How to make a hunting knife: step by step instructions. How to make a hunting knife with your own hands

Each hunter understands that one cannot do without a special knife - with the help of it, one can chop a torch for a fire, repair equipment, and process prey. Thus, this device is truly universal. And you can make it so yourself to your taste.

Materials and tools:
1. Emery stone.
2. Diamond file.
3. Drill.
4. Drills.
5. Files.
6. Abrasive bars.
7. Current rectifier.
8. Soldering iron.
9. Grinding wheel.
10. Metal for a knife. It is advisable to choose high-speed tool steel.
11. Wood for making a handle.
12. Rivets.
13. The plate is brass or bronze.

Operating procedure:
Any work begins with a drawing. Moreover, in this case, you will need two drawings - the knife itself and a separate blade with a shank.

Now you can carefully cut out the layout of the blade. The basis for the layout is paper of the greatest strength possible. This thing is superimposed on the hacksaw material and outlined as clearly as possible.

The workpiece is placed on an emery machine and turned along the contour. It is important to remember that the transition point from the blade to the shank should be semicircular - this will help increase the strength of the product. Before turning, it is recommended to prepare a container with water, in which the metal should be dipped more often - thereby reducing the risk of overheating.

Making the right holes for rivets on alloy steel is quite difficult. At this stage, you can contact the experts. However, if you have a rectifier at hand, using electrolysis, the procedure may well succeed.

The next step is as difficult as making holes for rivets. The conclusion of the descents of the blade is not always obtained immediately, so it is recommended to practice on some unnecessary materials. Concave descents are most easily displayed on emery, but with a flat wedge everything is much more difficult. It is advisable to start with slightly curved lenticular slopes. The main requirement for them is the same width, angle, simultaneous and clear completion. We should not forget about the fragility of the overheated blade, cooling it periodically in cold water.

To improve the through cut of the product and save it from the risk of corrosion, it is necessary to carry out grinding and polishing. For this, a rough stone is taken that can grind off all the bumps. The slopes as well as the cutting edge are leveled with a suitable block. After that, a vulcanite disk should be installed on the emery. As an alternative, a felt wheel treated with abrasive paste will serve.

For the manufacture of the sleeve, you will need a brass plate 3-5 mm thick, from which an oval is cut. When calculating the dimensions of the oval, proceed from the parameters of the knife itself. Best of all, the sleeve will look like a stop that protrudes above the handle by more than 5 mm. Do not forget about the hole for the shank. It is possible to solder the sleeve with the base of the blade by soldering with grinding the tin influx with a needle file.

Now you can start making a handle from the wood you like. The form is chosen for personal taste. It is fastened to the shank with rivets. After that, the tree is processed protective composition and left to dry.

The final stage is the application of engraving, jewelry, sewing scabbards. All these procedures are carried out based solely on preferences, as well as on the purpose of the knife.

Experts say that often the shape, size, quality of factory knives for hunting leave much to be desired. At the same time, a homemade item can last much longer and more efficiently, becoming, moreover, an object of pride.

V Everyday life a knife is an indispensable tool. No business can do without it. The models presented for sale do not always meet the requirements for reliable and functional samples. To get a blade that combines best performance, you will have to make it yourself. Recently, information on how to make a knife with your own hands has become very popular.

Advantages of homemade models

There is a wide variety of knives on the market today. You can get confused in it, but with some effort you can always find a ready-made model suitable for specific purposes. However, there is always a chance to encounter a poorly made blade or an incomplete correspondence of the finished model to expectations.

If the required model is not available for sale, you can turn to the blacksmith for help, who will make the blade to order.

But such work, performed in accordance with the wishes of the customer, is quite expensive. Usually in such a situation, the idea comes up to make a knife with your own hands from start to finish.

If you make a blade yourself, you can achieve a number of advantages:

Assortment in stores

Any quality product is always expensive. In addition, the choice of really reliable and functional models not as wide as I would like. More often on sale are models for which there are no increased requirements for mechanical characteristics and functionality. These fairly common items are often:

do not have sufficient strength, so they break easily;
they are made of the cheapest steel, therefore they do not have the necessary hardness for cutting hard materials, they do not hold sharpening well and quickly become dull, which makes it impossible to perform the necessary functions;
do not have high durability due to low-quality assembly, which cannot cost more than the materials used.

