In the modern knife market there is wide choose a wide variety of piercing and cutting products. A variety of materials can be used for their manufacture. It all depends on what purpose the knife is intended for. Blades used in hunting are in great demand among consumers. Despite the wide selection of branded models available, many prefer to use handicraft products.
make hunting knife do it yourself if available the right tool and consumables are not difficult. The fact is that homemade products are not inferior in quality to factory-made blades. In addition, according to experienced hunters, using such a cutting product is much more pleasant. You will learn how to make a hunting knife at home from this article.
Getting to know the cutting product
A hunting knife is a bladed weapon. It is used as the main tool in situations where the carcasses of hunted animals are cut up. In addition, this knife is used to cut branches and plan wood chips for a fire.
What is special about blades?
Before making a hunting knife with your own hands, you should know about the features of the blades of this type. Distinctive feature is that most hunting knives are equipped with a blood flow. Thanks to the presence of the fuller, the blade is given additional strength and hardness. The cutting product has a straight 12-15 cm blade, which is slightly narrower in comparison with the handle. The knife will be more effective if its center of gravity is shifted towards the handle, as a result of which the load on the hand will be minimized. According to experienced hunters, with this cutting tool Your hands don’t get tired and it’s much more convenient to use.
The production of hunting knives is carried out taking into account climate zone. At sub-zero temperature and in conditions with high humidity It is more advisable to use products with wooden handles. During operation, the knife will not freeze or slip out of the palm.
What will you need for work?
In order for a self-made hunting knife to meet all the necessary parameters, you need to acquire the following tool and consumables:
- vice;
- emery;
- a drill and several pobedit drills;
- files;
- sandpaper;
- abrasive bars;
- diamond files;
- hammer and chisels.
It will be much more convenient to work on a special assembly table equipped with a vice. Judging by numerous reviews, good blades are made from R6M5 steel. This material is used to make pendulum saws. For anyone planning to make a hunting knife with their own hands, experts also recommend paying attention to drills and hacksaw blades. Optimal length the latter should be 450 mm, width - 35. Very high-quality cutting products are made from Damascus steel. However, to work with such metal you will need a specialized forge and many tools. As a result, the manufacturing process will be too labor-intensive. Therefore, it is better to use ready-made steel. How to make a hunting knife with your own hands? More on this below.
Where to begin?
For those who do not know how to make a hunting knife, experts recommend working from a sketch. To do this, markings are applied to the selected metal.
Next, the workpiece is carefully turned on the machine. For this purpose, you can also use a corner grinder(grinder) equipped with a cutting wheel. At this stage, the metal can be damaged, namely, its cutting properties can be reduced. To prevent this, the workpiece should be regularly moistened and not allowed to overheat.
About making the blade
During the manufacturing process of a blade with metal blank remove excess. Near the shank itself, the corners need to be slightly rounded; with this design the blade will be stronger. A novice master should be prepared for the fact that the sharpening procedure will be quite lengthy. It is carried out on sharpening stones with different grain sizes.
First, sharpening is done on a coarse-grained wheel. Often beginners ruin the blade. The reason is the incorrect angle. If the knife is intended for heavy and rough work, the blade should be sharpened at an angle of 30 degrees, 20 for medium ones, 10-15 degrees for thin ones. According to the masters, sharpening is a very important element work, on which the cutting properties of the blade will depend.
With concave triggers, which are the easiest to make, the knife will be ineffective. With a “flat wedge” sharpening, the blade will have average cutting performance. However, this will become possible with a two-millimeter blade. If a hacksaw blade is used as a raw material, then its thickness in this case will not be enough. It is recommended to equip the knife with a sharpening in the form of a concave lens. The blade will be effective for through cuts.
About the handles
Dried wood is used to make handles. Walnut, beech, maple, pear, cherry, birch and mahogany are suitable for this purpose. Buy required material you can go to a specialty store or donate some old furniture. The handles can be mounted or overhead.
In the first case in wooden block drill a hole for the shank. Installation is carried out using adhesives. Many craftsmen weld a bolt to the shank. This makes it possible to drill through the block. The handle is secured with a screw-on nut.
How to make a hole in a workpiece?
Often, beginners encounter difficulties when they need to make several holes for rivets. If the steel does not take even a Victory drill, then you should use 27 Volt electrolysis. To do this you need to do the following:
- Dilute table salt in a container with water.
