Look what was dropped off at my house...

[stereo.pete]

I spent some time with the old upside down belt sander and made some progress on the handle.

Granted my experience with grinding is extremely limited, I find it very difficult to square up curves if that makes sense. For example, in one of the pics you can see where I had trouble balancing the grind on the but of the knife. Any tips or tricks to correct these problems?

Oh and I know it's a downright ugly handle and design, I have a feeling my third knife will break the ugly barrier.

 

[stereo.pete]

Relic from another time or my first finished knife? All that is left is to put a final edge on this one and then it will be ready to be gifted to my Father.

**Teaser pic

I will post more detailed pictures once I completely finish the above blade. I love this new hobby of mine, it's the first hobby that allows me to create something rather than consume it. Thanks to everyone here for their input, advice and patience with my questions. I still have another blade that is near completion, I am confident that my third blade will break the ugly barrier with everything I have learned from the 2 knives featured in this thread.

 

[Brad Gibson]

Very cool Pete! Keep it up!

 

[stereo.pete]

I managed to create a faux lamination line or kasumi finish due to my convexing of the edge.

 

[jimbob]

I love this new hobby of yours too! Awesome too see the generous knowledge of this forum being magnificently utilised. Enjoying the wips too, cheers!

 

[stereo.pete]

Alright, here's my first finished knife. Just a quick reminder that I've had absolutely no metal working experience and to be honest, very little craft experience other than stained glass. This knife is definitely an ugly design, largely in part due to my lack of experience in knives other than kitchen cutlery. Specifications are as follows...

Steel: O1 with a HT from Peter's at 59R/C
1/4" stock
Black Dymond Wood grips
Brass 1/8" pins
Blade Length is 3 7/8"
OAL is 8 3/4"

Currently I am having a hard time getting the blade sharp. I started sharpening after heat treating using a flat granite tile with a soft/spongy shelf liner and then sand paper clamped on top of that. I started with 80 grit and ground the two edges until they became one. I then progressed from 120, 220, 320, 500, 600, 800, 1000 and finally 2000 grit. I also stropped on felt and diamond spray loaded leather. The knife will not shave, cut paper nor does it feel really sharp if I run my fingers across the edge. What I think is keeping the knife from getting sharp is the extreme thickness behind the edge. Granted this is my first time sharpening a convex edge versus my typical flat bevels on my kitchen knives. Any suggestions on what I might try to get the knife sharper?

The blade was taken to 2000 grit but I did not take it high enough before HT, so there some deep scratches I was unable to get out. I finished the handle up to 600 grit, there are no sharp edges on the knife and it is very comfortable. My Pops has large handles so I purposely made the handle a bit bulky. There is still some epoxy in the finger guard that I was unable to get off. I am leaving it as it offers a weathered look just like the dymond wood. This will be the last knife I make out of 1/4" stock until I can rationalize spending the funds on a 2x72 belt grinder.

Obviously I am looking for your critiques and suggestions. I can tell you I learned an incredible amount from this first knife and I am really excited to start designing a brand new one that will definitely break the ugly barrier.

Thanks for everyone's help and once again please share your feedback.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Mucho Bocho]

Way to go Pete. You beat that steel down. It may not have the looks of a Hass or the steel of a Devin or the curves or a Radner or the ergonomics of a Rogue or the fit and finish of a Tsourkan, but you made it with your own hands and nobody can take that from you!

 

[Duckfat]

Looks great Pete.

 

[Dream Burls]

A++ for effort. Keep at it and each one will get better and better.

 

[stereo.pete]

Quick Update: I sanded down the epoxy in the finger guard, I have higher standards than that...

 

[Dave Martell]

You never forget your first. Congrats Pete!

 

[PierreRodrigue]

Holy crap Pete!! I just found and read through the whole thread! Dude I'll give you credit for doing it the hard way, and just jumping in and doing it! Well done! I still have my first knife, it's as ugly as a pimple on a bulldog's arse!! But it was the first. My next half dozen, I clamped a portable belt sander in a vise, and let modern technology help out! I paid $25 for the sander, and $30 in belts ( 3 different grits ) and final sanding by hand. That was not too many years ago. School of hard knocks is a tough teacher, but you don't forget lessons learned that way. Keep it up, and looking forward to seeing more!

 

[stereo.pete]

Well after quite a few months off from making knives I decided I had better finish the other knife I had started on back in April. This one will be a Christmas present for my Dad and I have tested its' cutting ability and she does quite well. The idea of this knife is to be an awesome box opener/utility knife for odd jobs around the house. Unlike the previous finished knife, this one is 100% functional. The blade was about 85% finished, what was missing was the handle and the final sanding/sharpening in order to be complete.

I mixed up some epoxy yesterday and mounted the scales and today I spent time with my new Harbor Freight 1x30 grinder working on the handle. Wow, talk about a total time saver in terms of the 1x30 grinder. I've regained my interest in knife making now since it won't take me 30 hours to make a handle by hand. Here's a few WIP pictures that tell a small portion of the story.

Scales ready for sanding

Initial sanding (very square and the butt of the scales are not even with the tang)

Scales are now flush with the butt (sounds kinda dirty) but still a very square handle

Finished with the 1x30, rounded the edges with the next step being hand sanding. Handle feels nice in the hand and 100x more comfortable than my first knife's handle.

P.S. This dymondwood sure is ugly

 

[knyfeknerd]

IT'S ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I forgot about this Pete!
Go Pete go!
Yeah Dymondwood is pretty ugly.
Good luck and looking forward to seeing it finished.