How to make a knife: are there instructions on how to make a handle and a blank from a shovel, an old knife, a stick, or wood?

Store shelves are literally bursting with an abundance of knives and their many varieties. Products of different sizes, purposes, and price categories are presented. But at the same time, finding the very most suitable tool is a whole problem. There is only one solution in such a situation - to make the necessary thing with your own hands. This process may seem too labor-intensive, but it is enough to study the question of how to make a knife yourself, and the idea will easily come to life. Creating a tool has many advantages: you can choose the right size, sharpness, shape of the handle, adjust the weight, balance. Such a product will serve faithfully for quite a long time.

History of development from stone to modern

Man first began to use a knife immediately after he stopped walking on all fours and began to get food with improvised means. The tools that people began to use for hunting and farming were fragments of bones or stones. The first ones were much easier to make, due to the fragility of the animal’s bones, but such products dulled unusually quickly, and not all components of the skeleton were suitable for the role of a sharp instrument.

To make a knife from stone, primitive man had to put in a lot of effort. However, the laboriousness of the process was compensated by its relative strength and the ability to sharpen the edge of a stone blade. Another advantage of a stone knife over a bone one was the durability of the tool. Bone weapons were fragile and often broke during hunting, so this type gradually passed into economic use and construction.

At the time of human mastery of metalworking, edged weapons began to be made from bronze and copper. They were significantly superior to stone samples in terms of durability. The blades were made from a single piece of metal. Swords, daggers, and knives of those times became indispensable weapons for the soldiers of the Roman Empire, with the help of which troops conquered new territories.

The Iron Age is the age of experimentation and new technologies. Knives acquired different shapes and lengths; at this time, sickle-shaped and wave-shaped blades were invented. In Rus' at that time, edged weapons were included in the attributes of the nobility and merchants. The Vikings used wood to make sword hilts so that the steel, frozen in the cold, would not burn the hand.

In the Middle Ages, people began to use steel - an alloy of iron and carbon - in the production of swords. These times were considered bloody; history knows many large-scale wars and battles. As a result, the emphasis in forges was not on quality, but on quantity. And in comparison with ancient times, the characteristics of the samples of edged weapons of the Middle Ages were much inferior to the ancient prototypes.

During the Renaissance, the experience of blacksmiths, passed down from generation to generation, together with new technologies of that time, resulted in steel cutting products of quite high quality. But just at this time, firearms began to be used in battles, and interest in blades began to gradually fade away.

During the Industrial Revolution, the production of bladed weapons became widespread, moving from handicraft to factory production.

In factories, the manufacturability of the process reduces costs, which means that the product becomes cheaper and is already available to almost everyone. Soon, folding knives and world-famous centers for their production appeared - Russian Zlatoust, English Sheffield, German Solingen and Swedish Eksilstun.

Types, features and drawings for DIY knives

There are many types of knives with different applications. Its design, shape, material for manufacturing, strength characteristics and much more depend on the scope of application of the blade. Let's consider the main types and sketches of knives for self-production, depending on their purpose.

There are a lot of types of knives, so it’s difficult to choose the right one. PHOTO: popgun.ru

Hunting knives

This is probably the most ancient and sought-after type of bladed weapon. Hunting knives were used to fight wild animals and cut up prey. High demands have always been placed on them:

• ease of use;
• The steel must be high quality, wear-resistant and maintain its sharpness for a long time. The best, albeit expensive, option is Damascus steel or damask steel;
• the handle is made only from durable wood;
• there is no need for a large guard that interferes with cutting the carcass;
• optimal parameters: length and width of the blade - 100-140×30 mm, spine - 3-4 mm, and steel hardness of at least 58 HRC.

All these characteristics must be taken into account when making a hunting knife with your own hands. Hunting blades are often the pride of the owner. They are decorated with thematic scenes, patterns, and the handle is made from the bones of wild animals. Some hunters collect knife collections.

Some hunting knives can be called a work of art PHOTO: rusknife.com

Creating a sketch and drawing is one of the main stages of making a knife. PHOTO: popgun.ru

The simplest drawing with dimensions PHOTO: rusknife.com

Watch a video on how to make a hunting knife with your own hands at home.

Watch this video on YouTube

Kitchen knives

A knife is a must-have item for any kitchen. It is used by both housewives and chefs of famous restaurants. To perform everyday tasks, 3 knives are enough, but there are sets of more than 10 items, each of which is designed for a specific job: cutting vegetables, meat, bread, etc.

For the manufacture of kitchen blades, metal was initially used, which had certain requirements. It must be durable, not oxidize and suitable for home sharpening. Modern knives are now made from ceramic. Such models are highly hard and retain the factory sharpening for a long time, but they are quite fragile and can break if dropped on a ceramic tile or cement surface. The lining of the handle of home kitchen knives is mainly made of plastic, but durable hardwood is also used.

