Forging A Chef Knife

[@GreenBeetle]

This knife was sharpened on a TSProf Kadet and sharpness tested in the video found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5uyfp5oabWih7c

[@GreenBandon]

I love watching your videos. You forge steel like it is a precious metal, never wasting a bit. It’s one of the things that makes your videos so amazing to watch.

[@ghill1010]

I love the random rants. Awesome. Then I get to watch awesome blacksmithing with it. Absolute gold for me!!! Thanks.

[@RedBeardOps]

That's some solid labor sir! I love that file work

[@GreenBeetle]

Ty, sir 🙏

[@rorydonaldson2794]

It's a good day when this channel uploads, a good day indeed!

[@GreenBeetle]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@irritablearchitect]

Your synthetic ivory is probably made as an hot extrusion process of some sort. Many years ago when I was a model builder, fresh from architecture school, we built some very elaborate acrylic and styrene models. The cast acrylic sheets took to sanding well and produced a nice, uniform finish, regardless of grit or pressure, however, the extruded stuff would gum up almost exactly as your handle material was doing on anything but the lightest pressures and specific grits on the belt/disc sander. It was a pain to work with and we avoided using it if at all possible.

[@MrZetor]

Great video, as always! Personally, due to the weight/handling, I would never add any 'decorative' metal to a kitchen knife, especially when there is an integral bolster. And even without one, I wouldn't go beyond a single 3mm brass/Al/Ti plate/bolster. For the handle, I'd go for (stabilized) flamed birch since it looks good, and costs as much as 52100, which is exactly nothing.

[@tellket]

Nice piece Beetle. Thanks again for the post Sir.

[@potatotr33]

Thats a REALLY handsome looking knife. I'd personally want to avoid any small corners where food/containments could get stuck. That's my only gripe, I love how its finished to a point where I'd be proud to use it every day rather than the super polished pieces that seem too much like art to even contemplate using. I think the greatest compliment you can give a tool is using it for its intended purpose.

[@Smallathe]

Very cool and a lovely blade. What about resin with marble powder as an alternative?

[@GibsonCutlery]

Love the spacers! Worth the effort. Unstabilized maple with a truoil finish is nice when you want a lighter colored handle material. Holly is even whiter, but can be hard to come by.

[@GreenBeetle]

Holly? I never thought about that I need to look at some. ty!

[@seatroutking7555]

I use holly here in Ireland for knife handles and spacers also for walking sticks it’s really white and very hard with a tight grain and sands to a decent polish 👍🏻 great craftsmanship on the knifes GB

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Great job on this one, I like how it turned out. You should checkout the integral bolster grinding attachments. They’d clean up that bolster area really nicely. 👍

[@GreenBeetle]

I've got a small wheel arm that does a pretty good job but I think I know what you're referring to. I might try to fabricate something like that.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Ive had some of that exact faux ivory micarta laying around forever. Were you using ceramic belts? Knife turned out great👍

[@GreenBeetle]

I used aluminum oxide and ceramic they both tore at it.

[@OUTDOORS55]

@@GreenBeetle 👌Looks like those scales will sit in the drawer a while longer😂

[@pr0faker]

@@GreenBeetle maybe slower speed, it looks like its sort of melting it? For me the knife look okay but you can do better for sure, I would have not kept the forged look on the bolster and spine but choices were made, some do like it. For me on a kitchen knife its not the look I would want. Also the grooves in the brass bolster part, don't really fit the look and if I was using a knife a lot in the kitchen, food particles will clogg that up, I would maybe fill it up with black epoxy and sand it down or just put another finish on that part.

[@nickhershey9963]

For everyone on the internets sanity please keep comments like this to yourself.

[@pr0faker]

@@nickhershey9963 without saying who you refer to its more likely YOU should, but for the sake of argument I will assume you mean my comment. It could be me but if I am not mistaken he kinda literally asks us what we think of the knife? WE can agree he says so in the video yes? So too bad someone gives an opinion thats not to youtube hug everyone with love standard, but thats internet and I still like the knife besides those points. Especially since I know he made, in my opinion, better looking knifes before this one.

[@zacharybyrne9723]

I recently ground camel bone for the first time and had the same issue of the material chipping out on 36 grit belts. I ended up just getting it close on 36 and finished it to profile with 120

[@philochristos]

I make my own paper micarta. The epoxy is expensive, but considering how much micarta you can make with it, it ends up being pretty cheap in the end. And you can make it in any colors that you can find construction paper in, including white or ivory.

