Thread: whiteling knives

You gonna try and get rid of those fingers the slow way?

The dreaded Carbatech has good knives don't they? Dreaded because they 'spensive and have too many tempting things.

Hi Weisyboy,
I've made a couple from scratch, forged, which I've posted here before somewhere.
The other option, and I've made a heap over the years (20+), is to modify cheap stainless steel knives from the Op shops. Pick up a handful for 20c - 50c each, wooden handled, plastic handles, kitchen knife, bread knife or steak knife, whatever.
Put a groove in the blade at a suitable length, using the corner of a bench grinder wheel, or a handheld one, then snap along the groove in a vice.
Shape it however you want, by judicious grinding. Don't overheat the metal or melt the handle, but don't get fussy because stainless is a different beast than carbon steel. I finish the back with a belt sander, then buffer. Sharpen carefully with a grinder, then onto stones, before a felt wheel buff.
These work really well, due to the large handle and small blade, and the fact that you change the contour & size of the blade to suit the task: recurve, blunt, pointy, whatever. I have a dozen sitting in my tool satchel when I run workshops, and they seem popular items.

Cheers,

Andy, I haven't got the ability to forge iron, but I have modified knives as you mention. I stay well clear of stainless steel, though, it is mostly hopeless at keeping a decent edge, although I have heard that more recently they have found how to make some that holds it a bit better. That's probably the reason why Carl has found them frustrating.

Moral of the story, Carl, rust is good!

I've also made a few over the years
but a NO.1 pfeil is still my fave,
(not sure I should be recommending anything sharp though)

Originally Posted by underfoot

...(not sure I should be recommending anything sharp though)

Given Carl's record, if they are blunt they will just be more painful...

Since a Stanley knife produced the only (minor) permanent accidental damage to my body when I was 18 or so, I am not very fond of knives anyway. Give me gouges and chisels any time.

... which reminded me. I have these three Narex knives that I bought and sharpened but never used. You have been very generous with your support of the challenges, tell me which one you prefer and I'll post it to you. Don't hold me responsible if you kill yourself with it, though!

thanks guys i will have a go at making one when i get my hand back i have plenty of knifes lying round.

i will also have a look at carbatec. are they decent quality. if im buying one i want it to be good.

i have no idea witch is best but the one on the right looks good to me.

thanks a bunch mate.

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

I stay well clear of stainless steel, though, it is mostly hopeless at keeping a decent edge, although I have heard that more recently they have found how to make some that holds it a bit better. That's probably the reason why Carl has found them frustrating.

Moral of the story, Carl, rust is good!

Hi F&E,
That's interesting, as its the opposite to what I've always believed! A random comment found on one of many websites: "Carbon steel knives are better to sharpen and don't hold an edge as long but tend to rust, as stainless knives hold their edge longer and are harder to sharpen."
The main reason I steer towards the stainless for modifying though, is the heat treatment is not as adversely affected by grinding.
I do have some commercial ones, made by Kirschen, and they aren't bad at all.

Good luck weisyboy, hope your injury heals well.

If that's what you have always believed, Andy, it tells more about our ages than about knives... you obviously refer to the more recent steel I mentioned (hard to find at Vinnies, I would say...)

To quote from "Ragnar's knives page":

"Stainless steel is easy to care for, but it has a bad reputation among many knife users because the early stainless was almost impossible to sharpen. If you did manage to get it sharp, it wouldn’t stay that way very long. Stainless has come a long way since then, and the best of the modern stainless will hold an excellent edge. But it’s still somewhat more difficult to sharpen.
The Scandinavians are often on and around salt water, so they’ve learned to make stainless steel that works. I’ve had a number of folks over there tell me that their stainless steel holds an even better edge than their carbon steel, but none of them tell me it’s as easy to sharpen. Still, most of the upscale Scandinavian knives are made in stainless. If you live around salt water, or in a damp climate, stainless may be a good choice for you.
Carbon steel is often better for those who need a really sharp edge. Those who use a knife hard, like wood carvers, and need a really sharp edge, spend a lot of time going back and forth between the work and the sharpeners. Here easier sharpening is more important than rust resistance. Most choose carbon steel for this kind of work because it’s so much quicker and easier to bring back to a razor edge."

Of course, it is always a matter of opinion, isn't it?

As above find yourself a good old non stainless steel blade ie the old Vinies op shop blades,kitchen or hunting,old bayonets from the disposals are excelent , old blades (high carbon) are tuff hard steel, grind to desired shape as above don't over heat, keep quenching as you go, then hone to razor sharp edge. Don't let it get too blunt keep brushing it up as you use it.

below is a link to woodcrafts website and it shows the PFEIL "Swiss Made" Chip Carving Knives you may find it interesting

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx...s=1337&pcs=fam

Claw Hama ... weisyboy and a bayonet ... are you MAD?

It won't be his fingers, it will be disembowellment.

Don't you guys have anything like this over there?

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=1354

You should be able to get a good carving knife for less than $20.