My First Attempt at Knife making

[Gazo]

Few weeks ago I bought an old rasp from a bootsale for 50p and set about making my first knife.

This the rasp as I bought it.



I roughly outlined a knife to it.



And started to shape it with the angle grinder.



10 mins and I had my basic knife shape



Then I spent a fair bit of time grinding it flat to get the file ridges gone.



I then heated it up as it was far too hard to file my bevels so needed to soften it a touch.
I then made a bevel jig from a few bits I found in the workshop.



And started filing away.

Many hours later and a few cups of coffee my bevels were done.



I then drilled a few holes in the handle for the pins and lanyard hole
and started up my garden burner to heat up the blade to soften it.



I put my shop vac on blow and got the coals nice and hot and heated the blade to a nice cherry red and a magnet would no longer stick to it.
I never had any oil to had to quench it so just used water. I am hoping this is ok but it did pass the file test after.

I then cleaned the blade and put it in the oven at 200c for an hour until it went a nice bronze colour.



I then cleaned and polished the blade as best I could and set about getting my handles on.



After drying over night I set to work shaping the handles to fit my hand.

This is the out come, all I need to do now is finish sharpening the blade, soak the handle in boiled linseed oil and make a nice leather sheath.
I am please how its turned out even though its not perfect but I have learnt alot on the way.
My next one will be better
Hope you like

 

[Ark79]

Very nice indeed looking at the knife I wouldn’t say it was your first attempt cracking. Well done

 

[Joecole]

thats a lovely bit of work Gazo

 

[1 shot willie]

Well done mate....very nice job.

 

[Madriverrob]

Excellent mate , job well done ......

 

[Bionic]

That is an absolute cracker by any means let alone a first attempt. As far as quenching in water goes you should be fine, you’d most likely know by now if it wasn’t and if I remember rightly a lot of quality old files are W2 steel which is water quenched any way. Keep up the good work and looking forward to the next

 

[jefft]

nice

 

[Ark79]

Do you have the bug for making them after this ? It’s very addictive lol

 

[1 shot willie]

@Gazo

Just had a look at the pictures again mate.
Brilliant how you have turned an old rusty rasp into a thing of beauty,

 

[Gazo]

Thanks all for the kind words, yes I am very pleased with it.
I have had the handle soaking all night in boiled linseed oil and it looks far better now

Do you have the bug for making them after this ? It’s very addictive lol

For sure mate I have always enjoyed working with steel and wood and this is a way of doing both together.
Would like to get my hands on a nice belt grinder to make the bevels abit easier.

 

[Ark79]

Thanks all for the kind words, yes I am very pleased with it.
I have had the handle soaking all night in boiled linseed oil d it looks far better now



For sure mate I have always enjoyed working with steel and wood and this is a way of doing both together.
Would like to get my hands on a nice belt grinder to make the bevels abit easier.

I know exactly what you mean buddy. Av had my eye on a belt grinder for about a year lol. There is just something about the process of making a knife that’s very satisfying