My Darling Wife decided I needed to learn a new skill for some stuff she wants me to make.
So of course I had to make some new tools.
Sadly the wonderful book only had two tools. So I of course made three!!
Then again it did show a compass.
In this case I decided to go cheap, quick and simple. I used pretempered M2 HSS.
I am careful not to over heat even the M2 HSS steel. It is too much work to shape it, and the steel is not at all flexible, but the stuff will seriously hold an edge and work flawlessly for a small knife.
These are really simple to make, I saw a notch in the wood, scrape some carbon deposits off my large tea kettle and then mix some epoxy in with the carbon for the black look. I coat the blade, smear epoxy into the notch, and tap the blade into place. the I fill the notch with epoxy, wait for it to set and then shape the handle.
If you are looking for some good supplies for making basic knives:
I like this one for Screw Posts
Screw Posts look good and are a good backup if the blade comes loose from the glue. I use the unfinished aluminum ones, so I can grind them down and keep the same color. I avoid brass on cooking tools entirely as it may well contain lead.
If you are thinking of tempering your own steel, then O1 is a great intro, and there is almost too much data online telling you how to do it.
By the way, if you are going to make blades, get a good belt sander and some good belts.
Bob
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