Making a knife from beginning to end

[@lrmodranoel]

Beautiful work and video. Thanks

[@kentuckytrapper780]

This is how you make a knife, not a dot to dot cutout. Great job.

[@teddharris]

Very nice work, Stuart!

[@smartypants5036]

It is the kind of knife that I would want to reach for when I got an animal to process. There is something about its shape and handle that says "I belong in your hand" well done and best wishes.

[@samrodian919]

What a beautiful work of art, and so practical. Love it! More power to your blacksmiths arm mate!

[@Nontacticalboy]

knife makers makes the best video, almost all of them are well edited :) awesome knife!

[@eduardo908100]

Congratulations, excellent work, your work demonstrates your passion for cutlery.

[@Angelv3007]

Happy person enjoying his job...voila... amazing product... Keep it up Sir.

[@Kurnacopia]

Loved the video Sir. It was a pleasure watching your technique and style.

[@9mil]

Amazing craftsmanship! Great video. Thanks!

[@matthewvelo]

Great looking blade and hats off for the Boba Fett T-Shirt!

[@Catuleba]

You sir, is an artist. Beautiful piece. Thanks for the "class". Obrigado!

[@vojtechfischer4633]

Krásná práce pane Stuart . Nádherný nůž a jeho provedení blahopřeji a přeji mnoho úspěchů ve Vaši další práci. Jste mistr.

[@iacomastro]

Can't imagine how much you helped me, sir.

[@actorzone856]

What I use for a buffing grinder is a low power one that you can stop if applying too much pressure, wont burn out the motor, the powerful ones are too dangerous, in the olden days they had a long shaft fitted with numerous buffers driven by one motor with a belt, nice job.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

yes the buff next to the press is the most dangerous machine in my shop. Careful attention is needed

[@forge7941]

Thanks Stu. Very informative. Love daai handle construction.

[@JamesMPogue]

You are an artist. Beautiful handmade knife, as always.

[@geoffflato6065]

I like the tissue paper under the tape idea for the blade! I always just use masking tape on its own, and it's always a few minutes with kerosene to get all the residue off

[@ShelXanadar]

Thank you so much for sharing, it is nearly enchanting to see such a beauty being formed.

[@MrBaldoon]

one of the best video's I've seen so far. step by step is great

[@JackKrei]

Bearing steel is a good steel but hard and brittle not that you can't fix that. Awesome design your a talented man. Here in the states at least the military people know Brasso very well I went thru many cans in my years in the army.

[@benjaminsantiago7802]

Thank you for sharing this, I have learned quite a bit from your videos, especially when it comes to handles. This was a very beautiful piece, keep up the good work.

[@Finn-McCool]

Thank you for the show. I'm very excited to try this hobby/art/business/obsession/outlet/time sink.

[@bensmit6441]

Hey Stu, love your work and your vids. I started knives bout two years ago and only found your stuff now...didnt realise their are so many smiths (and smits!) in SA! God bless.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Go to Facebook and join the SABA bladesmiths group. There are a lot more of us than you think.

[@donnyone-eye8726]

Great work and a beautiful heirloom-quality piece! The Cinderelli and Batman reference was a nice touch :)

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

thanks, I wonder how many caught that

[@philipdunn9457]

Hey, Stuart.....thank you for this very nice video.

[@ronlusher7276]

Beautiful Knife.

[@jontheroofer1968]

beautiful work sir! thanks so much. I did enjoyed your video. Greetings from the U.S.!

[@mehmethanaydn3113]

Watched with admiration, and perfectly I have to congratulate you.

[@NicholasWeightman]

very good video. Was enjoyable to see a craftsman at work :)

[@lsubslimed]

Very nice! Thanks for making and sharing this video with us. I like how you go back and grind the flats after hand sanding the blade, I'll have to give that a go! :)

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Any time

[@BlackRavenOutdoors]

What a beautiful Knife :) Really enjoyed watching you make it...man I really need to learn some knife making. great to see another South African on KZbin.

[@nicholaskillmeier4895]

Well done guys. Share this on the ABS forum if you haven't already!

[@captainbud3797]

I know this is an old video but I used it extensively to make a similar antler handle knife. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge. I'd like to send you a photo of it.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Cool. Drop me a PM on my Instagram or Facebook pages.