These common knives are usually inexpensive. When they become unusable, they are simply thrown away and replaced with new ones. But this approach cannot be called rational, because it is not always possible to go to the store for new purchase. Often the knife is used by tourists and hunters far from civilization. He must not only brilliantly cope with the duties assigned to him, but also be reliable enough not to let his owner down at a crucial moment.

To buy a quality blade at an affordable price, you need to carefully study the market and all the offers presented on it. It is imperative to have a minimum technical knowledge of knife steels, their characteristics and the mechanical properties of the finished blade. However, you can go the other way, applying this knowledge in practice on your own. So many do, deciding to make a knife on their own.

Purpose and characteristics

The manufacture of any knife is always preceded by the choice of the required type. Not only the characteristics of the future product, but also the conditions for its manufacture depend on the purpose and operating conditions.

The following types of knives are most often made on their own:

Often there is a misconception in which the appointments of a camping and hunting knife are confused. Among beginners in the field of tourism and hunting, there is an opinion that it is possible to make one universal blade that will cope with all the necessary tasks with equal success. However, this is not the case.

Tourist models are designed primarily for rough work. High hardness is also important for them, but brittleness when working on a fracture is categorically unacceptable. For hunting models, hardness is always in the first place, because their most important characteristic is the sharpness of the blade. Butchering prey with a tourist knife is quite problematic due to the relatively soft blade, and a hunting blade can simply be broken if you try to use it instead of a camping one.

It is impossible to create a universal blade for all conditions. You always have to improve some qualities at the expense of other characteristics. If you plan to solve a wide range of tasks, it makes sense to make several knives, each of which will perform its function.

When the first stage is completed and the type of future knife is selected, preparatory work not finished yet. Before you start manufacturing, you still need to choose necessary materials. The most important element of any knife is the blade. The next stage begins with the selection of the steel necessary for its manufacture.

Steel selection

The type of knife dictates the operating conditions. According to these conditions, it is necessary to choose the steel that will best meet the tasks assigned to the blade.

The most important characteristics of the blade, which should be considered when choosing a steel grade, are:

hardness obtained as a result of heat treatment according to the required mode;
impact strength, which is responsible for resistance to chipping and brittle fracture;
corrosion resistance required for operation under special conditions and in contact with liquids;
wear resistance required in conditions of increased loads on the blade.

Bulat and Damascus have earned great popularity as a material for blades. But to obtain such blanks, you need the knowledge and experience of a professional blacksmith. Even with the ability to use blacksmith equipment, it is quite difficult to produce them. Not every blacksmith with experience is capable of this. You can buy a ready-made blank, but it will cost quite a lot.

More often, more affordable alloy steels are used, which are much easier to work with. In our country, the following steel grades are most often used for the production of knives:

Other brands are used less often because they are less common or do not have the necessary characteristics.

The process of making a knife yourself contains a large number of steps. Each of them deserves detailed description, including all the nuances and advice of experienced craftsmen. Simplified, all actions can be divided into the following operations:

If you have experience working with metal, it is not so difficult to make knives with your own hands at home. Videos on this topic, shot by experienced craftsmen, will always help you understand the intricacies of all stages of production. With each new self-made blade, the level of skill will increase, which will allow you to create beautiful samples with high technological properties and decorative characteristics.

Hunting knives are an indispensable attribute of a real hunter. Although some believe that this weapon only serves to finish off the beast, good hunting knives are able to solve many problems that the hunter faces.

The best hunting knives can be used for the following operations:

Finishing off the beast;
skinning;
Cutting an animal obtained by hunting;
Help set up camp
Can be used for cooking and cutting food.

Some hunters have several good knives of excellent quality, each of which is used for its own purposes:

Carving knives are used only for cutting prey and skinning (although some hunters also use a special skinning knife);
The "camp" knife is used only for arranging the camp. As a rule, this is a massive leukku knife or cleaver;
Food knives. It can be like normal kitchen knives, and universal knives of the Finnish type.

Many hunters use a folding hunting knife to cut food, which does not take up much space in a backpack, and in extreme cases, can be used as a backup knife.

