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I'm working on a few Axis Lock folders, and am struggling with getting the right satin finish to my blades. I create my bevels before heat-treat with 120 grit. Then I clean up my bevels and plunge cuts after heat treat with 180, 220, 320, and polish with 500 and 600 grit. I alternate between...

I’m looking at a very nice Baldor motor for sale to fit up to my disk grinder. Problem is, it has a 7/8” diameter drive and I need to find a keyed adapter/coupler that will step down to a 5/8” OD to attach to my aluminum grinding disk. Haven’t been able to find the right part. Any suggestions...

I have a set of 1084 blades that are in need of stress relief prior to heat treat. I plan on foil wrapping them to minimize carbonization, as my blade tolerances don't allow for much more steel to be removed following heat treat. To relieve stress, I follow a three step process of bringing the...

I’m trying to decide if the belt sliding on the platen when applying pressure while grinding is an equipment or operator problem. I have an Origin Blademaker Grinder with a one horse power motor. The wheels are all crowned and aluminum with the exception of the top platen wheel, which is a...

Coming to the end of my Bowie Knife Build, and trying to decide whether to silver solder the Nickel Silver Guard or secure it with JB Weld before I pin and epoxy the Antler Crown Handle. I'm leaning toward silver soldering the guard, but have not had much experience with A2 steel, which is what...

Ok, so I’e run into a bit of a challenge attaching my antler handle to the hidden tang of my Bowie Knife. The A2 steel blade is back from heat treat and the 1/8” pin hole between the handle and tang makes for a slight wabble from the guard to the handle. I’m guessing there’s probably a 1/16” gap...

I’m working on a Bowie from A2 steel and wondering about making the guard from left over A2. Any thoughts or suggestions as to using A2 for guards vs nickel silver? Thanks

Getting ready to build a new propane forge from an air-tank I recently purchased (see photo). The dimensions are 21" long by 10" wide. According to the online calculator, this yields a volume of 1650 cubic inches. I plan on using a 1 3/8" Goede Stainless Steel Foundry/Forge Burner...

After ruining another blade at the end stages of grinding, this is one of those days I'm ready to throw in the towel and concede defeat. But I'm not a quitter, and I will figure this out one way or another! But any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I've been making knives for a number...

I forged this blade from part of an old plow I found out in the woods. Not sure what type of steel it is, though it produced a fair amount of sparks while grinding. After etching, I ended up with this curious pattern similar to Damascus though there wasn’t any other forge welding done. Anybody...

I forged this blade from part of an old plow I found out in the woods. Not sure what type of steel it is, though it produced a fair amount of sparks while grinding. After etching, I ended up with this curious pattern similar to Damascus though there wasn’t any other forge welding done. Anybody...

I have an Oregon Blade Maker, Bader Style grinder and just bought a 4" rubber coated contact wheel with a 1.18" (30mm) inside bearing bore. I'm in a bit of conundrum as to how to attach it to my tooling arm, which has 1/2" and 5/8" threaded holes. I thought a 30mm diameter shoulder bolt that...

I’m working on a series of five knives from the same pattern, and applying the same heat treat with each knife. The blades are 1095, and were brought up to 1475 degrees in the kiln and quenched horizontally in an electric turkey fryer and peanut oil that had been preheated to 120 degrees.The...

I have to admit, I am confused on how to calculate primary and secondary bevel angles. Using angle blocks or angle gauge, I have in the past determine the primary grind angle at say, 4 degrees. Other sources describe the angle as much larger. For example, one article describes the idea of...

Good morning, I etched a few of my knives with some new stencils today, and have a few questions that hopefully someone can help answer. The first knife I etched (with my Electro-Chem Etch, Personalizer Plus etching machine) was a 1095 steel, and it etched a little too deep. The second knife...

I am hoping some of you "veteran" knife makers can give a beginner a helping hand on this knife. Its a gift for a nephew who asked for a big Bowie, and I am in the final stage of its grinding and assembly. I just got the blade back from heat treat, and I need to decide how to finish the blade...

Well, you know you're in a fix when it's 2:00 AM and you still can't decide th best course of action on your latest knife build. My concern has to do with whether I should pin my deer antler crown to the knife tang before or after I heat tray the blade, which is A2 tool steel. The consensus of...

Hi folks. I may be in over my head in a project that started out as a request for a large Bowie knife from my nephew. I'm working with 1/4" A2 steel and am trying to decide the best way to grind the false edge on the clip point end of the blade. I am not confident free handing the bevel, and...

I have an electric kiln that ramps up to a maximum of 1700 degrees fahrenheit. The recommended temperature for A2 austenitization is 1750 degrees. Can I adjust for the lower temperature some how in the annealing phase, and if not, will the difference in temperature significantly effect the...