Types of kitchen knives PHOTO: aggweb.ru

A kitchen “troika” from a famous brand is quite expensive PHOTO: img.best-kitchen.ru

DIY kitchen knives PHOTO: i.pinimg.com

Knives for tourism and survival

You can't do without a good knife on a camping trip or fishing. When going into nature, you often have to deal with various problems that a high-quality, properly selected blade can help solve. A good camping knife is:

• the ability to easily chop branches of various thicknesses, cut slings and ropes;
• necessarily a fixed blade;
• wide blade and thick handle;
• the blade should be made of soft stainless steel for ease of sharpening in field conditions;
• The handle is made of plastic, rubberized and ribbed to prevent slipping.

Types of tourist knivesPHOTO: rusknife.com

Survival knives are derived from tourist models. They are additionally equipped with special devices (multi-tools), which should help a person in extreme conditions. However, often due to the pursuit of maximum versatility, the quality of the product suffers.

Knives for survival in extreme conditions PHOTO: outlivetheoutbreak.com

Combat knives

A combat knife is considered to be a knife designed to defeat an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, and is in service in the armies of different countries. In addition to performing the main task, such blades can be used for digging, cutting wire fences, cutting branches, etc. Distinctive features of knives used by the military are:

• double-sided or one-and-a-half sharpening;
• oval cross-section of the handle;
• the length of the entire product is 220-320 mm;
• the tip is in line with the butt of the blade and handle;
• reinforced guard;
• easy to remove with one hand;
• anti-glare coating.

Series of combat knivesPHOTO: unpictures.ru

Purpose and characteristics

The production of any knife is always preceded by the selection of the required type. Not only the characteristics of the future product, but also the conditions of its manufacture depend on the purpose and operating conditions.

The following types of knives are most often made independently:

• Hunting blades are the most favorite blades among masters. They have the opportunity to realize the full potential and knowledge of the creator, because the most serious requirements are imposed on products of this type. The main purpose of a hunting knife is to cut prey, so special attention is paid to the high hardness of the blade and its ability to hold an edge for a long time and not become dull. We must not forget about maintaining the required impact strength, which determines the ability of the blade to resist chipping in the event of an accidental impact on the bone of an animal. The inability to change the blade during hunting dictates the need to maintain high wear resistance.
• Tourist ones are very popular among lovers of outdoor activities. The conditions for their use determine the main tasks of such blades: cutting branches, planing wood chips, and solving a wide range of small hiking tasks. In nature, there is no way to correct the blade or sharpen it if it becomes dull, so special requirements are placed on the durability of the cutting edge. The high hardness required to maintain the required sharpness should not cause increased brittleness. This blade is often used as a substitute for an axe. Therefore, the butt of the blade must have considerable width and strength in order to withstand impacts.
• Survival knives are a derivative of tourist knives. Such blades are equipped with special devices for survival in difficult conditions. However, in the production of such products, in pursuit of the maximum number of functions, they often forget about the main purpose of the blade, paying less attention to the quality of its manufacture. The need for additional equipment may force the manufacturer to reduce the blade, reduce the thickness of the butt, which will negatively affect the performance of the product. Often the best solution is to choose a travel model that is more adapted to special conditions. It is better to have all other devices present in survival knives separately and not integrate them into one product.
• Kitchen knives are also popular for making yourself. Models on sale with a high-quality blade are usually very expensive, so making them yourself is profitable from an economic point of view. The special characteristics of the blade have requirements similar to those of hunting models. The blade must have high hardness in order to hold an edge perfectly and easily cut any product. Moreover, the blade should not chip when colliding with bones and a cutting board. This requirement is especially relevant, because solid glass cutting boards are now quite widespread.

There is often a misconception in which the purposes of a camping knife and a hunting knife are confused. Among newcomers to the field of tourism and hunting, there is an opinion that it is possible to make one universal blade that will cope with all the necessary tasks with equal success. However, this is not the case.

Touring models are designed primarily for rough work. High hardness is also important for them, but fragility when working at fracture is strictly unacceptable. For hunting models, hardness always comes first, because their most important characteristic is the sharpness of the blade. Cutting prey with a camping knife is quite problematic due to the relatively soft blade, and a hunting blade can simply be broken if you try to use it instead of a camping one.

It is impossible to create a universal blade for all conditions. You always have to improve some qualities by reducing other characteristics. If you plan to solve a wide range of tasks, it makes sense to make several knives, each of which will perform its own function.

Polishing

Polishing is not only about giving the blade an aesthetic appearance, but also protecting it from corrosion. The smooth surface prevents water from accumulating in the recesses, which leads to the appearance of characteristic rusty spots on the knife.

