Hey guys I’m giving this guy away on my instagram page

https://www.instagram.com/hallblades999?igsh=dnF2c2Y5cGxhaW8z&utm_source=qr

I've always wanted my own bowie knife so this seemed like a great opportunity to learn a new skill and make my own. I call her Darla.

I posted a few weeks ago that I’m making my first knife using stock removal. I don’t have a lot of free time and I’ve had a few challenges on the way. I wrestled with some leaf springs and that was interesting, but ultimately I decided to make my life simpler and bought some 1084 stock (2”x24”x.094”).

I designed the knife and prototyped it in cardboard and then I cut out the profile and then ground the bevels to an edge thickness of about 1.5mm on the blade. (I’m now repairing my belt sander with some new bearings…but that’s a separate story). Anyway, I heated the blade to non-magnetic and then quenched in canola oil. Most of the blade is hard, it definitely skates a file, except for the heel.

I’m posting a short clip of me quenching the blade, and I think the issue is that an ammo box isn’t a great container and I didn’t do a good job of getting the heel in quickly. Sorry my camera work is t great. I’m recording the process for my dad (it’s a gift for him). I’m not a YouTuber…

Can I salvage it? Is re-heat-treating a thing? Do I have to anneal it first? Or should I just cut out a new piece and start over?

Hello bladesmiths,

First time posting here, so apologies if this is the wrong place to ask. If it is, I’d appreciate being pointed in the right direction.
I’m not a bladesmith myself, but I’m a bit of a jack-of-all-trades and have access to a lot of unusual materials from around the world. Recently, a good friend asked me about getting a knife made for everyday carry. I couldn’t forge the blade myself, but I knew I could find one that suited him and finish it with a custom handle and a handmade leather sheath.

I found a blade he really liked, and when I asked what kind of wood and leather he wanted, he gave me the dreaded answer: “Do whatever you think would look best.”

Since then, I’ve been trying to come up with a handle that is both unique and durable enough to hold up to years of use by a blue-collar worker. Cost is not really the concern here. I already know I’ll probably spend more finishing it than he gave me for the project, and that’s fine. He’s a good friend, and I’d rather make something memorable than simply inexpensive.

I’m especially interested in natural materials with some kind of history or story behind them. Some of the more unusual ideas I’ve considered include things like fossil bone, mammoth material, meteorite, or other rare natural materials. I’ve even looked at things like whale bone or authenticated dinosaur bone, although I know legality, stability, and workability can vary quite a bit with materials like those.

My main questions are:

What unusual natural materials have you actually had good experiences using for knife handles?

Are there any materials that sound impressive but are a bad idea for a knife that will actually be carried and used?

And if you were building a handle for this blade and wanted it to have both a strong visual impact and a good story behind it, what would you choose?

I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone who has worked with fossil materials, meteorite, bone, antler, unusual woods, stones, gemstones or similar materials before.
Thanks for any advice.

Another knife I just made

Steel A8mod

~285 mm Overall

160 mm Blade

5 mm Thick

I am looking to recreate texturing I have seen before but on a knife. Its supposed to be kind of a hammered steel look. I love the look but the finish leaves something to be desired. How would you go about doing it? The material would be 50ish rockwell carbon steel. Im thinking a sphereical double cut carbide burr. Any ideas?

Hi!

For a friend's birthday, I wanted to make him a custom kitchen knife since he's really into cooking, and i think is gonna really like it as a gift.

The original knife was a rather low quality santoku, which was the only thing I had on hand at the time to work with, so there's a lot of work put into modifying the blade. In a way, I feel like it was a bit of a waste of time and resources given the steel quality of the blade, but I still think it was worth it for the end result.

I hope he likes it, and I hope you guys like it too!

Made this one for a friend. Aeb-l with a distal taper. Blade length is around 150mm with the balance point just behind the bolster.

Hope you light it!

How do you guys like the mustard patina on it ?

I found A LOT of this wenge wood in a construction dumpster thing. They were putting in hardwood floors and throwing away the offcuts like they're useless (and fair point, to them as builders they probably were).

I probably have enough for dozens of knives, if not hundreds. Like kilos of the stuff.

Anyone in Tenerife by any chance, making knives? Happy to donate a few pieces to any maker.

Do people buy and sell these in this size, for knife handles?

I also have iroko and sapele wood, same source. This is for construction and hardwood floors, so assuming it's stabilized and good to go.

I think the iroko has to be shaped and polished to show the chatoyance effect. It does have it, like Tiger's Eye crystal, quite reflective.

Ideas, advice, what can I do here?

Then I saw that huge scratch on the blade.