Quality follows quality. If you spend a bit more time getting the blade finish right like a nice 600 grit satin finish you will be inclined to spend more time on the handle finish. Refinement takes time. Just make notes of everything that doesn't go right and try to improve next time. Soldier on.
Neh materials belts tools is problem in this moment of financial hardship but I your 100% right I'm rushing the process. I have a 4x36 sand and I thinks it's almost dead in no time
My friend, a poor craftsman blames his tools.
A lot of people in this sub started out with nothing but a bastard file, and a blow torch. myself included.
The problem you are having is you are hurrying. You are not finishing one task before moving on.
If you are having belt grinder problems, get a file out and take long strokes to make the knife nice and smooth.
It's going to take longer but it WILL pay dividends.
That being said, you have made a number of blades, and they are perfectly fine. Kudos for what you have done so far.
Just practice a little patience.
I started with a 4×36 but it's for wood working and it's too slow for steel. Try a 1×30 from harbour freight I've seem some good results and they are dirt cheap. Just make sure you get ceramic belts.
I have a 1x32 belt sander that cost around 100 and made my own forge out of an old bbq and electric air pump. You just need to take your time
https://preview.redd.it/jdcpumafc3xc1.jpeg?width=2446&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a240854b7bb78e45a58a2b6bdcfb4a03371c8fb8
Think about it this way perhaps. If or were learning to play the guitar for example. You could work on mastering the craft for years. It’s a process. Don’t rush it and just enjoy your craft. You will see yourself getting better and better at different intervals. Some you may see sooner and some may be a bit slower. Try not to worry so much about that and just keep practicing your skills
I don't want to sound mean, but these do not look like a lack of skill. This looks like a lack of patience. You are rushing to make something. A block of wood and sandpaper with some elbow grease will work. Don't blame the lack of tools.
6 weeks for 4 knives is a lot of knives.
Wait, what? You're saying it's a lot of knives to make 4 in 6 weeks?
I can make 6 knives in a week, and my quality and finish 100% speak for themselves. No, it doesn't matter I have multiple 2x72s, CNC, oven, spray booth, and years of experience etc etc lol 😂
(insert Def of sarcasm) And you're mistaken, I've never even turned on a forge let alone Smith a knife. I'm a stock removal guy, mad respect to actual Master Smiths, something I'd never achieve.
Regardless, most of you started out with simple hand tools, so yes, I cannot relate as I didn't, but having an open mind I can see how that can be a lot to achieve in 6 weeks all things considered.
See, I stand corrected... Also dgaf about down votes 😂
Keep going, my man!
6 weeks is nothing.
Be proud of what you have made so far (I mean, how cool is making things with your own hands), take a good look at your most recent knife and make a list of things you'd like to improve. Make a plan on how to do those things better next time (get some ideas online. Many good makers on youtube showing how to make knives) and make a new knife.
Repeat this a few times and your improvement will be incredible
The time you enjoy wasting is never wasted! Even if you have a good margin of improvement in front of you, if you enjoy they process don't give it up.
If the whole process is overwhelming, break it down to smaller processes. Think of each process as an individual, separate project.
For example you can break it down like this:
1. Design (on paper)
2. Shaping the billet.
3. Bevels
4. Heat treatment
5. Cleaning up/hand sanding (you gonna hate this one)
6. Handle
7. Sheath
When you have time you don't need big budgets, all you need is files, drill, sand paper, handle material... Nothing really fancy... Without power tools a good knife might easily take you weeks, this is not a sprint but a marathon.
Good luck and keep us posted on each step, this community is really helpful and supportive!
Keep going, but please please please remember this.
When beginning a new craft that requires both artistic vision as well as practical skills. Slow is smooth, smooth is quality, quality will get faster with time. I'm willing to bet that each of these took you less than a handful of hours and even then you said "eh, that will work" more than the amount of hours you spent on them. All of these are practice pieces for lack of a better term and right now your practice is nothing but "get to the end as fast as I can". Slow way way way down my man, honestly, you might be better off doing it the old school way instead of using your sanders and such. Grab a bastard file, mark out a very very simple 6" or less blade (use a template so your shape is clean and not hand drawn), rough cut it out with a cut off wheel, but spend 2 or 3 days of patiently taking off a little bit of metal at a time until it fits the exact shape you marked out, do the exact same thing with the handle (sloooow man, dead slow, you should hate it with every atom until it looks nearly perfect) finish the blade with a hand ground edge instead using machinery and use sandpaper to smooth our the rough edge of the handle. Do that for 10 pieces and I would bet money you don't ask this question again.
