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Here it is, knife #5. I tried to make the file work on the handle resemble a snake to match the scales on the sheath. Didn't work out as well as I had planed. Thanks for looking!

Thank you for all of the replies. I am going to take the after bead blast approach and see how it works. thanks again!

I tried to search the forum for the answer to my question and haven't had any luck. When you are going to have a bead or abrasive blasted finish, do you etch your maker's mark before or after the blasting process? Thanks!

We have a Tandy store close by and the employees are a wealth of knowledge. Whenever I have questions they are more than willing to demonstrate products and techniques. On Saturday mornings they usually have a workshop where they allow people to come in and work on projects. This is a great...

Here is knife #4. The blade was hollow ground form 1/8th inch ATS-34. The blade is 4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide(deep). The handle is 4 inches long. The bolsters are nickel silver. The handle material is desert ironwood that dovetails into the bolsters. I did the file work from...

I tried to grind a larger knife than what I have previously worked on. I had a heck of a time trying to keep the grind lines straight and ended up taking the blade to a thickness of .030. Is this too thin to send off for heat treat? The blade is 10 3/4 inches overall. It is ATS-34 that is...

That is an amazing knife!

Beautiful knife!

Thanks for input! Rock Cowles created the avatar and designed a maker's mark for me. I just hadn't taken the time to update my profile. As far as etching the maker's mark on my blades, I ordered personalizer plus and it won't be here for a few weeks.

I have assembled about a dozen kit knives and decided to take the plunge into grinding my own blades. I spent one day with a very generous knife maker in AZ and got a quick lesson on hollow grinding. There are a lot of imperfections on each knife, but I learn from each error and move on. I...

I finally completed #2 and #3. Both are hollow ground from ATS-34 5/32 stock. Heat treating was done by Texas Knife Makers. The first one has a nickel silver guard with a nickel silver and red fiber spacer. The spine of the handle has some rough looking file work. The wood is desert...

I am going to make a hidden tang knife and will use nickel silver for the pommel. I plan to thread the pommel and need to purchase a tap. My question is which do I need, a taper tap, plug tap or bottoming tap? I have never used a tap before so I don't know which would best be suited for my...

I just finished the first knife I have ever made from start to finish. Mirror polished ATS-34 5/32 thick 3 7/8 inch blade 7 3/4 overall Heat treated by TX Knife makers Nickel Silver Bolster Mosaic pins Red fiber spacer Desert ironwood handle File work I am interested in...

Is there a correct or common pin size for bolsters? I am going to make a knife and plan on using nickel silver bolsters and was thinking that there has to be a benefit to using a larger size pin stock but wasn't sure where to start. Thanks!

I am sending my first three blades off for heat treating through Texas Knifemaker's Supply. The blades are all hollow ground from ATS-34. The blades are all under 10 inches in length and are 5/32 thick. My question is do I need to specify a RC hardness and should I pay the additional $4 per...

Thanks to all for the advice! I knew it was an "ambitious" first project, but I have learned a lot from my mistakes. I plan on turning more steel into dust this weekend.

Today was my first attempt at grinding a blade. I have put together dozens of kit knives and finally put some money into a grinder and took the leap into making my own blades. I started with a 5/32 piece of stainless steel. I put some painter's tape over the blade and drew out a pattern. I...

The Dewalt DW-120.

Thanks for the offer! I live in southern Arizona and I am afraid that the cost of shipping would be outrageous. I am going to try the 1/2" blade and slow down the feed rate. Hopefully that will get me closer to a straight cut, or at least something that is more readily fixed on my sander. I...

Thank you for all of the responses. I can see that my bandsaw is not up to the task. The tension adjustment knob is made of plastic and if I tighten it anymore it will more than likely break. Now I will start my search for a bandsaw that is capable of the work. I have been thinking about a...