[@McGowanForge]

Beautiful knife Steve! I just forged a Bushcraft knife from a large roller bearing and looking online it says it should be 52100

[@GreenBeetle]

Good steel 🤘

[@STUFFWEDO]

It turned out beautifully. Thanks for sharing.

[@A.J.vanOosten]

Hey Steve, I use Juma for the faux ivory look. It's really the only way to go. If you're looking for white, there's two kinds: One is a plain white and the other has a very slight texture that replicates bone. I can't remember the names off the top of my head, but both are a Juma product. As for the knife, I'm not going to kiss ass: Looks good but you've done better mono steel blades. Handle could have done with more shaping but I can understand why you'd be hesitant with this material. I'm sure the honesty is appreciated :)

[@killerkane1957]

Very well done Green!

[@nordishkiel5985]

Awesome! Never heard of faux-ivory before.

[@Dash199t]

Hi, maybe try some Zirconia belts for the handle and micarta in general. For me ceramics only gum up and overheat this stuff, but with zirconia you can grind away easily :)

[@souppapi4993]

love watching your videos, seeing your forging processes has seriously helped improve my own knifemaking thank you for the effort you put into all these videos

[@killerkane1957]

Green, it just hit me. You use graphite in your epoxy. Good idea. But, I’ll guess you get your graphite from the hardware store? Small container and kinda pricy. You can easily find agricultural graphite on-line. Used to lubricate seeds in a big planter. Anyhow, you can get a 5lb jug for cheap. Lifetime supply for a fraction of the cost. I mix it with beeswax for a forging lubricant.

[@ryang656]

Every time I watch you make something like this I just think to myself “how did they do this in the olden days?” With all the modern equipment we have it still seems like a very difficult, time consuming process. Love your videos

[@jeanladoire4141]

In a lot of ways they were better than us. But also GB makes his knives with an extremely fine finish, wich wasn't the case for most items made in the middle ages. Slight defects have always been widespread up until relatively recently with the use of modern machines. So we just have different ways of working compared to back in the days i'd say

[@xgoodvibesx]

Apprentices, man-powered machines like pedal-powered grinders, and being crippled by 30.

[@nyukknivesandleather889]

If you are looking for a synthetic ivory then I would suggest Elforyn. It is probably as close to ivory as you can get and machines very well and finishes to high luster if you desire. It is great stuff to work with. A bit pricey but definitely not as pricey as real ivory.

[@Hammertime-y9q]

I like it. The handle is much nicer than the handle on the Japanese chef knife I just bought it is just round. Yours has some ergonomics to it.

[@filmgeek9136]

I’m no expert but I have good luck grinding problematic stuff directly on the contact wheel, in my case an 80 durometer skateboard wheel. Maybe the softer backing material allows for less burning. Great job as always.

[@carrestore]

A simple knife but very beautiful

[@lindboknifeandtool]

Have you ever worked with prelaminated steels? I just ordered some blue no2 and shiro 2, both jacketed. You can even get prelaminated vg 10, that would be a cool steel to make a video with

[@DatBoiOrly]

kinda love working with round stock since its extremely unlikely to crack when forging it into something

[@ColdHawk]

Hmmmm. That comment makes me think I am doing something wrong….

[@MCsCreations]

Beautiful, mr. Beetle. Really amazing work! 😃 Happy holidays! And stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@beezo2560]

Good looking knife. It's a big'un. The single pin handle is cool too.

[@TalRohan]

Super knife love the design but I think I would go for holly (treated with citric acid then a clear coat thinned so it soaks right in) I don't like unnatural handle materials but having said that it does look great. I also like a slightly heavier knife , more comforting in the hand when I use it...but thats a personal preference.

[@paranoiia8]

Nice clean look, I like it. Also I would not worry that much about weight(as far as it doesnt hit 300g) because if you keep balance nice in center it should not feel that heavy. Not to mention that In kitchen we use lots of knifes and for some universal cutting like vegis or meat it should be perfect.

[@GreenBeetle]

Good to know!

[@OhHeyTrevorFlowers]

I came for the forge and stayed for the metaverse.

[@robbie3068]

I love that intro segment! Great job as always!

[@pabloramirezdiaz7668]

Beautiful Gaucho Knife! Awesome video as always

[@GreenBeetle]

Ty

[@dansmith4989]

Galalith isnt hard to homebrew and is one of the first plastics made to replace ivory. No idea how it behaves materialwise but worth a shot maybe?

[@GreenBeetle]

I'll look up a recipe.