The history of the appearance of the first hunting knives

The first knives appeared at the dawn of human development and were stones with a sharp edge that helped to butcher prey. Soon there were flint knives that were attached to the handle, which ensured a comfortable hold of the knife in the hand. Even then, the knife was a personal weapon, and each person tried to have his own knife. Among primitive hunters, stone knives were distinguished by their large size and weight. In addition, they were much more reliable than conventional knives that were used for butchering prey, since hunting knives were often required to perform protective functions.

It was at that time that knives were conditionally divided into 3 groups:

Household knives that were most often used by women;
Combat knives, the main task of which was to serve as an additional weapon of a warrior;
Hunter knives.

After the discovery of metal processing technologies, the differences between the knives of these types became more and more obvious, combat and hunting knives began to be decorated with carvings and precious stones. The knife served as an indicator of the status of the owner. The dimensions of a hunting knife often exceeded even the dimensions of combat knives, since the length of the blade must be appropriate to kill a large animal.

Richly decorated hunting knives, along with military weapons, served as a wonderful gift for leaders and various rulers. The handles of such hunting knives were often inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Even in our time, damask knives or Damascus steel hunting knives will great gift for any man. Knives are the most valuable self made.

Fixed blade hunting knives

The most popular among hunters are knives with a fixed blade. This design is traditional for a hunting knife, and this knife is ready for use immediately after being removed from the sheath. In order to understand why it is better for a hunter to have a knife with a fixed blade, you need to consider the advantages of knives of this design:

The knife does not need to be opened before use, which means it is immediately ready for use;
When working, do not be afraid that the blade will fold over your fingers;
The blade of a hunting knife with a fixed blade can be much longer than that of a folding one, so it is more suitable for protection against a sudden attack by an animal;
It is rare to find high-quality steel on the blades on folding knives, as this greatly increases the cost of the knife.

There is only one minus for a fixed blade knife, it takes up too much space and is practically not suitable for concealed carry.

Knives with a fixed blade come in 3 main types, which differ from each other in the options for attaching the blades of hunting knives to the handles:

The most popular is the mounted mounting, when the blade shank enters the handle by 2/3 of its length. When buying such a knife, it makes sense to ask for a drawing, which will schematically show the depth of the shank in the handle. You can, of course, try to check this with a magnet, but this is an unreliable method. Such a shank may not withstand the load, and the knife will break at the most inopportune moment;
Through mounting of the blade is when the shank passes through the entire handle. In this case, the knife is hard enough to break, although it is possible;
The most reliable option is an all-metal hunting knife, which has pads on both sides of the handle. Such knives are rarely found among hunters, as their appearance quite obscure.

Most historical hunting knives were horse-mounted. This is not due to the fact that they liked it more, but to the fact that the metal was quite expensive, and they tried not to waste it in vain.

Folding hunting knives

Folding hunting knives are not formally classified as "hunting". However, some well-known knife companies make folding knives for hunters. Many older hunters remember the folding knife of the USSR "Belka", which was intended for hunters, and knives with an extractor manufactured by the PC "Moscow Society of Hunters". Since these knives were not particularly suitable for hunting, in those days they preferred to use hunting numbered knives, which were sold in specialty stores, or various homemade knives.

Of the modern folding knives that claim to be "hunting", one can note fairly high-quality multifunctional products from the Wenger and Victorinox companies. These knives will be an excellent addition to the main hunting knife, the main thing is to choose the “right” model.

"National" hunting knives

National hunting knives are very popular among modern hunters. Naturally, these are not all models, but only a few that have proven their effectiveness in different climatic conditions. Among Russian hunters, knives of the Finnish, Yakut and Scandinavian types are most popular:

