Question for all you knife builders out there.

[Adam]

I'm working on making my first knife for a Christmas gift.  I started with an edger blade and have it roughed out using a Dremel cut off wheel and files.  I haven't started sharpening it yet.  I don't really know much about different types of steels or what kind I'm working with, but it seems fairly hard when I'm filing it and throws off a lot of sparks under the abrasive wheel.  Is it necessary for me to heat the blade edge once it's formed and then quench it, or can I proceed with the steel as is?  Thanks very much.

[Stoker]

Do a search in build-a-longs Madcrow does a great one with a edger blade. It got me started in the right direction. I bumped it to the top My aplogies to Knightd he has the edger blade thread. Madcrow was the guthook thread. Sorry fellas
Thanks Leroy

[rover brewer]

I would hand file about 1/8 of an inch off the blade because your cutting got it to hot and it will  chip on the edge easy ,as far as heat treating you really need to know what type of metal you have. I think it will still make a very good knife without the heat treating,but not as good if its heat treated.I don't have the knownledge as some on here and I hope one of them will join in to see if I'm telling you right.Be very careful when sanding or grinding that you don't get it to hot.

[Tortoise]

It will definitely be less soft if you quench it. But nonetheless it will still make a good blade.

[Adam]

Thanks guys. I was extremely careful not to let the blade heat up too much.  I kept my hand on the area I was cutting and took a break or dipped it in water any time it got over lukewarm.  Just to be safe, I'll certainly hand file the edge.  Thanks very much for everyone's input.  I'm trying to do the best job I possibly can since this is for the Christmas exchange.  I'm taking lots of pictures and am planning to post a build along when I'm done.

[jonathan creason]

Did you get the steel hot enough to change colors while cutting or grinding?  If not, then you should be ok.  If you had some blue spots pop up though, those areas will be soft and won't hold an edge very well.  If you're having trouble shaping it bringing the steel up to red hot and letting it air cool (normalizing) a couple of times would make it much easier to work with.  You'll definitely have to heat treat after this, though.

I've seen in a couple of places that those blades are 5160 steel.  Heat treating it is pretty simple, just normalize a few times then bring the steel up to non-magnetic and quench in oil.  After that place it in an oven preheated to 350 for a couple of cycles at least an hour long.

[Adam]

Thanks Jonathan.  It never changed color at all.  I went at it really slow.  I tried to drill a couple holes in for pins to line up the wood handles and I finally was able to drill through after ruining two bits.  The steel seems really hard to me.  I should have annealed it first.  I still have a lot to learn.  The edge is coming along ok with hand filing and very little Dremeling.  If I don't need to heat and quench, is there any benefit to putting it in the oven for tempering?  This has been a fun project and I appreciate all the help to keep me from messing it up!

[madcrow]

Those blades are already heat treated and tempered to take a beating.  On the next one, you could try using a torch and just heat teh handle are to non magnetic and then let it cool down on its own.  Just lay it on a cinder block or concrete floor.  That will anneal it and make the handle softer.  If you feel the blade is too hard, then follow the heat treat and temper that jonathon described and that should soften the blade some.  Industrial bandsaw blades about an inch wide are heat treated and tempered already also.  They can make some nice patch knives and trade points.  Just cut, grind and put the handles on.

[jonathan creason]

At this point putting it in the oven for tempering will only make the steel softer.  If it's too hard and the edges are chipping this would be a good idea, but that's it.  Test the blade before you put the scales on to make sure the edge isn't too hard or too soft.  A great way to do this is the brass rod test.  Put a brass rod flat on a bench and pull the edge across it at about the same angle you'd sharpen it at.  You should be able to see the edge bend around the rod and then fall right back to its original shape.  If it's too soft it'll stay bent, and if it's too hard it'll chip.

[Adam]

Great!  Thanks again for the help.  That's the first I've heard of testing with a brass rod.  I'll certainly give that a try.

Madcrow, the build alongs you posted in the past have been a great resource for me.  Thanks!