- Apply quick-drying varnish to the workpiece and wrap it with insulating tape. In the place where the master wants to make a hole, a small circle should be cut out in the film.
- Next, the workpiece must be placed in a container.
The principle of this technology is that under the influence of a positive charge applied to the workpiece and a negative charge to the electrolyte, a hole is formed in the metal in direct contact with the solution. At the end of the procedure, it can be expanded using a needle file.
Making a bushing
In an effort to reduce the load on the shank, the knife is equipped with a special bushing. This element is a brass or bronze plate. These metals have anti-corrosion properties and are easy to process. The bushing should be cut according to the drawing. Next, using a drill, several holes are made in the plate in a row. Then, using a needle file, they are connected to each other. This should create a hole into which the shank is threaded. Many homemade craftsmen additionally solder the bushings to the blade.
Final stage
Grinding is considered to be the procedure that hunting knives made by hand undergo at the very end. Photos of these homemade products presented in the article.
Hello fishermen and hunters, I present to your attention a strong, beautiful, high-quality knife that you can make with your own hands. This knife will be an excellent friend for you when hiking, hunting, fishing and other similar activities. Despite the fact that the knife looks very high quality, it is not so difficult to make it yourself. You will need a minimum set of tools for this; grinding and polishing will be the hardest thing to do if you do not have a grinder, a sharpening machine, and so on.
But in order for the knife to be strong and of high quality, you need to choose good steel for it. Unfortunately, the author did not indicate what grade of steel he used. But these days you can buy a blank for a knife of any steel grade. The most important thing is that the steel contains sufficient quantity carbon for hardening. By the way, good steel is used in old Soviet files, various cutters and other tools. So, let's take a closer look at how to make such a wonderful knife!
Materials and tools used
List of materials:
- carbon steel for the blade;
- wood for linings;
- sheet brass for the handle;
- brass or steel pins;
- epoxy adhesive.
List of tools:
- belt grinder;
- orbital sander;
- grinder with cutting and grinding discs;
- grinder;
- drill or drilling machine;
- drill;
- hammer;
- sandpaper;
- Japanese water stone or other sharpening tool;
- forge furnace and hardening oil.
Knife making process:
Step one. Cut out the main rough profile
To begin, prepare the source material and apply a template to it. Ready template You can find them on the Internet, for example, there are quite a lot of them on Pinterest. We scale the drawing properly and print it on a printer, then cut it out. You can cut a template out of cardboard, it will last for a long time, and you can also hold such a template in your hands and figure out what the future knife will look like.
Next we transfer the template to the workpiece. For convenience, the author painted over the “body” of the knife green. If the template is made of paper, you can simply glue it to the workpiece. Let's start cutting, for these purposes the author used an ordinary grinder. We securely fasten the workpiece with a clamp. There shouldn't be any problems with straight lines, but you'll have to try harder with curves. To cut out the bends, we make a series of transverse slits. After this, you can cut out the pieces of metal in sectors. Of course, there will be a lot of uncut metal left, but now it can be easily removed.
Step two. Primary grinding
After cutting, we need to finalize the contour of the blade. For these purposes, we go with a knife to sharpening machine, we remove everything unnecessary. We also walk along the contour on the tape grinding machine. Bends can be easily processed using a drill with the appropriate attachment. A sandpaper attachment works best for this task.
Step three. Forming bevels
This is a very crucial moment in blade processing. We need to form bevels, that is, the sharpening angle of the blade. First, we make markings; for this, the author uses a caliper. You also need to be sure to divide the future blade into two halves, so it will be very convenient for you to grind off the metal on both sides of equal thickness. This line is usually drawn with a drill of the same diameter as the thickness of the blade.
To begin, take a file and apply the end of the bevel to the blade. Well, then we arm ourselves with a grinder with a grinding attachment and remove the excess metal. When everything is ready, we carry out finer processing on a belt sander. At the end, we go through the bevel with files, sand it with sandpaper and polish it if desired.
Step four. Drilling holes
We drill holes in the handle of the blade for the pins. The wider the handle, the more pins need to be installed. The author decided to install 5 pins. We mark the locations and drill holes. If the hole diameter is large, use a small diameter drill first. If the steel is hardened, you may need a carbide-tipped drill bit to drill into it. It's easier to drill steel if you lubricate the drill bit.
