Anyone play with making knives or hatchets??

[2004LB7]

Version 2.0 started and almost complete. On the tempering cycles. Still have at least one more cycle and then I have to do finish grinding, put a handle on it and sharpen it up

This one ended up with a bit more upsweep to it. Not sure if I like that but until I try it out I won't really know


Rough grinding before heat treatment

 

[2004LB7]

All done. Well other then putting the final edge on it and doing some chop testing

May try and make a sheath but it does have a lot of curve that can make that difficult.

 

[68ss]

All done. Well other then putting the final edge on it and doing some chop testing

May try and make a sheath but it does have a lot of curve that can make that difficult.

View attachment 114844

How much?

 

[2004LB7]

How much?

Well it's not posted in the garage sell section for a reason. But if you wanted me to make you one it would probably come out to around $300 or so

 

[2004LB7]

Put a final sharpening on it and took it for a test drive. It chops pretty hard. Good weight and balance. A little less curve would probably be good but it works well as is. The best impact area seems to be right at the middle to about 2 or 3 inches from the tip. That's where you really feel it bite. Holding from the back section of the handle, it cuts best around the middle of the blade with no shock or vibrations. The rubber handle is very comfortable

 

[1FastBrick]

What did you use to make the grip and how is attached?

 

[2004LB7]

I saved a decent sized offcut of a gym weight room floor from one of the hotels I do maintenance at. They where doing so renovations and put new flooring in the fitness center, so a saved some. It's about 5/16" thick. A little softer then I would normally consider but I think it will harden up a little as it ages. I used E6000 adhesive to bond it. I may add some pins or other mechanical fastening later if it seems like it needs it. The E6000 will remain flexible so it won't crack or break away from the steel like epoxy can. It supposedly takes 72 hrs to fully cure but even after only one day it was solid enough to test.

The color is a little odd but I'll probably get used to it

 

[1FastBrick]

Ah, that's interesting. I thought the pattern looked familiar, I just couldn't place it. I never would have guessed flooring...

Also I wasn't sure how it was being attached which is why I asked. I didn't know if you could just use an epoxy or if it would need something special with a mechanical fastener to help retain the grip material.

 

[2004LB7]

Ah, that's interesting. I thought the pattern looked familiar, I just couldn't place it. I never would have guessed flooring...

Also I wasn't sure how it was being attached which is why I asked. I didn't know if you could just use an epoxy or if it would need something special with a mechanical fastener to help retain the grip material.

Yeah, it's typical to use some kind of mechanical fastening, pins, etc. But depending on the material, like rubber, it can flex and absorb shock and bending. Hard handle material like wood and micarta will put tremendous stress on the epoxy and cause it to crack if there is no mechanical fastening under the same conditions. The fasteners will take the brunt of the stress keeping the epoxy from debonding.

The problem with pinning a rubber handle is that if the pins are flush with the surface then as the rubber flexes and compresses in your hand you will feel the pins protruding and create hot spots and will be uncomfortable. You have to countersink the pins or fasteners. But this leaves less material for the pins or fasteners to hold onto. The other option is to use rubber pins. But these are not really any stronger then the adhesive itself. So I'm trying out just adhesive alone to see how it holds up

I've tried super glue in the past for rubber and it works ok but eventually splits from being too brittle. The E6000 will remain flexible but harden up enough to create a strong bond. At least that's the theory ?

 

[2004LB7]

Look at all this knife handle material just laying on the floor ?

 

[Dozerboy]

Look at all this knife handle material just laying on the floor ?

View attachment 114898

Lots of blade material there too... lol