[@RickRabjohn]

Great video and thanks for sharing your mad-skills - impressive!!!

[@chrishigdon8149]

beautiful piece. a true blade collector doesnt have a particular style of knife he or she may pick over the other. when one of a kind craftsmenship is envoled because if you pass it up, well you better track down the new owner and hope their willing to part with it because there is only one of its kind.

[@d3dr0y24]

that is gorgeous good job

[@steelandsoul1987]

Hey stuart, did you use a ceramic belt for rough grinding the completed handle? Please correct me if I'm wrong: I thaught that ceramics get loaded up very quickly by soft materials, and the ceramic cant fracture to reveal new sharp grit...

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

You are correct about the ceramic. For the handles I usually use a 60 grit Jflex belt. Cheap and disposable. One belt one handle. But for this video I was out of 60 grit so I had to use my ceramic. It's ok tho cos even when clogged with wood it still worked well roughing out blades.

[@steelandsoul1987]

I see - thanks for explaining!

[@DSKnives]

Respect from Russia! Very good! Good luck!

[@wintercustomknives13]

That came out really nice man!

[@JohnZoidberg83]

"Toight like a tiger" made me laugh. Love your vids.

[@jthihj]

good work. beautiful.

[@wimpieburtles6514]

Like the postbox forge brother!

[@deanomec]

A+ Job mate! Very nice!

[@slugobuddy]

Your work table drives me nuts but you do excellent work and craftsmanship!

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

yeah it's a little chaotic. When I tidy tho I can't find anything

[@tinker453]

New subscriber and I must say your video is splendid! The piece is beautiful.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

TINKER45 thanks for the support

[@theofilo5]

Its a piece of art!

[@gedudeoo5]

Excellent video ! , Thanks !!!

[@fabianyanez.v8504]

Sehr schöne arbeit,das video hat mir sehr gut gefallen.

[@gsmith128251]

Beautiful

[@guvnormcfc66]

What a pleasure to watch,to you Sir I doff my cap.

[@vladykohai]

Woww! You did such a great job! Very nice knife! In my opinion, the knife looks very powerful, but the core of the handle is a little weak comparing to the blade. Isn't that a weak spot? I've seen this type of concept in many videos. Why you guys chose to build the knife's handle like that? TY!

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

This type of construction is very strong. The tang is solid all the way through to the end where I welded the threads on. Also the handle material will support the tang giving it further strength. I have made and tested many knives this way. None have failed the bend test. While it may seem weaker than a full tang it is just as strong.

[@michaellee5084]

very inspiring.

[@gil9931]

amazing knife!

[@aussieshooter5358]

You are an artist mein bruder, we will need you in Valhalla to make and fix all our blades, for the daily battles.

[@firasalnashmi3398]

Aussie Shooter 2 في 48

[@tedtheodorelogan7993]

Beautiful...

[@mhranmhran5948]

عمل رائع تحفه فنيه بالتوفيق..

[@SSchradle]

That is awesome! Thanks!

[@Validalias1]

I'm interested in the hydraulic press being used. Who made it etc. Great work!!

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Validalias1 custom made by and engineering company no longer in business. 90 ton ram with a 50 ton pump and oil well. 2.2kw motor. that's about all I know. And it's yellow!

[@kodiakwoodworks9359]

Stuart Smith and it's yellow. Haaaaaa,!!!!!!!!!! That killed me. Good one bro that was perfect. It really doesn't matter when it squishes hot Steele into a beautiful knife the likes of few men get to see or create let alone own one. Very awesome thank you for being so gracious and giving of your time sir. It is greatly appreciated I can assure you. Be safe and keep doing what you love. Happy people are a blast to be around.

[@t63a700]

Awesome creation!! This build was amazing from start to end. Beautiful knife. I tried to use sound hound to determine a song in the early part of the video but it could determine what it was. The song starts at 12:30 and fades out at 13:30. Can you help me identify the song? Looking forward to more creations. Cheers.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

can't remember but it was a KZbin licence free sound clip

[@Adventure-Cornish]

Bloody awsome - thanks for sharing ATB Mike #StayCornish 😬

[@BRASASPATAGONICAS]

excelente trabajo, admiracion y respeto para Ud...alguna pagina donde contactar ?