[@benmacdhui]

Ooh a chef knife in 52100?! Yes please

[@billbaggins]

Another nice blade Steve 👍 I think I enjoyed the random outburst more tho 🤣🤣

[@sevenarchers5953]

Hey Steve, Nicely done; very classy with simple lines, and great choice of materials. I really like the look and feel of ivory. I've never used it myself, but I've seen some nice results with camel and giraffe bone. The only drawback is that it can smell pretty funky when grinding/sanding it with power tools, sort of like burnt hair and feathers 🤢. But being an organic material, it has a great feel and look similar to real ivory. Plus it's ethically harvested and renewable. Just a thought. Take care, and God bless my friend; you & yours have a great Christmas.

[@GreenBeetle]

👍

[@bearfootknivesgunforge9183]

I'll never use that feau ivory again. Clogs bits and tears out too much material and lots of sanding after. Knife looks great Steve

[@GreenBeetle]

Exactly, cheers!

[@charliebowen5071]

The integral bolster... after experimenting ,I find even regardless of what the scale says that an integral bolster always makes the knife “feel” heavy...

[@IronCraft002]

Beautifully done 👍👌

[@NMKnives]

awesome looking kn ice, love what you did with the bolster.

[@MrMarsBlades]

Thanks for the vid man, I do like your video's, I learn from them. One comment though, it's become kind of fashionable to leave unfinished steel cleanup as you did around that bolster area, I like some of them but on this one it looks particularly bad, especially as a kitchen knife, sorry, it's my honest opinion, thanks again.

[@Anderson-HandForged]

looks great Steve im still suky at forging i did a chef knife class a few weeks ago with Matt parkinson your knife look fantastic 😀👍👍Mark

[@GreenBeetle]

Ty

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Fantastic Chef's Knife. Also have a Happy Christmas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jasonguest5820]

Great job. I think it would look just a little more expensive if you squared and polished up the bolster too.

[@ryanblystone5153]

Thank you

[@emilnord]

Yet again, a really beautiful knife. Like the handle, looks really great. Like the white and steel combo. And such a nice Saturday morning treat watching and listening to you. But I'm always nervous when you hand sand the blade, it always looks like you're going to slice your fingers. Have a great weekend and a merry Christmas to you and the family. Happy holidays Sir !

[@seanmtactical6069]

BRK just went to a Resin Ivory on their handles and Mike Stuart says he loves it over all the others in this look.

[@ohiovalleyforge5383]

Love your work brother, forge on my friend!!

[@llamawizard]

Beautiful knife! Personally, I prefer a taller blade to aid scooping food into the pan. But I love the aesthetics of this

[@jaypearman9528]

Hands down best KZbin knife maker, beautiful work I lika your styla👍

[@GreenBeetle]

ty!

[@richardland5563]

It looks brilliant.....

[@tinkeringaround6241]

Another awesome job !

[@joecoastie99]

maybe try turning down the belt speed while grinding that stuff? For faux Ivory I make my own custom color mix and just use Alumalite epoxy. Anyway, looks great, Steve!

[@GreenBeetle]

With paper?

[@ambsquared]

Not sure what part in Tron where they did any forging, but hey, death frisbee and light beam motorcycles.

[@joshmajor8662]

Hell yeah man!!! Turned out great. If I’m being honest tho, I hate the detail work on the spacers Lol sorry man. It just doesn’t fit with that handle. Old fashioned solid spacers of maybe some tarnished copper instead 🤷‍♂️ I know, I’m weird haha still looks great!!

[@jedhassen720]

You're my favourite maker, cheers for the video

[@GreenBeetle]

Thanks for watching!

[@BumblingB-DC]

I think it came out great.

[@nathanclarke6694]

I don't usually like white handles, but dang that's pretty.

[@JMS-2111]

I like the look of the micarta, but I think that if you use a real ox bone or something like it, it could be cheaper and give a nicer sheen. Great knife though, as always.

[@krissteel4074]

Overall its a really classic looking knife. I've used the Juma/Elforyn Ivory in the past for highlights and it doesn't seem to suffer from the tear out and melting, sort of an almost soft wood equivalent in terms of shaping and feel. Its 'less hard' than say G10 or micarta. Wasn't exactly blown away by its ivory grain either and its not exactly conductive to mechanical polishing so it ends up being a lot of fine sandpaper and wood polishing by hand to avoid low spots near the bolsters and harder handle materials. I mean, its stable enough and you get what it says on the can so to speak but I wasn't really hugely excited by it to the point its a 'must have' material

[@GreenBeetle]

What are you using now?

