Forging a knife from Soviet secondary raw materials. Spring steel knives How to make a hunting knife from a spring

Those who can get their hands on old car springs are in luck - they are made from high carbon steel, which is suitable for making excellent knives. After you harden such a knife, its cutting edge will be highly resistant, such a blade will allow you to cut fairly hard objects.

How to make a knife from a spring

To get a knife from a spring at home, Let's prepare a list of such materials and tools:
car spring;
a piece of wood for finishing the handle;
epoxy adhesive;
Bulgarian;
drill or drilling machine;
sandpaper with different grain sizes;
furnace for tempering metal, oil;
jigsaw or other tools for cutting wood;
clamps.

Forging a knife from a spring takes place in several stages

Stage 1.
First of all, you need to collect all the materials for work so that they are ready. The author's source material was a leaf spring from an old car.

Since the spring is made in a curved shape, it must be bent. This is done as follows: the metal heats up, after which it gradually cools down. A burner is suitable for heating, or you can simply put a spring leaf in a well-lit fire.
After the workpiece has cooled, you need to take a hammer and anvil, and process the spring so that it becomes a straight plate. After tempering, the metal has become softer, it will be easy to cut, drill, etc.

Stage 2.
First you need to make a knife template. The author used a ready-made template from the Internet. If there is a desire, it can be improved. After printing the template, the paper must be glued to the cardboard and the template cut out with scissors. Holding it in our hands, we can estimate what a knife from a spring will look like.
After that, you need to attach the template to the metal and circle it with a marker.

Stage 3.
Now we are starting the most difficult stage of work - we need to cut the knife profile. This is done with the help of a grinder - wielding this tool, it is not recommended to overheat the metal. If the steel begins to change color at the cutting point, it means that it is overheating. In this case, the metal must be poured with water. In those places where it is impossible to cut, the metal can be drilled with a series of holes and then broken off this part.

Stage 4.
This is the final stage in the formation of the main profile of the blade. For such work, a belt sander is very convenient and simple. Craftsmen with extensive experience can use the grinder. The outer plane of the knife should be sanded so that it shines. To press the workpiece to the sanding belt, the author used a bar. Here you also need to ensure that the metal does not overheat.

Another crucial moment of grinding is the manufacture of bevels on the knife.

Stage 5.
This knife uses 4 pins to securely attach the pads to the handle. They need to drill holes. To select the diameter, we focus on the existing pins, which traditionally serve as brass rods. For this case, ordinary steel nails are also suitable.

Stage 6.
After hardening, the blade acquires hardness and does not dull for a long time. To harden the blade, you need to take oil - motor or vegetable oil, a stove or a good fire will do. The metal must be heated to such a state in which a permanent magnet will not be attracted to it. As the author notes, during heating, the metal is distinguished by a dull red color. After that, you need to lower the workpiece into the oil. Care must be taken as the oil often ignites with smoke and spray flying in all directions. The container for hardening must be taken metal.

It happens that during hardening the metal begins to deform. This situation can be corrected. To solve the problem, you need to heat the workpiece, level it, and then try to harden it again.

After hardening, be sure to temper the metal, otherwise you will get a very fragile knife. For this operation, we take a domestic oven, place the workpiece in it and heat the steel at a temperature of 200 ° C for an hour. After that, you need to let the workpiece cool down gradually, while the oven does not need to be opened, the steel should cool down closed inside.

Stage 7.
For the manufacture of overlays for the handle, we take two planks of small thickness. We cut them to the required size and drill holes for the pins in them.

Now we glue the blanks with epoxy glue, applying a good layer on both linings. Then you need to insert the pins and clamp the handle well with a clamp. Leave in this form for 24 hours so that the glue is completely dry. Immediately to remove the remaining glue, take a cloth or toilet paper.

After the glue dries, the knife must be taken out and the shape of the handle must be finally formed. For these works we use a belt sander.

