I find I've gotten really fond of the knives I've made that look very rustic. After the quench I clean up the heavy decarb and temper. After tempering I prefer to leave all but the bevels with that antiquey aged yellow/bronze finish. I figure if it's going to scratch it will just add to the character. Just wondering what others think. I could do a polished finish. It's not really about the extra sanding. Thanks
Make your knives how you want. Design: sharp and pointy on one end...grippy and blunt on the other. How they look, the fit and finish is all you. Aesthetics and design could pertain to function, but it could just as well be you made what you were feeling that day. Design is also what the customer sees, and if your design speaks to them then you’re golden. Unless you plan on applying for A.B.S membership, and test for Journeyman, and then Mastersmith, well then the rules on fit and finish here are dictated to you, NOT by you. Other than that, no one really has any say on how you make your knives or how they look man. My only opinion on knives is Heat Treatment and sharpness...the knife must perform as intended, especially if you plan to sell them. If you’re taking money, you should feel obligated to make sure the knife performs. Don’t be afraid to beat the out of your work haha! Below is the chopper I made my brother in law last year. The video links lead to Flickr if you feel like watching. I didn’t hand-sand this thing, it’s a belt finish, with a blotchy acid etch. I didn’t fix the scratch where I accidentally hit the belt in one spot. But the sucker performs, the heat treatment was sound. I feel comfortable giving it to him to use on his property knowing it will take on anything he throws at it. I wouldn’t sell this though, I hope this makes sense. IMG_0238 by Griff, on Flickr @John Noon your 2 x 72 leather strop is freaking awesome. I sharpened this blade on the grinder, 240G, then 400G, and then power stropped with your belt...beauty polished edge *thumb up* IMG_0239 by Griff, on Flickr
Thanks Griff. They're definitely functional. I recently received my shipment of Park's 50 and AAA and at this point I'm using 1084 and 80CRV2 and having good luck with HT. I haven't thought of selling one yet but that may come. Still curious if anyone else goes this route.
1084 or 80CrV2 are both good steels to work with. Even though I mostly have used stainless steels I keep 80CrV2 around for experimenting with new shapes or ideas that pop up
I've looked at HT's for stainless and am not ready to give it a try.Which is the most forgiving. I did buy a piece of aeb-l and have a HT oven
AEB-L can give you fits with warping easily from asymmetrical cooling or even bumping. AEB-L locks up below room temperature so plate quench with chilled plates and air from there be gentle and clamp evenly before placing in freezer. All in all from initial quench you want to be below 600F within one 1 minute 30 seconds then frozen within 30 minutes and blades will stay straight. There are variations of this method that work equally well. For first stainless it might be easier to learn on CPM 154 and before that something like A2 in a carbon steel which is air quenched.
I think I'll take that advise and try to order a piece of A2 or CPM154. I picked up a very advanced book on knifemaking and I find it may be a little too advanced at this point. I'm pretty confident using high carbon steel. I think a basic step by step HT book geared towards ambitious people who are relatively new to knifemaking would be a really good find. I appreciate all your help good advice John. Thanks again
There is a book on the science of knife making or something like that. New publication with lots of technical information
The book I picked up was Lorin Thomas's Knife Engineering. Loads of great info and some that will take a bit more time to understand. With so many different opinions on the internet it's nice to have a source of knowledge like his book.
I'd place the emphasis on function first. When the knife performs the way you want and looks they way you want, then you are "there." I start with the function in mind e.g. What is this thing meant to do? Then I work out a blade length, thickness, bevels and angles, steel, then make it pretty. One newbie mistake is to take a thick hunk of 3/16" steel, put a few minutes into grinding bevels and call it done. When testing the maker soon realizes that their wedge doesn't cut very well and that a lot more material needs to be removed than first anticipated. I see this in photos people send me of their bushcraft knives. Some would be great splitting mauls but you likely couldn't cut a piece of rope with them. Be patient to grind the shape that works. Study the edge geometry of knives that you like to use. Being that most of my knives end up in kitchens, ease of cleaning is a key design point. Gaps, holes, pits and cracks can all harbour bacteria. I try to choose designs and materials that reduce these hiding places. Dan
