KNIFE FROM A NAIL

Forging is fun. Steel needs to be hot forged but iron can be cold forged, needing only to be annealed when hammering has hardened it.
Common nails are made of iron, (or of mild steel in this case you must anneal them when you feel they are getting harder to hammer) ; any nail, around 3 inches long, can be turned into a small knife. Old bent nails cost nothing so you can try and make different shapes at no cost. Annealing means bringing the steel to a red-heath temperature and letting it air-cool.

Step 1: WHAT YOU NEED

You need a hammer, a lump of steel for an anvil (a sledge hammer head will do), a stump, a flame, a couple of pliers, and a file.

Comments

[W8L42B9]

very good i also did a project like this...i used a nail to make a scalpel...i need to sharpen it so i can use it to cape animal hyde....today i was working on a sword..a little harder then i thought but it is comeing alone very well...all i am useing for this project is a hand held torch, regular hammer...25 pound dumbell that i hammer against...heavy leather gloves and a aluminum coffe pot to cool it down ....and last and the best creativity...

[Jestersteelsmith]

Sledgehammer heads work better as anvils, the weight will chip. I would suggest building a real forge. (you can build one for 5$) and wear safety glasses aswell. I don't wear gloves, or an apron and I'm using pliers as tongs. Burns are solve able in a week or so, but get burning metal in your eye and you are in trouble. You can get a whole setup for around 20$ if you really hunt for supplies, and 50$ if you're not willing to wait. And that includes an anvil. If you are truly interested, message me.
-jestersteelsmith

[Jestersteelsmith]

These are fun for practice, but they are dreadful as knives. I am writing a few instructables on forging for very little cash. My goal is to make a full shop for 20$ total. If you want advice on forging for beginners, or resources for steel and tools, message me.
-jestersteelsmith
P.S. old files are great for small knives and broken leaf springs are great for big knives and swords

[mritz]

you can also use these as pretty good arrow heads

[chipf]

I made arrow heads out of finishing nails for my survival kit. They are light wieght. But still puncture 1/4 in plywood.

[soldeir 9]

good idea!!!! my "homemade" arrows kinda suck...this will improve them :D

[soldeir 9]

Freggin amazing!!!!! 5*!! i might post a pic of one i make :D

[handful of dust]

I don't have a propane torch, but I do have unlimited access to a bunsen burner. Would that get hot enough to work?

[pennabilli]

Probably it won't suffice. Yu need a hissing flame, not a soft one. A portable propane torch like the one you see in my tutorial, costs from 20 to 30 $, and is very useful also in other occasions.

[codongolev]

made a couple of itty bitty nail knives (well, I guess one's a sword). here they are!

[shortone]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Gifts-For-Guys/

Put you in my gift guide for guys! Just thought I'd let you know :)

[ninja_maker]

is it possible to make a mini Egyptian blade like one of those curved ones. or could u bend it a little more to make a scimitar or a katana like blade?

[lae52]

Try using an old rail road spike. Lots of steel and will make a knife that can actually hand held and usable. Rail spikes are usually pretty decent steel as well.

Dave

[sstock1]

Rail spikes are mild steel and cannot be hardened to produce a good cutting tool. Mild steel is also weaker. Better, use an old car coil or leaf spring or a lawn mower blade. Heat it red hot and quench it in oil or water, then polish it so you can watch the temperature indicating colors run as you reheat it to temper it to the hardness desired- straw for metal cutting and bronze to purple for wood cutting. Blue indicates it's annealed and soft again.

[jnass]

Yes and no Dave... for knives you want to look for the spikes marked "HC" or HCX" on the heads... these are a higher carbon content (about .4%-.6%) and are hardenable. Normal spikes are simply mild steel and as such aren't hardenable by conventional means, so will not hold much of an edge.

I am a professional blacksmith and have much experience with RR spike knives...

[extrordinary1]

Those RR spikes also make great war-hammer heads in a pinch. I've got a knife design I would like to make with one. I made one on a larger scale with stainless steel I would like to reduce in size from 2 ft length down to a spike length.

[lae52]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of the markings. Are they literally on the head or are they on the side by the head?

Dave

[jnass]

Usually right on the head Dave, though it can be kinda tough to find when they get rusty... a wire wheel helps clean them up so you can see it sometimes.

[conway106]

jnass,
Try putting the HC spikes in a bath of white vinegar. It will take the rust off of the spike-all of it. The spike will look brand new!. Leave it covered by the vinegar for 2
or 3 days. Any longer and the spike will start pitting. Good luck! Mike

[sstock1]

Common nails are mild steal and cannot be hardened to make a cutting edge that will stay sharp, Concrete nails, springs, files, saw blades, snap ties, and other non mild steels that can be heat treated are what you need for making cutting tools that can cut and stay sharp. Those nails look pretty, but won't work well.

[TheBlackSharpie]

My dad told me that as a child he and his friends would place nails on train tracks creating mini knives.

[pennabilli]

a hammer works better!

[zigzagchris]

Gona go try this with a train :)

[zigzagchris]

not as expected

[zigzagchris]

Edit: not what i expected

[TheBlackSharpie]

I cant really tell anything from the photo

[ashjil]

can you use galvenized nail because i can't find iron nails that arn't galvenized

[pennabilli]

sure you can, if they are of iron. If your nails are of steel, you must hold them with tongs or pliers and forge keeping them red hot

[ashjil]

thanks

[nail face]

galvanized nails can be toxic when forging them

[pennabilli]

and can burn your fingers!
Don't breathe over your forge or flame (with or without nails in it).

[ihaveguitarskills!]

i made three or four of these. not the flip ones. i thought about it and your right. when i did mine though, i didnt forge it, and it turned out better then when i did forge it. i also found that when u are finished(with a un-forged nail) if u take a lighter/flame, and put the blade in it, it makes it harder. it also adds a cool color.

[ihaveguitarskills!]

nice, i thought of a way to make it a flip knife.ill try it and tell u the outcome.if u dont swirl it, but flatten the head, u can get a smaller nail and put a hole in it. then make a wooden handle, and put a hole in the top. put a bolt through the knife and wood and put on a nut, then cut a deep enough groove in the wood and fold the blade into it tell me what u think.

[pennabilli]

No way, your blade will rotate round the bolt but when you use it the blade must be in a fixed position: quite a job. I suggest you make a fixed blade knife with a sheath for the blade

[Venemot]

Hey guys! I made the knife and it is quite beautiful but i do not have a propane torch to heat nail for the handle so there is no proper distinction in the blade and hilt....can anybody tell me another way of heating it up to red hot....i used my stove but it doesnt seem to be enough.....!!!!!

[benduy]

pump you wood buner fire up then let it become embers, stick your nails on the ember and wait a while. i suggest leather gardening glove (leather is heat restant) and tongs or pliers

[Alpha2904]

hmm.. First, how old are you? If you are 18+ you can propane torch really cheap. And you can use coal to heat it up, but you will probably need a furnace and billows. I also suggest so tongs, pliers, or something to hold it in place.

[Venemot]

well i am 15 but that isnt the problem i can do it. the problem is i dont have propane torch,furnace or billows and where i live i cant seem to find them..not easily

[mcaliber.50]

try local hardware stores, and tell them that you just want it so you can do forging. they might let you buy one

[Venemot]

thats where the problem arises....first of all i live in a place where you cant find such stuff....and other problem is that i am restricted to my home..i am not allowed outside my house..that means that i cant go out and search for stuff i have to tell somebody else to bring it for me....!!!