Step five. Tempering the blade
Now the blade can be hardened; for this you will need a forge furnace. In principle, you can simply blow up the coals with a household hairdryer, and the temperature can be more than sufficient. Typically, carbon steel glows yellowish, and with this glow it can be cooled in oil. But all brands are different, as are the hardening methods, you need to remember this.
When the blade is hardened, the metal should not be taken with a file. After this, the metal is usually tempered, otherwise it will be very brittle.
When the blade has cooled, we clean it of oil; they are usually washed under running water using detergents. Next, the author polished the blade with fine sandpaper until it was shiny.
Step six. Let's move on to making the handle
The author has a combined handle; it consists of brass and wooden linings. First, let's start with the brass plates, for this we will need sheet brass, from which we cut out four parts for the front and back of the handle. Brass is cut perfectly with a grinder. Next, drill holes for the pins in the pads, and now you can install them on the handle. This will allow the products to be adjusted to the shape of the handle. You will need brass pins; eventually they will become one with the linings. The pins should be of such a diameter that they enter the material with little effort. After installing the pins, they need to be riveted.
Next, you can proceed to the wooden overlays; to do this, find boards of suitable thickness. We cut the boards to required length and drill holes for the pins. We install the pads themselves with epoxy glue, this is the key to their reliable fastening. As for the pins, the author decided to use steel pins for these purposes; ordinary nails are suitable for such purposes. There is no need to rivet these pins, since we have everything on glue. Tighten the pads with clamps and let the glue dry completely.
Step seven. Sanding the handle
When the glue dries, the handle can be processed. To do this, first cut the pins; this can be done with a hacksaw or file. Next, we go to the grinding machine and grind the planes, everything should be on the same level. You can also sand the handle to some extent along the contour.
Now we will have those places where we could not get to with a grinder. To process them, the author uses a drill. A sandpaper attachment works well for this task.
Step eight. Finishing
Finally, we put a polishing attachment on the drill and polish the brass to a golden shine. Similarly, we pass this nozzle along the contour. If some areas cannot be polished, they still need to be finished by hand with very fine sandpaper. Well, then polish the wooden part or the entire knife with a polishing machine, if desired. When the pen is ready, apply oil to it. This will protect the wood from moisture and the brass will not oxidize.
A hunter definitely needs a gun and a knife. If there are no questions regarding the application of the first, then there are questions regarding the second different opinions. Some believe that a knife is necessary for finishing and cutting up a shot animal, as well as for protecting against an attack by an animal.
Others use this item, first of all, to chop branches, cut bread, open cans of canned food and perform various household work, but cutting up game is an occasional task. Thus, it turns out that there is no universal blade. Any man can create hunting ones.
What is the product
A hunting knife is a bladed weapon with a short blade. The blade and handle are its main elements. To protect the hunter's palm from damage at the moment of striking, the product has a utik, that is, a limiter. Homemade hunting knives look very stylish. The photos below clearly demonstrate this.
In order to make a weapon, you need to decide, first of all, on the shape of the blade and handle, select necessary materials, as well as establish a list of tools and equipment that will be required to complete specific operations. Making hunting knives is not accessible to everyone.
Features of creating a blade
For this item more important function is the ability to cut rather than pierce. For this purpose, the blade is made curved and bent upward. Bend cutting edge should be large enough to allow long cuts to be made in one movement. This greatly simplifies the process of cutting up prey. The shape of the blade of a hunting knife is of great importance.
Such bladed weapons have a handle shank made from a single metal blank. The sharp edge of the edge of the blade is called the blade. This is the cutting part of the knife. The opposite edge is always made blunt; it is often called the butt.
Knife hardness and length
To give the blade rigidity, special grooves are made in the metal part of the product. Such depressions are called valleys. They also reduce the weight of the item. The widespread belief that the lobes are intended to drain blood is deeply erroneous.
The length of the blade ranges from 12 to 15 cm, width - from 2.5 to 3 cm. It is better to make hunting knives with your own hands according to the drawings. But some hunters prefer to carry two types of bladed weapons. One blade is used for cutting prey, and the other for economic needs. Not everyone knows how to make a hunting knife.
