Jim was a great teacher and I learned so much from that class, but I know there things he taught me that I have had to re-learn. Take center-scribing a blade, for example. It wasn’t until about last October that I began doing that, and I was taught to do it two years prior! Well, after the class, it was December until I got a forge started up, and then I really began learning!
From the very get-go I learned that wood would not get hot enough, and that charcoal briquettes would work in a pinch, but that lump charcoal was the way to go.
My anvil was a counterweight from a train, my hammer was a garage-sale ball-peen, and my metal was rebar. (I also had a bench grinder, hacksaw, torch and a vice) My first knife was a flattened hunk of rebar, hardened, but not tempered. Later on, I started using good metal like trapsprings, got a good anvil, better forge, good hammer, and on until I get to today. I currently have a great charcoal forge with electric billows, a good anvil on a stand, many hammers and tongs, a belt sander, and many different kinds of metal and handle material.
There are two different ways that I make knives; stock removal and forging. Stock removal I take a file, anneal (soften) it and grind away. With the forging process, I will heat it up in my forge, and hammer the rough shape, do my best to get it flat, then anneal it and grind from there. I use this method when I have something like a chisel that I want to use.
After the knife is shaped, I will heat it up to critical temperature in my forge, and quench the cutting edge in canola oil, trying to let the spine remain soft. This hardens the blade, making it extremely hard to work with also, so I wrap the knife in foil, and put it in the oven for 2 hours at 400 degrees. Now the knife is workable, and I finish the blade and move on to handles.
On the handle side of things, I use a variety of woods and phelonic. I have curly maple, walnut and oak, and I have red heart, cedar burl, micarta and antler. Out of all of those, micarta is probably my favorite, because of its durability. For those of you who don’t now, micarta is canvas, paper or linen that is epoxied together and compressed.
I usually make my knives full tang, but I am starting to play around with some hidden tank knives as well, mainly so I can use some of the antler I’ve got. My most recent knife is a hidden tang bushcraft knife with curly maple handles and a walnut accent piece. The blade is from a file. I played around with handle contouring on this knife as well.
After the knife is completed, I sharpen it using a SpyderCo TriAngle system. This is a great system that works well for me.
And last and least I will sometimes make a leather sheath for the knife. Now guys, sheath making is really not my thing. I am too busy making the knives to mess with sheaths! (so if you know anybody that does leather, let me talk to ‘em!)
Well, now you know some about my knives and some about how they’re made. Tell your friends!
Thank you,
-Caleb
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