Polishing can be roughly divided into 3 stages:

1. Processing with coarse abrasive with large grain size.
2. Processing with thinner stone.
3. Finish polishing with fine grain.

As a result, we will get a shiny blade, but it will not yet have a mirror image. To achieve a mirror-like result, you will need to change a few more abrasives, gradually reducing their grain size, and eventually switch to a piece of leather with goya paste.

The whole process is quite simple - apply three abrasives along the blade until the entire surface becomes homogeneous, then reduce the grain size. This stage is one of the longest in the entire production, but at the same time the most exciting.

Drilling holes for attaching the handle

To form a handle from two wooden plates, you will need to drill 2 holes in the shank for rivets. This procedure must be carried out before heat treatment. It is even advisable to assemble the entire structure for a kind of test to make sure there are no defects.

We select the diameter of the drill based on the size of the purchased rivets. To speed up the process of drilling hard or thick metal, the location of future holes can be marked with a center punch. You can use any available drill.

Making a forge

Heat treatment is not an easy and very traumatic stage of knife manufacturing, during which all previous efforts can be ruined if done incorrectly. To heat treat a blade, it must be heated to a temperature that leads to structural changes in the metal; usually 750 degrees is enough.

Forge for hardening.

Of course, you can use a special burner that will produce the required temperature. But it is not recommended to do this, since the steel heats up unevenly, which can lead to defects in the future.

Therefore, to perform heat treatment at home, you will need a forge. They are also available for sale - this is not our method. Making a forge with your own hands is not difficult; a large number of instructions, articles, training videos, and diagrams can be found freely available on the Internet. The main materials used for manufacturing are sand and gypsum.

How to determine the temperature in such an oven without a special thermometer? There is an old proven method: we place ordinary kitchen salt in a steel container in a forge; if it begins to melt, then the temperature is quite suitable for hardening the blade.

When using complex alloys and grades of steel that are difficult to heat treat, it is better to seek the help of specialists.

Manufacturing process

To make a folding knife correctly, that is, to eliminate the mistakes of beginners who decide to create such a product with their own hands, you need to work consistently and step by step. Below is the procedure for working with all the components of the design of a folding knife; it does not depend on the type of materials and equipment used, so you need to follow it exactly.

Preparing parts

First of all, the blade is sawed out and brought to an ideal shape, according to the drawing. The handle parts are then produced and sanded using a belt sander or a file and sandpaper. The next step is to drill holes in them to secure the decorative trims.

Knife handle linings can be made at the very end, when all parts are fastened with temporary bolts, the structure is checked for play, flaws are sharpened, and the metal surface is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper. Observe safety precautions when cutting and grinding parts, wear safety glasses and a respirator. To facilitate the process of making a blade, you can use Soviet detailed drawings and manuals for making folding knives (for example, from Do-It-Yourself magazines).

Aligning the drawing with the workpiece

Cutting out the blade

Then - the handle

Making the necessary holes for fastenings

We grind all the workpieces

Hardening

Only the blade needs to be hardened; the metal frame of the knife handle does not need this. This procedure will allow the product to hold an edge for a long time, have flexibility, and at the same time be very durable. Since the knife blade is a small metal plate, you do not need a forge to heat it, but a regular gas or kerosene burner will do. A professional approach involves measuring the heating temperature, as well as bringing it to the level required for a particular type of steel. Having the necessary equipment, all the necessary information on the grade of steel used can be found on the Internet or in textbooks - there are special tables that indicate the quenching and tempering temperatures.

At home, you can use your eye, that is, heat the blade of a homemade knife until it turns evenly red, after which you need to dip it in oil, remove it, and let it cool. Waste machine or vegetable waste will do. The second stage of hardening is tempering. It is necessary to relieve stress on the steel so that it is not brittle. To do this, you can use a regular oven, heated to 200-250 degrees Celsius. The blade is placed in it for 1 hour, after which the oven is turned off. The steel should cool slowly, so you can remove it after about 1 hour, when it has cooled to room temperature.

Heating up the steel

Assembly

Assembling the knife is carried out after preliminary grinding of each part with fine sandpaper, as well as polishing the metal parts, preferably with GOI paste. It is necessary to select mounting bolts of the correct diameter for quality reasons, because they support the entire structure of the folding knives. If a pin lock mechanism is used, it is advisable to make the pin itself from titanium or a metal with similar properties. The fully assembled knife must be re-sanded at the attachment points. Decorative overlays are prepared in advance; if necessary, grooves are made on their inside for the heads of the fastening bolts, after which they can be attached with glue. The final processing of the product consists of polishing the metal parts and varnishing the decorative elements, if this has not been done previously.