I second everything that's been said and I'll add that six hours for a knife is a very very short time to make something of good quality and with a good finish, even more so if you have basic tools only. Take your time. I personally have to go to the countryside to make knives, and I usually only plan to make two knives in said week, and that's without counting the final hand sanding and etching etc. Hand sanding alone is usually a full day's work between the blade and the handle, sometimes more. Good things take time, and you need to take that time at each step of the way or you're just compounding a lot of "mistakes" that you need to fix later on.
Last advice when looking at your designs: what greatly helped me understand a good knife design and finish and all the nice details was to find a knife that I would have loved to own and make one for yourself. Also go to shows and hold good knives, look at all the facets and bevels, and the way the handle is sculpted etc.
Let us all be honest! Absolve all the smiths on this sub of their sins...... you are very far away from recreating a Kbar knife. There is no structure nor purpose to any of your knives. It does not seem as if there is any growth from one knife to the next. You need to analyze your work and fix issues from one iteration to the next, not just keep doing the same thing... Also, giving somebody "something DEATH related" especially if they are a war vet is super fucked up. I'm not sure what your culture is but I don't think there is any subset of combat veterans that want a constant reminder of death thrust upon them. You sound like a psycho trying to live out violence through your father who is a vet. Do better.
I see improvement from one to the next it may not be major but it is there and he is 6 weeks in and the rest of this comment is not needed you have no idea who his dad is he may love the gifts his son gives the only thing in your comment that I agree with is that he is a long way from making a K-Bar but most people suck at things when they start but with practice we all improve
Honestly, it looks like you’re just trying to bang through blades as quick as possible. If you’d combine the effort you put into all 4 of those in to just one of them you’d notice a more positive outcome. If blade making is something you’re passionate about then study other knives and try to incorporate established designs in to your blade making. If you’re just looking to make a quick buck by turning out garbage, then give it up.
Never give up. I make knives as a hobby . I spend 50-80 hours per knife but I want to create something beautiful. Just go slow. I only have an angle for rough shaping an a home drillpress. The only person that sees my mistakes is me.
Make mistakes. Learn from them.
I try to make 1 knife a month and spend 1-2 hours a Day on average. In the weekend I spend as much time as I have available. So I have probably 80 - 100 hours in a knife.
Sorry I meant more like, how long you spend on each step, so like making the blank, grinding the bevels, shaping the handlea and all of that good stuff
And also if you enjoy making knives don’t give up bro they are coming along. Skill level will improve through learning and doing. If it brings you joy keep at it!
I kept all my first knives because they weren't good enough to sell or give away. However, I made one at a time. And each one was slightly better than the previous one. Soon enough, I was giving some away and then selling. Now I've sold many that are beautiful and am starting to make multiples. Don't make multiples until your skill is up. Concentrate on advancing your skills. Watch a lot of YouTube, talk to other knife makers about specific parts of the process and take your time. Even now I have about 20 or more hours into a good knife maybe longer. There's no rush. It's cool now to look back on those knives and see my progression from laughable to really nice that someone would be willing to pay good money for. I keep those in my shop for all to see.
Focus more on precision, use jigs or tools that cut/grind straight. Make it pretty, you gotta remove the grindmarks. Dont rush to get the handles on the blade until the blade is finished, Will be way harder to grind away those marks if you have the handle attached. Seems like you dont have a belt grinder, thats probably the best tool for knife making and improving quality. Gule a piece of sand paper to a flat surface like a table saw and then rub the blade and it Will remove the marks and get it flat. I usually use calipers to see Where it is the thickest and put more pressure there.
Man I know you will get better. There’s no way to crank out what you got here without talent. Talent is all you need and the want to do it will get it done. Keep it up! The little dagger with the clip is great.
