Thread: Show me your knives

Tanto Style knife from a file, really fun to make these things from old stuff lying around the garage ....

Scabbard just needs more sanding and then oiling

On our never ending journey for better and better equipment performance (often born out of clever marketing) we tend to move further and further away from the foundations that forged todays norms, and we spend exorbitant money chasing some elusive 'element' that we feel incomplete without, only to feel disappointed and betrayed when we find that the gap between what we had and what we were chasing wasn't actually as big as we were lead to believe .............. and, that what we had in the first place, was actually pretty darn good, and that we often have to give up more than we actually gained in order to achieve our narrowly focused goal. (I think I need a beer now).

A case in point - knife steel. We all want that one knife that does it all, from filleting a fish to skinning a deer, from peeling an apple to battening some kindling, small enough to fit in your pocket but still big enough to stick a pig through the heart, that never goes rusty, and never needs sharpening.
In our pursuit of this phantom knife, knife steels have progressed from good old plain carbon to the latest and greatest (and expensive) high alloy super steels - tougher, stronger and shiner than ever before!
Being a keen knife user, I have my fair share of expensive hyper performance cutting implements (tools not toys), all bought with a focus on something I thought I might be missing out on.

But recently, having dabbled in the field of home made knife making, and not having the skills or experience or equipment to attempt to sculpt a blade from anything other than plain Jane high carbon steel (1075 and 1084), I have discovered that I have actually been missing out!!
I have never personally owned a plain carbon steel knife before I made one. In my naivety I saw my dad's plain carbon skinning and boning knives as nothing but high maintenance.

But that's all changed.

The first knife I ever made was made as a Christmas present for my brother.
The second was an experiment in making my first knife with a hidden tang handle. When I did the design and made the knife I was anticipating hanging the thing on the wall. It was deliberately big, with a bowie type blade that I thought would be impractical and not something that I would typically take hunting. Once finished, and since it was custom shaped to fit my hand, I decided to 'abuse' it by using it to cut open animal joints and split briskets in an effort to punish the steel and see how good my heat treat was, and to save my expensive super steel blades from having to endure these tasks (hang on a minute, isn't that why you justified buying these expensive blades in the first place - because they would handle the abuse that others wouldn't??).

This blade has blown all of my expectations completely out of the water over the past 18 months. It has been used to do all the tasks that I am too scared to use my expensive blades for, and not skipped a beat. Its never chipped, bent, buckled or snapped. The original edge is still intact, and yea, it needs a tickle up on the stone and strop a bit more than my 3V blades, but none of my 3V's have ever done the work that my ??? (just realised, my blade needs a name ....) has been put through.
And, the biggest surprise of all to me, is that the 'as heat treated' finish of the blade is actually really corrosion resistant! A wash in hot soapy water, towel dried, and then left to air out of its sheath. I don't even oil it!

My home made ?(insert name here)? blade is now my go to knife for processing deer, and its made out of the very non-super high carbon 1075 steel - go figure .........

So, to all who are chasing super steel performance, whilst the advantages of super steels over plain carbon steels are proven, in the practical world the difference from a properly heat treated plain carbon steel is smaller than you might think.
To all of you out there that have never had a go at making a knife, have a crack! If you correctly follow the basic principles of a good heat treat using plain carbon steel you might be surprised by what you end up with. It might be your new best hunting buddy.

PS. well done to all those who have had a crack and have posted their results in this thread - keep it up!

nicely written and right to the heart of the matter most steels are great WITH A PROPER HEAT TREAT .

I'd choose any carbon steel with a decent heat treat over the more brittle stainless steels for a good hunting knife

Originally Posted by diana2

I'd choose any carbon steel with a decent heat treat over the more brittle stainless steels for a good hunting knife

There are some excellent stainless steels that are tough enough for any sort of hunting, and some carbon steels that that don't stain much that are even tougher (3V for instance). And some very tough carbon steels that won't hold a edge.
It is correct to say though that the more stainless a knife steel is in general it is less tough.
The best carbon steels of today are also way better than the old traditional carbon steels - but are more difficult to sharpen. There are no free lunches.

There is a difference between tough and brittle. A good tough edge will roll and not chip. A poor temper and it will chip - brittle. You see that a lot with D2.

