Tag: knifemaking

So 3.5h with a hand-filing jig. Colin is already shopping for a belt grinder. It’s getting there, but I have a lot of cleaning up and equalising on the main edge to do, as well as getting an edge on the front and top. I need to figure out what I’m going to do with the oopsie on the ricasso as well. Then on to sanding.

Finished the rough grinding tonight, then squared everything off with hand files. The result is shockingly straight and looks… good!! I finished the edging jig and I had started on the edge filing when I did an oopsie. The file wasn’t secured strongly enough by the zip ties and went past the line where I wanted to stop. It’s going to show.

Oh well. This is the 1st knife. It’s a learning experience. We’re figuring everything out as we go along. But you know what? I’m having a f’n blast!!

Colin and I are trying to make knives by material removal from plate stock of pre-hardened steel that I managed to source from a super nice, highly enthusiastic Franco-Swiss metallurgist and knifemaker. I spent a couple of hours last night with an angle grinder and it was fun (but hella noisy!)

I’m working on a tanto, Colin is making a santoku. Watch this space.

Next step in knife making project plan: build filing jig while waiting for the last of the tools/materials to get delivered.

Colin and I found a good starting point to make a solid workbench for our knife-making endeavours. We had to schlep it from the city center all the way up to his house. Bitch was heavy!! But heavy means solid, and with a bit of judicious prevention, it’ll be reused as a proper garden table once plan B comes to fruition. We had to clear out half his garage to get it in place, but that was a good thing done too. Next steps, tools and steel!