Selection of materials for manufacturing
The metal for the blade must be durable and not subject to corrosion. Tool steel has proven itself very well. Blades for pendulum saws are made from it, and it is not so difficult to get. Of the carbon steels, it is worth noting the brand. It has the necessary hardness, holds an edge well, and has high corrosion resistance. Below we will tell you how to make a hunting knife so that it lasts for a long time.
Even the most perfect blade can become ineffective and useless without a reliable and comfortable handle. It is this that ensures proper use of such weapons. Whether the knife blade will move in the right direction or go to the side, whether your hands will get tired or not - all this largely depends on this detail. The handle of a hunting knife should fit correctly and comfortably in the hand, but its beautiful finish is a secondary matter.
Attaching the handle
The handle can simply be mounted on the shank or attached to it using rivets. The first option looks more attractive. The knife shank is made in the form of a narrow rod. Part of it may extend beyond the handle. A thread is cut on the protruding part, and the handle is secured to the shank using a nut, pressing it against the stop. With this method of fastening, the base can be made from a set of individual rings. The locking nut is often called a knob and is usually given an attractive appearance. The handle is simply pushed onto the short shank and glued.
The riveted part is made differently. The shank of the knife is made in the shape of a handle, that is, it is flat and wide. Holes are drilled in it. The linings on both sides are symmetrically applied to the shank, the rivets are inserted into the holes. The fastening is very durable.
Handle: material
The material for making the handle must be durable, comfortable to the touch, not cold on the hand, not soaked in blood and not freeze to the fingers from the cold. The main requirements also include light weight, ease of processing and availability of purchase. It is probably not advisable to obtain exotic materials for a hunting knife.
The best raw material for making a handle is wood. The blanks are made from dense varieties. Very good parts are obtained from maple, ash and apple. Coniferous trees do not apply. So-called burls are taken from birch trees, that is, growths on the trunk. A hole is made in the workpiece for attachment to the shank. If it is planned that it will extend beyond the handle, then the hole is made through. Its diameter should allow the shank to fit inside the handle without splitting it.
Advantage of birch bark
Birch bark is considered the ideal material for the handle. To make the product softer, the raw materials are heat treated in hot water within 2 hours. You could say it is simply boiled in a large pot of water, then dried thoroughly. Ready sheet birch bark is cut into small plates rectangular shape. The size of the parts should be slightly more sizes future handle. Next, the plates are put on the knife shank one by one.
Holes in rectangles must be made immediately before inserting them, since the transverse dimensions of the shank do not remain constant. The collected birch bark is compressed with a nut, which is screwed onto the thread at the end of the shank. If necessary, plates are added until all the birch bark is compressed into a single dense briquette, and several turns of thread remain under the nut. Using a sharp knife and file, the handle is given required form. IN final version The handle is sanded with fine sandpaper. No varnishes or paints are needed. It's always nice to make a hunting knife with your own hands. The drawings will help you decide on shapes and sizes.
The limiter prevents the hand from moving onto the blade. It is attached in front of the handle. Only a single limiter is installed. The crosspiece is used in However, many hunters prefer not to install a special limiter at all, and protect their hand thanks to the protrusions on the handle. These knives are more convenient for skinning and butchering animals.
Basic operations for making knives
The manufacturing process includes several stages. Let's look at how to make hunting knives with your own hands (photos will allow you to evaluate the labor intensity of the process).
The knife is ready. All that remains is to place it in a reliable sheath. Making hunting knives can be a good business.
Knives are currently popular not only in the kitchen, but also among people who have connected their lives with extreme types of active leisure - fishing, hunting, tourism, etc.
On the market in modern times There are various knives: variable models, different sizes and designs. But none of them can replace a knife that you make yourself.
People often write on the Internet about how to make a knife with your own hands, but you have to try hard to make them.
Knives: types and basic properties
In the photographs of the knife on the Internet, you can see that each product is creative element created from various mechanisms.
There is a large classification of knives depending on their functionality: combat, tourist, folding (for example, butterfly), knives designed for hunting, multi-tools, bivouac knives, as well as ordinary kitchen knives.
Kitchen knives are bought ready-made, but knives intended for hunting or tourism can easily be made at home yourself.
There are also knives such as survival knives, the main task of which is to help in living in conditions wildlife. This option is relevant for tourists and hunters.
The blade of such a knife is usually no more than 12 cm. This length is sufficient for cutting wood, processing game, cleaning fish or other similar actions. Small dimensions make this knife easy to transport.
