Knife making question

[BigMike]

If a man could get a hold of a piece of the steel he wanted to make a knife out of, could he just cut it out, shape it, and heat treat it and call it good? I don't have a forge and probably won't have time to use it to make the investment worth it. Thoughts?

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Sure. In the criminal justice world we call such improvised weapons a "prison shank."
The spring-steel supports under your bunk bed will work.

(JUST KIDDING !!)

 

[Shortcut]

nicaburns

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

This guy makes a knife out of a lawnmower blade.
He only uses his forge just a little, at the start of the project,
to make the curved sections of the mower blade flat.
if you started with steel that was flat in all the areas your knife blank would be cut from, you could skip this part.

P.S. The last one-third section of this video is all about making and shaping the handle for this knife, not metalworking.

 

[nicaburns]

Well, there are a TON of variables to your question but essentially yes...
BUT, heat treat varies WILDLY depending on steel but there is good info out there. I will just say you may not find it as easy as it may appear to be.

 

[THREEJAYS]

I am not even close to being a good knife maker but have made a few from old saw blades that were ok and fun to fool with. Good luck

 

[moosensquirrel]

Forge thick, grind thin. Of course it depends on the steel, carbon content, alloy, etc. In general however, if you do not attempt to actually "sharpen" on a standard grinder and keep the edge of blade under say 250-300deg, you can easily finish it by hand with a few stones. Old files, especially american made from the pre 60's make good knife blanks.

 

[BigMike]

Thanks for all the responses. In want to make a karambit, love the style but can't find one that I like. Looks like I can buy a good size piece of D2 steel to start. Not 100% sure on how in want to go about cutting it ( cutoff wheel, I have oxy-fuel torch, etc).

 

[Bushwick100]

I am not even close to being a good knife maker but have made a few from old saw blades that were ok and fun to fool with. Good luck

I found a Rail Road Spike and a Guy from Winder made a great knife out of it for me, then I gave him another spike and he made a Tomahawk for me! Both came out great.

 

[7pt62THOR]

I found a Rail Road Spike and a Guy from Winder made a great knife out of it for me, then I gave him another spike and he made a Tomahawk for me! Both came out great.

You know the rulz: MUST POST PICS!...........at least pics of the hawk!