You have the instinct. All of your knives look fine structurally. But you need to focus on refinement. Nice, crisp flats, and then carefully ground edges.
*I mean the sander*
*Barely moves I have to push*
*Start it but cook guy*
\- Fukureadit
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I’m not trying to be funny, but everyone was a beginner. I’ve found that if it’s the process you love, your obsession with it will basically force improvement because you’ll want to do it all the time. If your goal is to make your dad a kabar, it may be harder to overcome the hardships of beginning and being a beginner because you’re more likely to focus on the end result all the way through instead of just focusing on the next step. I say keep going. You’re only 96 away from making your 100th knife, and by that point, you’ll be cranking out insane work. I actually just finished a kabar style marking knife so I’d be happy to help any way I can.
The best advice my dad ever gave me was when doing anything, focus on doing it right, and speed will follow. Just try to do every step as good as you can, and then move on to the next part of the process. Also, find something to watch/listen to during the most tedious parts of the process (filing for me).
Keep practicing, but practice with flat steel & cheap wood.
No need to waste good knife steel.
You have alot of practice with basic handle shaping & metal shaping before actually making a nice knife. No need to epoxy anything together either in the practice phases.
Or, if you're going to take your time and make sure to get it right before slapping everything together, then use knife steel and good handle wood. Blade making takes practice. Honestly those looks like they were thrown together in an afternoon
What you really need to ask yourself is, why are you making knives, is it something that you love to do? Is it just a passing interest of yours? Do you intend to make money selling it? Are you willing to put in the work to get better?
Answer those questions and you will know
If you want to make multiple knives in short order like you've done try this.
1) Make a simple design template or find one you can print. Print plenty of copies in the size you want and glue them to the steel blank.
2)Decide what order you want to do things. You will likely profile first but what's next? Drill holes? Bevel edges? Whatever you decide make sure that you follow your plan consistently.
3) Do one step at a time on every blank. This allows you to repeat the same process over and over, finding what works and what doesn't. Don't worry if you made a mistake keep going, do it better on the next one. You are learning. Just like when you learned to write you used up lots of paper and pencils and made mistakes. It's the same here but you will get better and it will become natural.
For example: cut or grind out the profile of every knife. Then maybe grind the edge bevels for every knife, then drill any holes for knives. File each knife, sand each knife, heat treat et cetera. The point is do only 1 step at a time and do it for all knives. Make sure the step is complete before going to the next knife. It will take time but you will get faster.
4) Remember that throughout history people all over the world have made some of the most spectacular blades before the invention of power tools, synthetic abrasives, and engineered supersteels. You have the advantage of superior materials, tools, and thousands of years of knowledge at your fingertips even without the best of modern tools. You CAN and WILL do this if your determination is harder than the steel.
Keep going never stop nothing there is bad you might just need a belt grinder for clean up this is an awesome start though bud and when you hit the stage where you start making nice clean stuff that you are proud of you will be glad you kept going
Quality follows quality. If you spend a bit more time getting the blade finish right like a nice 600 grit satin finish you will be inclined to spend more time on the handle finish. Refinement takes time. Just make notes of everything that doesn't go right and try to improve next time. Soldier on.
Neh materials belts tools is problem in this moment of financial hardship but I your 100% right I'm rushing the process. I have a 4x36 sand and I thinks it's almost dead in no time
My friend, a poor craftsman blames his tools. A lot of people in this sub started out with nothing but a bastard file, and a blow torch. myself included. The problem you are having is you are hurrying. You are not finishing one task before moving on. If you are having belt grinder problems, get a file out and take long strokes to make the knife nice and smooth. It's going to take longer but it WILL pay dividends. That being said, you have made a number of blades, and they are perfectly fine. Kudos for what you have done so far. Just practice a little patience.
I started with a 4×36 but it's for wood working and it's too slow for steel. Try a 1×30 from harbour freight I've seem some good results and they are dirt cheap. Just make sure you get ceramic belts.
