My first ever knife project is finished

N

nukehayes

Member
Hey guys, I know these are getting old, but I have completed my first ever knife. It was made from an old file I got for a buck at a flea market. The handles are black and orange construction paper micarta of my own making and the pins are turned down brass screws (only because home depot didn't have brass round pin stock). From start to finish in my off time, it took about a week and a half. Never mind the sheath, it is only temporary until I can get some better quality leather and make a pocket sheath for it. Also, I haven't finished putting an edge on it, I couldn't wait that long to show it off. So, without further ado, here are pictures of my soon to be EDC pocket skinner. Time to start #2, man I am so hooked.
I know these are getting old, but I have completed my first ever knife. It was made from an old file I got for a buck at a flea market. The handles are black and orange construction paper micarta of my own making and the pins are turned down brass screws (only because home depot didn't have brass round pin stock). From start to finish in my off time, it took about a week and a half. Never mind the sheath, it is only temporary until I can get some better quality leather and make a pocket sheath for it. Also, I haven't finished putting an edge on it, I couldn't wait that long to show it off. So, without further ado, here are pictures of my soon to be EDC pocket skinner.


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Yes I did, I didn't feel comfortable using my HF 1x30 belt sander. Took a while, but I like the control that it gave me.
 
That look real nice for a first effort. How does it cut? Most makers don't even come anywhere near that close when they make their first knives.

Doug
 
I'm glad your hooked. With an effort like that you are going to do well.
I made my first knife with files and sandpaper. I still have it, and though I dont like it as much as some of the others I have made, I keep it around to remind me how much I have learned and to remember I dont know it all.
Good job and keep it up!

Eric
 
It reminds me a lot of the first knife I ever made. The blade and handle shape are very similar. I used 01 tool steel, black linen Micarta, and ss pins. Did it with hand tools except drilling the pin holes. I think it took me 3-4 weeks to finish.

good job!

Ric
 
I like it! Welcome to the world of making sharp pointy things! I like the design...simple, comfortable, useful...functional art! :)
 
Nice 1st, I'd advise you to keep up with it, you'll want to go back and look at it from time to time. Your handle material, do you mind sharing how you made it? It looks really good to me, and with some creative filing you could expose some neat designs in it, very cool knife! Just know that you now have an addiction that will make you think about knives all the freakin time! Spend excessive amounts of money on all kinds of things you would have never thought you'd be buying, I remeber my first order to TruGrit, 102 dollars worth of sandpaper!!! My wife almost flipped, until she found out it lasted me over a year! Now it's time to start buying books, video's and scouring the web for all things knives!!! Have fun, it is journey, not a sprint, so pace yourself, learn everything you can and hang, on it is a BLAST!!!! Rex
BTW what state are you in?
 
McClellan Made Blades said:
Nice 1st, I'd advise you to keep up with it, you'll want to go back and look at it from time to time. Your handle material, do you mind sharing how you made it? It looks really good to me, and with some creative filing you could expose some neat designs in it, very cool knife! Just know that you now have an addiction that will make you think about knives all the freakin time! Spend excessive amounts of money on all kinds of things you would have never thought you'd be buying, I remeber my first order to TruGrit, 102 dollars worth of sandpaper!!! My wife almost flipped, until she found out it lasted me over a year! Now it's time to start buying books, video's and scouring the web for all things knives!!! Have fun, it is journey, not a sprint, so pace yourself, learn everything you can and hang, on it is a BLAST!!!! Rex
BTW what state are you in?
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Thank you for your kind words, all of you. McClellan, the handle material was made with 5"x5" pieces of black and orange construction paper, 2 pieces per layer. I learned how to do this from youtube, a fellow submariner called Crashdive (Crashblade knives). I used a flat wood plank, layer of wax paper, 3m Bondo resin, paper, bondo, paper, repeat, wax paper, another plank, 4 c-clamps, and about 24hrs cure time. The clamps are very important, I tried to make some with just the weight of a full tool box, no good. Hope this helps. Oh, and I am from Ohio, but currently stationed in San Diego.
 
nukehayes said:
Thank you for your kind words, all of you. McClellan, the handle material was made with 5"x5" pieces of black and orange construction paper, 2 pieces per layer. I learned how to do this from youtube, a fellow submariner called Crashdive (Crashblade knives). I used a flat wood plank, layer of wax paper, 3m Bondo resin, paper, bondo, paper, repeat, wax paper, another plank, 4 c-clamps, and about 24hrs cure time. The clamps are very important, I tried to make some with just the weight of a full tool box, no good. Hope this helps. Oh, and I am from Ohio, but currently stationed in San Diego.
Click to expand...