Selecting mounting bolts

Checking for backlashes

Checking the operation of the mechanism

Sharpening

The primary sharpening procedure must be carried out using special equipment to create the desired cross-sectional shape of the blade. The most popular types of sections are: flat-concave wedge, flat-concave wedge, wedge-shaped. The last option is conventionally called double-sided sharpening, and is the easiest to implement, so it can be done even without a sharpening device, using a regular file and a sharpening stone.

Bring the knife to the desired sharpness

Sharpening and ways to check the sharpness of a knife

The following tools will help you sharpen your knife efficiently:

1. Musat is a cone-shaped sharpening rod. Most often made of metal or ceramics. The rod is covered with special notches.

How to use musat:

• for the convenience of the sharpening process, take the musat in the left hand, and the knife in the right;
• the base of the blade is applied to the very end of the musat;
• The musat is placed in a position that is comfortable for a person (most often in a vertical position, with the end of the musat resting on the table);
• With translational movements, from the end of the grinder to the handle, sharpening of the knife begins. It is important to monitor the angle of contact;
• Sharpening is repeated on each side. Experts recommend doing at least forty movements;
• we check the quality of sharpening. It is important to ensure that there are no burrs left on the tip. If necessary, the work can be corrected with a sanding block.

Musat

1. Sharpening stone (stone).

How to use:

• Place the block on a hard surface. To prevent the block from moving, place a cloth under it;
• take the knife in your right hand and hold the whetstone with your left;
• sharpen using progressive movements. The stone must be moistened with water before starting work. A kitchen knife is sharpened at an angle of 45C (22.5C on each side), and a knife for cutting meat or fish is sharpened at an angle of 35C. The blade is positioned as if it were lying on a whetstone. Movements are only in one direction. Pressing the handle tightly, the blade is sharpened from tip to base.

Bar

1. A mechanical sharpener is an easy-to-use device that allows you to quickly sharpen a knife.

How it works:

• the knife is placed clearly in a straight line between the stones inside the sharpener;
• they pull out the blade with sharp movements;
• Ten movements are enough to sharpen a knife at home.

Mechanical sharpener
You can test homemade knives for sharpening quality using several methods:

1. Test on paper. Hold a piece of paper in one hand. Holding the handle, try cutting a narrow strip from the paper or cutting the sheet in half. Only with a sharply sharpened blade is it possible to carry out such actions.
2. Hand test. Gently run the sharpened blade along your arm against the hair growth without touching the skin. A sharp blade will cut hairs, a dull blade will bend them.
3. Tomato test. Try cutting a thin slice of the tomato without pressing on it. A sharp blade will do the job without any problems, a dull knife will slip off.

Show a little patience and attention, select the necessary tools and materials, and very soon a sharp, high-quality knife will become a reality.

A sharp knife can easily cut a tomato

You can check the sharpness of the knife on a piece of paper

What is required for production

When planning to make your own knife, you should keep in mind that it is impossible to make a universal blade. For example, tourist ones are designed for rough work, and you won’t be able to cut up game with their help. Hunting blades must be sharp and hard so that jagged edges do not form on the blade if it accidentally hits a bone.

The performance characteristics and scope of use of the future product directly affect the type of steel that should be selected for manufacturing.

The steel must be hard, although this indicator is achieved during heat treatment in a certain mode. In addition, the material must be moderately tough so that the blade is resistant to chipping and brittle fracture. It should also be taken into account that the steel must be corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant, because in the wild you will not have the opportunity to sharpen or properly clean the blade.

Necessary materials

Making a high-quality hunting knife requires the correct selection of materials. For example, such a blade can be made from a spring, because such steel is perfectly suited for this purpose in terms of its characteristics (Figure 3).

If you can't get high-quality steel, you can always melt down a piece of blade from a hacksaw or resharpen another blade.

The most suitable steel for making a knife with a wooden handle is considered to be 1095 or 1070 steel. For other materials, you will need paper and a pen (or a ready-made blade template), material for making the handle, as well as copper or brass pins with which the handle will be connected to blade.

Figure 3. Required drawings and materials

Optionally, you can make the handle of the knife from stone and the blade from a drill, but in this case the finished product may be too heavy.

What tool will you need?

If there are usually no problems with materials for making a miniature hunting knife, then you will have to be more careful in selecting tools for the job. This requirement applies to the manufacture of kitchen knives and blades that are used by tourists, fishermen or hunters.

Figure 4. All necessary tools must be prepared in advance

In order for all manufacturing processes to be successful, you will need an assembly table with a vice, emery for grinding, a set of files and a drill with Pobedit drill bits, sandpaper of various grits, several abrasive whetstones and diamond files, a set of chisels and hammers and other small tools.