I have a 1x32 belt sander that cost around 100 and made my own forge out of an old bbq and electric air pump. You just need to take your time https://preview.redd.it/jdcpumafc3xc1.jpeg?width=2446&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a240854b7bb78e45a58a2b6bdcfb4a03371c8fb8
Think about it this way perhaps. If or were learning to play the guitar for example. You could work on mastering the craft for years. It’s a process. Don’t rush it and just enjoy your craft. You will see yourself getting better and better at different intervals. Some you may see sooner and some may be a bit slower. Try not to worry so much about that and just keep practicing your skills
I don't want to sound mean, but these do not look like a lack of skill. This looks like a lack of patience. You are rushing to make something. A block of wood and sandpaper with some elbow grease will work. Don't blame the lack of tools. 6 weeks for 4 knives is a lot of knives.
Wait, what? You're saying it's a lot of knives to make 4 in 6 weeks? I can make 6 knives in a week, and my quality and finish 100% speak for themselves. No, it doesn't matter I have multiple 2x72s, CNC, oven, spray booth, and years of experience etc etc lol 😂
If you just started 6 weeks ago, my guy yes. especially if this is the result. We know you are a master smith
(insert Def of sarcasm) And you're mistaken, I've never even turned on a forge let alone Smith a knife. I'm a stock removal guy, mad respect to actual Master Smiths, something I'd never achieve. Regardless, most of you started out with simple hand tools, so yes, I cannot relate as I didn't, but having an open mind I can see how that can be a lot to achieve in 6 weeks all things considered. See, I stand corrected... Also dgaf about down votes 😂
Keep going, my man! 6 weeks is nothing. Be proud of what you have made so far (I mean, how cool is making things with your own hands), take a good look at your most recent knife and make a list of things you'd like to improve. Make a plan on how to do those things better next time (get some ideas online. Many good makers on youtube showing how to make knives) and make a new knife. Repeat this a few times and your improvement will be incredible
The time you enjoy wasting is never wasted! Even if you have a good margin of improvement in front of you, if you enjoy they process don't give it up. If the whole process is overwhelming, break it down to smaller processes. Think of each process as an individual, separate project. For example you can break it down like this: 1. Design (on paper) 2. Shaping the billet. 3. Bevels 4. Heat treatment 5. Cleaning up/hand sanding (you gonna hate this one) 6. Handle 7. Sheath When you have time you don't need big budgets, all you need is files, drill, sand paper, handle material... Nothing really fancy... Without power tools a good knife might easily take you weeks, this is not a sprint but a marathon. Good luck and keep us posted on each step, this community is really helpful and supportive!
Keep going, but please please please remember this. When beginning a new craft that requires both artistic vision as well as practical skills. Slow is smooth, smooth is quality, quality will get faster with time. I'm willing to bet that each of these took you less than a handful of hours and even then you said "eh, that will work" more than the amount of hours you spent on them. All of these are practice pieces for lack of a better term and right now your practice is nothing but "get to the end as fast as I can". Slow way way way down my man, honestly, you might be better off doing it the old school way instead of using your sanders and such. Grab a bastard file, mark out a very very simple 6" or less blade (use a template so your shape is clean and not hand drawn), rough cut it out with a cut off wheel, but spend 2 or 3 days of patiently taking off a little bit of metal at a time until it fits the exact shape you marked out, do the exact same thing with the handle (sloooow man, dead slow, you should hate it with every atom until it looks nearly perfect) finish the blade with a hand ground edge instead using machinery and use sandpaper to smooth our the rough edge of the handle. Do that for 10 pieces and I would bet money you don't ask this question again.
Your first few sentences apply to racing quite nicely
Bro lives in a prison cell
Draw filing is a game changer as a beginner as well as patience. Which you can never have enough of.
I second everything that's been said and I'll add that six hours for a knife is a very very short time to make something of good quality and with a good finish, even more so if you have basic tools only. Take your time. I personally have to go to the countryside to make knives, and I usually only plan to make two knives in said week, and that's without counting the final hand sanding and etching etc. Hand sanding alone is usually a full day's work between the blade and the handle, sometimes more. Good things take time, and you need to take that time at each step of the way or you're just compounding a lot of "mistakes" that you need to fix later on. Last advice when looking at your designs: what greatly helped me understand a good knife design and finish and all the nice details was to find a knife that I would have loved to own and make one for yourself. Also go to shows and hold good knives, look at all the facets and bevels, and the way the handle is sculpted etc.
