PsyKnives

As a rookie knife maker, I have started out with O-1 tool steel. Why? ( because Walter Sorrels told so :D:D)  Joke by side, here are my reasons: O-1 tool steel stock is pretty easy to find anywhere in the world, in Europe you can find it by the name 1.2510 steel. You will most likely find any thickness (2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm), any width (40mm, 50mm), so you can do almost any project with it. Since it is a high carbon steel, it is easy to temper with home tools, like my trash can forge_ You do not need very sophisticated tools for heat treatment, all you need is to heat (~850C, no fancy measurements needed) it up untill the magnet does not stick to it, and dip it in any type of pre-heated oil (~50C). Literally any type of oil will do: used engine oil, sunflower seed oil, transmission oil, etc). You can easily achieve 60-61 HRC with it. In its annealed steate, it is easy to work with, a regular bastard file eats it like a charm, and you can cut it with a hack saw. As now I...

As being in the progress of learning, I found, that making a knife for my brother would be an interesting challange, where I'd make a knife from the very beginning to the finished product. Unfortunately I did not have the idea of writing this blog back then, so I don't have too many pictures on file. :( I for sure will document my future knives (both photo and video). The finished gut hook knife, wih Kirinite Lava handle 2.2x40mm O-1 steel The steel is O-1 tool steel (1.2510 in Europe) 2.2x40 mm, total length of blade is 23cm. Slightly modifyed  GH1 Gut Hook Hunter (DC Knives) I have drawn the shape of the knife on the steel bar. ( knife pattern is from DC Knives, thank you Dan for your work with all this knife patterns ) After cutting out the rough shape with the angle grinder, I have filed out te final shape of the knife, drilled a way too big hole (10mm), way too deep for the gut hook :), drilled a hole for the ricasso. I have modif...

After months of preparation, I finally got here... My very first knife. I made it. It was an amazing jurney. The feeling to be capable of doing something useful with -almost only- your bare hands. Patina is forming on the blade: this is how high-carbon steels act when contacting acids. (tomato, oranges, etc.) Although this knife is not a direct copy of Dan Comeau's DH52 knife pattern , I did use his pattern to free-hand draw my own design. This is what turned out. Bill of materials: 3x40mm O-1 tool steel (here in Europe: 1.2510 (100MnCrW4 ) a set of 10x40x120mm sandalwood scales Balsin Bright Stock Oil, treated w 4 coats Gorilla Glue epoxy (I don't recommend using it) Lot of elbow grease :)  It was extremely easy to work with the soft O-1 steel. For this knife I went with the 3x40mm flat bar   After cutting out the rough shape of the knife with an angle grinder, I used one double bastard file to smooth out all edges. It was all...