Originally Posted by Tahr

There are some excellent stainless steels that are tough enough for any sort of hunting, and some carbon steels that that don't stain much that are even tougher (3V for instance). And some very tough carbon steels that won't hold a edge.
It is correct to say though that the more stainless a knife steel is in general it is less tough.
The best carbon steels of today are also way better than the old traditional carbon steels - but are more difficult to sharpen. There are no free lunches.

There is a difference between tough and brittle. A good tough edge will roll and not chip. A poor temper and it will chip - brittle. You see that a lot with D2.

Ah, but Bob dozier could make D2 dance...it really does come down to heat treatment a lot there sure are a lot of interesting steels out there these days, one day I would like to get a forge and a cryogenic tank to be able to deal with super steel, in the meantime I still have to find a steel that will match O1 in cost, ability to take an edge and ease of heat treatment, if yiu put enough effort into your heat treatment you can go a long way with a simple steel, maybe not for a dive knife though...

Originally Posted by Shelley

Ah, but Bob dozier could make D2 dance...it really does come down to heat treatment a lot there sure are a lot of interesting steels out there these days, one day I would like to get a forge and a cryogenic tank to be able to deal with super steel, in the meantime I still have to find a steel that will match O1 in cost, ability to take an edge and ease of heat treatment, if yiu put enough effort into your heat treatment you can go a long way with a simple steel, maybe not for a dive knife though...

Dozier, eh. Expensive as hell and a waiting list of years. He was an exception with D2. Sadly.

CPM D2 on the other hand is good stuff.

Originally Posted by Shelley

Ah, but Bob dozier could make D2 dance...it really does come down to heat treatment a lot there sure are a lot of interesting steels out there these days, one day I would like to get a forge and a cryogenic tank to be able to deal with super steel, in the meantime I still have to find a steel that will match O1 in cost, ability to take an edge and ease of heat treatment, if yiu put enough effort into your heat treatment you can go a long way with a simple steel, maybe not for a dive knife though...

Mention of D2 made me think of a CAT D4D I once owned, anyway how would Dozer / Grader grouser strip work as a knife or hatchet steel - that stuff doesnt chip even pushing rocks and old grader blade edge can be had for nothing

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Mention of D2 made me think of a CAT D4D I once owned, anyway how would Dozer / Grader grouser strip work as a knife or hatchet steel - that stuff doesnt chip even pushing rocks and old grader blade edge can be had for nothing

Ive got a KOA in D2, holds a mean edge but was definately chippy running through joints etc, must be at a reasonable hardness. They have a very low angle compound bevel on the Canadian belts knives so I threw a micro bevel on which seemed to help.

I got an order for a large kitchen knife a few months back and thought if I make one then I should make three......as you do.
This isn't the ordered knife but I wanted to design an east meets west style knife ( my version anyway ) and this is the end result.
Just over 8 inch blade, Teal and fire coral dual layer Micarta from the states. G10 liners and carbon pins, full flat grind 14c28n stainless.
Really pushing my little 1 x 30 grinder to it's limit but we got there.
It maybe available if someone's a keen cook or wants something cool for the wife for Christmas.
PM me if interested as it will be advertised elsewhere.
Another large kitchen knife nearly finished so I will post the photo's when finished.

Originally Posted by viper

I got an order for a large kitchen knife a few months back and thought if I make one then I should make three......as you do.
This isn't the ordered knife but I wanted to design an east meets west style knife ( my version anyway ) and this is the end result.
Just over 8 inch blade, Teal and fire coral dual layer Micarta from the states. G10 liners and carbon pins, full flat grind 14c28n stainless.
Really pushing my little 1 x 30 grinder to it's limit but we got there.
It maybe available if someone's a keen cook or wants something cool for the wife for Christmas.
PM me if interested as it will be advertised elsewhere.
Another large kitchen knife nearly finished so I will post the photo's when finished.Attachment 152675

Very talented, You could even take up a profession as a photographer, you take some great finished product photo's.

@viper
Nice design!
What is the thickness and width for this chef knife?

Originally Posted by diana2

@viper
Nice design!
What is the thickness and width for this chef knife?

@diana2 , 3mm 14c28n and 55mm at the back of the heal of the blade

shelly try 1084 much better than o1