Best way to practice, practice, practice.

[smithy]

OK, I've been hanging around for about 8/9 months and reading everything I can on just about any phase of knifemaking and I have questions I can't find answers through searching (either there is no material or so much that it is hard to dig through).

1. What material is good to use for practice? (I am VERY tired of ruining my supply of high carbon steel)

2. What is the right way to break in a new belt? (I'm also VERY tired of ruining belts)

3. What is the best way to develop a technique for learning to grind bevels? For example, when I was a new goldsmith, soldering was my nemesis. The secret was developing the proper technique and heat control. And, all of a sudden I could solder anything.

These are a few of my beginning questions. I am trying to vastly shorten the learning curve so that I can make good knives before old age sets in. ...Teddy

[Walt-]

I scrounged some aluminum about .125" thick so I can practice file work and not have to use steel. I know nothing of the belts so I can't help you there.

[NorCal Nate]

1) use mild steel
2) new belts are good because they run cooler
3) draw out how you want your bevels/plunge line on the steel with a sharpie and then work to remove all the sharpie marks.
I make a mark at the spine of the blade as well as where the edge will be, then I take a ruler and connect the lines on both sides of the blade. As you grind pay special attention to the plunge on each side and make them as even as possible. You can alter the angle of the plunge depending on how you hold the blade to the grinder.
The problem I have is my right hand pulls acroos the grinder alot more steady and accurate then my left hand does. (I grind with the blade edge up) so when grinding/pulling with my right hand im grinding the left side of the blade.
You may already know all this.. If not, hope it helps!!

Practice makes perfect and I'm far far off the perfect mark.

~Nate

[Ray Rogers]

1. Like Nate said, mild steel However, since 1080 blade steel costs about the same as mild steel from the local hardware store if you stay with blade steel you might end up with a real knife.

2. There isn't any real break in period for belts - they don't last long enough to be broken in. The best you can do is avoid ruining them before you get to really use them. Hitting a square corner with a fresh belt will peel the grit right off the belt. So, use an old worn belt first to take the corner off the edge of your profiled blade. Hold the blade edge down and "sharpen" it on the old belt. "Sharpen" it all the way down to the centerline you scribed on the edge. When finished, the original square corner on your profiled blade's edge should now be about 45 degrees instead of 90. Now switch to the fresh belt and continue grinding the bevels with the edge up.

3.Do NOT try to grind the entire bevel all the way across the blade at one time. Instead, take that little 45 degree bevel and work it until it is bout a half inch wide, nice and even on both sides. After that, raise the bevel another half inch and continue like that until the bevel is where you want it. Now, you can grind a pass over the entire bevel until it's all nice and even. While grinding, hold your elbows in to your sides and sway your whole body to move the blade. One hand will dominate which usually means one side's grind will be much better than the other side. Learn which side grinds best for you - that's the side you have most control of. Grind the bad side first for each step and follow with the good side because the extra control you have on the good side will make it easier to duplicate whatever you did on the bad side....

[piggy]

You can practice file work on at least one side of your good stuff, sense your most likely to trim it off when you profile your blade.

Also, keep your cost down by ordering larger quantities. I pay about $29 shipping if I buy one small piece of 1084 or more. Your supplier can help you w/ the weight. So get your monies worth!

Looking at how nice some of these guys early knives (and the one you just made for the KITH) turn out, I would take Ray's advice and make knives.