Finnish knives "puukko" have gained immense popularity not only in the CIS, but throughout the world. These knives do not look like formidable hunting knives, however, their effectiveness has been proven for centuries. This knife is suitable for cutting prey, and for various chores. It features a barrel-shaped handle and a forging in front of the blade. The effectiveness of "puukko" as a weapon was repeatedly proved by the Finns during the Soviet-Finnish war. If you use "puukko" to protect yourself from the beast, you must definitely rest the end of the handle in your palm, otherwise you can seriously cut your hand. A knife of this type is not recommended for novice hunters who do not know how to handle knives;
Finnish "leuku" knives can be used for camping. Knives of this type are more like cleavers. They are a practically unchanged form of an ancient combat knife. Perfect for cutting poles and brushwood, it will help clear the way in the taiga. In case of danger, it will become a formidable weapon;
Yakut knives are the most ancient type of knives. Their shape is reminiscent of Stone Age knives, which were made from half of a large bone. The special shape of the blade is perfect for planing frozen meat and woodworking, it does not allow it to get stuck in the material. It happens in execution for the right-hander and for the left-hander;
Hunting knives of the Scandinavian type have also gained immense popularity around the world. Their main feature- these are special "Scandinavian" descents, where the cutting edge of the knife is formed directly by descents, without supplies. Allows you to work more efficiently on wood and frozen meat than traditional knives.

Steel for hunting knives and materials for handles

If you don't even want to make your own hunting knife, knowing the blade steels and materials used for knife handles will help you when buying a hunting knife. The list of the most popular knife steels is as follows:

The cheapest stainless steel used for hunting knives is 45x13. Kitchen knives are often made from it, as it sharpens easily and does not rust. Factory hunting knives made of this steel are extremely rare, but homemade hunting knives are common. This steel is easy to machine, but also easy to blunt. It is not recommended to buy hunting knives from this steel;
The next stainless steel that is often used in the manufacture of inexpensive hunting knives is 65x13. Suitable for a tourist, but for a real hunter who often butchers large prey, it is poorly suited. Since it quickly loses sharpening;
Steel 95x18 is the best option according to the price / quality criterion. It cuts quite well during 2-3 hunting trips;
Various tool steels, such as ШХ-15 or "diamond" are also great for knives, but require constant care, as they are susceptible to corrosion;
Damascus steel on knives, in addition to having a good cut, also looks very original. Damascus steel hunting knives are a true work of art;
Damascus steels have a very "floating" quality. Throughout Russia, only a few blacksmiths know how to brew high-quality damask steel;
Modern powder steels have outstanding characteristics that surpass even the legendary damask steel. Knives made of such steels are usually very expensive.

For the manufacture of handles for knives, many different materials are used, ranging from plastic to mammoth tusk. As a rule, natural materials are chosen for the handles of hunting knives. This is a tree of various species, horn, bone, type-setting leather. For spacers and bolsters use brass, copper or titanium. handle from natural materials lies perfectly in the hand, although it requires systematic care.

How to make a hunting knife with your own hands

If you do not know how to make a hunting knife with your own hands, then a drawing of a knife, which can be found on the Internet, will help you. Having chosen the drawing that you like best, you can start making a knife. The hardest part is making the blade. It can be forged or machined from a suitable strip of metal.

If you can’t cut the blade yourself, you can buy it ready-made, and make a handle for it yourself. For the handle, you need to pick up a block of dry wood, which can also be purchased at specialized knife stores. You will also need a bolster, which will have to be cut from a plate of brass or copper.

In the future handle is drilled through hole, into which you will need to insert the blade shank. On the reverse side, the shank is riveted or clamped with a nut. After that, the handle is given a shape that suits you. Next, the handle is polished and impregnated with special oil. After the impregnation process is completed, the handle can be polished with wax.

Sharpening hunting knives

A hunting knife must always be sharp. To do this, you need to learn how to sharpen it correctly. The sharpening process is bringing the cutting edge to razor sharp, through the interaction grindstone and knife blades. The better and harder the steel on a hunting knife, the longer it will take to sharpen.

First, on a rough water stone, you need to form a cutting edge. Then, gradually moving to stones of smaller grain size, this edge is polished. After grinding, the edge must be polished using leather with GOI paste applied to it. When sharpening a hunting knife, the main thing is to observe the sharpening angle.

The choice of hunting knives is extremely large, so the purchase of a hunting knife should be approached very responsibly. You should not buy the largest and most threatening knife, it will not even be able to perform carcass cutting work. It is better to opt for a universal hunting knife that will "lie" in your hand.

