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How to make knives

A beginner’s guide to knife making, you’ll be surprised how easy it could be.

So you like knife making? For years of knife collecting, you might want to try out something new and go a notch higher than just being a fan of knives. To satisfy your curiosity, here are a few basic steps on how to make knives. Don’t be surprised because the knife making techniques are not as complicated as what you have imagined before you really tried.

The first thing to do is to prepare your materials, tools, and necessary protective gear. Of course, to make the whole process flow smooth, be sure that you have set all the things that you need because you would not want to be distracted along the way.

Because you are basically not a knife master, and this is still your first knife, you could have a pocket knife for your first attempt of being a knife maker. This is for you to be probably successful in how to make knives. Look for the steel that that will be your blade. Preferably, a thin and flat kind of carbon steel may be used. Now that you have your metal, outline the pattern or design of your knife by a marker. After drawing your desired shape, drill and saw the steel following the profile that you have made.

Then, drill holes on the part of the blade where the handle will be placed. These are holes for the grip and also holes that will screw the blade to the bench where you are to get the blade done.

The next part in how to make knives is to shape and file the handle first because it has holes that can be screwed on your working table. This will hold the whole knife upright when you are working with your blade already.

When the entire knife is shaped draw a center line along the edge. This is for you to grind the sides uniformly and that center line will serve as the marker where you stop cutting.

Now proceed to grinding the bevel of the knife. You may choose to lay the knife flat on a working table again with its edge overhanging from the table. On the other hand, you may also hold the blade against a grinding belt. The latter process however, may require a little more expertise to keep lines straight. Sand and file the entire blade.

This is where the fire comes in knives making. Put your blade in preheated coal and let it stay there for a time until it reaches the temperature it needs. Check on the blade every two to three minutes to make sure you are not overdoing the heating. How to test it is over? Get a magnet and see if it sticks to your knife blade. If it doesn’t, then, it is time to put the blade away from fire.

Put the flame in the blade away by soaking it in oil for a few minutes. Notice that the steel has changed its color. Don’t worry, this is not a sign that you have failed nor is it deterioration. It is the natural reaction of the metal to the process. Sand this to restore the metallic color of your blade.

Now it’s the handle’s turn to shine. Really now, this is the easier part of knives making. Remember the holes that you drilled on the metal. A rod of metal (or screws too) will be inserted on these whole and will connect the blade and the handle together. So, shape a wooden handle and put it on the blade.

Look at your first piece and do the finishing touches – sanding, filing, polishing and all that. Is it perfect? Look at every angle of it and examine the details of its imperfection. Well, it’s okay. You are now excused for a job not very well done but you can keep your first masterpiece as proof that you have tried how to make knives. This will also be the reminder of which part did you make flaws so you can make better knives in your second or third try until you become a master in knife making.