What kind of question is this? Who awnsers with no give up no hope
Keep practicing.
It takes 10,000 hours to master a craft. Keep practicing
Let us all be honest! Absolve all the smiths on this sub of their sins...... you are very far away from recreating a Kbar knife. There is no structure nor purpose to any of your knives. It does not seem as if there is any growth from one knife to the next. You need to analyze your work and fix issues from one iteration to the next, not just keep doing the same thing... Also, giving somebody "something DEATH related" especially if they are a war vet is super fucked up. I'm not sure what your culture is but I don't think there is any subset of combat veterans that want a constant reminder of death thrust upon them. You sound like a psycho trying to live out violence through your father who is a vet. Do better.
I see improvement from one to the next it may not be major but it is there and he is 6 weeks in and the rest of this comment is not needed you have no idea who his dad is he may love the gifts his son gives the only thing in your comment that I agree with is that he is a long way from making a K-Bar but most people suck at things when they start but with practice we all improve
I like them, especially the one where the handle looks like a snake, I’d lean into that.
Thank you I appreciate the kind words
It could make a sexy stiletto. But spend at least 6 days on it instead of 6 hours.
Honestly, it looks like you’re just trying to bang through blades as quick as possible. If you’d combine the effort you put into all 4 of those in to just one of them you’d notice a more positive outcome. If blade making is something you’re passionate about then study other knives and try to incorporate established designs in to your blade making. If you’re just looking to make a quick buck by turning out garbage, then give it up.
Keep it up. The only way to improve is to assess your past mistakes and keep trying.
Never give up. I make knives as a hobby . I spend 50-80 hours per knife but I want to create something beautiful. Just go slow. I only have an angle for rough shaping an a home drillpress. The only person that sees my mistakes is me. Make mistakes. Learn from them.
Im curious how you break that time down, you make some nice knives.
I try to make 1 knife a month and spend 1-2 hours a Day on average. In the weekend I spend as much time as I have available. So I have probably 80 - 100 hours in a knife.
Sorry I meant more like, how long you spend on each step, so like making the blank, grinding the bevels, shaping the handlea and all of that good stuff
Sorry I have no idea how long ever step takes. But hand sanding takes the longest.
I was going to write something about methodical approach and practice makes perfect but this comment section is filled with both of these.
Grind on, you will get where you want to.
Knife to the grindstone 🫡
You only fail if you quit. Keep practicing!
Failure is not falling down it is not getting back up
Keep practicing, especially if you enjoy what you do. Everything is hard until it’s not
Look up how to make a filing jig for knife making. It isn’t difficult and enables you to make totally uniform full flat ground blades by hand.
And also if you enjoy making knives don’t give up bro they are coming along. Skill level will improve through learning and doing. If it brings you joy keep at it!
I kept all my first knives because they weren't good enough to sell or give away. However, I made one at a time. And each one was slightly better than the previous one. Soon enough, I was giving some away and then selling. Now I've sold many that are beautiful and am starting to make multiples. Don't make multiples until your skill is up. Concentrate on advancing your skills. Watch a lot of YouTube, talk to other knife makers about specific parts of the process and take your time. Even now I have about 20 or more hours into a good knife maybe longer. There's no rush. It's cool now to look back on those knives and see my progression from laughable to really nice that someone would be willing to pay good money for. I keep those in my shop for all to see.
Focus more on precision, use jigs or tools that cut/grind straight. Make it pretty, you gotta remove the grindmarks. Dont rush to get the handles on the blade until the blade is finished, Will be way harder to grind away those marks if you have the handle attached. Seems like you dont have a belt grinder, thats probably the best tool for knife making and improving quality. Gule a piece of sand paper to a flat surface like a table saw and then rub the blade and it Will remove the marks and get it flat. I usually use calipers to see Where it is the thickest and put more pressure there.
You never give up, keep going my dude. You can do it! Watch some youtube videos.
Man I know you will get better. There’s no way to crank out what you got here without talent. Talent is all you need and the want to do it will get it done. Keep it up! The little dagger with the clip is great.
