Top three mistakes rookies make,,,

G

Grouser1741

Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Messages
319
Give me three, or more if you like, things new knife Maker, like me, screw up all the time.
- cutting ☝ your fingers
- not changing to a fresh sanding belt soon enough
-get nervous when making finishing grind, and screw it up,,,,.,,
Thanks for playing
 
I'm a beginner, but it amazes me how many times people start with "unknown steel" despite the NUMEROUS experienced makers advising against it.

Biggest part I notice is how helpful people are if you take your time, ask questions as you go and follow the advice.
 
As a relative beginner I can say these are my three worst faults:

1: trying to save money by using sand paper/ belts for too long.

2: rushing too much/ not taking enough time planning.

3: calling it “good enough” when I can still see faults that I can fix, by removing scales, bolsters etc. and re-doing it.
 
1. Not orienting the blade with the tip toward True North while heat treating
2. Forgetting to squeeze a fresh lemon into the quenchant before each quench
3. Letting the forge lubrication run dry while forging
 
Being in a hurry - not planning and doing some reading and sketcking.
BHS - Blocky Handle Syndrome
Not spacing and aligning rivets.
Unfinished blades - There isn't a good excuse for "That's good enough for a new maker", or "I meant it to be that way so it would look rustic.
Unmatched plunge lines
Blade too wide and thick, handle way too large.
Knife looks like it was ground out of a bar of steel - AKA - "stiff knife". - Add some curve to the handle or spine to make the knife look more smooth.
 
Wow you guys response is overwhelming! So many great answers. And I'm guilty of most all of them! Good to know I'm guilty of some of the same grievances that other newbies are. Now how about a few tips on how to correct those things you mentioned like blocky handle syndrome,,, I get that alot
 
jdm61 said:
Trying to "fix" a screwed up knife. The old "started out making a bowie and ended up with a caper" thing.
Click to expand...
I almost fell into this trap early on. I made a promise to myself when I saw what was happening. As my skills grow and tools get better I'm able to do more today than yesterday. The temptation to go back and apply my new skills or use my new tools on all previous knives is overwhelming. I decided that once I call a knife done,,, to try to leave it alone and move on to the next knife and improve my skills on that one. If I didn't I could see having only about 5 absolutely perfect knives at the end of my career instead of hundreds of knives showing a increase in my development skills. I don't support the good enough is good enough but, sometimes you got to move on learn the lesson and try something new.
 
Grinding with to high of a belt speed.
Using to low of a grit before they should while grinding.
Not being able to find center on their tang for scale pins.
Not grinding scales and tang perfectly flat
 
Not taking the time to learn to grind. Look for shortcuts like using some kind of jig instead of really learning to grind. Not having the patience to do quality work. Getting the cheapest grinder available.
 
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