For every hunter, fisherman or hiker, a hunting knife is an essential tool that will help you cope with any difficult task or situation that takes you by surprise. Of course, you can easily buy it in a store, on the market or order it from a local master. But it is unlikely to satisfy the needs of an experienced user. And the dubious quality of a serial product, most likely, will not allow opening and tin can not to mention solving more serious problems. Handmade hunting knives are of high quality and look great if you take their production seriously. However, as a product produced and developed by oneself, a hunting knife can be a reason for pride.

Making a hunting knife

So the only right decision in order to acquire a really high-quality accessory, it remains to make it with your own hands, adapting it as much as possible to your needs. Do-it-yourself hunting knives can be made not only by a professional, but also by a simple amateur. For this it is enough to have minimum set tools. Moreover, it will not be difficult to get detailed drawings of hunting knives. If necessary, they can be made independently, for this you do not need to have any supernatural skills.

blade making

How to make a hunting knife durable and beautiful at the same time? The first step in making this cutting accessory is finding the blade. It is not necessary to look for special steel for a hunting knife for this, especially since it is not so easy to get it. It is enough to find a finished blade, old or broken, and modify it. Refinement may consist in changing its shape, turning the handle, as adapted as possible to the arm, and making the scabbard. But still, if steel for a hunting knife is found, then this blade will be the most durable and high-quality with a beautiful metallic sheen.

Handle manufacturing

In the manufacture of the handle can be used various materials. For example, a wooden or ebonite handle can be very comfortable, but very vulnerable to impact or other physical impact. It is worth dropping such a knife on a hard surface, as the handle will immediately shatter into pieces. The most durable knife handle can be obtained by casting it from metal. Such a hunting knife will not be afraid of blows and falls, but even in a slight frost it will simply freeze to the hand, not to mention large negative temperatures. Thus, accessories with very fragile or metal handles are not suitable for intensive use due to their impracticality.

Very often, good handmade hunting knives are obtained from the horns of some animals, but most often they are deer or roe deer antlers. Thanks to uneven surface horns, the knife lies well in the hand, which makes it as convenient as possible to use. In addition, this material is very durable and, despite this, it is easy to decorative processing, so you can give the handle a certain sophistication.

To get really strong hunting knives, the manufacture of the handle should begin with the preparation of fiberglass, impregnating it epoxy resin. In terms of strength, this material is not inferior to metal, but, unlike it, it does not freeze through and is very light. Textolite is also suitable for the manufacture of this knife element. This material is not subject to rotting, is not combustible and is very durable. But when using it to make a knife handle, you must use whole piece. Gluing various elements or gluing a handle from several constituent parts will lead to a loss of its strength and, as a result, fragility. In order not to have to redo hunting knives with your own hands, you need to think through all the stages of manufacturing the handle in advance.

Steps for making a knife handle

Having a finished blade, you can start making a handle on it. To do this, the plate must be turned on an emery or file to give it the shape of a future handle. Then, using pre-prepared thin bars of durable wood, you should fix them on the handle with epoxy or glue. Next, you can wrap the glued bars with a cord impregnated with epoxy resin, or use colored fabric tape for this. Winding should be done with maximum force so that air bubbles and excess epoxy glue come out.

To create a finger rest on the handle of a hunting knife, you should use the same material, but wind it in several layers. After the epoxy dries a little, its excess can be cut off or removed with a file, giving the final shape to the handle.

Smooth or textured handle

If the task is to make an absolutely smooth surface of the handle, then at the final stage it should be tightly wrapped with a strong plastic wrap or it is good to grind the bumps, and then polish them. If, on the contrary, the final version should be embossed or rough, then grains must be applied to the surface impregnated with epoxy resin river sand or other abrasive and leave the product to dry completely. When the resin has completely cured, excess abrasive residue should be removed from the surface.

If the knife handle plate is much smaller than the intended handle, then it can be placed in a pre-prepared metal tube or hollow handle. The existing cavity can later be used to store various necessary small things, thus increasing the functionality of the product. For example, you can put threads and needles or matches there, but on condition that the cavity is completely protected from moisture. It is impossible to know what situation you will find yourself in in the future.