[@dimitrigavellas8961]

Mate beautiful job on that knife. What goes into an etching solution? And is it just for looks

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

I etch with 1 pt ferric chloride and 3 parts water. I etch to bring out the quench line and to add a patina to the blade. Mostly for the looks I guess.

[@StanleyFishman]

Hello. Thx for video and tips. :) I saw you using Foredom drill machine. Do you know about drill machine "Profil" (from Russian manufacture)? It is like Foredom, but better. :)

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Never heard of it. Glad it works well for you. Thanks for watching

[@girliedog]

Thank you for putting this video together. I really enjoyed watching your process from beginning to completion. However, I found myself fantasizing about cleaning your shop for you while you're off on vacation. (giggle) All kidding aside, there are craftsmen who work is organized environments & craftsmen who work in patinaed chaos both are capable of perfection. That was a stunning knife you created sir.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Virginia Hoffman you're not wrong. I'm doing spring cleaning this week

[@gustlmeixner2778]

WTF! I like the Handle!

[@richardlowe8062]

Awesome knife excellent work as always. At 8:49 you show the rough grind lines on both sides. I see at the finish you have evened both sides out. What's the best way to fix a side if you accidentally took the grind line to high or higher then you wanted?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

there's no easy fix for symmetry. You just gotta parctice and grind carefully. A file guide is a good way to train for this.

[@richardlowe8062]

@@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives thanks man

[@donjtrump]

If you go to sanding on it after you’ve tempered it will it ruin the temper? Thx awesome vid

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Only if the steel heats up past tempering temperature will the temper be affected. Sanding is a slow and cool process. Even final grinding after tempering is fine if you take care to keep the blade cool while working.

[@АлександрЗабудский-ц1б]

... что я могу сказать, я в восторге от гриндера, о котором мечтаю. А что человек мастер своего дела, и так все видно. Главное - не наспешить...

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Thank you

[@JesusLopez-fc7bd]

Very nice knife and good job. Do you steel make them?

[@thomshere]

Thanks so much for doing this tutorial! I know It's not an easy task to film and edit the thing so kudos! If you don't mine me asking, what kind of press are you using? My goodness it makes short work for you. Thanks!

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

It's a custom 50 ton press from a local engineering company. No longer in business.

[@cutelariamacedo7188]

amazing brother

[@JW-pj1zd]

How do we get ahold of you? For ordering. Amazing knife by the way. Could someone tell me or comment back where I can get the information. Thanks

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Hi Jeff. Best way is vis my FaceBook Fan page Smith Hand Forged Knives. Alternately you can message me on Instagram under the same tag or email [e-mail].

[@johnnyekholm2361]

hello nice work ! how much pressur do you have on the metal machine ??

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

That really depends on the stage of grinding and what you wish to accomplish. For rough grinding I push really hard to do as much work as I can but when I am doing finer work in preparation for polishing I am quite gentle.

[@Mnmknives]

looks to me like you went a little to soft on the temper you want the edge to have a straw color like a light bronze blue and purple would make it to soft. also when you quenched the blade it looks like you just quenched the edge which would give you a really hard edge and a soft spine so no need to tepmer the blade if you just quench the edge

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Normally yes but this is 52100 and requires a higher temper to ensure the edge doesn't chip. The edge flex test would have failed (and it has in previous tests) if I had it tempered to straw yellow (which is perfectly acceptable for lower carbon steels). This is just my experience. I stand to be corrected.

[@Mnmknives]

my understanding is 52100 is quite close to 5160, i do alot with 5160 and i always temper to a straw/bronze. I must admit i have never worked with 52100, gorgeous work either way if you have something that works for you thats what is important...i think i may order up a couple of 52100 ball bearings now lol

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

5160 is approximately 0,6% C with traces of Chromium. 52100 is up to 1,1%C with up to 1.5% Chromium. This is enough to make it much harder than 5160 and with higher Carbon comes higher tempering cycles. A 52100 blade with a straw temper would chip or crack very easily. But when tempered correctly they are superior performance blades to most other carbon steels and even some stainless steels. Trick is getting it right. Watch my HT video of 52100 here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmHWcoGLrsmcesU

[@husseinbader2827]

good job

[@andrewjensen7912]

Very cool video! Awesome level of detail and a very nice end product. One question, what type of solution did you use to finish the knife blade off? It gave it a great look.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Andrew Jensen blade it etched briefly in ferric chloride then polished with brasso

[@TeamDiscus]

Isn't it difficult to grind between the hardening and tempering? Dosn't it wear down your belts more and is it riskier to lose the hardening of the blade ? Im a begginer... and im trying to figure out a "routine" since there seems to be a bit of variation in how it can be done.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Yes for the belts but no for the hardness. You do not (or should not) apply enough pressure to over heat the steel to undo hardening. Also you try to keep the steel cool between grinds by dipping it in water. Also I only clean up the blade before tempering so no real grinding done then.

