My first knife design. Critiques and Comments welcome

Try designing your blades with AutoCAD, Solidworks, ProEngineer... you can make 3d designs that look like real, apply textures, materials, light...then you can make technical drawings...it is fun
 
I tried using a free version of one of those...Google sketchup I believe it was. I'm sure it's great but knowing nothing about any CAD program and drawing has always been a hobby of mine, it's just faster with a pencil and paper.
 
Fletch Helical said:
I tried using a free version of one of those...Google sketchup I believe it was. I'm sure it's great but knowing nothing about any CAD program and drawing has always been a hobby of mine, it's just faster with a pencil and paper.
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I've started from zero with AutoCAD. It is amazing how much a person can learn if the issue is interesting for him :). Then Solid in the Uni... And i still enjoy drawing with the pencil and the paper....i'm talking hours of joy :)...
 
Fletch Helical said:
I tried using a free version of one of those...Google sketchup I believe it was. I'm sure it's great but knowing nothing about any CAD program and drawing has always been a hobby of mine, it's just faster with a pencil and paper.
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I too got Autocad 02 and learned it cold. I got the autocad 02 for dummies book and it actually helped a lot.

Faster with pencil and paper until you get connections to free waterjet (AND laser, but I dunno what I would have him cut with that...)usage and you want to make lockback folders! You can tweak the CAD to get a good lockup, jig up the liners, and everything should lock up every time after you square up the lock contact spots!

Anyody have any idea for something that needs 5 axis CNC cutting?;)
 
I agree the first time I use Google Sketchup it was a slow process.If the saved fole can somehow be used on a CNC machine to cut blanks. Then that would be the only reason I would do it again for a knife. Paper is far more productive for me here.

On the other hand I used it to design and draw up my grinder plans and it was incredible. It was fast, easy, lots of control and love the precision(well to the 16th of an inch that is).

Maybe if I was more proficient It would work for both for me but it doesn't currently.
Just my 2¢
 
Here is one side done to 800 grit. Only thing I'm not overly happy with is I have the equivalent of a 2" grind by the plunge line. I'm guessing from starting there and drawing the bar I'm using to sand towards me. Can't see it very well because of the flash and I don't think my wife's camera can turn the flash off.

How do I get rid of that? Start from the tip and work my way towards the plunge? Or do that at 1000 grit?

knife22.jpg
 
I cannot see the pic, but if it's what I think it is you need to start off your pull with only the edge away from you touching the blade at the plunge then as soon as you start moving you lay the bar down flat. Any extra movement you make with the sanding bar touching the blade before pulling will show up.
 
Well I spent a few hours on the other side and noticed there are some scratches that don't seem to want to come out. There is an extraordinarily good chance that they will be there for the finished knife. They haven't budged after about 3 hours of sanding. It's the knife's bad side so I just have accept that that side will never look how I want. Note it as another mistake to try and avoid on the next one.
 
3 hours man you should have sanded a whole through that thing just about.

Knife looks good though.

Keep it up man

Chris
 
squigly1965 said:
3 hours man you should have sanded a whole through that thing just about.
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You'd think, right?

Anyway this morning I've been grappling with the whole "angel on one shoulder and devil on the other" thing. One is saying "resand the bad side all over from 120 up to where you are now". The other is saying "leave the scratches in, call it a learning experience, finish and move on".


I gotta be freaking nuts.....
 
I had some forging marks I had on my first blade. I got tired of sanding and decided to leave them. It gave the knife character you know. Well After I heat treated I decided I didn't like them and proceeded with the very laborious task of sanding them out because I didn't like them any more. So that my friend was a learning experience.

What I'm trying to say is if you are on the fence about it then you should do it. Every time you see it you'll know what you should have done. And doing it after HT is a PITA

Sometimes it isn't easy being a knife maker, but it it can be very rewarding.

Chris
 
At least you started with good steel! While packing mine for HT I found out that it was 303 Stainless and can't be HT'd. Imagine how much filing I have to do NOW to fix it!

I'm still leaning towards making a fish scaler out of it to hide the mistakes. . . .
 
So tonight I took a fresh piece of 120 grit paper to a nice 800 grit hand rubbed finish :(. I know I''m not the first person to do this but if any people who are thinking about making a knife are reading this are curious what that's like. The feeling of doing that falls somewhere between putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle then ripping it apart the minute you finish. And bringing the hottest looking girl you've even seen back to your place and as you're rounding the bases you find out she's actually a man.

With how crazy I've been obsessing over this thing you guys probably knew there was no way I was leaving those scratches in the blade to scream. HEY LOOK AT ME!!! Every time I looked at that knife or showed it to someone.

The ugly scratches are gone and I got most of the 120 scratches out but still more work to do at 220. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it to at least 400, or with a little luck start 800 over again.
 
LOL
thats exactly how I felt with those hammer marks on my knife.

glad you decided to finish her right. you both deserve it you know. :D


chris
 
Fletch, Try using baby oil on your finer sandpapers, It worked really well for me!!

Also when sanding make sure to have your paper wrapped around something that wont flex, Like a piece of bar stock. I used a couple rigid paint stir sticks.

When sanding try not to move side to side to much and just go in the one direction as in tip to tang or edge to spine. Switch directions with each grit sandpaper that way you will pull out the scratches left by the last one.
 
Fletch Helical said:
The feeling of doing that falls somewhere between putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle then ripping it apart the minute you finish. And bringing the hottest looking girl you've even seen back to your place and as you're rounding the bases you find out she's actually a man.
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That's got to be one of the FUNNIEST comparisons I have EVER read!!! LOL Thanks for that :) Good luck on getting out those scratches too, hope it all goes well this round.
 
Well I have to keep some humor in here otherwise it becomes a boring read. :p

Anyway I finally have gotten the scratches out, not sure how I missed them or what kind of brain fart I had prior to going to 800 originally but they're gone. Both sides have a rather respectable 800 satin finish which I believe is about all I'm going to go.... Glad that didn't take too long :rolleyes: I'll try and get pics tomorrow because as we all know it never happened without them. Then I'll be taping up the blade and hope to God the ricasso area goes considerable quicker.

Then it's on to the handle time. From what I've been gathering I'm thinking I should be shaping the front of the handle before I set it on the knife so I don't go messing up the ricasso area. I'm thinking Acraglas might be my adhesive of choice, as it seems fairly popular with some makers... I have no idea where to find it though, I don't think Home Depot has it and if I have to order it I'll have to consider something else if I can't find it locally. Also the lanyard tube I'm guessing has to be epoxied in as well right?
 
I did some research and found that some makers prefer Gorilla Glue. So, I used GG on my first knife kit I put together. Dymondwood scales and 6A stainless. Sanded the steel and inside face of the scales with 80 grit to rough it up, coated both nice and even and clamped them up tight since the GG foams. It wound up making a fantastic bond and no visable line.
 
I'm About to find out about the 60 minute epoxy that Home Depot sells. I comes in (2) 4oz bottles.

I used the 6 minute Gel epoxy and I worked on 2 outa 3 knives. The third one the scales separated from the knife. Since it cures quickly be carefully of air bubbles. And I think it was partially cured on the third knife. Thats the reason I picke up the 60 minute stuff.
 
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