-14-2002, 02:26 PM
GaryCarlson GaryCarlson is offline
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Location: Genesee Depot WI.
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Practice

Mr. Warner has a wealth of knowledge and have enjoyed his posts here and on Tooltime. I have recently started grinding and have just been purchasing 1/8x1 1/4 flat stock from Home Depot to practice on instead of burning up my 440c. Patience and just plain taking your time seem to yeild the best results. So far, flat grinding seems to be easier for me. I recomend buying Genos video from CenterCross Metalworks to get some more ideas on grinding. Geno uses a pretty slick grinding jig for hollow grinding.


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  #5  
Old 06-15-2002, 10:26 AM
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Geno Geno is offline
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I used the jig on the video in hopes it would get people grinding for themselves. Some people see how easy it is on a jig and say,"I can do that", but they would not have tried freehand.

I think convex grinding is the easiest.
Many have never heard of it, it is the opposite of hollow grinding.
The shape is kinda like a reverse tear drop, upside down, and is ground on the slack part of the belt.
I think it is best for heavy use, and by far the strongest grind.

Like Bob, I think flat is a booger bear.
I wind up with the files to get everything true.

Hollow grinding is the most common. It sharpens easily and looks good too.(edge gets very thin)

No matter what grind you choose, it is still practice, practice, practice, that makes it better.
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