Knife Making: Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started - Pt 1

[@ironhornforge]

I have enormous respect for you and your work. I happened upon one of your videos last year and decided to try my hand at some knives. I am a smith but before your video had no interest in blades at all, I specialise in decorative work so apart from tooling I didn't ever try. The most surprising aspect of knife making is it's got almost no smithing in it at all 95% of the time is fittings and grinding/sanding. That was a big plus for me because it got me away from the forge and into a workshop tinkering away. I felt much more active and find it really fun. So honestly thank you, you've opened up a new chapter for me to explore and learn.

[@leighchristopherson2455]

A note on calipers, for $150 Canadian you can get a Mitutoyo 6" dial caliper. Far more reliable than a cheap digital, and as accurate as an expensive digital. For a couple bucks more you can buy a Starett, which I believe are American made, versus Japanese for Mitutoyo. The Gesswein polishing stones were a surprise in the video, but as a plastic injection mould maker, I used them quite frequently on the cavity of the moulds to achieve the desired finish. That Silver and Denning drill shouldn't be in a drill chuck, it should be in a collet. It is less likely to spin in the collet, and if it does it's not going to fuck up the tang the way a chuck will. Great information. Thanks.

[@gordonfischer8484]

1# thing I wish I knew when I started knife making is that this channel exists. Keep up the great videos!

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

Great stuff Walter. One I learned was to wear gloves and a good mask when sanding exotic woods.✌

[@Shin_Lona]

This is a very good point. I actually came across a database concerning this not to long ago. There are several types of wood that are toxic and many that will cause skin and respiratory irritation. I'll see if I can find that site again and post a link. www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

@@Shin_Lona Thanks! I'll read up on it. ✌

[@heikolang335]

@@Shin_Lona thanks for sharing that link!

[@gordonfischer8484]

Very important. I always wear a mask for grinding wood and steel. I don’t wear gloves as much but some woods like cocobolo will give you skin irritation.

[@Reploidx9]

​@@Shin_Lona TBH, you should be wearing a mask regardless of the wood type, sawdust in your lungs just aint fun. Steel, carbon fibre and even fibreglass even moreso.

[@weedeater64]

Dude , your timing was perfect on this. I've watched some of your stuff in the past, great BTW, and I knew you had a video where you recommended some metal suppliers. While I have enjoyed watching your vids, I wasn't looking forward to binge watching all of them to find that one bit of info. Thanks much.

[@craiggehlert]

thank you for doing this video..as one of the ten thousand new garage knife experimenters. This helps ALOT.

[@paultroiani9189]

Always learning something new! Thanks Walter!

[@webneko9842]

I've also learned a lot from your videos. Thank you for making them.

[@jeremynedrow7003]

Thanks again for all of your knowledge.

[@tuckerlesar1619]

Good to see a new video

[@joshuawalker301]

Awesome video! great job walter! greetings from argentina my man

[@stevenjennings8347]

Awesome informational educational video experience Y'alls God Bless Ya 🙏

[@goot776]

Walter, you are a legend in our community. I kinda want to buy a denim button down shirt now.

[@twatmunro9563]

If you haven't owned it since the 70's, it doesn't count. Extra points if it still fits you after all those years.

[@Reploidx9]

@@twatmunro9563 Some of us *literally* cannot have owned it that long.

[@MisterGames]

I have zero intention of making a knife but I watch your stuff 👍

[@1810jeff]

Heres one I learned the hard way, if you're going to use a kitchen oven to temper your hamon knives make sure to place a thermometer in the oven so that you know where the heat stays consistent so you don't overheat it or underheat it.

[@elmblades.]

Another great video thanks

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mr.bullionnaire9748]

Thx for the tips⚒🍻

[@jbyrd3304]

I love Pop's knife supply!

[@Noone-rt6pw]

Could you show how to make switchblades or automatic knives now? Which there's plenty of use for automatic knives! Or quenching, hardening of ELMAX

[@andrewneilson227]

#11: set up a way for your paycheck to go directly to the knife supply and power tool manufacturers to save time

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

You mean the pay check from your regular job? 🙁 It seems tough to make a living making knives unless one gets famous-ish

[@andrewneilson227]

@@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx Yes, I am a hobbyist. I make knives and give them away. But it still sucks up a lot of cash!

[@jackspradt1562]

@@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx stay weak bud.

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

@@jackspradt1562 keep trolling, one day you may actually effect someone

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

@@andrewneilson227 yeah I hear that. Hobbies can do that. The wife and I have several aquariums and while nothing is terribly expensive it adds up

[@manieshkhanal9680]

Sir i enjoy your video but please make some thing like back lock knife some kind of American tradational knife please it is gonna help me

[@bbarker5766]

If you want to know more about precision measuring tools and how to use them properly go talk to some machinists. To us holding 1 thousandths of an inch tolerance is a daily thing but sometimes we get to dwell in the tenths of a thou or tighter. But that isn't needed for knife making lol Oh if you're wondering what a thousandth if an inch is.... a human hair measures 3 thou so 1/3rd the thickness if a hair. 😉😉

[@MountainFisher]

Looks like YOUR hair is only .003, lol. My beard hair runs .005 to a little more. I have a 24 inch Vernier, no use for it now.

