Knife Blade ??

[Johnch]

I was not sure where to put this post [smilie=b:
LOL so if it is in the wrong place feel free to move it

I am bored
Monday I get another set of Botox injections
So I will go from 1 or 2 Migraines a DAY to 2 or 3 a week for 6 weeks and then they get more often

So I figured I would like to make myself a .... well parts of a new hunting knife at least LOL

I used a 95% done blade and made the scales ( Might be the right word for the handle ) and did the finish work
But that was 20 years ago and I have no CLUE to where I can get a decent 90% to 100% ready blade these days

I also am not sure what the good steels are any more
Last one I made , I got a D2 blade
But I was told 440 .... something is the way to go now ??


Not looking for a big knife , I just want a blade that holds a edge
Not expecting it to be free , but also not interested in a $100 blade that needs a ton of work either

A simple 2 1/2" to 3" blade to cut rope , gut deer and all the other day to day jobs a knife dose

So I am sure there are a number of members here that can point me in the right direction

Thanks
John

[georgerkahn]

At a recent gun show, a seller has some (msrp $35.00) Kershaw knives for twenty dollars, and this has replaced my Buck, and before that Case, as my everyday carry (EDC) knife! Three features I've come to love are: An easily moved flip lever on it makes it a very easily operated ONE-HAND to open knife, with blade very safely staying locked; It comes with an outside clip to hook on your trouser pocket, insuring very easy reliable access to it; and, it has -- after over a month's quite regular use -- stayed remarkably sharp. I do not at all miss the required use of thumbnail in slot to open knives of that design. While it is not the exact model I bought, Amazon lists a similar for less than twenty-one dollars, I'm pasting link for your reference: https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Drop-Point-Black-Oxide-Glass-filled-Pocketclip/dp/B00TAD2JQQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1526210429&sr=8-16&keywords=knife+pocket+kershaw
BEST!
geo

[GhostHawk]

http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH

Green River blanks.

Run from 12$ up to 25$ depending on style and shape.

I have 2, the 5" Hunter and a smaller one which I do not see offered.

"These high carbon steel "Green River" blades are identical to the ones used by our forefathers. They have been made by Russell Harrington Cutlery since the early 1800s, and feature proven designs used as working knives for almost 200 years. They have a remarkable ability to hold their edge, and are stain resistant. They will serve you well."

I have not used mine a lot, but I would agree with what they said above.
They have proven designs that work, they hold an edge, and with a reasonably well built handle will serve you well.

Mine look more like prison shanks than anything else.
I wanted a strong slip resistant handle that would not rot.
So I ended up heating a piece of PVC pipe, flattening it some in the vise, shoved the blank in until it stuck. After it cooled it was one unit, locked together. Did a cord wrap with bank line for that good solid grip.

Works of art they are not. But they can be covered in blood and gore and rinse clean in seconds.
Nothing to swell, warp, rot. It is steel, PVC, and tar coated Nylon cord.

For the cost, you can buy a couple and practice on them. Then when you run across that perfect blade you will have experience, and be able to make a very good job of it. In the meantime the Green River blanks will serve.

I have a lot of fairly inexpensive knives. The Green Rivers are right up at the top of my list.
I actually value them higher than the Mora's because of their thicker steel, and edge holding.

That is my opinon, tis free, and worth what you paid for it. If it is useful, awesome.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Smokey mountain knife works. Store is in Severville, Tn. Google for web site. Store is an exercise in TMI. We go by before Christmas, Lodge Cast Iron store next door.
If you don't find something at SMKW you ain't looking.
CF

[elginrunner]

Why not make your own? I started making knives with my uncle about 15 years ago. It's easy to do with simple tools, and high carbon steel can be heat treated with a set of torches and oil. I got started with a bench grinder, files and some sandpaper. I made some decent knives. Since then I gotten some better tools.....

Get steel from new jersey steel baron. Handles can be made from about anything.

Chknives.com


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[bdicki]

http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH

Green River blanks.

Run from 12$ up to 25$ depending on style and shape.

I have 2, the 5" Hunter and a smaller one which I do not see offered.

"These high carbon steel "Green River" blades are identical to the ones used by our forefathers. They have been made by Russell Harrington Cutlery since the early 1800s, and feature proven designs used as working knives for almost 200 years. They have a remarkable ability to hold their edge, and are stain resistant. They will serve you well."

I have not used mine a lot, but I would agree with what they said above.
They have proven designs that work, they hold an edge, and with a reasonably well built handle will serve you well.

Mine look more like prison shanks than anything else.
I wanted a strong slip resistant handle that would not rot.
So I ended up heating a piece of PVC pipe, flattening it some in the vise, shoved the blank in until it stuck. After it cooled it was one unit, locked together. Did a cord wrap with bank line for that good solid grip.