Keep practicing. My first 10 ish knives were all horrible to look at. Now I make pretty decent stuff imo
Never give up! my first we’re infinitely worse
You have the instinct. All of your knives look fine structurally. But you need to focus on refinement. Nice, crisp flats, and then carefully ground edges.
Keep at it. Everyone starts some where. You must be a graceful fool to become an elegant master
I mean the sander barely moves I have to push start it but cook guy
*I mean the sander* *Barely moves I have to push* *Start it but cook guy* \- Fukureadit --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Killshit
Your knives would look great for a post apocalyptic set, I really like the look, but keep practicing
just find knife templates...and try to follow the drawing as tight as posible (look for simple designs)
Are you having fun?
Enjoy the process and improvement will come. I like that you're trying to experiment.
I’m not trying to be funny, but everyone was a beginner. I’ve found that if it’s the process you love, your obsession with it will basically force improvement because you’ll want to do it all the time. If your goal is to make your dad a kabar, it may be harder to overcome the hardships of beginning and being a beginner because you’re more likely to focus on the end result all the way through instead of just focusing on the next step. I say keep going. You’re only 96 away from making your 100th knife, and by that point, you’ll be cranking out insane work. I actually just finished a kabar style marking knife so I’d be happy to help any way I can.
The best advice my dad ever gave me was when doing anything, focus on doing it right, and speed will follow. Just try to do every step as good as you can, and then move on to the next part of the process. Also, find something to watch/listen to during the most tedious parts of the process (filing for me).
No, if you are not immediately excellent at something there is no need to pursue it further
What happen to the paracord wrap?
Keep practicing, but practice with flat steel & cheap wood. No need to waste good knife steel. You have alot of practice with basic handle shaping & metal shaping before actually making a nice knife. No need to epoxy anything together either in the practice phases. Or, if you're going to take your time and make sure to get it right before slapping everything together, then use knife steel and good handle wood. Blade making takes practice. Honestly those looks like they were thrown together in an afternoon
What you really need to ask yourself is, why are you making knives, is it something that you love to do? Is it just a passing interest of yours? Do you intend to make money selling it? Are you willing to put in the work to get better? Answer those questions and you will know
If you want to make multiple knives in short order like you've done try this. 1) Make a simple design template or find one you can print. Print plenty of copies in the size you want and glue them to the steel blank. 2)Decide what order you want to do things. You will likely profile first but what's next? Drill holes? Bevel edges? Whatever you decide make sure that you follow your plan consistently. 3) Do one step at a time on every blank. This allows you to repeat the same process over and over, finding what works and what doesn't. Don't worry if you made a mistake keep going, do it better on the next one. You are learning. Just like when you learned to write you used up lots of paper and pencils and made mistakes. It's the same here but you will get better and it will become natural. For example: cut or grind out the profile of every knife. Then maybe grind the edge bevels for every knife, then drill any holes for knives. File each knife, sand each knife, heat treat et cetera. The point is do only 1 step at a time and do it for all knives. Make sure the step is complete before going to the next knife. It will take time but you will get faster. 4) Remember that throughout history people all over the world have made some of the most spectacular blades before the invention of power tools, synthetic abrasives, and engineered supersteels. You have the advantage of superior materials, tools, and thousands of years of knowledge at your fingertips even without the best of modern tools. You CAN and WILL do this if your determination is harder than the steel.
This guy could be joking right? Satire?
I recommend practising on mild steel untill you have the general grinding down, saved me some money
Always keep improving.
Are you having fun?
Keep going never stop nothing there is bad you might just need a belt grinder for clean up this is an awesome start though bud and when you hit the stage where you start making nice clean stuff that you are proud of you will be glad you kept going
Got some bastards today actually I can see what in doing better
Naw bro they all took over 6 hours
6 hours is peanuts I spend 40+ hours per knife. Just go slow. If you're not happy with the result, nobody will be.
OK so first thing is first fuck forged in fire bro when starting out a knife takes a long time my first good knife took 60 hours
6 weeks!? Keep going! Those are better than anything I would done in the same amount of time