(Part 2) Best products from r/Bladesmith

So, I've been using this 1x30 WEN grinder with some modifications (I made a bigger working surface, cut away some of the frame to give me access to the back of the belt, and have done a few other minor things here and there) and I've been pretty impressed with it. Don't get me wrong, I'd do just about anything to get a 2x72... well... except pay for one, I guess? lol


As for a bandsaw, I'm using a really old (50s or 60s?) Craftsman 12" bandsaw that I inherited from my grandfather but, if I were buying one today and were looking for a budget model, I'd be really tempted to try outthe 9" WEN Benchtop version (just because I've bought a few tools from them now and I really don't have any complaints, especially considering that they're a fraction of the cost of just about anything else out there) or, I might spend a bit more and go with this 9" Benchtop Grizzly. The main difference I see is the fence and mitre sled slots; those could be useful but, almost everything I do on my bandsaw is freehand.


Now, all of that is entry level equipment. If you were asking about what I'd buy if money wasn't a factor we'd be talking about very different equipment but, that's the budget stuff that I'd check out ;) Best of luck!

I bought my chamber off of ebay, if you want to stabilize wood ive read you need to get a pyrex lid for the chamber, or if you're just using a pressure pot or something to make one I guess you don't have to worry about it but it helps to see inside to prevent overflow. There's a few different brands but shattervac is the one that comes to mind it's designed specifically for stabalizing wood .This is the pump I bought and it works like a champ, what you're paying for with the pumps is speed, and to evacuate a small chamber doesn't really take long. I would definitely invest in some casting resin though it's amazing what you can do with it, i think I paid 30$ for half a gallon and I haven't even gone through half of it yet even with all my dicking around with it.

Thanks for the thorough reply, i've been looking at a few things within my budget (300-400). While the ones you suggested are good for beginners, i've been hearing (from the woodworking sub) that if you're going to dedicate to equipment then it's best to go for a 10-14 inch band saw. This WEN or This Rikon is what i've had my eye on, but i'm not sure if it's worth the money AND if it can be something to use when cutting metal. I hear that people suggest at least 1HP motor for bandsaw, but don't know anything regarding that.

I've also been looking at This Porter Cable benchtop sander, but have not heard much of the brand.

Most people recommend grizzly, but i don't want to spend 700+ which is why i really like your suggested Grizzly, and will be researching all reviews for that.

I'd love to hear your input/philosophy when it comes to this sort of stuff.

I know you're not asking for advise on how to do it, but practice, patience, and the right tools are your best bet to get results.

A nice pair of tin snips will make cutting it much easier. Get a cheap electric skillet and use that to heat the kydex. Set it to 300f, wait until it because floppy. Once it's floppy, it's hot enough to mold. A cheap heat gun is also important, and extremely useful. I've only made a couple of sheaths, but using these tools has made it quite easy.

EDIT: Links are provided as examples of the types of each of those tools that I use. I got my skillet from Walmart for 15 dollars, and the linked snips may be available at lower cost elsewhere.

I'm dealing with the same issue. I've had the opportunity to use the Grizzy sander but not extensively, seems good for dressing tools but I don't know about large amounts of stock removal. Belt grinders are just so expensive!

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G1015-Knife-Sander-Buffer/dp/B0000DD0AL/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_1_0

This one is the next step up I would say, a true belt grinder for not a bad price, just still a bit out of my budget and there are apparently a few problems with it. I wish I had a first hand account of whether it was worth it because it seems perfect.

Personally, if the file isnt completely dulled, i'd save the file as old files tend to be really fucking good and just buy new steel. Because of rising fuel prices, rising minimum wages, and easier availability to annealed steel stock that's exactly what you want, there's just about no reason for someone who's not already an expert on metallurgy to work on a file as a knife.

The reasons you would would be:

1. Leaving it hardened, and just being very gentle with a grinder and keeping it cooled (so you dont have to work with heat treating it at all).
   
   
2. Artistic value (however if you're making a camping knife, i'd hazard a guess at the goal of this not being to flex your bladesmith skills at an art show)
   
   
3. For someone who's already great at annealing and doesnt care about the ridiculous time sink it is, a relatively cheap sunday project.
   
   The reason im against it is because annealing properly is a process that (for someone who i'd assume doesnt have a high-powered, accurate forge and the skills to maintain the temperature) can easily fry and decarb the metal (bad) and if done right, takes a while and gas. The time it takes and the gas cost would be equivalent to, if you live in any western country (which im assuming from your username and english that you do) at least 20$. With that money, you could just hop onto amazon and buy something like this https://www.amazon.com/RMP-Knife-Making-Blank-Annealed/dp/B074927X9K/, which is longer than the file most likely is (giving you more options) and is already annealed.

Allright, here goes.

What I would do is aim for [something roughly this shape](https://i.imgur.com/gwSfsSJ.jpg]

What I'd do is cut according to this sort of plan and use an anglegrinder with cut-off disc to chop the tang out (marked in red), then use a dremel (Marked in blue) for the fine cuts. I would then round off the shoulder of the blade with a round chainsaw file to remove the risk of stress raisers.