Works of art they are not. But they can be covered in blood and gore and rinse clean in seconds.
Nothing to swell, warp, rot. It is steel, PVC, and tar coated Nylon cord.

For the cost, you can buy a couple and practice on them. Then when you run across that perfect blade you will have experience, and be able to make a very good job of it. In the meantime the Green River blanks will serve.

I have a lot of fairly inexpensive knives. The Green Rivers are right up at the top of my list.
I actually value them higher than the Mora's because of their thicker steel, and edge holding.

That is my opinon, tis free, and worth what you paid for it. If it is useful, awesome.

Dang, now I have a few new projects. Some of the Green River blades are on sale.

[Tatume]

I like Jantz Knifemaking Supply:

http://www.knifemaking.com/

[jsizemore]

I like Jantz Knifemaking Supply:

http://www.knifemaking.com/

I can't stop looking.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Yes, I approve of Jantz Supplies, whom I found very good on overseas orders. You will probably find some of the same products cheaper on eBay, and a very wide selection of woods etc. with a search for "knifemaking scales".

I have found O1 steel very good and easy to work, with a low hardening temperature which means minimum distortion in hardening. The air hardening steels also avoid one of the trickiest operations for the amateur, although they require a little higher temperature than most hardening, and some protection or subsequent refinishing due to tendency to scale.

You should be able to find detailed information online for the heat treatments of the various steels. Getting a longish blade evenly to the right temperature for hardening is difficult, and you should build a kind of slot in a nest of some kind of non-spalling brick. Proper firebricks will be expensive if you don't plan on doing it again. A belt sanding machine, which you can use for a lot of other things, is about the most cost-effective way you can spend money, and even a carpenter's hand-held one, held upside down in a vice, is a lot better than no belt sander.

[NyFirefighter357]

I've made a few knives from RR spikes, files and mechanical hacksaw blades. I have a 14" circular saw blade I will cut blanks out of when I get someone with a plasma cutter.

https://i.imgur.com/b7GP1C5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eD6WQSi.jpg

[elginrunner]

If you stick with a known steel you will get better results. Free is free, but a known steel will give expected results.


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[Johnch]

I like Jantz Knifemaking Supply:

http://www.knifemaking.com/

THANK YOU !!!!
I did a 30 second look and saw 2 that I liked
So I will order at least 1 of each and see how my skill is

John

[tomme boy]

I like Helle blanks

[MT Gianni]

Getting a good sheath is becoming more difficult as well. Tandy leather has dried up and blown away and finding thick enough leather to work with is a tough hunt. Hit the thrift stores and look for lightly used boots.

[Snow ninja]

I like Texas Knifemakers Supply myself. Give it a look. I've had good luck with their cryo blades.

https://www.texasknife.com/vcom/index.php

[Hardcast416taylor]

There is a community of Amish about 20 miles from me. Everytime that I finished a from scratch knife I would visit a leather workers shop. I would leave the knife with him after he and I worked out on paper what sort of sheath I wanted. He made the sheaths from heavy leather with brass rivets at weak points and stitched with 2 rows of heavy thread. He had a generator for powering his 2 industrial electric sewing machines. Black, red or tan were the only colors. Most he charged me for a custom sheath was $15 and he had it done in a week.Robert

[GhostHawk]

Reworked sheath a bit this afternoon.

220376

Main part is just a thin piece of black Kydex, heated with heat gun, I use a couple of towels to pad it and just sit on it. If it does not come out right the first time just reheat and adjust it. I used 5 grommits to hold it together. I had issues with cap rivets being very sensitive to material thickness.
The gromits are easy.

Belt loop is just a nice piece of leather.
I had it in a piece of suede before, with a lousy stitching job, stitch's showing, etc.
The copper was just a kind of add on as a fairly easy way to really snug up the black bank line.

Came out with a nice lighting bolt effect. So the blade earned a name today, black lighting.

220377

Original cord wrap stopped at the sheath, used black tape to hold it. Looked like ****. I redid it with a full cord wrap then flared the sheath a bit to accommodate the extra material. Makes a nice snug fit with quick release.

220378

[Bazoo]

I've never bought anything from them, but Ive been looking at Jantz blades myself.

[Blackwater]

I believe the finest cutting blades you can get to start your knife making career, are the Mora and related type blades, and you can get them at Ragweed Forge. Just enter "ragweed forge" into a Google search and it ought to take you right there. But bookmark it. They have both finished knives, and some really good blades. I'm a big fan of these knives and blades, and have a small one for a "patch knife" and other uses where a short blade comes in handy. Just haven't put a handle on it yet. You can get sheet brass and aluminum from bldg. supplies for hilts and guards, if you want them. I need to go out and cut an old antler for a handle for that neat lil' Scandi blade I've got, but then, I'd just order another that I don't have and ..... it seems these things never end, doesn't it? But if I ever need a knife, I have one for just about any purpose! It's nice when addictions come with benefits, isn't it?

