Curious about making knives? Look no further! I have been putting together a skill set for the past 4 years in hobby knife making and I would like to share with anyone who will listen (or read).
When I first started out researching what I needed I came across everything from basic information to very advanced stuff and I did not know what I was looking at. Hopefully if you are in the same boat I can help.
First off don’t be afraid to scrap. You need to get used to the idea that virtually all the knives you make in the first stages are going to be scrap. That doesn’t mean throw them away! I still have my knives when I first started and I like to look back at them to see how far I’ve come.
Second thing is don’t waste your money on expensive metals. O1 tool steel is cheap and easy to heat-treat and is very forgiving when it comes to beginners. I made the mistake of running off and buying stainless steel for my first go around. High carbon steel is another metal people use for high quality knives. For now, however, stick to O1 tool steel and thank me later.
Another piece of advice I can give is when heat treating get the metal red-hot and touch it to a magnet. If it sticks put it back in the fire. If it does not stick chuck it in some oil. This is heat treatment. It’s not the best way but just starting out this is the simplest way to get started.
These are just a few things to get you in the right directions. I’ll soon be posting about files, wood working (for handles), epoxy (fancy word for glue), pins, beveling, sharpening, and anything else I can think of to help pass on my knowledge. Until then happy knife making.