In addition, you will need a belt sander, oven or other similar device to harden the blade and linseed oil to impregnate the handle material. Naturally, you need to prepare drawings in advance with the dimensions of the finished product (Figure 4).

Types of products

The first step in purchasing or making a knife is choosing its model, depending on the purpose of using the blade.

All bladed weapons are divided into types depending on the scope of application:

1. Hunting: such knives are most often made to order, because such a blade must successfully combine very serious characteristics. Since such blades are most often used for cutting game, the blade must be durable, extremely sharp and not dull for a long time. In addition, such products must be wear-resistant, because during the hunt you will not have the opportunity to replace the blade.
2. Tourist: perhaps the most versatile option, since with the help of such a knife you can cut branches, plan wood chips and perform a number of other tasks. If you want to make such a folding camping knife with your own hands, keep in mind that its blade must be strong enough and wide, because such camping knives are often used as a replacement for an ax.
3. Survival knives: a subspecies of tourist blades, which are separated into a separate group because of their versatility. As a rule, such models are equipped with additional devices that may be needed on a hike. But in practice, it is better to have all these devices separately, since when they are included in the knife itself, the width and performance characteristics of its blade deteriorate.
4. Kitchen knives: such knives are also often made by hand, for example, from metal saws, since high-quality finished industrial products are usually very expensive.

Stages of making a knife with your own hands

If you plan to make a serious knife, then you should use high-quality alloyed high-carbon steel for it.

Selection of knife blank steel

When choosing a domestic brand of steel for a homemade knife, many contradictory conditions are taken into account. The most popular steel grades in Russia for mass-produced knives are 65Х13, 50Х14МФ. For weapons and hunting products, 9ХС and 95Х18 are used. Kitchen tools are made from 40X12 steel. Knives are easily sharpened with musat. Steel grade 45X13 is used for the manufacture of tourist knives, as it is resistant to corrosion. Inexpensive steel grade ШХ15СГ is very popular in making homemade products. The brand is deciphered as follows: The letter “Ш” indicates in the brand that it is ball-bearing steel, “X15” indicates the chromium content and its amount (approximately 1.5%), and the letter designation “SG” indicates the content of alloying elements silicon and manganese (approximately 0.34% and 0.4%).

There are many similar foreign grades of steel.

How knives are made

Any knife, even the simplest one, consists of several parts. And there are about a dozen and a half of them in the folding product. It is advisable to have access to simple machines - an electric sharpener, a belt grinder, a drilling machine, and a high-temperature electric furnace for heat treating metal.

Each part must be made in accordance with the drawing, otherwise it will be impossible to combine them during assembly. The entire process of making a knife is divided into successive stages.

Knife and its components PHOTO: warbook.club

Parts that make up a folding knife PHOTO: clubsamodelok.ru

How to make a blade

The first step is to make a knife blade, another name for it is “blade”. The manufacturing technology is determined by what this part will be made from. As a rule, all workpieces have high hardness, making processing difficult. The hardened metal should be “released”. This is a heat treatment operation that involves heating the workpiece to approximately 200ºC and holding it for an hour at this temperature. Heating can be done in the kitchen in the oven; the part should cool down along with the stove.

The next stage is the formation of the future blade. If the workpiece is thick and of an awkward shape (for example, made from a file), then it must be forged. If the steel is not very thick sheet, then it can be cut or ground using rough sandpaper.

In the prepared blank of the future blade, it is necessary to drill holes in accordance with the drawing through which rivets will pass to attach the handle.

Now the workpiece can be refined a little - remove the burrs, begin to form bevels for the future tip. The thickness of the blade and the shape of the bevels determine the cutting and strength properties of the finished knife.

If the workpiece satisfies the master, then hardening can be carried out. Strictly according to science, the heating temperature for hardening is determined from a reference book for each grade of steel. This is approximately 800ºС. In handicraft conditions, you can use a magnet as an indicator. As soon as the metal loses its magnetic properties, it means it is ready for hardening, i.e. sharply lowering it into cold water, or even better, into a container with machine oil.

After hardening, the metal is tempered again. This procedure gives the material the necessary properties of elasticity and flexibility.

And the final stage of working with the blade is its cleaning, sharpening and polishing.

Related article:

How to make a handle for a knife

Making a knife handle is a creative process. Here you need to show artistic taste, imagination and not forget about common sense. The handle of the knife should fit comfortably in your hand.

The material for the handle can be any; the master chooses from what is available to him. Production also proceeds in stages. First, blanks of two halves are formed, then through holes are drilled, coinciding with those made on the blade. The handle parts are attached to the knife. You can coat them with epoxy glue before doing this. Pins are inserted into the holes and riveted. The final stage is when the handle is finished and polished.

