Blade help???

[redhawk44p]

Where is a good place to buy blade blanks? I have been buying blades from Koval and Texas knife makers but I would like to get a better steel than 440C or Aus 6. I would like a blade made from ATS 34 or D2.

[Ray Rogers]

Get catalogs from all the major supply houses like Sheffield's, K&G, and Jantz. They all sell blades and seems to me I saw some D2 in there somewhere. Might also check knifekits.com to see what they have. We also have a Knife Kits forum on KNET, so you could ask this question over there too....

[redhawk44p]

I have used froogle and every means I can think of. Knife and Gun has ATS 34 but it is 6 months backordered.

[TexasJack]

I hate to be the one stating the obvious, but it looks like it's time to start making your own from stock.

[SteveS]

Redhawk. Do you mean Knife and Gun has a knife blank you want that's back ordered, or were you buying ATS34 bar stock?

Steve

[redhawk44p]

I intend to Texas Jack. I am learning to do handles and hilts first. I will ask your opinion when I do, I know you pull no punches.
Here is the blank I wanted SteveS
ATS 34 blank
it is on 6 months backorder.

[SteveS]

Redhawk,

Good choice. Too bad about the wait. Here's an idea for you.

First order one of the those cheap 440C blades in a kitchen style. Something like this:

http://www.knifeandgun.com/catalog/k...de_1524362.htm

Then a block of micarta, some nickel silver pinstock, and this book:

http://www.knifeandgun.com/catalog/h...es_1516093.htm

Pick up some DEVCON 2 ton 30 minute epoxy at the hardware store.

You'll spend about $40 and have a sweet little knife you can give your wife. Not only will you learn some basics, you'll please the wife. This is very important, because knifemaking is the ultimate vortex for sucking in your free time.

Then I'd find a knife maker here that will sell you a knife blank. Now while you're waiting for your blank you can be knifemaking!

Steve

[redhawk44p]

I have been busily putting handles and guards on blanks. I need to practice on fitting and buffing. I also have trouble photographing my knives. Here are 3 I have done. The one in the middle has a buffalo horn guard.

[SteveS]

Sweet! Didn't know you were that far along. The last one is my favorite. Very nice - my style knife too.

Yes, you deserve a high quality blank.

Maybe you could make a post along the lines of "Looking for a blank from a custom maker." Or contact some of the pro makers directly and see if they'll bite. However, you might still be looking at a 6 month wait. You never know.

Steve

[redhawk44p]

Glad you approve Steve. That gives me momentum to keep going. I put handles on then cut them off and start over. I am working with some wenge now. That stuff is like a rock.

This a sweet knife. Hubba hubba. I wish I could do those grind lines Steve.



I ordered this blade. It will be here soon.
Damascus blade

[singertat2]

i have personally built that "cowboy skinner" you posted on the bottom.personally i think that doing kit knifes have helped me along my journey to knifemaking but since i have gotten my grizzly grinder i have started to grind my own blades. right now my grinds stink but each one gets cleaner and easier to do.-fed

[TexasJack]

I know you pull no punches.

Ya know, I give one guy some feed back - a guy with lots of talent who wanted the critique - and suddenly I'm the knife world version of that Simon guy on American Idol.

If you're building knives that look this good from kits, and you want to move to better steels, it's time for you to think sincerely about stock removal. You know the type of knife you want. I'm not being critical of you. That feeling of frustration you have is trying to push you to the next level.

Look at the real super knifemakers on this forum and see what they post. "Thought I'd try something new..." "Was inspired by xxx and combined it with this..." etc. There is no good place to stop learning. If you have any desire to create, then you will always need to move forward.

As I always say, "You learn something new every day, even when you don't want to."

[redhawk44p]

Yeah Singer it is a big help I think to do handles and hilts before you take on blade grinding.
I meant no disrespect Texas Jack. That feeling of frustration lives with me . I see s30v and I almost slobber. Then I have to order the AUS 6 blades offered by the online stores. A grinder for blades is a big investment. I will take the plunge and buy one next year. I look at the beautiful blades you guys make and suffer from envy. It must be fantastic to be able to make any knife you want out of great steel.

[TexasJack]

It must be fantastic to be able to make any knife you want out of great steel.

No, it's equally frustrating! Then you want to do forging, and that leads to doing your own heat treating. Then that leads back to changing the way you do the handles. Somewhere along the line, you want to do your own sheaths. (Then, you find out how easy it is - at least for the simple ones - and you get really mad about what you've been paying for the crappy ones you've been pairing with your knives.) "Damascus fever" hits somewhere along the line. You'll make something new and great - then see someone on this forum do it better and think, "I could improve this!"

Along the way, you'll have to learn some metallurgy, chemistry, woodworking, corrosion protection, leather stitching, forging, welding, electrical wiring, .... They ought to offer a degree!

Point is that some level of frustration is good - as long as you are channeling it into improving yourself and your work. You may not be able to move into a new level financially or physically (e.g., a forge in an apartment), but there are always things you can do to improve.

Grinders are great! I've got a Grizzly, which is about the bottom of the line, and it's a terrific improvement over doing without. But there are some wonderful knives posted on this forum made with nothing but hand tools (esp. files). Power tools don't make the knife - you do. Power tools just make it easier and faster.

I strongly urge anyone new (but serious!) to knifemaking to get Wayne Goddard's "$50 Knife Shop" book. When you understand what can be made with almost no investment, then you really get an appreciation for what better tools will do. And get yourself a piece of steel that you want to work with and make a knife. It will be slow and frustrating, but it will also give you a rush you can't get from the kit knives you've been ordering.

And post pics here so we can critique them!!

My sincere best wishes!

[Chris Daigle]

Serious to my friend TexasJack. That was said better than I ever could have. The frustration is still very much there, it's just on a different level. The comment about hand tools is how I feel as well. I don't use many belts past 220 grit. Everything else I do by hand. Because I want to? Heck no! It's just that at finer grits, my grinder has shown me how fast I can make mistakes!!!

Chris