Knifemaking Tips
By John Ownby
The following are some tips I've assembled from many years of knifemaking.
A few of
these I learned from others along the way -- the rest were learned the hard
way. I hope you find at least a few of these helpful, or interesting or at
the very least -- amusing! There's no particular order to these, but I
have tried to group them into categories.
General:
Ø Carpet tape can be used to make adhesive backings for sandpaper and for fixturing. The cheap, non-reinforced kind is best for sandpaper, and the cloth-reinforced type is best for fixturing. Automobile wax functions as a pretty good release agent when using this tape for fixturing.
Ø
In a pinch, you can use duct tape on the back of non-waterproof
sandpaper for wet sanding. It’s
not great, but it will do in a pinch. It
also works for reinforcing strips of paper-backed sandpaper for sanding curves
after you’ve used the last of your only shop roll.
Ø When inserting a decorative spacer in the handle of a full-tang knife, use a small rotary burr to grind an indention (channel) on each side of the parts you are joining. The epoxy will fill these channels and form a mechanical lock.
Ø
Never get in a hurry and quench 1095 steel in cold water, unless
you like hearing the “rifle shot” sound it makes when it cracks.
A blade with a 1-inch crack has been hanging in my shop for over a decade
as a reminder. I did it
once…….won’t do it again.
Ø
Seal oosic with superglue. Apply
it with a q-tip, let it dry, then buff like crazy.
It’s also good for sealing bone and stag. If you use superglue frequently, mount a long needle into the
end of a small diameter dowel (for a handle) – it’s handy for unclogging the
tube’s tip, but only if you can find it (hint: store it with the tube…).
Also, if you use an accelerant to speed curing, always cap the tube of
superglue BEFORE uncapping the accelerant – one whiff is all it needs to cure
the whole tube. I hate it when that
happens…
Ø
416 stainless is magnetic; 303 is not.
I find keeping a magnet handy in matching pins to bolsters when I
overturn my coffee can full of pin stock and spill the contents onto the floor.
Of course if I were smart, I’d use two coffee cans, but then I’d
probably just spill them both.
Ø
R.D. Miller once gave me a great tip for grinding ivory. He said to grind a little, then touch the ivory to your lips.
Grind a little more, then touch it to your lips.
I asked him if the moisture from your lips kept the ivory from cracking. He said “No, but when you say ‘OUCH!’ -- it’s getting
too hot.”
Ø
Keep several fine-tipped waterproof markers in your shop. They’re great for marking metal for cutting, and won’t
wash off in the quench bucket. Be
sure to degrease the metal before you try to mark it or you will ruin the
marker.
Ø
When marking dark handle material for cutting, cover the handle
material with masking tape first. It’s
much easier to see a line drawn on masking tape than the same line drawn on
black micarta. Masking tape is
cheap. Handle material is
expensive.
Ø Speaking of masking tape, after you’ve worked your blade down to it’s final finish, cover it with several protective layers of masking tape. Removing masking tape is easy. Removing scratches is hard.
Sheaths:
Ø
My standard reply to people who stop
by my table at shows and want me to make sheaths for other people’s knives is
to smile and say: “I make knives
because I LIKE to. I make sheaths
because I HAVE to.” It usually
gets the point across without having to say “no.”
Ø
A tiny drop of superglue will keep a stitching knot from coming
undone. Don’t get it on the
leather or it will stain.
Ø
An edge slicker mounted on the shaft of your buffer is always
ready for use. If you mount it on
the shaft between the buff and the motor (using shaft collars), you don’t have
to give up one side of your buffer. Be
sure to wipe off the crud from buffing before you use it..
Also, a ¾ inch wide by 3 inch diameter delrin pulley makes a great edge
slicker.
Ø
Keep all your leatherworking supplies in one lightweight toolbox.
Once you’ve cut out all the leather parts, it’s easy to move
everything from the shop to your easy chair in front of the television for
stitching. I prefer my stitching to
be accompanied by “The History Channel.”
Ø
Old computer mouse pads, stacked and glued together, make great
liners for a kydex press. I stack
them until I have about ½ inch thickness on each side.
I use a woodworker’s vise mounted vertically for a press, with the
rubber liners glued to the jaws. Mounting
the vise vertically enables you to form the kydex to the blade using only two
hands instead of the normal three…
Equipment:
Ø A size 3-0 taper pin reamer is great for slightly flaring 1/8-inch pin holes for peening. A size 6-0 is handy for enlarging ¼ inch thong holes. I keep mine mounted in tap holders so they are always ready for use.
Ø
When tapping pivot pins for folders, as soon as the tap begins to
feel dull, THROW IT AWAY AND GET A SHARP ONE!!”
