Forging My First Tanto Knife - Sharp Works

Today, I make my first tanto knife. I’ll start by saying that this is not the nicest looking knife that I made by far, but I’m looking at it as more of a prototype. This knife consisted of many “firsts” for me. This was the first project that I made a through-tang guard, paracord wrap handle, and, of course, my first tanto style knife. I forged it out of rebar since it is cheap and easy to acquire. While forging, I didn’t hammer in the bevels since I wanted to get all the hammer marks out of the end result so I left enough meat to grind out. This knife was intended to be on the small side, but I should have ground more of a handle on the bench grinder. A piece of aluminum flat stock was cut and filed to form the guard. It needed a way to stay in place so I pinned the tang to prevent the guard from sliding off. I then wrapped the handle in paracord and finished it off with a quick patina. I tried a different method where the knife was wrapped in a paper towel and soaked with vinegar. This darkened certain areas more than others, giving an interesting random pattern. I will make another tanto and improve it in the future since I learned so much from making this one. Let me know what you think.
Interested in Forging? goo.gl/YhSdCU
Camping / Survival Hacks: goo.gl/NBaM7h
Knife Making: goo.gl/bvDcaa
Will It Rust? goo.gl/J7vPz4
Please like, comment, and share if you enjoyed the video.
Sharp Works

[@PeterAdamsonKnives]

really impressive, i'd love to try forging a knife properly some time rather than just using stock steel

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you! Forging is really fun and can be relatively cheap to get started as you can see by my wobbling anvil 😆. I’m still practicing and wish I had more free time to do more.

[@SharpWorks]

Please ignore the poor anvil stand. I haven’t gotten around to finding/making an improvement.

[@forgingforasgard5753]

Nice work man!

[@tongthongchannel8940]

I also made a katana.but it is very very small

[@felipegrandneolopez7696]

Parece que no sabes trabajar con otros materiales!!!!solamente con hierro de construcción!saldrían mejores piezas si mejoras la calidad de tu materia prima!!!!es un buen consejo!

[@SharpWorks]

I used this steel only to practice my forging. I use 1095 high carbon steel when I make knives that I plan to use. You should check out my other videos.

[@lawrencedm3399]

Great work! You produced a pretty fantastic product with that "poor anvil stand."

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment!

[@acteon-nature-wildlife4507]

Hello friend subscribe channel Nice vidéo félicitations wellcom me my channel Actéon nature France

[@TopBabyWOW]

💝Good job!💝Happy Valentine's day.💝AMAZING!!!! My son loves your super knife!!!!!

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you! Happy Valentine’s Day I’m glad your son liked it 👍

[@ear1933]

Rebar…but nicely work!

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you! I’m still practicing so that’s why I’m using rebar. Once I get more confident I’ll move onto some good steel.

[@ear1933]

@@SharpWorks Roger that

[@CFG_Carnage]

Hi I'm back I love the vid and knife keep up the good work...

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you so much. Glad to hear from you again!

[@felipegrandneolopez7696]

Muy finito el modelo....más que tanto se parece a un abrecartas!!!!!!

[@stokermeister3]

Great job

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you!

[@JoeyAtilano]

That came out sweet! I liked the guard lock idea. I need to post another video !

[@SharpWorks]

Thanks! It took me a bit to figure the guard out. It’s a little wobbly but I think I can make it better next time. I miss your videos man, but I can understand. Finding the time to film and edit can get hard.

[@kilo1934]

I’ve heard really good things about that CFC cutting oil. SV Seeker,Doug Jackson recommends it. Good vid. Love the knife

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you!

[@moulayysabour5424]

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

[@jimsheely4527]

What was the liquid you poured on the blade in the sink?

[@SharpWorks]

I used vinegar to etch a slight pattern in it.

[@بهزادمرادی-ص3ط]

way no use highcarbon steel!!!

[@SharpWorks]

Haha I normally do. I was using this to practice forging since I’m still new at it. I didn’t want to waste a good piece of steel unless I was sure I can make something good with it.

[@PaintingtheRosesRed]

First

[@SharpWorks]

Haha, ah you beat me

[@PaintingtheRosesRed]

@@SharpWorks hehe 😊

[@ignoremeimnoone1961]

Wow.. nice one dude 👍🏻

[@SharpWorks]

Thank you!

[@ignoremeimnoone1961]

@@SharpWorks Challenge: Try to forge a katana (it would look epic)

[@SharpWorks]

CatzlOX that is now on my list of things to do. Thanks for the suggestion!