Scabbard making

Sheath like one of important elements, which are equipped with good hunting knives, must meet certain functional requirements. The knife should not fall out of them, but be firmly fixed and at the same time easily and freely reach if necessary. The scabbard must be collapsible, which makes it possible to thoroughly clean them. With intensive use of the knife, dirt, food residues will settle in the sheath, creating an environment for the development of microorganisms and harmful bacteria. Non-separable are permissible for collectors and connoisseurs of aesthetic beauty, and not for practitioners who use a hunting knife almost every day. After all, it is, first of all, a tool, a means for cutting, planing and performing other important functions.

Scabbard making steps

To start making a scabbard, you should first prepare a wooden sheath for a knife. To do this, a cavity should be drilled and polished in the workpiece, strictly suitable for the size of the blade. From the same material, a lid should also be cut, corresponding in size to the first element. When comparing two parts, they should form a one-piece case. In order for the scabbard to not differ in style from a hunting knife, they must be finished with exactly the same coating. After the finishing is finished, it is necessary to fasten the components together in several places with screws, preferably decorative.

Making a trencher

The scabbard hangs on a belt with a special loop - a trench coat. For its manufacture, you can use shreds of leather, thick lace or trimmings of a strong rope. The size of the trencher should correspond to the width of the belt and be located freely on it. It is attached to inside scabbard. Can be glued, epoxy or screwed. It does not really matter, it is important that the scabbard is firmly fixed and not lost during the movement. You should not make the trencher very long, as a knife located too low will create inconvenience. A too short trencher will make it difficult to remove the gun from its scabbard.

Accessories

For the greatest convenience and functionality, a knife sharpener is sometimes fixed on the scabbard. It is necessary for long-term use of the tool. You can also make small secret pockets for storing various small things. You never know what might be waiting far from home and civilization. You can also attach a signal mirror to the scabbard, having previously processed the cutting edges. Modification options depend on the features and conditions of use of a hand-made hunting knife. But do not be too zealous, as some devices may be completely useless.

When making a knife for the first time, even with the use of well-designed drawings and instructions, most likely, it will not be possible to avoid any oversights and shortcomings. But don't stop there. Each next self-made cutting assistant will be better than the previous one in functional plan and taking into account all the past shortcomings, it will not be able to compare with the analogue of factory production. Hunting knives, the manufacture of which is extremely thought out and not carried out in a hurry, must turn out to be of high quality and meet all the requirements necessary for the use of these products.

If you want to make a simple but high-quality do-it-yourself knife, you can take a closer look at this instruction. The considered knife has a simple and elegant appearance, it is easy to assemble if you compare this homemade product with others. During the manufacturing process, the blade is hardened, which makes the knife not dull for a long time and sharpens well.

For ease of manufacture, a belt sander is required; without it, the process of forming bevels and grinding will be long and tedious. To make this knife you will need high carbon steel, it can be 1095 or 1070. I chose 1070 steel.

Materials and tools for making a knife:
- steel 1095 or 1070;
- paper, felt-tip pen (or a ready-made knife template);
- wood, deer horn (or other material for making a handle);
- pins made of copper or brass for attaching the handle;
- belt sander;
- a drill with drills (or rather a drilling machine);
- a furnace or other source of heat for hardening steel;
- files, sandpaper of different grain sizes, WD-40, etc.;
- linseed oil for impregnation of the handle;
- a tape cutting machine (in the most extreme case, a grinder and a lot of patience).

Knife making process:

Step one. blank
In the manufacture of any knife, everything starts with a template. You can download a ready-made template and simply print it on a printer. Or you can develop your own. Next, the template must be cut out and then glued to the sheet of metal from which the workpiece will be made. Or the template can simply be circled, but paper is easier to work with.

Then the most difficult part begins, you need to cut the main profile of the knife. If you don't have a tape cutting machine, like the author, this process will be more difficult and lengthy. Theoretically, the work can be done with an ordinary grinder.

Step two. Drilling holes
In the next step, the author drills holes for the pins that will hold the handle. There should be at least two such pins. But for beauty, you can do more. Holes are easy to drill drilling machine. Select the diameter depending on the thickness of your pins.