[knifemaker]

220415220416Sounds like you want to use a blade that is already finished and heat treated. You just finish by attaching and shaping the handle scales. I would recommend using Jantz knife supply for your blade. They have many options and reasonable prices. If you want a stainless steel blade, look at the 440C blades or AUS-8 for a steel that will hold a good edge and be reasonable in price. D-2 is another good one. I make my own knives using S30V steel billets, but that steel is very expensive.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Getting a good sheath is becoming more difficult as well. Tandy leather has dried up and blown away and finding thick enough leather to work with is a tough hunt. Hit the thrift stores and look for lightly used boots.

One reason for that is that websites like eBay, where you can see the individual piece of leather illustrated, blew them away. I don't think they make boots thick enough for an all-leather sheath. You can buy a sort of miniature plane with a V[shaped tooth to groove thick leather in a straight line for bending and vegetable-tanned leather will mould if briefly dampened with very hot water - not soaked and not boiling. For a ¼in. thick blade I would cut two shallow grooves with their inner edges a ¼in. apart.

I don't like the idea of stitching plus rivets. If the stitching is nearest the blade it either holds or it gets cut and lets the edge contact metal. If the rivets are nearest, it touches metal anyway. I would rather rely on very tight stitching with heavy thread, drawing the leather so tightly together than the edge doesn't reach the thread.

If you want the strongest possible thread, that is Kevlar, and second-best is nowhere. It is difficult to dye, but a pretty good match for light coloured leather, especially when waxed. But if you want a natural thread, linen is good, and resists decay far better than cotton. Whatever you use, it should be well waxed.

You can make an adequate knife from a truck spring or an extremely good one from an old file or a broken machine-hacksaw blade. But when you consider the work you will put into it, buying a piece of most kinds of tool steel is a worthwhile safeguard.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I like Jantz Knifemaking Supply:

http://www.knifemaking.com/

I've bought a couple complete knife kits, as well as, numerous pre-finished blades from Jantz...many of which are still in the box, projects for when I retire, LOL (I've been retired for almost 2 years now).

Besides collecting old knives, I've refinished a couple, one was a Western fixed blade, it looked like it was lost in a mountain stream and exposed to the elements for a decade. I removed the rust, but left the pitting in the blade, it gave it a unique and rugged look (if I removed the pitting, there would not be much steel left, LOL). I like Western, they used some very good steel and holds an edge well...one of my favorites.

[Elkins45]

I bought a couple of finished blades from Jantz about 20 years ago. They both were 440C and made very good knives.

[Beerd]

You know, there's a forum right here on Castboolits for Knives and Knife Making

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?91-Knives
..

[texasnative46]

To All,

Texas Knifemaker's Supply are GOOD folks to work with, imvho.

yours, tex

[OldBearHair]

My opinion Johnch D2 is a very good knife steel with very good edgeholding ability. It is difficult to hand forge at the anvil. It is hard to keep at the correct forging temperature. All it needs while turning an elk into four hanging quarters on sawed off limbs of a pine tree is to whet it on a steel a few times to align the edge and keep on skinning. put it back in its sheath with the fat left on it and pull it out again to use on a last hunt day kill and it performs that task as well as the first one.

[Texas by God]

Johnch, I'm sorry that you're still having the migraines. The Botox did not work for me. However Verapamil 360mg may be worth asking your doctor about. It is a blood pressure med and even though I don't have high bp it serves as a preventative if taken every night. I also use Diazepam if needed on the severe headaches. I've gone from everyday all day migraines to maybe one a week.
You've gotten great advice on the knife question; all I'll say on that is SOG and Spyderco are my favorite current brands- and of course the little Victorinox that I'm never, ever without.
Thomas

[OldBearHair]

Found the picture Knife in question is the one in the middle220457

[Tom W.]

I made one several years ago from a mechanical hacksaw blade and another from a file. They were good enough to give for Christmas gifts, and they held an edge...

[fiberoptik]

Search Thrift stores for old carbon steel knives. Change to fit your own needs. Thrifty!


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[Springfield]

Tandy leather is still very much around.. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/ . Look online for Tandy/Leather factory. There are 2 actual stores within 40 miles of me. I like their thinner leather but for better quality thicker leather I go to Wickett and Craig and order online. As long as i explain to the salesperson what I need they do a good job of sending quality leather that I can use for my holsters, gunbelts and stuff. And to keep your knife from cutting the threads you need a third piece of leather sewn in there for the blade to hit instead of the threads, better than rivets if you want to keep your blade sharp.