Knife making and blacksmithing

[David LaPell]

Now that I have the place to finally be able to do some of the hobbies I have always wanted, I was wondering if anyone has ever made their own knives or their own blacksmithing. Are there any books ou there on the subject. I have seen some particularly nice knives made from files and springs, but I would need a bit more equipment to get started.

 

[Marksman]

Check your local Borders or Barnes & Noble Bookstores, also your public library. Brownell's carries some books, VCR and DVD's. The American Custom Knifesmith's Guild has info on live seminars. Also NRA Summer Courses at Community College's around the country, these are taught by working professional knifemakers. I was fortunate to take a knifemaking course while enrolled in the Gunsmithing Program at Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colarado. There are lots of sources of information for those wanting to learn to make their own custom knives.

 

[gamedic]

Fifteen years ago a friend of mine started making knives from files. He graduated from files to better steels and started selling a few. I wont say the figure he told me, but he makes a really nice living making and selling knives now. As far as blacksmithing goes, my dad taught me how. I have made hundreds of horseshoes over the years. Look on youtube you will probably find videos on knives and blacksmithing.

 

[Road Rat]

Here is a link to a custom knife link over on rimfirecentral.

Custom Knives - RimfireCentral.com Forums

 

[venomballistics]

Knife making is a fine skill that has served me quite well.
files are a good place to start since they are already flat.
get em to a nice glowing red and let em cool to make em easier to work. then get it to the shape you think you want ... heat to bright red again and drop it into a metal can of drain oil to quench.
get the black scale off the piece and heat one last time to a fawn color for a balance of hardness and flexibility .. finish out the edge work fit your handles and guards then show us whatcha did .. after a good high class polishing of course

 

[gbrady]

I have been making Knives since I was young. I made my first one Out of a 9 in barn nail, went into it full time in 1991. Old files , mower blades and leaf springs are all 1095 spring steel and make very good knives . To forge a knife from these , they need to be almost white hot for the metal to be shaped. Google Knife forging and forge making as there is a lot of information out there. Brady's Benchmade knives