When making such a knife, great attention should be paid to the material intended to create the blade. Steel is often preferred.
Procedure for creating a knife
To get a positive result when making a knife, you should first sketch out a drawing of the knife. In this case, you can know in advance what exactly you want to achieve in the end.
Instructions on how to make a knife at home include a number of rules.
Making a knife step by step
Cut out the blank for the future knife. Relying on finished drawing, cut out the shape for the knife.
You will need a knife sharpener. With its help, the base is brought to the required shape. And after this you will have a clear blank in your hands, where you can distinguish the places of the handle and blade.
Rough sharpening of knives. At this stage you need to clearly know what your future knife is intended for. If it is made for hunting, fishing or hiking, then it is better to give preference to the blade type of sharpening.
And, if the knife is created to function in the kitchen or in the garden, then the razor type is suitable.
Don't expect perfect sharpening at this stage, as this is just a rough draft intended to determine the future shape.
If the blade is pre-prepared, then you can start working with the handle. To create the handle, the most various materials– this is: wood, plexiglass, bones, thick types of leather, etc.
Note!
Having cut out a blank to create a handle, you should check whether it fits comfortably in your hand, as well as its proportionality relative to the blade. The knife handle is secured using the riveting method.
The shape for the foot handle is given using a sharpening machine.
The knife is ground and polished using sandpaper.
The final sharpening of the blade is carried out after sharpening on a sharpener, also using sandpaper.
At the end, the finished knife is polished with velvet cloth or polish.
Note!
As you can see, the process of making a knife with your own hands is not that difficult, so everyone can try their hand at this area.
You can also give the future knife the necessary and desired design. Special attention pay attention to the handle during the design process.
Knife design
Because it is by the handle of the knife that others can then judge your creative thinking and status.
Some write their names on the handles of the knife, draw certain patterns and sketches in the form of tattoos.
The simplest knife can be built in an emergency in the forest; the main thing is to find the materials necessary to create it.
Note!
You just need to find the cutting part for the knife, and then you should insert it only into the handle, which will be in the form of a piece of wood, rope or leather.
Photo of a knife with your own hands
How to make a hunting knife with your own hands? More than one man who is interested in hunting has asked this question.
Every self-respecting hunter should have a hunting knife in his arsenal. During the hunting process, many situations arise in which a knife is simply necessary: from sharpening various kinds pegs, before cutting the prey.
These days there are a great variety of stores for hunters and fishermen, where you can buy any kind of knives for money. However, mass-produced knives do not differ in durability and quality. A more expensive option is to order a hunting dagger from a famous craftsman. In this case, you can get a fairly high-quality blade. But only homemade hunting knives can bring the greatest pride and satisfaction. After all, in the process you can adjust the knife according to your desire and taste. Making hunting knives is a rather complex process and requires thorough preparation.
Characteristics of a hunting knife
In order to make a hunting knife, you need to figure out how it differs from other types.
So, in addition to performing regular cuts, it must cope with the following tasks:
- finish off a wounded animal;
- skin;
- cut up the carcass.
Based on this, we can highlight characteristics designs:
- Straight butt for a powerful blow during finishing. For finishing, a separate blade with a central tip is often used; it is also called a hunting dagger.
- Blade length 100-150 mm.
- Use of harder steel grades.
- Handle made of wood, birch bark or non-slip artificial materials, with moderate relief. It should be comfortable for cutting towards and away from you, as well as piercing movements.
- Absence additional accessories in the design.
So, how to make a hunting knife?
Steel selection
Before you begin directly forging, you need to decide on the material from which the hunting knife will be made.
When choosing steel, one uses its five main properties:
- Hardness. The ability of steel to resist deformation. Hardness is measured using the Rockwell scale, which ranges from 20 to 67 HRC.
- Wear resistance. Metal resistance to wear. Directly related to the hardness of the steel used.
- Strength. Preserving the integrity of the blade during impacts and other damaging factors.
- Plastic. Absorption and dissipation of kinetic energy during impacts, cuts and bends.
- Red fastness. An indicator of the resistance of steel when exposed to temperature. The temperature of forging and hardening of steel depends on this indicator. Hard steel grades are the most red-resistant (more than 900 °C).
All properties are closely interconnected. The predominance of one of the indicators leads to a decrease in the quality of the material as a whole. The severity of a particular property is caused by alloyed additives and elements present in the metal.