[@krissteel4074]

@@GreenBeetle I haven't really found much I think would suit, it looks like ivory but just a bit fiddly to work with. Was thinking maybe mixing up a shallow puddle of acrylic resin in a completely white with maybe talc to colour it (plus give a bit of body) and then some semi-opaque caramel coloured resin added in blobs then just gently blending in some swirls and stripes through the white with a thin piece of metal. Not entirely sure how it would look, but acrylic resins are plenty tough and shape well at lower speed grinding.

[@lucasgumbiner8673]

@@GreenBeetle Ive used elforyn super tusk. It's kinda like a resin but not lol. It works super easy and can take a crazy polish. And it's got a cool grain to it

[@lorneclose7312]

Supertusk is soft but not hard to work the grain is actually what makes it more authentic. If you look at real Ivory it has the same grain. What I really like about it is the weight compared to G10 it's way lighter which means you can do a handle on a small knife without needing to do a heap of weight reduction to your tang. Overall the biggest issue I found is how easy it will stain especially if using it next to a dark timber like Ebony the sanding dust will stain the supertusk its not impossible to clean it off but it is a pain

[@timhvac6869]

Absolutely beautiful

[@henkvandebeek7921]

Looks great

[@InMyPurview]

Another nicely done video sir.

[@GreenBeetle]

Thank you kindly

[@Pablo668]

Nice knife, love your work man. Have you ever worked with laminated Formica? I used to have to machine it up as wear pads when I was an apprentice. Stank to high heaven when cutting it, the material toxic, fibres dangerous and it can catch on fire. Might make an interesting handle though.

[@GreenBeetle]

Never seen it done for a knife, might look interesting but sounds like a challenge.

[@sperber-knives]

Damn that's beautiful 😍 great job!

[@seanscimeca1]

What press are you using????

[@Chickenandfriends-dj4vt]

Another beautiful knife and fun video. Love the channel! Keep up the great work.

[@rudyreynosa748]

Look great!

[@dragonwing4ever]

looks good mostly, I'm just not a fan of what you did with the brass spacers but thats just me

[@nukepizzaa]

Nice work, personally I would say the back of the handle should line up perfectly with the spine of the knife to look more professional

[@elijahmcgeorge5198]

My favorite handle material is tomano wood and awesome video

[@GreenBeetle]

is there another name for tomano wood?

[@elijahmcgeorge5198]

@@GreenBeetle not that I no of it’s an island wood

[@lorneclose7312]

Elphoryn super tusk best faux ivory out there . Easy to work great weight

[@GreenBeetle]

A couple other people mentioned it I’ll give it a look.

[@projectsdonepoorly1383]

What is tye model of your hydraulic forge?

[@GreenBeetle]

Coal ironworks

[@projectsdonepoorly1383]

@@GreenBeetle thank you

[@christopherconkright1317]

Do you answer comments? 80CRV2 is it easy to heat treat? Every video I watch they give no details you using this steel that’s different made me think of it.

[@GreenBeetle]

Kevin cashen gives some good advice in forums if you google his name and 80crv2 you should find it.

[@christopherconkright1317]

@@GreenBeetle thanks I’ll do that

[@nybe]

hiya! I bought your knife-made-outta-springs last year... any chance this knife is for sale??

[@GreenBeetle]

It’s a Christmas gift, apologies.

[@jaimeherreraopazo1352]

I like this model,

[@charlesascott661]

Another question that’s been bugging me. Presses vs. power hammers? Is it a cost thing? Noise? A different purpose? What? Also, what are the pros and cons of each?

[@GreenBeetle]

That’s a 10 minute discussion

[@charlesascott661]

@@GreenBeetle in simpler terms, is the press better for your purposes?

[@GreenBeetle]

@@charlesascott661 a power hammer is more versatile. Presses often cost less, weigh less, are less noisy, easier to maintain.

[@charlesascott661]

@@GreenBeetle thanks, I thought that may have been the case (i.e. a compromise). Though since you’ve humoured me thus far, is there a positive aspect to the striking force and its effect on the crystalline structure? E.g. hardness or “setting/rearranging” the structure better, so it doesn’t have as high a chance of warping when hardened or whatever? Kind of like reducing the metal’s “memory” (a complete guess on my part, so it may be entirely wrong/irrelevant for any number of reasons)

[@scottmccarroll2618]

Great to see you again steve your my favourite blade smith on KZbin I also like Eric from rivers experience you should do a collaboration with him then my life would be complete lol I love your humour I’m a blade smith from Australia but I had a major stroke so it’s kept me away from the forge hope to see more of you soon Scott

[@moonboogien8908]

Came for the existential metaverse crisis, stayed for the smithing.

