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The Folding Knife (& Switchblade) Forum The materials, techniques and the designing of folding knives.

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  #1  
Old 09-26-2010, 03:31 PM
Panzer Panzer is offline
 
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Smile Another newbie! Intro and questions!

Hello, my name is Matt and I just started to explore the hobby of making knives. I'm a hands on kind of guy and I love working with metal. It seemed like a perfect fit. I lost my home several years ago due to a divorce and the economy and I'm now an apartment dweller with very little equipment. I have files, sandpaper, Dremel and a lot of determination. I'm hoping this isn't going to be a problem with making some very nice knives.

While I don't know that I'll ever have a chance to forge my own blades or own a mill or a lathe, I've discovered some really nice looking kits on the market. I purchased the MOD1-A assisted folder from KnifeKits.com. I'm not the type of guy to just slap something together and ignore creative #######. I ended up doing some file work on the top of the blade and I'm pleased with the outcome.

I also bought the DDR3 kit with the hopes of finishing it along with the MOD1-A and give them to friends and family as Christmas gifts. I do plan on purchasing more kits to work on and give as gifts from KnifeKits.com.

Some questions...

Am I fooling myself by thinking I can do this in an apartment with limited equipment?

What books are recommended for someone like me? (Won't be forging, no stock removal or machinery) Does Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop book still apply to my situation? Are there others to recommend?

Thanks for any and all input! I look forward to learning more! Hopefully I won't make too many costly mistakes!

Here's a picture of the file work I did so far. It's nothing fancy, but I think it adds something to the knife.
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  #2  
Old 09-26-2010, 04:48 PM
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Ed Caffrey Ed Caffrey is offline
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Honestly, an apartment is a very tough situation for making knives. I suppose it could be done...IF the landlord doesn't object, IF the neighbors don't get too wrapped around the axle due to the noise, an a number of other things that result from living is such close proximity to others.

There are not a lot of books out there that deal with knifemaking with hand tools, but Wayne's book is a good read if your tool resources are limited.

My thought is that assembling kits might be your best bet. A caveat that I must mention is that IF you intend to sell kits that you assemble, most of us consider it a responsibility to be completely honest with customers by telling them that the knife is a kit. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with kit knives, however, there is a huge wrong done when people assemble kits, then put their mark/logo on them, and pass them off as "custom", without informing the customer the knife is based on a kit.

The fastest way to turn your name to "mud" in the knife world is to build kits and pass them off as "customs"....with both customer and other knifemakers. I'm very passionate about it because when an individual passes a kit off as a custom without full disclosure, it immediately makes every knifemaker "suspect" in the eyes of customers.

Your always going to have to work within your current situation. In many instances drive and determination can overcome most obstacles.


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Old 09-26-2010, 05:30 PM
Panzer Panzer is offline
 
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Thanks for the reply, Ed. I have no intention of passing these kits off as custom knives with my name on them. Right now I just want to enjoy building them and explore the possibilities they may have. I don't foresee this as being a business venture. It's more like a hobby of making, creating and giving. I know I don't possess the skill or tools to create the masterpieces I've seen on this forum, but, at the very least, it gives me something to strive for.
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  #4  
Old 09-26-2010, 05:31 PM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Matt...The hobby of knifemaking is really an outlet for your creativity as well as your craftsmanship. I will admit that I've never made a knife from a kit, but ...without tools...there is not much of a choice. It is possible to do stock removal with nothing but a file and sandpaper, but without the ability to do heat treating, it's doubtful you could make a quality knife unless you sent it out for the HT, which many do. A kit knife does allow for embellishment, and that is certainly an outlet for your creativity. A kit can also allow you to demonstrate your craftsmanship.
My guess is that if you do start making knives...you will quickly graduate to wanting more in the way of tooling...and will find a way to aquire them. At some point, I'm sure the apartment thing will become too much to deal with, but...you have to start someplace...and there is no better place than here and now....so have at it!
Good luck.
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  #5  
Old 09-26-2010, 06:19 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Goddard's "The $50 Knife Shop" is aimed more towards the fixed blade knife but a lot of the principles still apply. I remember one of the knife mags had a short article on a young kid that didn't have much more equiptment than what you had. You are not going to have to deal with a lot of big parts so the drimmel could be set up as a drill press. You can do a flat grind with files. Soldering and brazing could be done with benzene torch. The metal parts for the blade and frame could be cut by a water jet service. The heat treating could be hired out. Polishing the metal and the cutting and shaping of the scale material could be done with hand tools. Cutting of small metal parts, i.e. the springs could be done with the Dremmel or maybe a jeweler's saw. Heat treating the springs could be tricky but possibly with a propane torch, a can if oil, and a toaster oven but possibly you could hire that out too.

I'm just kind of brain storming here. If pocket knives are what you want to make I would try to find a book on that and see what the steps are that you need to perform and brain storms on that. As Ed said, working in an appartment could be tricky. It could involve working only when the neighbors are out of their units or at least active. It also will depend on how sound travels between the units. Hopefully someone will chime in who's had the same problems that you are facing.

By the way, I love the file job. When I lived in Virginia I met a man who disassembled factory made knives then customized them with fancy file work and after market scales.

