Bruce the Chef

By: Aaron Trubic

Beginners need to know the basics of knife making. Most beginners, in
fact, start with knife making kits, and only from there move on to
assembling their own knives from materials purchased or crafted
themselves. This will include information on how knives go together,
where to find the parts and other supplies, and how to keep yourself
safe.

Safety first: knives are weapons as well as tools. Always wear safety
goggles or glasses, and protect your hands by wrapping the blade in
masking tape while you’re working with the handle. When doing
heavy-duty sanding, safety requires that you have a breathing filter
available; some knives are made of types of carbonized steel that
produces harmful dust.

To know your blade, you need to understand your materials. Knives are
composed of a blade and a handle. Most kits come with a blade, handle,
guard, and sometimes a pommel. Beyond these four items include an epoxy
or other good glue to fix the blade in the handle, sandpaper of various
grains, and files both to sharpen your blade and to get rid of burs
left behind in the manufacture of your metals. Knife making kits will
include the three or four main components of your knife, but you’ll
have to go out and buy the glue and sandpaper.

The foundations of this art also require that you know what you’re
getting when you buy your blade or kit. There are several methods used
to make knife blanks - those are the blade/tang pieces. One is
moulding, which is a form of casting; it may be blacksmithed (all
Damascus steel is at least partly blacksmithed); or it could be made
with a stock removal method, which is a cutting process. You should
know the difference between the methods, and understand the advantages
and disadvantages of all of them.

Knowing the tools are your next step. When you build your knife, tools
will include a vise, a good table on which to work (preferably with a
metal surface and a place to clamp your vise), an electric drill with
sanding attachment for tedious grinding, and all your safety equipment.

Also in learning, you should read about the properties of metal,
particularly carbonized steel used in knife making. Metal properties
first require that you not overheat your metal; this can damage the
crystalline structure that gives it strength and flexibility. If you
overheat metal and then don’t quench it properly, you wind up with
brittle, easily blunted blades. This should include simple information
on how to handle heat.

You’ll need to learn about the different types of knives and metals
available to you. Most knives are made with stainless steel or
carbonized steel of some sort, with a few made of alloys like titanium.
This will teach you that stainless steel is the softest and easiest to
work with, but the higher grades make better all around knives. When
learning the basics, start with stainless steel blades, not hard
blades.

There are several types of knives you can make, but when learning you
should stick with the simplest: a straight blade, something like a
Bowie knife. Bowie knives are straightforward and simple: you prepare
the blade, slide the guard onto the tang, fix the tang into the handle
after ensuring they mate properly, and then finish the blade. You’ll
learn many skills while doing this, though: how to sand properly, the
different issues that can come up when matching blade and handle, and
safety.

More complicated knives will teach you more skills. For instance,
folding knives require one of several types of springs; these springs
are designed to keep the blade extended while in use, but easy to fold
when you’re done. Once you’ve learned this, you might want to tackle
one of these.

Though it’s not quite required to make a knife, you should also
understand the law where it applies to the sorts of blades you might
want. For instance, switchblades are illegal in many locations. Learn
how the law applies to the blades you’re making as well. It’s no fun to
make a great knife and then not be able to carry it around legally.

About the Author:

Aaron Trubic offers knife making advice, tips and information for knifemakers of all skill levels at his website, Knife Making Supplies.

Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com