Advantages of handmade knives

Homemade knives, subject to all technological recommendations, are not inferior to factory models in terms of quality and have a number of their own advantages, such as:

• the ability to independently determine the type of product;
• individual choice of knife shape;
• non-standard design of the handle, relying only on the individual preferences of the master and the general design of the knives;
• the ability to use materials available at hand;
• satisfying the creative impulse of the master.

The key point in making unusual handmade knives is determining the category of purpose and design of the masterpiece being created. The classification of knives is very arbitrary, but the following main types of products can be distinguished:

• products for household needs;
• combat (including hunting and fishing knives);
• sports knives;
• decorative knives;
• survival knives.

The design of the knives involves the division into knives with a retractable blade and a fixed blade.

List of steps and preparation of everything needed

The entire manufacturing process can be divided into several parts for a more complete perception of information:

• selection and preparation of materials with tools;
• template selection;
• choice of steel;
• shaping the workpiece;
• heat treatment;
• knife sharpening;
• making a handle.

Each of these steps is associated with health hazards, so each stage should be approached carefully and thoughtfully, following all safety rules.

So, to create a really high-quality knife, we need a list of such materials (if you have experience in this matter, you can use an alternative):

• steel;
• tree;
• brass rivets;
• gypsum;
• iron sieve;
• gas-burner.

Tools:

1. Metal file.
2. Hacksaw for metal.
3. Hand drill and drill bits for it
4. Permanent marker.
5. Metal scissors.
6. Hammer.
7. Kerner.
8. Long nose pliers.
9. Gloves.
10. Nozzle.
11. Metal or plastic brush.
12. Miter box.
13. Saw on wood.
14. Sandpaper.
15. Clear varnish or stain.

Drawing of a kitchen knife.

DIY instructions

Basically, the production of any type of knife occurs using similar technologies. Following the subtleties and recommendations will allow you to get a blade no worse than the factory one. But on an industrial production scale, machine labor is used, but in our case everything will have to be done manually.

Standard throwing knives have the following characteristics:

• thickness - 4 mm;
• width - 25 mm;
• tip length - 15 cm;
• handle length - 10 cm.

Taking into account the parameters, we make a drawing and cut out a template from cardboard with a scale of 1:1. We apply this drawing to the already prepared steel plate and trace it along the contour.

Then we cut out the steel blank using a hacksaw. You can deviate slightly from the contour - this will delay processing, but will prevent mistakes that often happen due to inexperience.

Steel workpiece processing

As already mentioned, in order to get a quality product, when cutting, it is better to leave a margin of 2-3 mm. You can bring the edges to the intended line after we receive the finished workpiece.

To carry out this work, you can use any convenient and familiar method: bars, sandpaper, files. You need to get a blade thickness of 4 mm. It is better to lay this out when selecting or forging a steel sheet.

Steel blank for throwing knife.

Blade sharpening

We move on to this stage only after the workpiece has taken on the desired shape and thickness. A good throwing knife can only be obtained by following the technology. The sharpening process takes place from top to bottom, while the sharpening itself is carried out only to the middle of the narrow edge of the blade.

Triggering movements are carried out over the entire area of ​​the abrasive used; work must begin with coarse grains intended for rough sharpening. We work alternately, first with one side, then with the other, doing the same manipulations.

After this stage, we get a knife whose tip is not yet sharp, since the descent was carried out only to the center of the blade. Now, using a thinner abrasive, we shape and refine the cutting edge, gradually reducing its grain. The final stage is polishing.

Product assembly

We have a ready-made steel blade with a bare tang and prepared wooden handles for the handle. All that remains is to connect everything.

The best option for overhead mounting of the handle would be rivets:

1. If the blade does not yet have holes for the handle, then drill them, placing wooden pads on top.
2. Holes are made to the diameter of the rivets.
3. Next, we connect tightly, recessing the heads of the rivets into the body so that they do not interfere.

All that remains is to learn the throwing technique.

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Preparing tools

Forging a knife is performed using certain blacksmithing tools, which you can purchase without any problems in a specialized store. However, you can try to forge a knife with your own hands and using a non-professional tool. You will need:

The forging hammer should weigh 3-4 kg

• hammer weighing up to 1 kg;
• hammer weighing 3-4 kg;
• welding machine;
• vice;
• grinder;
• Bulgarian;
• blacksmith tongs (can be replaced with ordinary pliers, always without insulation on the handles);
• anvil (you can use a homemade analogue of this device from an I-beam);
• adjustable wrench;
• bake.