Step three. Workpiece grinding
Before grinding our workpiece, you will first need to work a little with a file. With it, you will need to remove the burrs that formed after drilling. Also, if too rough edges remain on the knife, they can be carefully grinded off with a grinder. Well, then a belt sander comes to the rescue. We carefully process the profile on it so that in shape it becomes the way it was originally intended.

Working for draw frame, it is imperative to use a respirator and it is advisable to wear goggles, as a lot of metal dust. Although our blade will be hardened, it is not necessary to allow excessive overheating of the metal.

Step four. We form bevels
The next step is the formation of bevels and this occupation can be considered the most responsible. The sharpening angle determines the cutting characteristics of the knife and how easy it will be to sharpen in the future. For a knife to cut well, the blade must be thin, and for a knife to cut well and be strong, the blade must be made thicker.

It is also important to remember that if the metal blade is too thin before hardening, it will overheat too much and the hardening will turn out to be of poor quality, or not at all. So it is better to first form the main profile of the bevels, and then refine it on a belt grinder, and preferably manually.

To form the bevels correctly, first you need to draw a line on the workpiece and only then, focusing on this line, grind the metal. In general, here you will need some skills to work with a grinder.

Step five. Tempering the blade
Now we need to harden the steel, so it will become elastic, and the metal will not bend when cutting hard objects, moreover, the knife will keep hardening well. The hardening temperature is selected depending on the type of steel. If we talk about steel with a high carbon content, then it is usually heated to a temperature of up to 800 ° C.

To understand to what temperature to heat the metal, if you do not know what kind of steel it is, you can use a permanent magnet. As soon as the magnet ceases to be attracted to it as the steel heats up, the steel can be cooled.

You can also determine the desired heating temperature using a special color scale.

The metal is usually cooled in oil, in rare cases the steel is hardened between two plates, in water or in air.

After quenching steel, there is one more trick - this is steel tempering. If the steel is not released, then the blade may shatter into small pieces when it falls, as the metal will be too brittle. To make it more resistant to mechanical stress, we place the blade in an oven with a temperature of about 200 ° C. Here our knife should warm up for an hour, and then cool down with the oven. As a result, the release of metal will occur.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the quenching oil should not be cold, otherwise it may be too thick. If the oil is thick, it may need to be heated.

Step six. Blade cleaning
After quenching in oil and heating, there will be a lot of contamination on the metal. How to deal with them, here everyone decides for himself. You can lightly walk on the steel with a belt grinder, and then finish the metal by hand. Or, armed with sandpaper and WD-40, you can manually clean the metal.
The author set himself the task of polishing the steel to mirror shine. Here he needed polishing wheel with pasta.

Step seven. Installing the handle
The author makes the handle from wood, but you can choose the material to your taste. First you will need to take two blanks, tighten them with clamps and then drill two holes, at the beginning and at the end. These holes must line up with the holes in the metal part. It is advisable to drive holes in steel with a drill in order to clean it. Well, then epoxy glue comes to the rescue. It must be applied over the entire area into two halves, and then carefully tighten them with clamps or clamp them in a vise. At the same stage, you must not forget to hammer the pins into the handles.

Step eight. The final stage of knife assembly
When the epoxy glue is completely dry, the clamps can be removed and now the knife is again sent for grinding. This time, with the help of a grinder, you need to set the profile of the handle. Well, this parameter corresponds to the profile of the blade, where wooden handle fastened. So we just level the wood at the level of the metal. A rough profile can be set with a rasp.

You will also need to remove all burrs, bumps, and so on. In the end, you need to bring the handle to a perfectly smooth state. This is done by reducing the graininess on the belt grinding machine. It is also desirable to grind the handle manually with fine sandpaper.

When the pen is ready, you will need to protect it from moisture. Here linseed oil will come to the rescue, they need to thoroughly soak the handle. In addition to protection, it will also beautify her appearance. It is also important to take care of the protection of the blade if it is made of quickly rusting metal.

That's all, the knife is almost ready, the final step remains - sharpening. The author sharpens the knife to the state of the blade. He should cut paper without problems no worse than a clerical knife. For such fine sharpening, you can use a water stone or round polishing.

If you want to make your knife unique, you can engrave or engrave the desired inscription on it.