Victorian with a passion

[Guest]

Hey guys, just saw the link of the side of AKG website and came over here.
I've been looking around trying to get information on knifemaking and figured this seems like a good place to.

I've got a couple of great blades, a couple of crap ones, but I keep them all sharp and they get the job done.
I'm in the Army Reserve and I'm a hunter so that job can vary greatly...

As I said I'm looking into knifemaking, I want to start by stock removal and I bought some cheap steel from Bunnings to practice... only problem is they only had Galvanised and so while it was easy to file to shape, I'm fairly sure if I attempt to heat treat it that the zinc will kill me. Which is slightly annoying because the part I'm most unsure about is heat treating. I don't have a forge myself (or really a good place to put one) by an Army mate does, so I'll have a look around the site for a tutorial for various steels. I was thinking about buying some D2 but I read somewhere it's hard to heat treat.

The aim is to try and make a dollar out of it eventually but I just love edgeware

[gajinoz]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place for tips on knifemaking, look in the custom area.

[Zac Cheong]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Welcome Austemplar!
You need not worry about heat treating the steel from bunnings. Sorry to break the news, but it's completely unsuitable and wont harden anyway.
Alot of us get out heat treating done by Hills heat treatment in Bayswater, VIC so the complexity is quite irrelevant. If you really want to do it yourself, contact Karim at http://www.tharwavalleyforge.com/ for some 1075 carbon steel.

What kind of knives are you looking to make? Whereabouts in Victoria are you located?

[damien]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Welcome to the forum Austemplar
+1 on what FTO_dude said

[AusTemplar]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Steel from Bunnings wasn't meant to make a functional knife, more to just try things out before I ruin some good steel.
Given I'd like to eventually make a profit from it, I was wanting to do everything inhouse.
In Vermont South if you know where that is, near Glen Waverley.
Looking at a few different types, some hunters/utility knives and then some ones aimed more at .mil personnel for myself and mates in the green

[damien]

Re: Victorian with a passion

try a sheet metal shop and tell them you wont some mild steel off cuts in 3 to 4mm they may just give you some
it will be good to practice on to learn to grind

[AusTemplar]

Re: Victorian with a passion

just sent tharwa valley forge an email about getting some 1075 steel, may as well get my skates on

[Zac Cheong]

Re: Victorian with a passion

"Real" steel isnt really that expensive, especially 1075. And grinding 4mm mild steel does nothing but waste abrasives and effort.
If you really want to practice grinding angles, then use wood. But my suggestion is to just jump right in with something that will create a useable end product.

you should also be aware that knifemaking and profit rarely fit into the same sentence. haha
Best of luck! post pics along the way

[AusTemplar]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Purchased various width's and thicknesses, around a hundred bucks worth. Should work out to 10 knives worth if I don't mess them up. What am I looking at if I got Hills to treat them?

[gajinoz]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Since this is basically an intro area, perhaps you'd like to start a topic in General Chat and talk about these things there.

[AusTemplar]

Re: Victorian with a passion

Sorry, I'm rather impulsive...