made a new knife..

[lerman]

i started this knife about a month ago, I'm really happy with it, the blade is made out of a file, and the handle is wood and horn.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219390Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219406Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219400Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219397Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219396Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/P4219390Medium-1.jpg

[lerman]

some WIP pics.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0327081901Large.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0327081901aMedium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0329081042Large.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0329081052Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0419081335aLarge.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0421081217Large.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0421081229Medium.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0421081245Large.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0421081322Large.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/llerman/0421081405Large.jpg

[p.jester84]

Really beautifull knife man :eek: . I must try to do one from file too... stil thinking about it but no time. Thanks for sharing. Really breathtaking...

[tonydahose]

that is pretty cool, if you cant cut something you can always file it down:D. i know files are pretty brittle if hit with something or dropped. what kind of steel is it? it looks nice the way the smooth part is feathered into the file. good job!

[Blackhair]

Looks good. I like the texturing left over from the file. :cool:

I know absolutely nothing about knifemaking, but I wouldn't expect a file to have that good of steel. How does the edge hold up?

[Ian UK]

WOW

Its realy cool the way you have given the pictures showing the various steps for people like me who have no idea how to make knives.:)

THANKS for sharing!

[mrappraisit]

Lerman your new knife looks great I like the texturing on the blade as well, and the combo of the horn and wood makes for a really nice handle. How is the cutting performance with that file steel?

[dete]

awesome!

I really like how you left lots of parts of the file on the knife.
I think that is genius!

[amen74]

Great job! Really like how this one came out. How sharp is it? Do you know what type of steel?

[aj1985]

I have heard of many knife makers start out by using files. They are a very good and cheap alternative for a beginning maker since steel costs quite a bit. I believe files are very tough plus they have been HT already. I might be mistaken on the last part though.

great job on your knife bro. Currently I'm trying my hands on a knife, but my grinds are just horrible. :o

take care
aj

[snuffaluff]

:eek: That thing is really really nice Lerman. The file left on it just enough and the handle looks comfortable. Great job man! Can't wait for the next round. :cool:

[jaislandboy]

great job lerman, very impressive work :cool:
what kind of wood did you use :confused:

[Andyjd]

Impressive stuff

[jugg2]

Great looking knife! I would think the file would be made out of good steel if it was made to cut metal. It is probably some pretty hard stuff.

[lerman]

thanks guys, I'm really glad to see you liked it, i also like the texturing on the blade, about the steel, as aj said, a file has a good steel for blades, it is brittle, but takes a good edge, also i'v tried to HT it, but it is my first, so I'll need to use it to know if it worked, i hope to learn some more about steels and HTing, it's not easy to find good steels here, and HTing them is not so simple (i think),
the wood is some kind of african wood, i can't remember the name, but it's really hard.

BTW aj, i have allot of half finished knives that the grinds on them are just horrible.

[Piet.S]

Good job Lerman, looks a decent knife to me.
Lots of files are good steel indeed.
Best thing is to anneal it first and after you're done you can harden and temper it.
Files have been used for centuries for blades, often it was the only good steel available.

[Shike]

Nice job Lerman!!! Old files do make great knives. The new ones are not the same quality and only case hardened. They are awful. I made a few forged knives out of old files.
In the old days here in the US, blacksmiths would leave enough of the file lines on the knives they made, so that prospective buyer could see that the knife was made from a file and therefore of good steel;)
Piet is right the best thing to do is anneal first and then harden and temper. This makes grinding a lot easier.
Keep up the good work!!!

[Brad S.]

Nicely done. Files make great knives. Alot of them are made from 5160 and take an edge very well.
I made quite a few knives out of files a few years back. Tons of fun.

The wood you used appears to Wenge. Althought thats hard to say without seeing it in person.

Nice job. Lets see some of those other ones.

[lerman]

yes it is Wenge, thanks Tricod.

[scout]

You can draw down the hardness and associated brittleness by keeping it in an oven @ 350-375 for two hours. I like my steel a little hard, so 350 degrees. You can also blue the blade, if you like a more low profile look. Great job on this one!

[WOTANSON1]

Very very cool man:cool: . Are you taking orders yet?:)
Cheers,
Rob

[dialex]

Very nice work, congratulations and thanks for sharing the great pics. I'm looking forward to see you making one of your beautiful folders, so get back to work ;)

[kimjune01]

Nice tools

[A.P.F.]

Great work, Lerman! Thanks for the photo essay.

[JT]

Nice!
I like the way the file is "still there" to be seen.

[metalhed]

Looks super cool. I like the residuals of the file left behind in the blade and spine!

very inventive