Illustrative video:

Very strong and reliable knives are obtained from automobile springs - any blacksmith will confirm this to you. The main thing is to properly process this high-quality steel material. The spring as a material for the knife was not chosen by chance, because. :

1) its pieces can be easily found
2) it is processed much easier than the "quick cut" strip
3) the cost of the knife is relatively small

And so, let's start with the fact that the car suspension is spring and spring. We will be interested in spring.
Fortunately, there are two troubles in Russia: fools and roads. As a result of the combination of the first and second, we have many pieces of spring suitable (for making a knife) right on the dogog. Free and out of order.

For more detailed information about the manufacture of home-made knives with visual photos, see the direct links located on the right >>>>>>>>

The spring is made of hot-rolled steel, for which there is a GOST. And now a few words about the beauty herself: Spring - an elastic element in the suspension of cars, trolleybuses, buses. They connect the body with bridges. They perceive traction and braking forces during movement.

The spring is much older than the car. For example, Gogol's characters, discussing "whether the wheel will reach ..." looked, most likely, at the spring carriage. Naturally, self-running crews also inherited it. At various times, it was very widely, sometimes almost completely used in car suspensions. And today, on old technology, you can find a lot of simply amazing designs. But we will not analyze them here, since the practical value of this information is small, and a decent review will require much more space than there is in the entire magazine.

Therefore, let's talk about what has crystallized in the process of development to date.

Design:
Springs are many-, few- and single-leaf. Until recently, all over the world there were, and in our country even today, multi-leaf springs are the most common. Since the graph of the change in the moment bending the spring has the shape of a triangle with a vertex at the loading point (bridge), this triangle is “filled with sheets” in order to obtain more uniform stresses in each of them. As a result, it is possible to kill not one, not two, but a whole herd of hares.

Manufacturing:
Hot-rolled carbon spring steel strip is usually used to make the sheets. The desired bend is given by straightening, and in the factory - in stamps. This is followed by heat treatment. Often the surface is hardened by shot blasting.

Spring section types:
The cross section of the sheet until some time was rectangular with rounded edges. But since the fatigue failure of sheets almost always starts at the top, the bottom surface was cut with bevels or notches. As a result, in the cross section, the sheets of most modern springs have either a trapezoid or a kind of “T” with a very thick leg.

What spring to take:
Many knifemakers agree that it is better to take a spring made in deep Soviet times. Since there steel 65G was much better than now.
The very quality of the metal depends not only on the ratio of additives, but also on the technology of heat treatment. Perhaps in Soviet times, "termites" were more qualified. It is stubbornly inculcated that many "secrets of steel" were lost in distant, distant times. And that modern knives are not knives at all ... I think steel, it has remained the same as it was. It's just that when you work with a piece of "Soviet spring", you create a knife with a "story".

Do not forget that many qualities of a knife made of any metal are determined by the technology of its production. For example, you can overheat the blade of a "quick cutter" when working on emery and then tell everyone how fragile knives from P6M5 are.

For the first knife, any piece will do. The first feature for you then will be the question of straightening the spring. To do this, you will need to master:

2. Straightening itself - anvil + hammer

Annealing:
Make a fire, heat the spring to "red" and cool very slowly. Can be left directly in the coals.
After annealing, a yellow, brown or blue "coat" may appear on the spring, which can be easily removed with sandpaper.

Straightening:
This is an uncomplicated business. You need an anvil (you can use a piece of rail) and a hammer, which is heavier.
The best option is to unforge while the iron is hot.
It is possible and on "cold", but the chance to split is great.

Materials:
Units of measurement in the text: 1 inch - 2.54 cm; 1 foot - 30.5 cm; 1 lb - 0.454 kg. (Note: for your convenience, I recalculated the imported values into the usual ones)

If you are burning with the desire to make a knife with your own hands, and you do not have expensive equipment, then here is a small list of materials that may come in handy. I understand that these are not the best materials, but it works, although it may cause a smile.

A piece of spring steel 5160 from the store, about 800 grams in weight, or so. Measure 18-20 cm from the piece, or whatever you decide, and use a new plate, not an old car spring.