If with simple tools everything is quite clear, then about the stove you need to give separate explanations. To forge a knife, the steel must be heated to a temperature of 900 degrees. This is almost impossible to do in a simple hearth. Therefore, the hearth needs to be modernized a little. If you have never had to harden steel before, you will have to assemble a stove from thick-walled metal from scratch and connect an air supply pipe to it. The air can be supplied by an old vacuum cleaner or a fan. This design is perfect for heating workpieces up to 900-1200 degrees. The stove can be heated with ordinary charcoal. The best one is the one that burns as long as possible and produces the maximum amount of heat.

Knives made of files, springs, cables, bearings

Features of workpiece processing:

• Nuances with the bearing. Very popular material. Usually the inner rim of the bearing is used. The work is almost the same as with a drill. The only difference is the inconvenience at the first stages: the rim blank is very inconvenient to hold, so it is better to weld it to the reinforcement rod. It is easier to forge a steel strip than from a drill - here it is enough to level it.
• Car spring. Excellent material with high elasticity and wear resistance. We cut the workpiece with a grinder, weld it to the reinforcement rod in the same way as a bearing rim - in this case it is much more comfortable to work.
• A file is the second most popular type of available material for high-end knives. Features of steel in files are rare durability and excellent cutting edge. The nuances of working with a file include the obligatory cleaning of the file surface from notches using a grinder.
• Knives made of metal cable. The option is quite rare. The steel in the cables does not meet all the requirements for a good knife. Most often, such knives are made because of the remaining pattern on the blade, which resembles Damascus steel. This kind of production is often carried out by swindlers in order to sell low-quality knives, similar to the famous Damascus knives, to amateurs. Forging a knife from cable is a complex process that is unlikely to be suitable as a debut for beginners.

Forging a knife with your own hands is a very interesting activity that will bring you serious practical benefits, aesthetic pleasure and increased self-esteem. Chances are you won't stop at just one knife. There are no limits to perfection anywhere, and even more so in blacksmithing. We wish you good metal, a hot stove and good friends!

Meat knives

A very popular group of knives. Meat is a rather specific product in processing. It contains bones, skin, connective tissue, and veins. To cut it efficiently, different knives are used: a hatchet, a chopping knife, a fillet knife, and for cutting meat from the bone. This is a standard set for home cooking.

Sirloin

It has a thin, long (20–30 cm) and very flexible blade. Designed for separating meat and fish fillets from bones and skin. Thanks to its flexibility, the knife seems to glide over the bones, without leaving a single gram of pulp on them. It’s also very convenient to use a fillet knife to remove membranes from meat and offal.

For cutting meat from bones

The purpose of the knife is clear from its very name. It is also called a boning knife. Boning is the preparation of meat for sale:

• separation from bone;
• vein removal;
• removal of connective tissue.

The blade of the knife is thin, but relatively strong. The cutting edge line is located on the axis of rotation of the knife, making the tool easy to control. As soon as you turn the brush, the knife will take the desired angle, remaining in place. It easily goes around the bones, but does not bend as much as sirloin.

Cutting

Another boning knife. It is distinguished by its relatively large size - 20–26 cm and a durable blade. A carving knife is an all-rounder among meat tools. Thanks to the double-edged end of the blade, it has excellent penetrating properties. It can be used for different purposes:

• separate meat from bones and cartilage;
• remove cores;
• cut the meat into portions.

Hatchet

Hatchets are used for cutting meat that contains bones. The instrument is distinguished by a massive, thick blade. Moreover, its sharpness is less important than the weight and thickness of the blade. A heavy hatchet with a moderate blade sharpness will cut meat faster and better than a small and sharp one.

It is important to note that they do not cut with a hatchet, but work only in depth

Basic materials for production

The material of manufacture plays an important role when choosing a product. One of the most popular is wood. A wide variety of breeds are used. Thus, a light and practical handle can be obtained from dense maple, walnut, cherry and oak. Options made from tropical trees are reliable to use, but have a higher price.

Other natural ingredients are also used to form the handles. Hunting knives are often decorated with the horns and skin of wild animals. The most common synthetic components are nylon, fiberglass, greyvari and carbon.

An excellent electrical insulating material is micarta - a polymer-type film with a resin base. Glued with fabric or paper with electrical insulating components. Micarta is distinguished by its pleasant appearance, moisture resistance, ease of processing and long service life.

One of the varieties of rubber, kraton, is used both as an insert and as the main element for the handle. It is characterized by high wear resistance and increased grip tenacity due to its anti-slip properties.

Less commonly used is G-10, a fiberglass laminate made from epoxy binders. The composition was originally developed for the production of circuit boards; today it has found application in handles. Advantages: high dielectric properties, moisture resistance, non-flammability, rich color range. A sharp decrease in temperature can lead to a decrease in the strength of the product.