[@dmg4415]

It is hard to love something that belongs to another man. But as it is not a person I could get out and admit it would fit my knife block very well. "My Precioussss" as Gollum says it.

[@NordicEdge]

Nice video. Have you tried Juma synthetic ivory by German company Elforyn? They make nice looking man made ivory substitutes. And their Juma Black is really stunning too. Bjorn

[@GreenBeetle]

I’d love to but can’t really find any in the USA

[@bjf10]

Looks great! Nice work as always. 🙂

[@GreenBeetle]

🙏

[@nathansteyn9200]

I love frizbee golf

[@Dapstart]

not sure if that was a TRON reference, or some of the madness breaking through, but great knife Steve!

[@GreenBeetle]

bleep bloop bleep bloop

[@larrybud]

10:26 is it melting??

[@billbaggins]

Questions Steve... maybe you have already done a video but, I'm wondering about the pros and cons of grinding after HT. To me there seems a risk of burning the edge and ruining the temper. Is this dependant on steel type? Specific for a forged blade? I probly knew why in the past but my leaky brain does not retain stuff like it used to 😁 I'm a stock removal guy and use D2. I find that cos of it's great dimensional stability I can grind my bevels to 0.5mm (20thou) or less and have no problems with warping. I know there are many ways to skin a cat but I've not seen anyone explain why, re post HT grinds in the last few years. Admitedly I don't watch lots of knife channels Also I posted a roughish build video the other week, would love some feedback from a master if you can put up with half an hour of mostly fast forward vid. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Cheers mate 🍺

[@GreenBeetle]

Forged steel builds up stress and if you grind bevels unevenly or have to take more off one side than the other to straighten things up then warping can follow. Annealing/normalization cycles can help reset things and reduce warping but the thinner one grinds the easier it is for the steel to warp and the less material you have left to correct even minor disturbances after heat treatment. I see some forged blades get ground pretty thin before they are quenched snd those folks are just way better at their process than me. I note there’s a difference between forging thin then quench and grinding thin then quench the latter produces more warping for me.

[@billbaggins]

@@GreenBeetle Thanks Steve 👍 Makes perfect sense now, knew it would be along those lines. You are a good explainerisator 😁 I shouldn't say I have no problems with warping, mostly I make 4 - 5 inch blades with no dramas. 7 - 10 inch is harder and needs a thicker edge/bigger secondary bevel Thanks again for your knowledge 🍺

[@Obsidian1022]

Is the micarta stabilized?

[@GreenBeetle]

Well, it's technically made with resin so, yes.

[@jackshields606]

Hail to the chef. Fa la la la and all that stuff.

[@ryanjones8757]

I would have used a piece of holly for a faux ivory. Stabilized, it feels similar

[@BrianS2464]

I’m a big fan of narwhal tusk but when I can’t get any I go with black rhino horn. 😋

[@_BLANK_BLANK]

Someone should make an all clear epoxy handle, and maybe do some kind of cool engraving on the tang. Idk if it would look good, but at least someone could say they did it.

[@GreenBeetle]

Great idea

[@williammorton4613]

Just made my first knife following your rasp knife video. Had a old rasp laying around I made a gyuto kitchen knife Edit: Spelling

[@GreenBeetle]

Nice congrats!

[@IceDragon978]

Excuse me I raised my hand when you asked "who's with me"

[@GreenBeetle]

🤌✊

[@KageStelhman]

Have to agree with you on that one Steve, the less expensive Faux Ivory (Paper Micarta) is a real whoreson to work with Power Tools, 'cause they usually don't vaccume seal it before clamping it into the form. Anyhow the blade turned out really nice and the handle is a good contrast with the bolster and rough forged portions of the blade :) By the way, if you haven't already told us yet... how did your Journeyman Blade Smith Test go? I remember you saying that you were getting ready to build the blades for it but I haven't heard or seen anything about it since

[@GreenBeetle]

I still have 5 unfinished knives laying around.

[@stephenkeefer3436]

Wow Steve ! You really go FAST ! Made the whole thing in under 15 minutes. Hey can you whip me up a set of steak knives when you have a spare minute or two ? 😂 Anyhoo, another great video, as always. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours !! Btw, that’s heirloom quality Steve.

[@GreenBeetle]

🙏👍 and you!