Now go to the carpentry store and buy:
for $ 4 oak bar measuring 3.5 x 5 x 7.5 cm (Note: actually, this will be the handle)
in the welding department, buy a 3mm thick copper bar for $1.50
2 $2 3mm drills and another 6mm drill
2 files, one flat and one half round - $7.50
2 pieces of waterproof sandpaper number 120 for $1
2 pieces of waterproof sandpaper number 240 for $1
cheap chisel
a large enough clamp with which you will press the knife to the table or bench (but you can do without it)

When you pick up steel strip at the store, see if you can buy the thinnest plate they have. My shop has material 0.5 cm thick and 4 cm wide. It's quite thick for a small blade, but it's still good enough. (Note: in our case, you will have to tinker with the file - the thickness of the resoora will be greater. But, after labor lessons in distant childhood, this is not a problem)

You will also need a handheld electric drill. Take it from someone for a while, because. nothing will happen to it - you just drill a few holes. Next, I will use pictures to explain my actions.

For your first knife, choose a simpler design. 7.5 - 9 cm would be an appropriate length for the blade because you will have to use files to finish the blade. A straight blade without frills is easier to handle, and it is easier to work with a file in a straight plane.

Choose a handle for a knife that is also simple, without a lot of bizarre recesses for fingers, and without a guard. The silhouette of the knife is drawn with a marker, then I drilled a bunch of holes around the drawing with a 6 mm drill. You will have to work a lot with a hacksaw around all this.

Screw the knife to a bench, stump, or whatever you have, and use a hacksaw to remove some of the metal around the handle. Do this so that later with a file you can give the handle the desired shape. This must be done first, because if you remove the metal around the blade, then you will not be able to attach it to the bench. The handle is processed first! Once it has taken shape, remove any unnecessary material, attach the knife through the holes in the handle, and get to the blade.

So, I drilled the entire silhouette of the knife - this will greatly facilitate the work of the hacksaw blade when filing it. Then I unscrewed the blank from the bench, and reattached it so as to remove excess metal from the handle. With a 3 mm drill, holes were made in the handle for copper bars, and with a 6 mm drill, so that it could be attached to the bench when some part of the blade was processed.

Then I sawed off the handle, and added a couple of indentations under the fingers so that it would hold tighter in the hand. After that, I filed the rest of the silhouette, and filed the bevel - be patient, because. file work takes time. Okay, now I have a knife blank, sawn off with a hacksaw, and processed with a file. It's starting to take shape.

I marked the incisal edge with my 6mm drill bit. I blackened the blade with a marker, and then began to move the end of the drill along the cutting edge so that a thin line appeared. Turn the knife over and repeat the same on the other side, getting two lines, about 0.6 mm - 0.8 mm apart. If these two lines are too close to each other, then again mark the desired place with a marker, take the drill, and move it up or down, respectively, repeating all over again. The lines will be about 1/2 the thickness of a penny coin apart.

Then, using suitable wood screws, screw the knife to the top of the bench. Start filing the plane of the blade with a file. The goal is to connect the scratched lines and the top of the cutting edge of the knife at the same time. It will require a lot of hard hard work and patience.

And maybe a few breaks along the way. To help me flatten out, I used a marker and filed very slowly, trying to keep the file flat. The marker will show you the bumps that need to be ground off.

Try attaching a strip of sandpaper to some inexpensive base, such as a paint trowel. First, I sanded the area we called the groove with a flat board and number 120 paper. Then I began to work the flat with longitudinal movements towards the end of the blade until all the rough scratches from the file had disappeared. It also flattens the plane.

Use some soap and water to keep the sandpaper from getting dirty, and when you're done, be sure to wipe the knife dry or it'll rust by tomorrow. Start sanding the plane of the blade and handle. Do not remove all the flaws, but only the excess, until you get some bare metal - this "severity" will give character to the finished knife.

OK, the fire is lit. I did this in the back yard, in a specially fenced area. The fire is burning behind the fence, and a gentle breeze is blowing, which helps our work. You will need a few more things to work with the knife further. I got the magnet out of my boys' toy box, and after struggling with the reliable/cheap problem, I came up with the next one.

Taking two pieces of 12 mm square pipe 90 cm long, I inserted the ends of the handles of old pliers into them and flattened the metal around the edge to secure the connection. And one more important, extraordinarily secret thing that I will hint to you: old oil filters left after changing the oil in cars.

