Knife Made From Old Steel

Intro: Knife Made From Old Steel

i found an old rusty blade from an edger and thought it would be a good blank to use to make a knife. It turns out that the shape of the blade was suitable for 2 smaller knives, rather than one large knife. I still have to sand off the blackened coating some more, and perhaps wrap the handles in parachute cord, but the hard part is finished.

I am open to suggestions about how to finish the handles -- leave me a comment!

thanks, poza.

materials needed:
1. a steel blank
2. dremel with attachments
3. safety glasses
4. sandpaper suitable for sanding steel

STEP 1: Find a Blank

i found this old blade from an edger that is perhaps about 7 inches long.
I drew a design on it using ink pen.
I used my dremel with a cut off wheel to cut the design out.
then, i cut an edge along the blade using the dremel. since the dremel spins so quickly, i would make one pass on the knife, then let it cool in a pan of water while i made one pass on the other knife. this kept the blades cool.

for those who don't know this yet, overheating a blade ruins the composition of the steel. i'm not sure of the details, so i assumed if i could still touch it, then it was not too hot.

that's about it. please comment if you have some ideas about what to put on the handles. i might use para-cord, or even a hardwood blank. 

thanks for looking!

Comments

[obillo]

This site desperately needs a place for users to offer GENERIC suggestions on what to make, where to find free materials, etc. It doesn't have one so I'm commenting here because Instructor Poza is close to what I now offer: Cuisinart blades are being replaced by the millions because some have developed cracks at their rivet holes. If you can get any that are about to be tossed, the two blades are easily removed and easily--by a clever Instructors such as Poza--made into a pair of handy serrated-edge knives.

[Logan Hanssen]

Great idea! I wrapped mine in paracord and painted it black.

[triumphman]

Seen this style knife for sale. But there was a large finger ring at one end. You could have added that little ring on the end. It makes the knife easier to wield and it can't be easily taken from you in an offensive/defensive situation! You must have fried many cutting wheels. My dremel can't cut that much steel. I use my small hand held DeWalt 4" angle grinding wheel to cut out knives from steel. Works fast and is very powerful. Cuts through most anything. Nice idea. Thanks for sharing. See my instr. Baby Bear Knife for next to nothing, Triumphman.

[curious youth]

smart idea for your blades! its a seriously cool looking knife and sorta looks to me like something you would throw.

[Gunslinger1775]

Awesome I will definitely try my hand at this

[Harlan Whitman]

Brilliant use of material. Letting the material influence your design almost always delivers great results. Love it!

[poza]

thanks!

[gary.918]

very nice work. i like the way you used the hole in your design and got 2 knives out of the edger . you were right in not over heating the steel it could have caused a soft spot in your blades.

[poza]

thanks!

[oldanvilyoungsmith]

If you could still touch it, it isn't too hot, but whether it was already correctly tempered is the question. Check out this knifemaking forum bladesmithsforum.com, and read up on heat treating. Since I started hanging out there, my knifemaking skills have multiplied drastically. They look great, and I like that design. Good work.

Stephen

[poza]

I will check it out. thanks!

[jhonny]

Cool idea im gonna try this.