# So, I started making knives...



## jwthaparc (Feb 10, 2022)

I found myself getting more, and more interested in metalurgy, steels specifically. What the different alloying elements ment for the end user. In the case of knifes. 

What different percentages ment for them. What different heat treatments do to rockwell. How different rockwell hardness numbers would act, with different blade geometries. Why do cryo or subzero treatments? How does all of this come together, and allow us to get a micron or less thick apex that lasts under use. 

I just can't stop being fascinated by the different parts of what goes into these knives. One day, I got bored. I decided to turn an old saw blade into a knife. To see if I could heat treat that with some charcoal, a hair dryer, and some water. Then tried with another. I tried to see how hard I could get it, and how thin I could get it. While not failing. 

That led to me buying some a2 (basically skd 12) trying to use that. Acquiring more and more tools. To (hopefully) do better work. 

Now I've got cpm d2 I'm trying to make knives with, and cpm 10v arriving saturday. I didn't plan to start doing this stuff, it's like it just happened, and is continuing to happen. I couldn't be more excited about it though. Before I know it, I'll be sourcing hap72, and rex 121 (after I somehow afford a lot of tools necessary, if things keep continuing. 

I always said to myself, "making knives would be cool to do one day, but I just don't have everything i need to do it." 

I say all this like I've actually accomplished something significant. When in reality, I'm just doing something that I've always wanted to do, and just am realizing even if it doesn't lead anywhere. I'll have a good time doing it. 

So anyway. Here's a knife. Its a2 steel...


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## ian (Feb 10, 2022)

Looks great, man.  Keep em coming.


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## jwthaparc (Apr 25, 2022)

Not a knife, but I just got done finishing something that is going to be a huge step towards making the knives I want to. 






A heat treating kiln. Its definitely the biggest project I've done so far. I think it sill be well worth it in the end though. 

I have some 10v that ive had sitting around for months because I didn't want to mess it up heat treating it in my forge. So this is great.


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## deltaplex (Apr 26, 2022)

Did you spec and make the kiln yourself?


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## Grayswandir (Apr 26, 2022)

jwthaparc said:


> Not a knife, but I just got done finishing something that is going to be a huge step towards making the knives I want to.
> 
> View attachment 176687
> 
> ...


Have fun brother, and let the fear of screwing something up fall by the wayside. I'm sure you'll make some great stuff.


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## Bensbites (Apr 26, 2022)

deltaplex said:


> Did you spec and make the kiln yourself?


There are tons of DIY videos on YT.


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## Bensbites (Apr 26, 2022)

Do I smell a passaround? Where are you located?


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## jwthaparc (May 2, 2022)

Bensbites said:


> Do I smell a passaround? Where are you located?


Lol texas. This thing weighs like 60 or 70 pounds lol. 

As far as the design I mostly based it on red beard ops video. I changed a few things to better suit my purposes though. Mostly to suit the fact I'm running it on 110v electricity. So I made the chamber slightly smaller. I the thickest kanthal I could find for the heating elements was 18 awg, so I decided I should run 2 coils in parallel. Rather than series, or using one large coil.


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## pavhav (May 2, 2022)

Good taste in steel! Love that class: A11, 10V, K390 et alia. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.


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## jwthaparc (May 13, 2022)

pavhav said:


> Good taste in steel! Love that class: A11, 10V, K390 et alia. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.


Yeah. These kind of steels are what got me interested in making my own knives. 

This is the first 10v knife I've finished. Its nothing special as far as looks go. I mean I like the sort of plain drop point style personally, but I doubt it's going to turn heads. It's got burlap micarta for the handle scales, and I did a stonewashed finish (because polishing 10v isn't fun lol).







The one I'm working on currently is a little more "original". The blade profile is in a bit of a cleaver shape, but in trying to go for a sort of angular look throughout the knife. Idk I'll put a picture up when its done.


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## ian (May 13, 2022)

jwthaparc said:


> The blade profile is in a bit of a cleaver shape, but in trying to go for a sort of angular look throughout the knife.



@M1k3 this sounds like something you’re an expert on. Got any appropriate memes?


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## MSicardCutlery (May 13, 2022)

Barring that, inappropriate memes....


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## pavhav (May 13, 2022)

Looks good, function driving the form. Dig the scales too, burlap and natural linen micarta are amongst my favorites. Do you convex the blade, or full flat grind?


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## M1k3 (May 13, 2022)

ian said:


> @M1k3 this sounds like something you’re an expert on. Got any appropriate memes?


I'm not into tiny, reverse Sir.B Ian Cleavers. There's not even a finger bang hole, much less runes inscribed on the side.


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## jwthaparc (May 13, 2022)

pavhav said:


> Looks good, function driving the form. Dig the scales too, burlap and natural linen micarta are amongst my favorites. Do you convex the blade, or full flat grind?


It's full flat, but I do the grinding freehand, so I'm sure there is a slight convex that happens naturally. 

Thanks. Yeah I definitely shoot for function above all, and just try to do my best. Since its 10v, and I followed larrins recommendations for heat treating. I austenized at around 1950, which is on the lower end for 10v. Plate quenched with dry ice cooled aluminum plates, and got it into a dry ice slurry as fast as possible. then tempered at 400 twice, putting it in the dry ice slurry in between for good measure. 

All that is to say, it should hopefully have come out at around 65 hrc, but have a finer grain, and carbides, than if I had austenized at a higher temperature, then tempered in the range where secondary hardening occurs, to get a similar or higher rockwell. 

Which means I can get away with grinding it quite thin, which means better performance.


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## pavhav (May 14, 2022)

That HT sounds promising.
And I'm glad Larrin is making his suggestions available. It helps everyone push the performance higher and higher.


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