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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 07-30-2016, 09:30 PM
Higgins909 Higgins909 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
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Can you melt/pour steel at home?

I've been wanting to get a harbor freight belt sander to sharpen some knives for a while now. But I've also been thinking about making my own knives since I don't really like the knives I have now.

I've concluded that anvils are expensive. So I thought I could make a foundry, but don't know if it can melt steel. To then pour into open casts and then take the knife to a belt sander to get the shape I want, then sharpen up and such. To do it with as minimal and cheapest gear possible to get a start.

I have very minimal idea on how knives are made. I was wanting to see if it was possible to melt steel before I asked too many questions, as I seem to have a bad habit of asking a million questions on things I want to do, but never do them. (Welding, tool stuff, wood working... sad)

Noise with a anvil would probably be a issue too.

Thanks,
Higgins909
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  #2  
Old 07-30-2016, 10:14 PM
damon damon is offline
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contrary to what is shown in movies, you can not just pour molten steel into a blade shape.
youd be far better off (and cheaper) ordering a good piece of 1084, or other such easy to work steel and then shape your knife that way.
http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/shop/1084hc/
easy to work with stock removal, or forging. easy and more forgiving to heat treat at home with minimal equipment. also not too expensive either.

if you were to smelt your own steel, youd still need the anvil, or power hammer to work the bloom/ingot into a billet worth making a blade from.

others on here have more experience with these processes, and can provide you with more detail.
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  #3  
Old 07-30-2016, 11:27 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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If you think that an anvil is expensive consider how expensive it would be to build a forge that will handle the heat required to melt steel. Then there are the crucibles that are required to melt the the steel in, the tools to handle the the white hot crucibles, and the safety equipment need to protect yourself. Then there's the high temperature investment needed to make your molds from and the burn out kiln needed to melt the wax model to the blade out of the mold to create the cavity to pour the steel into. An anvil, tongs, and hammers are going to be cheap by comparison. I disagree with Damon in that molten steel can be cast into the rough shape of a blade but there's a reason that it's not. It's expensive and dangerous.

First of all, get yourself some books and videos on making knives so that you have a better idea at what goes on with the process.

Doug


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  #4  
Old 07-31-2016, 12:35 AM
Higgins909 Higgins909 is offline
 
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Good to know so I won't ever attempt it. Regarding the anvil. Are there any big box stores that sell them? I know harbor freight does, but they have bad reviews. How big of a anvil would I really need? I only plan on making something like a 10" total length knife. If I could get a small cheap $50 anvil or something and that'd work better.

I seen a video of someone turning rebar into a knife and some rebar rods are in the garage doing nothing... but a bit rusty, so maybe their not a good metal. If I ever get into knife making my goals are "get good at making knives > make knives for family > sell knives" (A good few people in my family cook a good amount and a dull knife sucks. Family has visited my house a few times and they complain about our dull knifes. Hence wanting to get belt sander with special belts)
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  #5  
Old 07-31-2016, 04:24 AM
jmccustomknives jmccustomknives is offline
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The answer to the first question, no, you can't get a functional anvil from a box store. There are decent to good cast steel anvils being made. New ones can get expensive. Deals can be found on an old anvil that might be a little rough. A good anvil can last many lifetimes. I have one in my shop that's pushing 160 years old and still in service, the other is well over 70. Taken care of they don't wear out.
As far as the "dull" knives thing, the belt sander probably isn't going to help much for sharpening knives unless you have kitchen knives that have a soft temper.
Knife making can be done on the cheap, and if you are smart and do your research you can make functional tools without spending thousands on equipment.
Ray has a knife chat Sunday nights. He'll bump the thread. Drop in and ask questions.
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  #6  
Old 07-31-2016, 06:03 AM
WNC Goater WNC Goater is offline
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The absolute cheapest and easiest way to "dip your toe in the water" is to buy a single bar of blade steel like 1084 as suggested, and make a knife using the stock removal method. A 48" bar from the New Jersey Steel Baron is like $15 or so. You can make several knives from that and get a feel for the process, learn to heat treat etc. By no means will you be an expert on any facet of knife making with a single bar but you'll get a feel for what is involved before purchasing $$$ more equipment and you can decide whether you want to branch out into forging, or stick with the stock removal method.

YouTube and Google is your friend.


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  #7  
Old 07-31-2016, 09:01 AM
dtec1 dtec1 is offline
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i would agree do some research on stock removal and learn that first you wont need a anvil for that. i made that mistake my first knife i made i tried to forge lets just say it was barely a knife shaped object. my second knife was a at attempt at damascus even bigger mistake it came out ok for a first attempt at it but it took forever because i didnt know how to even make a proper blade let alone damscus 1 step foward 2 back kinda thing....then i found everyone here and i learned the right way to do things......check your private messages i am going to send you a couple things that really helped me in the begging
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  #8  
Old 07-31-2016, 09:02 AM
dtec1 dtec1 is offline
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hmm cant post private messages maybe you didnt set it up if you do or have a email ill send you some stuff
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  #9  
Old 08-01-2016, 05:10 AM
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Crex Crex is offline
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Fill out your profile. You are probably living reasonably close to a maker with some experience. You will learn more and quicker getting first hand exposure through an established maker. Some may charge a fee, but it will be money well spent if you are serious.


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  #10  
Old 08-01-2016, 05:20 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Mr. Higgins, where do you live? If you live near me I know of blacksmithing classes you can take, or possibly a bladesmith who lives near you could teach you the basics for a minimal fee. The Blacksmithing classes where I live are $100 that include materials and you supply your own safety gear except glasses. Check your local colleges or Google blacksmithing classes near where you live. I live in NC about 35-40 miles from Asheville.
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  #11  
Old 08-01-2016, 08:25 PM
WNC Goater WNC Goater is offline
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Is the class you mention at Haywood Tech?


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