Forging an American Bowie from an Old File

I love giving new life to old useless junk. This old file was destined for the trash but was forged into an old American style bowie.
If you would like to purchase a knife like this or a different custom, please email me at
[e-mail]
You can also follow me on Instagram to see my latest projects
/ fe.r.o_chris

[@tonypatey5669]

Well, you certainly didn’t lose your touch for knife making. Solid looking knife, looks like it could take a lot of action. Thanks for sharing. Thanks. Tony

[@travispadilla3972]

I like the way this came out

[@mikewalsh5872]

Absolutely beautiful work.....

[@anteante3022]

Beautiful work💪

[@michaellindsey13]

i always like these knife videos!

[@geraldstamour1312]

Dope AF results, @ironridgeoutdoors! Now it needs an equally dope sheath/scabbard to complete the package!

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Thank you!

[@geraldstamour1312]

@@ironridgeoutdoors Absolutely!

[@jamesball7322]

Good job man 💪🏽

[@brianwright7580]

That was cool 😎.... can't wait to make one for myself

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

This is a great blade to make. It's a straight forward build and a classic.

[@mr.bullionnaire9748]

Great lookin knoife

[@phrogman4654]

Should make a eBay or Etsy shop to sell your knifes. That way people can see what you have for sale and can buy it right there. No email back and forth.

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

One of these days man. I only make about 6 knives or so a year. Just a weekend hobby for me right now. Usually, I get swamped by orders, and don't have anything on hand.

[@austin9521]

Love the knife it turned out great! Do you make sheathes for them?

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Yes, I do leather sheaths for all my knives if the customer wants them.

[@AN-us6dj]

Absolute beauty. I hope to be this good one day. Only been at it about a year. What wood did you use on the handle? Its gorgeous.

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Thanks! This handle was done in walnut.

[@daveferguson46]

Beauty man. Do you shape the front of the scales before glue up so you don’t fuck up the bolster? and did you forge the bevels just a bit to speed up the grinding? Love all of your knives dude .

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Thank you. Yeah, on a full tang, full guard knife like this, the upper part of the scales are finished before final assembly. And yep, I roughed in the bevels to speed up grinding and for a bit of added width as well.

[@kantrikoboy]

how do you make a hole in the bastard file? i have a 900w drill press but when i tried boring a hole I barely go 1m deep and no more, my bit seem to break if i will go further, the chuck of my drill holds a minimum of 6mm diameter bit, any help will be highly appreciated.. of course i drill with low speed with lubricant cooler.....TNX

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

You need to anneal the file before trying to drill. It's almost impossible to drill through the hardened file with a normal hss drill bit.

[@kantrikoboy]

@@ironridgeoutdoors Thanks for the tip master

[@andrewallason4530]

I use Milwaukee bits rated for use on metal with an impact driver, but running at very low RPM in my press. Lottsa cutting oil to keep it cool.

[@lartensgrill6106]

Awesome stuff! Do recommend any books or sources to read about metal working?

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Thank you. Everything I learned about knife making was from places like bladeforum.com and watching youtube videos. I haven't read any books on the subject.

[@lartensgrill6106]

@@ironridgeoutdoors thanks for the heads up!

[@lukinbar]

Amazing work! 👏🏻👏🏻 How long did you soak it in instant coffee? Thanks ! 👍🏻

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

Thanks, I really appreciate it. It was in there a couple hours. At some point it won't get any darker.

[@grahamcook6883]

How much do you normally sell a knife like this for? Cause I’m starting blacksmithing and I was wondering how much a simple design knife would sell for(and I know that ones I make would sell for about a hundredth of the price of yours😂)

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

When I first started, I was selling my knives for around $50-$75. Now that I've been making them for for nearly a decade, my pricing range is $150-$1000 depending on what the customer wants. This knife didn't have much customization and sold in the $400 range.

[@grahamcook6883]

@@ironridgeoutdoors dang bruh u fast as hell😂. Thanks I was just wondering cause blacksmithing has always seemed super cool to me. Love ur vids by the way

[@mr.bullionnaire9748]

What's the angle of bevel and cutting edge?

[@ironridgeoutdoors]

I have no idea what the primary bevel angle is, but the secondary, or cutting edge, is around 25 degrees. I free hand the secondary, so it's not an exact angle.

[@mr.bullionnaire9748]

@@ironridgeoutdoors alright thank you. It's a awesome blade👌