[@bbarker5766]

@@MountainFisher most head hair is .003" with most beard hair is .005". My hair is super short because I want it that way. Hell most of the time I shave it smooth... lol

[@MountainFisher]

@@bbarker5766 You know my moustache hair sometimes reaches .007 why is that? LOL Most of my hair is .002-.003. Had a red haired girlfriend whose hair ran .007 no kidding. Down to her waist, natural red hair, I know because I knew her since she was 9.

[@bbarker5766]

@@MountainFisher maybe you need to wash your mustache more often... lol

[@MountainFisher]

@@bbarker5766 Wash every doggone day or it gets dandruff. Freaking eyebrows too, EYEBROW dandruff. WTH is that about? Never was a problem when I was in my 50s. Then in my late 60s it started and itching too!

[@webneko9842]

I am learning to do blade restoration rather than making from new. I have a 6" belt sander and it does great for cleaning, some shaping, and getting past damage like grooves, pits, and deep scratches. I see a lot of knife makers using a 2" belt sander though and was wondering if that was more for making new knives, or if that is recommended and why. I am new and learning and would appreciate your opinion.

[@silverback6832]

Kat, Walter is spot on accurate about the forged vs. time spent grinding. Fit and Finish can be tedious and time consuming. The fantasy of “forging constantly” fades quickly when you actually start making blades. You can do that, but you end up with a pile of forged profile blades, needing some tlc. A quality 2x72 belt grinder is as important as a quality anvil...maybe more so. I recently purchased an Ameribrade set up and am very pleased. Good luck and keep on making!

[@leighchristopherson2455]

Looks like nobody is going to answer the actual question that you asked. Although, not a professional, I have made a few knives. A couple I made with a six by thirty-six inch belt sander, and a couple with a two by fourty-eight belt grinder. The two inch belt cuts much faster than the six inch, with less heating of the metal. Think of it like driving on sand, if you have wide tires, it's not a problem, they float on the sand. The same is true about the six inch belt, you are trying to effect too large a surface, not doing much, and creating a lot of heat from friction. The two inch belt plunges in far more easily. You don't need to buy a two by seventy two inch sander though. There is a company Kalamazoo Industries, that manufactures several different sizes right up to the two by seventy two.

[@webneko9842]

@@leighchristopherson2455 thank you so much!

[@leighchristopherson2455]

@@webneko9842 No worries.

[@smokinjoe1256]

you are one of the few real knifemakers that i have seen on forged in fire...if not the realest🥴 the stupid test with that cowbones was just ridiculous. its great what you do for the knifemaker community. thank you for that.

[@trainwon5699]

Good job thanks

[@RovingPunster]

Important note regarding online vendors (ex: Grainger) - It is important to know if a company is selling at the wholesale or retail level. Retail outlets (ex: home depot, ace hardware, et al) are more expensive, but will do business with individuals, whereas wholesalers can only do business with you if you own your own registered business with an official business taxpayer ID ... no business ID means they wont sell to you. I ran into that 30 years ago when I was building a homemade RIMS system for a homebrewing setup, and tried to order a food-grade liquid pump, and got told to go away. So, if you own your own incorporated business, and file annual tax returns for it, then all is well ... but if you're just a private hobbyist without a business entity registered in your name, then you may need to buddy up with someone who does, and purchase through/with them, otherwise you'll be s**t outta luck.

[@Finny1996]

"if you're living in metric world.." The world, Walter. It's just the world.

[@jackspradt1562]

uhh no. SAE. and you, stay socialist.

[@Reploidx9]

@@jackspradt1562 It is 'the world,' Imperial is heavily outdated and needs eviction from current usage.

[@jacobswiney9977]

@@Reploidx9 never

[@christianborghi7544]

Living in Australia the hardest thing to find is knife steel that’s why nearly all forgers use old leaf springs

[@stokermeister3]

And GFS Knife Supplies are a good one for the European knife makers

[@Reploidx9]

Funny you say that, I was on their site look at resources last night. Decent pricing, especially sandpaper rolls.

[@superpedro7295]

The best

[@ericsprado4631]

HELP: Everybody talks about "my other videos on this subject". How do I search for your other videos?I see "like","dislike",send me money" but no place to search for your other fine informative videos!!!

[@scottfenton7607]

May even get into the 10,000 s

[@Daniel-lf3jg]

Hand sanding is a bitch and there's no escaping it.

[@bamslife2812]

Jeez I thought you were a cool dude until the clemson gear showed up. 😂

[@jeffhicks8428]

thank you sir. You are the youtube daddy we don't deserve.

[@trainwon5699]

Good job thanks