Doug Lester


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Last edited by Doug Lester; 09-26-2010 at 10:57 PM.
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  #6  
Old 09-26-2010, 07:50 PM
DaveL DaveL is offline
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Just explore, ask questions and try things. I know a maker who started just like you. He filed a lot and learned a lot. Try talking to Don Robinson and others.
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  #7  
Old 09-26-2010, 10:09 PM
10es& 10es& is offline
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Panzer, in addition to this forum the two things that helped me the most were

#1 Ray Rogers site
Ray?s site answered every question I had about knife making and includes where to source materials and equipment.

#2 The Tactical Folding Knife by Bob Terzuola
I wish this would have been one of my first investments when I started out. The down side to this book is it is not cheap, if you shop around you might find it for $80 but the info in it is worth twice that for folders IMO.

Brett
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  #8  
Old 09-27-2010, 08:06 AM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Matt...Most if not all of us have a library of books on knifemaking. It just happens. However, no book is a substitute for actually making knives, and if that can be done under the watchful eye of experience, then so much the better. Just keep in mind that there is no shortage of "experts"...the trick is knowing which ones to listen to. If you have yet to find a knifemaker in your area, I would encourage you to look for one. Almost all are eager to show you their shop and will be glad to share their knowledge with you and give tips on the where-fores and why-fors of the hobby. Make sure when you talk to them that they are aware of your equipment limitations so that they can direct their comments to fit your needs.
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Old 09-27-2010, 08:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 10es& View Post
#2 The Tactical Folding Knife by Bob Terzuola
I wish this would have been one of my first investments when I started out. The down side to this book is it is not cheap, if you shop around you might find it for $80 but the info in it is worth twice that for folders IMO.
Holy cow! I bought my copy several years ago from Amazon, and I didn't pay over $20. I just looked at prices there, and it's through the roof!


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  #10  
Old 09-29-2010, 10:47 PM
Panzer Panzer is offline
 
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I really appreciate all the feedback! I don't know of any knife makers in the area, so I'll just keep absorbing the information provided here, other sites and the recommended medias. It's a bit frustrating wanting to do something, but not having the means to do so. One day at a time... Thanks again for the feedback, everyone!
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Old 09-30-2010, 08:57 AM
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ARCustomKnives ARCustomKnives is offline
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I just thought I'd throw my $.02 into the pot.

Personally, I say, where there's a will, there's a way. Granted, sometimes you are gonna have unavoidable limitations that mean one: someone else might have to do it for you, it might cost more money, or it may take a lot of work.

As far as work places, that depends on your apartment and it's layout. Maybe you have a porch or balcony you can do some work on? Maybe there's a back yard or a car port? These days you can find vices that will just about mount anywhere, including a kitchen table. Also, these days, you can find miniature versions of just about any tool.... drill presses, sanders, mills, etc.... or there's at least a way to do it by hand.
I suppose one option might even be to rent a storage unit that you could keep and use your tools in. Most of them have lights and at least one duplex receptacle. It can get expensive, but how bad do you want to make knives?
Maybe you have some friends with houses or shops that wll let you do a little work in them for a couple hours a week.

I have a buddy who makes knives out of a small toolshed in his backyard. Pretty nice knives actually. Some of his tools include a buffing wheel on a power drill, and a small $20 angle grinder mounted to a block, used for profiling blades. He sends his blades out to be treated, but is able to just about everything else himself. Be innovative. A lot of the tools I use most in my shop are tools I made myself, for not a lot of money.

Oh, and FYI, I recently found a free download of the Terzoula book via another thread on this website.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=603203
Not as good as having a hard copy IMO, but better than nothing.

And as far as books go, read every single book on knifemaking you can, even if it doesn't pertain exclusively to the area of knifemaking that you are interested in. You may still gain some very valuable insights that might crossover into your specific interests. And who knows, maybe you won't just want to make folders once you get into it.

So yeah.... it might take some extra effort, a little money, and a lot of patience, but I say go for it.
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Old 09-30-2010, 10:38 AM
DAN VAN DAN VAN is offline
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I would recommend to buy at least a small drill press so that the holes are perpendicular to your work piece. They aren't very noisy either. I would go to a library to find any reading material, cheaper than buying so much. I would also look for the "Knives 2010" or maybe a different year, but that book has a list of knifemakers by the state they live in. I was able to find someone that lives close to me, his help has made a huge difference in my knife making abilites. He also does heat treating for me at a very reasonable price. Dan
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Old 10-04-2010, 08:11 AM
Kirby Bletcher Kirby Bletcher is offline
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Panzer,
Did you ever consider getting into the embellishment end of things instead of knifemaking? You could try your hand at engraving. You would have no problem setting up shop in an apartment. Your already well on your way with the file work.

Kirby


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Old 10-04-2010, 08:20 PM
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I started out in an apt with my balcony as my shop. I built a bench on the patio. I had 2x42 grinder and drill press on it.I used a dremel a lot also. I made several folders that way and lots of fixed blades. I 2nd the Bob T book.That has helped a lot. I saw a knife a guy made with files and a grinder on the patio of his mobile home on another board. It turned out REAL nice ! Kits are always a good way to start to understand the process.

Dave
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Old 10-04-2010, 08:27 PM
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I saw something about Bobs T book being $80 and I was like WHATTTTT? I searched myself ! Oh My Goshhh ! seriously ????? I didnt see if for less than $110 !!!!

I have a copy ~

Dave
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