[@Anderson-HandForged]

also any chance you could do a video for beginners on grinding with a belt grinder love your channel

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Working on it

[@110welding]

that was too kool....... thx for the video........ what is the steel you use for the blade?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

52100 bearing steel

[@wiestwisk4423]

Amazing knife! Your video's are a great source of information!And, if i may ask, in which part of sa do you live?

[@Roosterdad50]

I love it!!

[@ridhwaanjogiat1708]

When u do a convex edge, is it convexed all the way till the blade is sharp or do you leave some thickness on the edge and then sharpen flat? How thick do you go on the edge before convexing and also how thick do you leave the edge after convexing. Not sure if my question makes sense

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

I apply the convex to an edge that os 1/10 the thickness of the spine. I roll it until i get a burr then strop it off.

[@ridhwaanjogiat1708]

@@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives thanks 👍

[@pierre-yvesbaranger9674]

Hello, beautiful knife. WHat kind of steel did you use? Thank you

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Pierre-Yves Baranger 52100

[@johnnyekholm2361]

ok perfect to now that 20 ton works. I want to build one. thank you wery much for the information.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

any time. Good luck

[@francoisfouche2568]

Lekker Bro Beautifull knife!

[@heuwel]

Besonderse mooi werk.....ek is amptelik jaloers....

[@Homemade1970]

Very nice thx for the link

[@max88nielsen]

Thanks. You teach well!! I dont quite get why you would make all your hard forging work disappear by grinding all traces away ?? Or is leaving some rather raw hand forged metal at the back not pretty.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Thank you. It's a personal choice. I prefer to gind the blade clean. I have done some blades where I leave the forge finish texture on the knife.

[@Mbonner73]

So did you use the belt grinder to polish it completely? I have been making knives for a year now and have been doing hours on hand sanding to get a mirror finish, is there another way?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

I use the grinder to get an A30 (round 600 grit) finish. I then go to hand sanding . I go up to around 1200 then etch. You can see one of my earlier vids on polishing here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4Pco2h_i9mCr80

[@paintballnsk]

Awesome video sir. What wheel and compound are you using to buff the wood? Love your gallery on ABS forums by the way.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

I use an unstitched cotton cloth wheel with a blue compound. Trick is to have the wood hand polished quite high to minimise the need for the buff.

[@etiennetolmay5149]

Very nice how much will you ask me for such a nice knife here in SA?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Etienne, send me a pm on my FB Fanpage - Smith Hand Forged Knives.

[@brucewatkins3347]

When quenching the blade, do you have to use new oil, or can used oil be used?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Oil can pretty much be used indefinitly. Though if it gets too contaminated with other junk like dust or clay (from Hamon) it's best to change it out. Even that I think would not affect its ability to harden.

[@LWzz33]

Hello,tell me how much it will cost such a blade?

[@oaagea]

lovely

[@messser]

Thanks Sir.

[@qwebbel]

Where to buy.... :-) Great Job!!!!!

[@JonSmith-fc2mm]

Quick question - how on earth do you get your surfaces flat enough to mate? I think I've tried everything and I always get a slight taper.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

The key to perfect surfaces is the disk sander. It can be done in other ways but the disk sander makes it airtight

[@JonSmith-fc2mm]

I don't use that as often as I do the belt. Makes perfect sense now I think about it because there's no platen gap to give. I will give that a shot with my next knife. Thanks man!

[@ernestsheffield9976]

Put your hand or a sheet of paper behind the knife when you want it to focus for up close shots of guard fitting.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

Thanks. was driving me mad

[@ernestsheffield9976]

+Stuart Smith (Smith Hand Forged Knives) I also meant to say good looking knife.

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

thanks

[@myhobbybg3777]

What do you use for etching the blade to get this greey finish ?

[@StuartSmithHandForgedKNives]

A medium strength ferric chloride solution