It’s always tempting to try to push these little taps just one more
turn. Throwing a dull tap away,
however, is better than throwing the half-tapped pin away with the broken tap
lodged inside, and then having to make a new pin.
I’m speaking theoretically, of course…
Ø
Don’t use a drill bit that has been used on steel to attempt to
ream the tang hole in handle material for a hidden tang knife.
The slight wear from drilling steel will not allow it to ream sideways.
In fact, drill bits make very poor reamers regardless.
Ø
A grinding belt starts wobbling because the joint if about to
fail. Once it fails, the belt will
make every attempt to find your head at a speed of 3,000-5,000 feet per minute.
I’ve never seen a failing glue joint attempt to heal itself….
Ø
Toaster ovens are great for heating kydex and stress-relieving
blades (up to around 450-500 degrees). They’re
also good for keeping your coffee cup warm.
If you use a toaster oven, get one of those little thermometers designed
for kitchen ovens, because toaster oven thermometers are notoriously inaccurate.
Ø
When working with metal, cheap drill bits aren’t cheap in the
long run.
Ø
Try to keep a spare of every consumable supply item or tool
accessory you use regularly. There’s
nothing more disruptive than having to interrupt your work because you just
pulled out the last two inches from a 120 grit shop roll, or you just broke your
last 1/8 inch drill bit, or your acetone can is empty, or half of your last 2-56
tap is now stuck in a pivot pin. Keep
spares around, and when you have to use the spare, remember to replace it at
your first opportunity. If you
can’t remember to pick up replacement, write it on a note and tape it to your
forehead. Then, everyone you come in contact with will remind you…
Ø
Anything designed to remove metal won’t hesitate to remove skin.
I’ve never had an accident while attempting to do something smart.
Ø A man with three drill presses rarely has to change bits.
Ø
If you notice your flat grinds are beginning to look convex,
you’ve worn a hollow in your platen. It’s
a lot easier to true the platen after every 4-5 blades than it is to grind a
deep hollow out of it.
Ø
Accept the fact that your buffer really does hate you. Buff wheels are designed to grab and throw, and once the
adventure begins, it’s over in a flash…
Ø
Use a hand vice to hold small parts for buffing.
My rule of thumb is that if someone could jerk the part from my hands,
then my buffer will do it with glee. It
took me a while to reach this conclusion. Somewhere
in the crevices of my shop are countless springs, spring holders, lockbars,
pivot pins, and bolsters that were snatched from my hands and never found.
For each part that disappeared, I didn’t think I had time to clamp it
in a hand vice. I did seem to find
the time to make its replacement, however…
Ø
Don’t assume a bad idler bearing on a grinder will somehow heal
itself --- it won’t. You won’t
think you have time to fix it when it first begins to get noisy, but you WILL
take the time to fix both it AND the damage it does after it flies apart. You can probably guess how I learned this.
Ø Never substitute more pressure to compensate for a dull drill bit.
Never substitute more pressure to compensate for a dull grinding belt.
Never substitute more pressure to compensate for a dull band saw blade.
Never substitute more pressure to compensate for a dull anything!
Never ask me how I came to these conclusions…..
Suppliers
& Shows:
Ø The Thomas Register Of Manufacturers (available in large libraries and on the internet) is a good source of suppliers for many hard to find materials and parts.
Ø
Invest some attention to your table set-up at shows.
People buy your knives because the like them, but sometimes they need a
reason to stop & look. A
striking table set-up helps them find you.
Don’t allow clutter on your table.
Purchase a nice table cover (don’t just grab the bedspread as you’re
leaving). Keep your table covering
clean. Replace it when it’s worn.
Ø
Post prices on your knives. I
realize some makers may disagree, but I’ve never had a customer complain that
my prices were too clearly marked.
Ø
Speaking of shows, take along a folding barstool to the show. It’s more comfortable that a folding chair.
When you’re sitting, you’re sitting more at the customer’s level,
and when you’re standing, it gives you a handy place to set all the neat
handle material you just bought from the guy across the aisle.
Ø Get to know your suppliers. Pay them promptly, and when they go out of their way to help you, let them know you appreciate their efforts. If you treat them like you wish to be treated, most of them will jump through hoops for you when you need their help.
Ø The same holds true in dealing with show promoters. Sometimes we forget that they’re in business too. Purchase your tables as far in advance of the show as possible. Abide by the show’s rules. If the promoter gives you a really great location, let them know you are appreciative. If the show was well advertised, let them know that you noticed. If you have an issue with something or a suggestion for improvement, bring it up to the promoter with the same courtesy you would expect of someone being critical of your knives.
