Redbaird
Well-Known Member
My mom's birthday is this weekend so i decided to attempt a small set of kitchen knives for her. I made 3 knives in all; a small pairing knife, a stubby butcher and a chopper. The pairing knife was forged from a German air saw blade 3-1/2 inch blade 7-1/2 overall. The stubby butcher and chopper are forged 1084 5 inch blade 9-1/4 overall. I left a few hammer marks and grind grooves to give them a primitive look. All handle and slab material is mahogany with brass pins. I finished these with Tru-oil. I routed a groove and epoxied rare earth magnets into the back of the slab and drilled holes to mount to the wall.
![IMG_1199[1].JPG](https://knifedogs.com/data/attachments/51/51205-aba4d8fa87308ecad59475e335ada24a.jpg "IMG_1199[1].JPG")
![IMG_1211[1].JPG](https://knifedogs.com/data/attachments/51/51206-4c3c8ac91867567d83acd0da053bd201.jpg "IMG_1211[1].JPG")
![IMG_1240[1].JPG](https://knifedogs.com/data/attachments/51/51207-a0182954234789093a851fb5e4524303.jpg "IMG_1240[1].JPG")
The major struggle I had with these knives was the hardening and tempering process. These are by far the thinnest knives I have ever attempted and after hardening I was not prepared for the brittleness. I broke 5 knives making 3. After a few failures and some reading (knife dog searches) i succeeded by tempering immediately after hardening. This took some stress out of the steel and allowed me to work the knives. The knives got pretty hard and are super sharp.
Each knife I make is getting better. I am much further along after 4 months of bladesmithing than I thought I would be. Thanks for all the advice i get here. Keep posting and I will keep learning.
The major struggle I had with these knives was the hardening and tempering process. These are by far the thinnest knives I have ever attempted and after hardening I was not prepared for the brittleness. I broke 5 knives making 3. After a few failures and some reading (knife dog searches) i succeeded by tempering immediately after hardening. This took some stress out of the steel and allowed me to work the knives. The knives got pretty hard and are super sharp.
Each knife I make is getting better. I am much further along after 4 months of bladesmithing than I thought I would be. Thanks for all the advice i get here. Keep posting and I will keep learning.