Construction paper!?!? How would of thunk it!? I guess Westinghouse as that is siilar to their paper Micarta. It did give me the idea to try the same thing with vulcanized fiber, the same stuff we use for liners and spacers on fixed blades, it isn't the bets stuff, but after gluing it with something like fiberglass resin it won't absorb water anymore. It's just an idea, and I really like the construction paper stuff you made, it turned out quite nice!

So you're a SQUID, huh? Relax, I say that with much respect, I was Jarhead, I say that because I earned it! And your a Sub guy to boot, that is one of the last places on earth I'd like to be, seriously cool though. And you got stationed at San Diego, kind of an expensive place to be, but the weather is pretty great! I spent 2 months at Yokoska, Japan, mostly ships there, but I'm sure Subs get to go there too, it's an awesome base, probably 2 of the better months I was in the Corps, y'alls food was so much better than ours ever was!!! Not to mention the culture shock, of being "asked" to do something, it was strange the first few times, I really didn't know how to act. It was easy to get used to it, made me want to do more..., now lets get to work on another blade, you did pretty good on the first one, now lets get to making another. BTW, here's a tip for learning how to use your HF grinder, get some paint stirring sticks, if you go to a paint store they may give them to you. Try to get the ones used for the 5 gallon buckets of paint, they are much longer and thicker, you should get between 3 to 4 knife sized pieces from one of those, they are great for practicing the grind on, you can learn a lot that way. Appreciate your service too! Rex
 
I got mine at Auto Zone, I found a better price at Wal Mart, around 12 to $13, I've made some with Blue jean material, there is a great tutorial on it in the Tutorial Section, sorry Nuke just trying to help out a bit!
Do know this stuff is a huge mess, and you have to work really fast, with paper it would be much easier as it is stiff and material is NOT! It was fun and the results were usable, I haven't used mine yet. But I keep looking at it, and I will eventually. It's pretty neat to make the handle material on a knife you made. I don't believe for a second that it will rival the quality of Macarta, so I'd be hard pressed to sell it on a knife. Even with full disclosure, the chance that one of mine could fail do to it being my fault is cause enough. Now if it's a smaller knife that a person wouldn't expect more out of it than small cutting chores that would be different...hmmm, it's got me thinking! I still like the idea of using liner material, with the Bondo resin it should make it waterproof, solid as a rock. If I can figure out a way to put enough pressure on it, it should work great and I wouldn't have to have help. One person doing it with material was craziness! With my wife the work time was better, but don't have to stop for any reason, like wax paper tearing! And it will, afterwards I'd say it was fun. Especially when I pulled my block out. I tried some more with some material I got at the fabric store it was on clearance and was polar fleece kinda stuff, with some canvas, I think I spent 5 bucks for all of it and I got a lot, the fleece stuff was white and the canvas was pink (the alternative was torquoise), I was thinking it might look nice on a girls knife, but the pink ended up with waves in it, not straight like I wanted. I'd still use it for my Mom or wife, pretty cool looking, but I need to play with it more to see. The construction paper is a cool idea, I think it would look even better with some grooves filed in it to show all the layers. I may give that a shot too. I love projects like this, it's a nice to take a break from knife making every once and when I can fit it in.
Rex
BTW Duke, you've shown us something new to us, give me some great ideas, and another thing, we NEVER get tired of seeing knives!!! EVER!!! Especially first knives from new makers, one day we'll be sitting back looking at Blade and say, "I remember his first knife on KD!" It could happen.
 
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