Ok guys here's some more info...
I have a very extensive collection of all sorts of basic hand tools from my 15+ years of my woodworking as well as stuff me late father passed on to me and a very large and sturdy workbench made out of dimensional lumber. I also have dozens of clamps, hand files, all the basic hand power tools, tablesaw, planer, nailgun's, welding machine, metal cutoff saw etc.... After an email this morning with my contact, everything is a go with a first run batch of 50 fixed blade knives to be made. With that in mind, i have not ever completed a knife, i have done my fair share of metal working but not as extensive as my woodworking experience building houses, cabinetry and custom indoor furniture. I have researched it extensively, watching dozens of videos daily now for months on end, covering aspects of grinding bevels, making completed knives, heat treating, post grinding, handle making tips, final finishing, electro etching, sheath making and on and on. I pretty much have obsessed over it to the point of where the wifey gets mad at me daily and i'm constantly searching for new things to study on the entire process.
Now with all that in mind here's what my actual process is going to consist of for making the batch of 50+ knives.....
After receiving the metal stock (either S30v or S35VN in 5/32"x1-1/2"x36" pieces(18 pieces for 54 total blanks)) i am going to bring that to a local company i have been talking to and he is going to cut the 36" pieces into 3 pieces, stack them up and then cut out my blanks as well as the pin holes with a Wire EDM machine(i am also going to buy a generous quantity of 440c stock to cut he is going to cut my blanks out of as well). After receiving all the blanks (S30v or S35VN & 440c), i am going to affix the 440c blades to 1 of the 2 jigs that i have designed. Now about the 440c stock; originally i said 4-8 for honing grinding skills, but that's not set in stone, i might buy 4-8 or i might buy 15-20, after everyone's comments it might be in the 15-20 range. Which is fine with me, hopefully the grinder i have selected will be sufficient to produce good consistent grinds as far as the machine is concerned. The jig i have designed is designed specifically for this knife design alone, it's not a generic jig that can be used for any knife, it will be set at the 2-3deg angle req'd to produce the full flat grind, it will also have carbide stops that will be at a point of where i start my grind and go to the tip and that's it (the blade will have a flat grind btw)
After grinding all the blades to perfection ( i will not let them leave my shop unless they're perfect) i am going to bring all the blanks (S30V or S35VN) to Texas Knife Supply where they are going to heat treat, temper & cryo treat all the blades to the proper hardness. After receiving all the blades back from heat treating, i am going to do my post heat treating finishing on the blades. Then i will do the electro etching of my logo as well as the company's logo into the blade steel and handle material (my handle material is top secret and the key to the deal with this company, it's going to be made out of their product). Once all that is competed i will attach stabilized scales to the steel ( i am now looking at outsourcing the scales and it seems to actually be cheaper to outsource that as well and one less thing to deal with), use my router to profile the edges ( i already did this method on the first one i created and it worked flawlessly) and seal it as required. Then make the kydex sheath out of the multiple color choice the company wants (i'm giving them the option of several different kydex/paracord color options)
Then i will do my final knife sharpening of all the finished knives and deliver them. DONE
Bring on the comments.......
I have a very extensive collection of all sorts of basic hand tools from my 15+ years of my woodworking as well as stuff me late father passed on to me and a very large and sturdy workbench made out of dimensional lumber. I also have dozens of clamps, hand files, all the basic hand power tools, tablesaw, planer, nailgun's, welding machine, metal cutoff saw etc.... After an email this morning with my contact, everything is a go with a first run batch of 50 fixed blade knives to be made. With that in mind, i have not ever completed a knife, i have done my fair share of metal working but not as extensive as my woodworking experience building houses, cabinetry and custom indoor furniture. I have researched it extensively, watching dozens of videos daily now for months on end, covering aspects of grinding bevels, making completed knives, heat treating, post grinding, handle making tips, final finishing, electro etching, sheath making and on and on. I pretty much have obsessed over it to the point of where the wifey gets mad at me daily and i'm constantly searching for new things to study on the entire process.
Now with all that in mind here's what my actual process is going to consist of for making the batch of 50+ knives.....
After receiving the metal stock (either S30v or S35VN in 5/32"x1-1/2"x36" pieces(18 pieces for 54 total blanks)) i am going to bring that to a local company i have been talking to and he is going to cut the 36" pieces into 3 pieces, stack them up and then cut out my blanks as well as the pin holes with a Wire EDM machine(i am also going to buy a generous quantity of 440c stock to cut he is going to cut my blanks out of as well). After receiving all the blanks (S30v or S35VN & 440c), i am going to affix the 440c blades to 1 of the 2 jigs that i have designed. Now about the 440c stock; originally i said 4-8 for honing grinding skills, but that's not set in stone, i might buy 4-8 or i might buy 15-20, after everyone's comments it might be in the 15-20 range. Which is fine with me, hopefully the grinder i have selected will be sufficient to produce good consistent grinds as far as the machine is concerned. The jig i have designed is designed specifically for this knife design alone, it's not a generic jig that can be used for any knife, it will be set at the 2-3deg angle req'd to produce the full flat grind, it will also have carbide stops that will be at a point of where i start my grind and go to the tip and that's it (the blade will have a flat grind btw)
After grinding all the blades to perfection ( i will not let them leave my shop unless they're perfect) i am going to bring all the blanks (S30V or S35VN) to Texas Knife Supply where they are going to heat treat, temper & cryo treat all the blades to the proper hardness. After receiving all the blades back from heat treating, i am going to do my post heat treating finishing on the blades. Then i will do the electro etching of my logo as well as the company's logo into the blade steel and handle material (my handle material is top secret and the key to the deal with this company, it's going to be made out of their product). Once all that is competed i will attach stabilized scales to the steel ( i am now looking at outsourcing the scales and it seems to actually be cheaper to outsource that as well and one less thing to deal with), use my router to profile the edges ( i already did this method on the first one i created and it worked flawlessly) and seal it as required. Then make the kydex sheath out of the multiple color choice the company wants (i'm giving them the option of several different kydex/paracord color options)
Then i will do my final knife sharpening of all the finished knives and deliver them. DONE
Bring on the comments.......