Butt ugly knife

[devon deer]

My first attempt at making a knife, I used an angle grinder (no surprise there!) metal files and abrasive papers.
I sent it away for heat treatment, and whilst it will make experienced knife makers cringe it's mine, and it's as sharp as a razor
@Paul in Idaho I just read your thread, make this is something you could try?
Cheers
Richard
Edit: BTW I bought a Todd Orr Skyblade knife last time I was in Montana, a thing of beauty.

 

[1_pointer]

I dig it!! Useful size and shape IMO.

 

[rwc101]

I've made much worse looking knives.

 

[noharleyyet]

Looks sturdy...red liners are a nice touch.

 

[Sytes]

Clean lines! Ready for a harvest, I'd say.

 

[LuketheDog]

All hobbies have to start somewhere! That's probably above average for a newbie...

 

[pre6422hornet]

Yep. No one makes a museum piece the first time out. I am by no means a master, still playing single A rookie ball in my opinion, but I will offer this as advice. Take your time and don't rush sanding. This is something that is the hardest to not try to rush. Make sure every scratch from 150 is completely gone before grabbing the 220. It will make the end product that much nicer.

My issue is even after selling 25-30 knives around the country... I am still upgrading my tools, supplies, etc... to supply a better finish. It is addicting.

 

[Finngo]

Yep. No one makes a museum piece the first time out. I am by no means a master, still playing single A rookie ball in my opinion, but I will offer this as advice. Take your time and don't rush sanding. This is something that is the hardest to not try to rush. Make sure every scratch from 150 is completely gone before grabbing the 220. It will make the end product that much nicer.

My issue is even after selling 25-30 knives around the country... I am still upgrading my tools, supplies, etc... to supply a better finish. It is addicting.

+1

 

[kwyeewyk]

Nice work!

Make sure every scratch from 150 is completely gone before grabbing the 220.

And switch the sanding direction for each grit so you can tell what grit the scratch is, makes it easier to tell when you've completely removed the previous grit. I've never tried to make a blade but have done a lot of sanding and have restored a few blades.

 

[MO Betta]

Nice, a lot better than I would do on a first try. Did you do it from some bar stock or repurposed metal? A friend of mine messes around with making knives some and uses everything from saw blades to mower blades, leaf springs, etc.

 

[Bigjay73]

Expected it to look more like my ex. Nice knife.

 

[Hammsolo]

My first attempt at making a knife, I used an angle grinder (no surprise there!) metal files and abrasive papers.
I sent it away for heat treatment, and whilst it will make experienced knife makers cringe it's mine, and it's as sharp as a razor
@Paul in Idaho I just read your thread, make this is something you could try?
Cheers
Richard
Edit: BTW I bought a Todd Orr Skyblade knife last time I was in Montana, a thing of beauty.

View attachment 145943

Looks awesome to me for an FFT ($*)Q!#@$ first time). Imagine what you could produce with practice. Nice work.

 

[pabearhunter]

Looks good to me.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

Very nice.

 

[jlong17]

My hunting partner is a machinist and he made all of us in our hunting group custom knives. He is someone who is extremely detail oriented, and he put a ton of research and effort into making these things. They are amazing. He isn’t on the forum, but if you’d like I can try and put you in touch with him?

 

[NMGuy]

Very nice. Looks better than my first knife. I agree with pre6422hornet, knife making is addicting and can become an expensive addiction very quickly. I'm relatively new to the hobby (have completed about 10 knives) and have found that some of the more expensive equipment can be built for much less than it can be purchased if you've got the skill and a few tools.

There is a great sense of pride when using a knife you made.

 

[rmyoung1]

Hey, @devon deer , nice work. Sure looks good to me!

 

[SFC B]

Far from ugly Richard......effort and utility MAKE beauty! Nice

 

[Paul in Idaho]

That doesn't look ugly to me. I have thought about making my own knife but haven't tried yet.

 

[devon deer]

You are all too kind!
But thanks for the kind words.

I bought some bar stock steel, 01 if that means anything to anyone, quite an easy steel to use for a first knife apparently.
The hardening process was fairly cheap only £10/knife including post and packing (around $12)
My friend is a saddler, he is going to show me how to make a leather sheath.

@Paul in Idaho you should try it, it will make a good 'hand me down' to your family.

I think the way to go is to get a belt sander, I know they can be made DIY style but I don't have a clue!

Cheers

Richard