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Material for production

The best choice among all alloys and metals is steel

You should pay attention to the markings; different variations have differences.

But any brand must meet the following characteristics:

Resistance to various types of corrosion (especially important when working under the influence of water); High hardness; Wear resistance; Impact strength (prevents the material from crumbling).

Alloy steel is cheaper and more practical, and it will be much easier to forge. At this time, the following brands are available in Russia:

• X12MF is die steel, sharpens well, has good impact strength. The only negative is that it is very afraid of corrosion. Therefore, you will have to take more care of your knife.
• 95Х18. A very popular alloy due to its strength (despite the hardness of 64 HRC).
• HVG – excellent viscosity and hardness, the edge will not crumble under strong impact. Refers to tool steel.
• 40X13 – stainless spring steel, long-term use leads to reduction and cracking of the blade edge. You can also make a handle for a knife yourself using the following components:
• Tree. The unique unique pattern of annual rings will add beauty and brutality to your blade.
• Rubberized plastic. In another way it is called soft-touch or soft plastic. Does not slip in the hand, pleasant to the touch.
• Steel. Typically 3 mm thick sheet steel is used. Pros: durability and ease of creation.

Useful tips

To get a strong and durable blade, you need to use a high-quality tool and carefully select materials for manufacturing. Chinese-made raw materials will not work.

If a wooden handle is chosen for the homemade product, it should be soaked in linseed oil - this will create additional protection from moisture.

When grinding hard-to-reach areas, it is better to use a drill.

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Preparing all the details

At this stage, you need to make a hole and cut threads where the screws will be installed in the handle. You also need to warm up the holding lever and bend it to fit it into the handle.

Since ejection of the blade is ensured by a spring, we wind it around the axis of rotation of the blade - after this, it is necessary to cut out a seat for the spring in the PCB on the inside of the handle.

To do this you will need a drilling machine. We attach the spring itself to the blade with one end, and to the handle with the other, having previously drilled holes.

We weld a bolt to the trigger lever - this is the same “handle” that will activate the rotation of the blade. Cut off the excess part of the bolt. Next, you need to install the resulting “handle” into the handle of the knife - you need to carve a round groove for it.

Another spring in the handle supports the lever—for it, a stop is machined and installed, which we attach to pins or nails. With a simplified version of manufacturing - a folding knife, a trigger mechanism is not needed.

Blade hardening

If the blade is made of N690 steel, then its hardening temperature is 1071 degrees Celsius.

Since few people can boast of having an industrial oven, such an operation can be done with a torch “by eye”.

At this temperature, the steel has a yellow glow. Alternatively, you can use a magnet to determine the desired temperature regime - if the workpiece is not attracted to the magnet, then you can stop heating. Cooling is carried out in mineral/vegetable oil. By the way, in addition to the blade, it is also worth hardening the lever.

Blade hardening.

To stabilize the stresses in the metal, we conduct a tempering process - the temperature is 200-300 degrees Celsius, holding time is 1 hour. A regular home oven is suitable for this operation. We leave the blade to cool in a closed heating chamber.

You can check the quality of the result with a file - there will be no scratches on properly hardened and tempered steel. After this, the blade can be ground, polished and sharpened - seal the finished blade with electrical tape.

Assembly

It is necessary to install springs, a lever and a blade into the handle - we connect the halves of the handle with screws. To make the handle smooth, you can “recess” the screws by pre-drilling grooves for the heads.

After this, the handle can be sanded and polished with a special nozzle - the aluminum surface will look impressive.

It is clear that to assemble a simple folding knife, you do not need to mount a spring. Despite all the convenience of switchblade and folding knives, they have one serious drawback - if dirt gets inside the handle, and therefore the mechanism, the tool may fail.

So switchblades and folding knives made by yourself require careful handling - only in this case will they last a long time.

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Features of sharpening the finished product

Sharpening the blade will be correct only if the angle of the blade to the block is chosen correctly. The main principle for choosing a sharpening angle is that the smaller the sharpening angle, the sharper the blade, and the larger the sharpening angle, the longer its sharpness. The universal angle for sharpening is an angle of 20º, but if particularly desired, the master can rely on the following generally accepted values:

• an angle of 30-35º is selected for hunting and folding knives;
• angle 40-45º - for knives that require edge sharpness and increased resistance to dullness;
• 25-30º - angle for household knives;
• 25-40º - selected for sharpening tactical knives.

Sharpening a handmade knife

Sharpening a knife should be accompanied by smooth movements. When sharpening the curve of the blade, you need to slightly lift the handle of the knife, which will create the same sharpening angle around the perimeter of the cutting edge. The direction of the blade should be such that the direction of movement is always strictly perpendicular to the cutting edge.