Stick the blade into the hot coals. The knife should be there for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot the coals are. This is your first time, so take the knife out of the fire for a couple of seconds every 2 to 3 minutes, look at its color, and check the cutting edge with a magnet.

If the steel is attracted, then the knife is not yet ready, put it back into the fire and heat it to a cherry red color. Try not to overheat the knife for longer than necessary, so check the blade every minute or two when you decide that the moment of readiness is close.

It's time to dip the knife into the secret oil. The magnet is not attracted, the color of the steel is good, and drooling with anticipation. I tempered the steel by dipping only 2/3 of the knife into the oil. I kept 2/3 of the blade on the cutting edge in oil until the flame went out - about a minute - and then slowly sank the rest of the knife until it was completely immersed and the smoke stopped. When we pull out the knife, it looks black and nasty. I dipped it into a vessel of water until it was cool enough to handle. Now you ask - is this knife really hard? Well, let's check. Take a file and run it over the blade, applying it at a 30-degree angle and pressing gently, not hard. The file will slide along the cutting edge, trying to catch on to it. If the blade is too slippery, wipe it off with a rag to remove the oil. To better clean the metal, you can also use soap and water.

If the file clings to the knife, then the hardening failed, return to the fire, and repeat all over again. Let's assume that the blade passed the test with a file, and hardened properly. Now we need to let it go, since we do not want the blade or its tip to crumble. Files are very brittle, and our knife is also very hard and brittle now. Preheat the kitchen oven to 375 - 400 degrees. "Bake" the knife in the oven for 45 minutes, let it cool to room temperature, and put it back in the oven for 45 minutes at the same temperature. By the way, do not forget to wash off all the oil from the knife first if you do not want to smoke the whole house. After tempering the steel, you can clean the blade. Grab your sandpaper again and get ready to put wooden handles on this little one.

I placed the knife in a vise, and cut off two pieces for lining on the future handle. Put the knife closer to the top edge of the bar, then it will be easier to "attach" to at least one of its edges. I have copper bars and am ready to take the next step. Drill holes for them in the handle.

I inserted all three rods, and traced the outline of the knife on the oak block, deciding where the "face" of the bar would be when I attached the wood to the steel with epoxy and copper rods. This photo is not very good, but I think you can see the right look with the black stripe on the knife. I marked the beginning and end of this line on the wood, and then connected them with an arc.
The left cheek of the handle will be processed and attached when we can not break the shape after the wood is glued to the knife. Now with a pencil you need to form the left side of the handle, mostly in front of it.
Check if the overlay is well prepared, how it adheres to the metal, and if necessary, smooth it on sandpaper so that the plane is perfect. Connect both pieces with copper rods, file them and sand them until the overlays become mirror-like. Once again, I remind you of the cutting edge! Then check them on the knife.

Now, if both rails are good enough and there is no gap between them and the knife, you can cut off the excess length of the rods so that they are flush with the tree. Thoroughly clean the knife - where the wood will fit. Soap, hot water and an old toothbrush, then rinse it thoroughly and pat dry. If you want it to be completely dry, use a hair dryer.
I cut the bars, and sanded the edges with sandpaper so that the chips would not break off later. Then I lubricated the inside of the wooden plates, the knife handle and the rods with epoxy resin, and connected everything together.

Wrapping the whole thing in four thick rubber bands (bold so they don't stick), I left the knife to dry, and then I removed the excess resin that had come out, and I got the finished knife.

Illustrative video:

1) its pieces can be easily found
2) it is processed much easier than the "quick cut" strip
3) the cost of the knife is relatively small

For more detailed information about the manufacture of home-made knives with visual photos, see the direct links located on the right >>>>>>>>

Therefore, let's talk about what has crystallized in the process of development to date.