Once there, I'd use a Warding File to file in the little notch step down at the bottom of the tang, from a rough squared-out cut , to become a round circle along its length. That's going to become your Pein, when the whole thing is assembled.
I'd then put that pein part in a flame - ideally a blue gas flame, wrapping the blade in a damp cloth to ensure its not getting hot. you'll ideally want to get that part glowing red-hot. What that'll do is completely blow the temper on that part of the tang, so its no longer hardened at all. that'll let you pein it over later.

Then I'll take two pieces of steel, curved into arcs and I'll clamp them down, and start to drill the centre - that will depend on the blade of course, but what you want in effect is a slot, for your since its from a blade that's probably going to be a () shape, or maybe even a <> shape.

you'll use that warding file to slowly widen the drilling, taking it from two holes side by side into a rectangle, then widening it and shaping it to match the blade cross-section. Once that's done, repeat on the second one, to sit on the other end of the tang. For it, you will probably want to use a small 4-inch square-cut file to get that to fit. You want to use a square so that the pommel end guard doesnt swivel around at all.

that's then topped off with a little pein block which serves a double purpose - it makes it easier to repair if it ever has a problem (just file it off and put a new, smaller block on) and, as that part of the tang was filed round, you just need a drill to make a round hole, instead of a rectangular hole. (also a small pein is easier to do - just clamp in a vise and hammer over like a rivet. Having softened the metal by getting it glowing red earlier, you can probably do this part cold, so no torches needed.)

lastly, I'd then make a two-piece wooden grip, the bread around the tang in a sandwich, in effect, out of beech or similar hardwood (though poplar should do for that, and its easy to carve out the slot for the tang in.

I'd make that a bit thinner than you expect it to be - over-bulky grips are a common mistake - Glue it together, and wrap it in fine cord with hide glue and then I would follow this fantastic tutorial guide from Peter Johnsson to wrap a section of fine vegetable-tanned leather round it, wrap that in cord, and have a beautiful leather hilt at the end.

Hate to have to say it, but you're being much too ambitious at this point, and it seems like you are trying nearly every one of these techniques for the first time. It would be wise to practice each new technique individually before attempting to combine them into one project, otherwise you will likely become frustrated with the results. Another thing--unfortunately, touting Japanese vocabulary won't get you very far in the bladesmithing world. You seem to be slightly more humble in this post, but if you're not careful you're just going to irritate the more experienced members. Cheers and hope the project works out well, practice makes perfect.

Also, here

More or less, the bevel is the angled part of the edge, seen here. Search "beveling jig" for some tips on how to build a jig to get really clean bevels.

Do you have files? It's pretty much impossible to get a really good looking knife without a nice big flat bastard file, like this. That one is double-cut, which means that it will hog off a lot of metal very quickly. You can also buy a single cut file, like this one. I CANNOT stress enough how useful hand files are in shaping a knife. Once you have the knife to the desired shape using the file, then you should start at about 150 grit, to 240 grit, 320, then 400 and 600. A good set of sandpaper is here. You can certainly go higher and even polish it, but I like to leave it at 600 or 800. Sanding does take a while, but should not take 40 hours as someone else in this thread suggested.

Of course, if you have a belt sander, do most of your shaping there using 40 or 80 grit belts on that. Still, I like to refine the shape with a file before moving up in grits. Let me know if you have any questions.

The thing is, It's good to have multiple sizes depending on the job. I got this one two weeks ago and I absolutely love it. The thing is, it's not really suited to smaller inside corners and things like that. That's why I'm happy to have both sizes. Actually, accuracy issues and binding are why I decided to get a larger belt sander in the first place.

I see you work quite a lot with ctek, long time ago i was searching for an easy solution to polish it.

This 3M compound with this pad mounted on drill removes scratches and almost polish the surface. If you want perfectly shiny surface you also need to use this compound after (with separate pad). This works with any plastics or lacquered surfaces. Maybe you'll need this one day :)

I can't see your torch, but I'd guess it is too small. I've been dicking around and I've had luck with this one:
Mag-Torch MT245C MAPP/Propane Heavy Duty Pencil Flame Burner Torch Tip
http://amzn.com/B000646QRG

Lowes/Home Depot will not carry fire bricks in store. Call a BRICK store. Google your cities name and "brick supply" and call them up. About 2.50 per brick, and prob 10 bucks in fire clay if your setup will require it.

I had good luck with my paint can forge made from refractory cement. Not how it is meant to be used, but worked ok. Only used it for a month, so no idea on longevity...

I'm working on something a bit bigger right now...

I have a good old fashioned Lansky diamond stone set. Works like a charm, and I dare say it will be around long after I'm gone. I don't make so many knives that I would ever need a faster sharpening system though, I can see how you'd need to upgrade pretty quick if you were trying to do anything quickly or in bulk.
 
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