Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: Aaron H on February 28, 2014, 08:59:47 pm

Title: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Aaron H on February 28, 2014, 08:59:47 pm
This is a knife that I made from a rasp.  I made it about two years ago, it was my first attempt at making a knife.
I built a good fire, threw the rasp in the coals and left it overnight to anneal the tool steel. I shaped it with a grinder, then built another fire in a plow disc that I hooked up some fittings to. Got a good strong fire burning then hooked up my shop vac to the fittings and turned the vacuum on with the hose on the blow side, this made a really nice forge.  I heated the blade cherry red until a magnet quit sticking to it, then dipped just the blade side of the knife in some used motor oil.  After a couple different fire extinguishers were used up on the oil fire I had in my back yard, I had a hardened blade.  I heated my oven to 400 degrees and tempered the blade as my wife looked upon me with with disapproval.  Once the blade was tempered, I sharpened it, then polished it up with some 1200 grit sandpaper.  After all this I made a grip out of box elder that was impregnated with plastic.  I am pretty happy with the results, it is very sharp and it holds an edge really well.  It measures 11 1/2" long, 1 3/8" wide, and 3/16" thick with a full tang.
Aaron
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: bubbles on February 28, 2014, 09:37:39 pm
"After a couple different fire extinguishers were used up on the oil fire I had in my back yard, I had a hardened blade. "
Haha, amazing.

Looks cool, good work.
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: ---GUTSHOT---> on March 01, 2014, 08:38:04 pm
That's a nice looking knife
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Ozzy on March 01, 2014, 09:33:18 pm
Sweet nice job
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Adam on March 01, 2014, 10:16:42 pm
Very nice! I like how you shaped the sheath too.
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Trapper Rob on March 01, 2014, 10:47:33 pm
Nice.
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Aaron H on March 02, 2014, 12:10:40 am
Thank you.  I forgot to mention that I took a file and added some character to the spine of the blade.  Yea, the sheath fits well, but I'm not that happy with it. It was my first attempt at leather working.  I might end up making a new sheath at some point.
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: silverfox on March 02, 2014, 11:00:54 am
Cool knife, you did a great job
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Outbackbob48 on March 02, 2014, 10:21:42 pm
Very Nice ;D
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: Renacs on March 10, 2014, 10:29:47 pm
Awsome knife, I cant wait to make one
Title: Re: My first knife, from a rasp
Post by: JW_Halverson on March 10, 2014, 10:59:26 pm
When I first looked at this I liked MOST of it.  I just couldn't understand why you would take such a nice simple knife and overwork the spine of the blade with filework.  Most knifemakers come up with a more simple design. 

DeRRrRrRR!  That's the file itself, that's the pattern!  Yup, I'm a real jean-yus!

Now I can safely say there is nothing I don't like about that there knife!  At 11 1/2 inches long, that's a pretty big falcon...on the order of a gyrfalcon!