Handmade Knife and Leather Sheath

HI!

This is my second instructable. This time i'll show how I made a beatiful knife.

When i was a kid, I remember how my grandpa made a lot of knives. Even though they weren't visually attractive, they were razor sharp, and served good for a long time.

Some years later I started going to art school, to drawing and metalworking. I was making rings, bracelets, and many other things, but my dream was to make a knife. So I made my first knife, it was good for a twelve-year old, but now it seems quite bad.

Some time has passed since then, I'm not a professional, I know that some of my methods are wrong, but despite that, I have learned a lot.

Tools:

• angle grinder
• sandpaper
• files
• drill
• FeCl for etching
• wood burning tool

Materials:

• steel
• deer antler
• redwood
• leather

Step 1: Blade

The main problem was, that I dont have a forge, so I had to make the blade from a steel plate.

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of starting materials, however I simply cut out the blade.

After that I started sharpening it.

Step 2: Blade Etching

Next thing I did, was blade etching.

First of all, I put duct tape on blade.

Then I started drawing the pattern and after that I cut it out. I drew latvian national tracery.

Then I covered the blade with nail polish, and took of the duct tape.

Then I put the blade into the iron chloride(FeCl3), and after taking it out, removed the nail polish.

Step 3: Putting All Together

First I made the piece that connects blade and hilt (don't know how it's called)

Then I drilled a hole in the hilt.

After that I put it all together.

Then, using knife, I started carving a deer on the hilt.

When that was done, I glued all together using epoxy glue.

Step 4: Sheath Making

I cut out the pattern, put it on leather and cut it out too.

Then I knocked out holes in the leather and put in studs.

Step 5: Leather Sheath

I liked the sheath, but knew that it needs something more, so I decided to burn in some kind of pattern.

I drew the pattern on the sheath, and started burning it using wood burning tool.

Step 6: Completion of the Knife

The last thing I had to do, was to add a piece of redwood at the end of hilt.

I sawed a piece of redwood, added some epoxy, and glued it to the knife.

When it was holding hard, I took off unnecessary wood using files and sandpaper

Currently, this knife is my favourite, overall I was making the knife for three or more months (I worked only at weekends).

I'm planning to make another knife this summer, so it'll be another instructable :)

Comments

[steampunkpotato]

Epic. I voted

[ElmarsM]

Thanks a lot!!

[mezari]

Olá, parabens pelo seu trabalho, e por mostar as etapas. Gostaria de saber quanto tempo voce deixou mergulhado no Cloreto Ferrico? Obrigado.

[Cliffsidegirl]

how did you cut the metal?

[ElmarsM]

I used angle grinder :)

[akute]

Nice job. I like that you've added decoration to each part of your knife, and worked out each step as you went along. Good instructable to follow.

[ElmarsM]

Thank you!

[Lee Wilkerson]

Very skillfully done. I just wondered why you didn't heat treat the blade.

[ElmarsM]

As I already told, unfortunately I don't have a heat-treating oven or even a blowtorch, if I had one, I would have heat treated the blade

[Lee Wilkerson]

Your cookstove burner will get it super-hot. Then just quench it with ice water or better yet, oil.

[k-labit]

Where do you get your steel?

[ElmarsM]

I buy it in local market, where all the metal parts, technical stuff and other similar things can be bought!

[hbarret]

Good tutorial. did you do anything to the antler to make it smooth or shiny? i have some brittle sheds that i can use, but id want to make it smooth and shiny white

[ElmarsM]

Thanks! I simply sanded it with different grit sandpapers and polished it with a polishing compound!

[hbarret]

What was that polishing compound?

[ElmarsM]

Something very similar to this!

[solanarose]

very impressive job dude. Actually, you did a downright wonderful job! looking forward to seeing more! I'm a metalsmith/jeweler as well, and have been yearning to make a knife. With every instructable I watch of yours I become more and more inspired. :)

[ElmarsM]

Thanks man!! Glad you find them useful :)

[DesignByMarc]

Great looking knife, thanks for sharing your build with us. I really like the etching on the blade, it turned out well.

[ElmarsM]

Thanks!!