For the first knife, any piece will do. The first feature for you then will be the question of straightening the spring. To do this, you will need to master:

2. Straightening itself - anvil + hammer

Materials:
Units of measurement in the text: 1 inch - 2.54 cm; 1 foot - 30.5 cm; 1 lb - 0.454 kg. (Note: for your convenience, I recalculated the imported values into the usual ones)

A piece of spring steel 5160 from the store, about 800 grams in weight, or so. Measure 18-20 cm from the piece, or whatever you decide, and use a new plate, not an old car spring.

You will also need a handheld electric drill. Take it from someone for a while, because. nothing will happen to it - you just drill a few holes. Next, I will use pictures to explain my actions.

And maybe a few breaks along the way. To help me flatten out, I used a marker and filed very slowly, trying to keep the file flat. The marker will show you the bumps that need to be ground off.

Wrapping the whole thing in four thick rubber bands (bold so they don't stick), I left the knife to dry, and then I removed the excess resin that had come out, and I got the finished knife.

In the modern world, knives of various types of purpose, as well as functionality, are provided on the market, but forging a knife with your own hands is still a success.

Such products are nice to give for the holidays or keep as a talisman. Such a solid tool will serve its owner for a long time.

Basic Requirements for an Efficient Process

To make a good cutter, you need to follow some rules and instructions of eminent masters:

For forging a knife, first of all, high-quality steel is required. It can also be secondary raw materials. It is necessary that it correspond to all points in terms of reliability, ductility and strength. Otherwise, you will not get a sharp and strong cutter.
It is necessary to have all the necessary tools for forging: a large hammer, a hammer up to 1 kilogram, an anvil, a vice, a grinder, a grinding tool, pliers, a sharpener. And also you need a furnace or device on which heating will occur.
Before making a forged knife, you need to draw a scheme of work. It will show the shape of the point and handle. For inexperienced craftsmen, it is better to prepare a layout that will help form an idea of \u200b\u200bthe future blade.

Scheme for forging a knife from a drill

Incandescence in the furnace must be done very carefully, otherwise the product will melt strongly. To determine the moment when it is necessary to take it out of the oven, the craftsmen recommend raising the steel to the light: it usually darkens or turns red.

Making a product forged with an iron hammer is best done on the street or in the garage. Forging knives may not work out once, but having gained experience, everyone will be able to masterfully do it at home. Don't forget to wear protective gloves and a mask.

Description of forging from various materials

For forging such products, materials from different raw materials are used:

drill;
bearing;
cable;
springs;
chains;
files.

Forging a knife from a drill with your own hands

How are these forgings made?

Forging a knife from a drill that is made of high-quality tool steel will bring good results if it was previously intended for metal. Such drills do not require high heating during rework, and also belong to fast cutting materials.

The forging technique is simple:

the drill is placed in an incandescent oven, it must turn red;
it is taken out and the tail is clamped with a vise for the alignment procedure;
are already starting to make the shape of the cutter and handle;
sharpening is done with a hammer or grinder. Bulgarian is the fastest way to work;
forging a knife from a drill is done in several stages so that the product does not crack or break.

Forging a knife from a spring is a delicate process that requires attention. The main thing is not to overheat the steel, otherwise the product will become weak and damaged.

If the forging of a knife from a spring is made from high-quality Soviet raw materials, the product will turn out to be strong and durable. The use of spring material will make the product durable and strong.

Post-Processing

First you need to grind and level the steel surface. Then the incandescent process takes place, because the product melts quite easily. After that, the knife is forged from the spring, that is, the shape, width, thickness and design of the sharp end, as well as the handle, are given with the available tools.

When the knife has cooled, it is necessary to finish the surface grinding, and then sharpen the point.

Knife turning technology

Now the knife can be used in the kitchen, on a hike or kept as a collection.

The simplest version of the file conversion, it is often used by professionals:

to begin with, it is worth clearing the extreme part of the notches and rusty deposits. This procedure is performed with a grinding disc using a machine;
heated to the required temperature;
cut out the shape of the handle and blade, the same as on the layout;
It is also better to adjust the thickness while the material is heated.

It is better to purchase a removable handle for such a knife, because the files have steel ones.

A welding tool is used to forge a knife from a steel cable. It is needed in order to fuse together all the thin strands of steel. This is a laborious process, so it requires patience.

