My Latest Project....

futuresoptions · 02:20 PM

While I have made knives for friends and family in the past, I realized that I hadn't made a knife for myself since I was a teen... I decided that I would go ahead and make one for myself, but the decision needed to be made on what I was going to actually make... I decided that I really didn't have a good work knife for working on the cars or around the house, so I designed one that would fit just perfect in my hand, not too long of a blade, and that would have a wire stripper in place... I also decided that I would use no power tools in the construction of this knife as I wanted it to be old world and have sort of a special feel to it...

I started working on this thing about two months ago, it is not complete yet as I still need to fit the stainless hex head screws in place of the phillips head screws when I get them, and I will need to do a finish sanding/staining on the handle once they are installed...

It is hard to say exactly how many hours I have in this thing (or how many thousands of strokes on the file and sandpaper it took), but all I used was a hand file, rat tail file (to make wire stripper), and sand paper (various grits). I did
break the rules and used a drill to make the screw holes, but that is about it...

The blade is made from a worn out file I had in my tool box and the handle is from a oak tree limb I cut off one of my trees sometime back... I annealed, heat treated, and tempered the blade myself...

While not complete, I was excited about it, and wanted ya'll to have a looksie...

m21sniper · 12-19-2009, 01:53 PM

Dude that is awesome.

Can't wait to see the finished project!

Looking_for_911 · 12-19-2009, 01:54 PM

Very Nice!

Dave L · 12-19-2009, 01:59 PM

very cool, there are few people that can actually "make" something.

futuresoptions · 02:12 PM

What's hard to see in the photos, is that I kept a great deal of the thickness of the blade all the way to the tip of the blade for strength... also, when I shaped the surface (sides) of the blade I didn't just grind it down flat, it is actually curved from the top of the blade all the way down to the edge.. lol, yes it was a very lengthy process...

scottmandue · 12-19-2009, 02:09 PM

I like it!

I'll place an order for 10,000... when can you deliver?

futuresoptions · 12-19-2009, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I'll place an order for 10,000... when can you deliver?

I am glad that is in green because most of my finger tips are currently flat from running across sand paper lol... making 10,000 of these would leave me with nothing but forearms...

1990C4S · 12-19-2009, 02:53 PM

Sweet shiv. The last one I had was made from a toothbrush I stole when the gaurds weren't looking.

futuresoptions · 12-20-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Sweet shiv. The last one I had was made from a toothbrush I stole when the gaurds weren't looking.

Nice to know that I will have a useful trade if need be he he...

LWJ · 12-20-2009, 12:34 PM

Interesting. I want to hear how you annealed and then tempered the steel. Do you find the blade to be brittle?

Thanks,
Larry

MBAtarga · 12-20-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LWJ

Interesting. I want to hear how you annealed and then tempered the steel. Do you find the blade to be brittle?

Thanks,
Larry

Me too! Me too!

1990C4S · 12-20-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by futuresoptions

Nice to know that I will have a useful trade if need be he he...

Kept me safe in the shower. Mostly.

futuresoptions · 04:39 PM

First, you have to anneal the steel, most files are tool steel which is usually something like 1095 high carbon steel... The file can be shaped without annealing the steel, but since I was doing this by hand, I didn't want to double my work by sanding and filing on hardened steel.... I started my small wood burning forge up and put the file in the center of the bottom of the coals.. I then shut the blower down and put a cover over the forge... and let the file bake and then cool down slowly as the coals died out overnight... the next day the blade is okay to begin working on...

Once the blade is somewhat shaped, I heat it up to about 1500f for a few minutes and then do a oil quench... now it is hardened, but somewhat brittle...

next I temper the steel by drawing it in a 400f oven for about 2 hours... now it is still hardened, but not as brittle as after the quench..

When it comes to tempering/heat treating steel, it is imperative to know what type of steel that you are working with... different steels require different procedures, even working in one type of steel you will see various methods and temperatures of reaching desired results..

I am sorta happy with the wood grips on this one, I usually only use Micarta for my knife handles, this is the first wood I have used since the mid eighties....

futuresoptions · 05-01-2010, 04:57 PM

Hey Guys,

I know it has been a while since I last posted (no one came looking for me so I guess that I really wasn't missed all that much lol

) But I have been a very busy boy. In the last couple of months, I have enclosed my carport and turned it into a shop, ran power to it and wired the insides... I then began building a forge and tools that I needed for knife making... a long process that I am glad is over and I am getting to the point where I can get down to business (just started painting the outside of the shop today). Even though I haven't gotten all of my equipment built yet or the shop finished, I have managed to turn out a few items for friends and family and thought I would share them with you. I still have a ways to go before I am able to post in a more frequent manner again, but I hope you guys are all doing well and taking care of each other....

Reworked my knife using pins instead of screws...

a couple of neighbors knives (gotta keep them happy so they don't complain about all the noise!

A knife I made for my best friend

and for his two sons

A letter opener I made for my mom's 80th birthday

and my latest that I made for a squadie of mine

futuresoptions · 05-01-2010, 05:03 PM

All the knives above are stainless with Mesquite handles except for the one that I made for myself which is tool steel with oak handles. I had a friend give me a piece of ebony that was cut about 7 years ago and fellas let me tell you... that wood is like steel... I really have no idea how I am going to cut it...

m21sniper · 05-01-2010, 07:27 PM

I need you to make me a good spear so i can get HHI to teach me how to better impress him with my videos.

Buckterrier · 05-01-2010, 07:52 PM

Very nice work Bill. It's awesome to see craftsmanship. I take it you do custom work?

futuresoptions · 05-02-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m21sniper

I need you to make me a good spear so i can get HHI to teach me how to better impress him with my videos.

Maybe you were twirling the wrong stick for his preferences

futuresoptions · 05-02-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

Very nice work Bill. It's awesome to see craftsmanship. I take it you do custom work?

Hey Mark, I hate to use the word "custom"... I prefer to use the word "handmade". I believe that making custom knives leaves too much room for poor design, poor choice of materials, and putting my name on something that I would not personally use. I would never want to see one of my knives in a museum, but would be tickled pink to see one out in the field a hundred years from now....

Buckterrier · 05-03-2010, 04:52 PM

Handmade it is Bill. Does sound better. PM sent.