Making knives at home is not an easy process, but it is worth the effort and time, because the result is a useful and unique item.

Video: Do-it-yourself forging a knife from a spring

Secondary raw materials will not allow you to make a blade of the highest quality. But many people like the feeling of rebirth of other materials into cutting and piercing objects. For example, forging a knife from a file or chain, a spring, a valve, a bearing, a cable, a drill.

Bearing knife

For knives, bearings from cars are used, usually with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters.

Rope knives

Good blades are obtained from the cable, but the Damascus properties are not high due to large patterns. Wire rope knives contain a small amount of carbon, so a Damascus cutting edge must be welded to their bodies.

Spring knives

Many people prefer to make knives with their own hands from a spring that was made back in the Soviet period. Then high-quality steel 65G was used for the spring. The properties of the spring metal are enhanced by the correct ratio of the components and technological heat treatment. If the knives from the spring are overheated, they will become brittle.

Chain knives

Widely used for forging such secondary material as chains. More often these are chains from a chainsaw, but there are also motor chains from a gasoline engine.

Valve knives

To make knives with your own hands, hollow exhaust valves are taken from the valve. Not every craftsman knows how to correctly pull the knife out of the valve. Therefore, this is not the best option.

Drill knives

Good knives are made from a drill. The tool steel from which the drills are made speaks for itself. If you properly harden a blade made with your own hands from a drill, then it will not break under shock loads and will be able to withstand high bending loads.

File knives

To make it with your own hands, you must first draw a sketch - the shape of the blade and handle, choose the method of attachment, as in the video. The metal for the file is U10 carbon steel. Its hardness is 57 - 58 HRC. These properties of the metal are preserved during forging, and the knives from the file are strong, with high cutting performance and withstand heavy loads.

Saw knives

An alternative would be to use a mechanical rail saw. Their strength is even higher than that of files. Both of these products are the best suited for forging knives at home. Since the old file is more accessible, we will consider the technology from it in more detail. You can also watch the process on video.

Steps for converting a file into a knife

Forging at home should take place with strict observance of all precautions.

We will use:

File (preferably Soviet).
Material for the manufacture of the handle (plastic, bone, wood, etc.).
Shoe polish and wax.
Gas stove or other heating device.
Machine tool, vice and grinder.
Magnet.
Sandpaper.
Material for rivets (preferably brass).
Glue for leather and metal.

First, we fire the file in the oven, as in the video. We heat it for 6 hours and leave it there until it cools completely. We do this so that the steel becomes the same as before factory processing. Instead of a stove, you can use hot coals of a fire. At home, you can use a gas burner for this. The future knife is placed on it in the place where the cutting part is supposed to be. A metal heat shield is placed on top so that it does not touch the file. The workpiece is sprinkled with salt, which should melt when heated. Process time - 6 hours.

Then they cut off everything superfluous from the workpiece so that it matches the drawn sketch. Now you need to drill holes for rivets and harden the future knife. The workpiece is evenly heated until the incandescence of one color. The handle may not be hardened. If the steel is hardened, then it will not be magnetized. This is a signal for further action. At this stage, the workpiece should scratch the glass if done correctly.

The most important part of the case is over, you can start tempering - the process of changing the properties of steel in order to reduce brittleness. To do this, warm the knife in the oven for two hours. Then the knife is polished, brought to a smooth surface, as in the video.

The next step is etching the steel with ferric chloride. The result will be the formation of an oxide film, it will protect the metal from corrosion. If there is no ferric chloride, then you can use vinegar or lemon juice.

The final step is the handle. She sits on the glue and riveted. Sharpening is supposed to be manual, as in the video, since the knife is not afraid of scratches. In any case, manual sharpening is better than inept sharpening on the machine. Now the blade needs to be waxed. It is advisable to sharpen knives before the final hardening of the metal.

Instead of a false handle, you can use leather, which must be wound evenly and brought to a state of uniformity with the help of shoe polish.

It should be noted that knives made at home are very resistant to mechanical processing and after hardening, they can only be edited on a diamond sharpening machine. On a conventional sharpener, it will be possible to correct only manual sharpening.