Depending on the presence of certain alloying elements, the steel receives the appropriate marking. For example, grade U9 - carbon 0.9%, grade X12MF - contains 1.2% molybdenum and vanadium.
Of the most suitable steels for the manufacture of a hunting blade, two grades of steel can be noted that are most widespread:
- ХВ5- diamond, alloy carbon steel with high hardness (up to 70 HRC) and excellent cutting properties. The metal contains chromium and tungsten, which add strength. But with prolonged contact with water and dampness, corrosion spots may appear, so a knife made of this steel requires careful care.
- Х12МВ- stamped steel, tool steel, hardness up to 60 HRC. The composition includes: chromium - increases resistance to corrosion; molybdenum - makes steel more viscous; vanadium - increases heat resistance.
IN Lately Powder steel has become popular, for example, ELMAX (Sweden). The steel is quite wear-resistant and tough, and also has anti-corrosion protection. Products made from it hold an edge for a long time.
Damask steel - has exceptional hardness and elasticity, and is not subject to corrosion. Damask steel has a pronounced pattern, which is imparted by carbon steel. The damask steel blade easily copes with mechanical and thermal loads. The best hunting knives are made from damask steel.
Damascus steel is not inferior to damask steel in all respects, but requires protection from moisture and dampness. The Damascus blade has a unique pattern and holds an edge perfectly, but it must always be wiped after use and periodically lubricated with special oil.
Blade forging
Tools
We've sorted out the material, now we should talk about necessary tools and the forging itself.
For forging you will need:
- hammer up to 1 kg and hammer 4-6 kg;
- blacksmith tongs, you can use pliers with the insulation removed;
- adjustable wrench;
- vice;
- an anvil or a homemade device for an anvil;
- grinder;
- welding machine;
- grinder;
- a forge furnace or hearth, pressurized using bellows or a fan.
Before starting work experienced craftsmen It is advised to draw sketches of hunting knives, which can be made if one or another material is available. After choosing a suitable sketch, forging begins.
Forging stages
The forging process consists of several main stages, it is necessary:
- Light the furnace and heat the metal to a certain temperature (depending on the steel used).
- Design and forge the shank. The workpiece is subsequently held by it.
- Formation of the future knife nose. At this stage, the future shape of the hunting knife is acquired.
- Forging the blade using minimal allowances. At this stage, the metal should be gradually forged without changing the thickness of the workpiece.
Making the handle
Making knife handles is a creative process based on their practical use. The handle should be durable, comfortable and practical. On this moment There are plenty of materials from which you can make a knife handle with your own hands. Various combinations of materials can be created and applied various techniques manufacturing, the main thing is that the handle of the knife with your own hands meets individual requirements and the characteristics of the owner.
Material selection
The most elegant, comfortable and most importantly - durable - are handles made from animal horns. Another advantage of this material is that it is easy to process.
The handle made of wood or ebonite may be damaged if dropped. The metal handle is strong and reliable, but not practical due to freezing at low temperatures.
The most suitable and available material The handle is made from fiberglass impregnated with epoxy (epoxy resin) and laid in several layers. The material is light, durable and not affected by temperature. Also wide application received textolite. However, to make a PCB handle, it is necessary to use a solid block, because when several pieces are glued together, the strength of the product is lost.
Step-by-step production
It should be noted that before making a knife as a whole, it is necessary to initially select the type of handle: applied or inlaid, since the shank of the workpiece for the handle is formed at earlier stages.
Making a knife handle is divided into several stages:
- Make a sketch. On paper, draw the outline of the blade and tang, and apply a drawing of the future handle on top.
- Measure the length and width of future overlays or “cheeks”. If the handle is inlaid, determine the number and thickness of the component elements.
- Make a bolster and end cap from brass (aluminum).
- If the handle is inlaid, drill holes for the shank in the component elements. If the handle is applied, drill holes for metal wads in the shank, then alternately in both blanks for the handles.
- Put on and glue with epoxy resin pads or set tools, tightly compress or wrap the handle blank on all sides to more securely fix the handle on the shank.
- Finishing the handle with a file or other grinding tool. (Produced after completely dry resin).
- Sanding the handle. Giving the handle a perfect smoothness and shape.
Making a scabbard
Sheaths are an integral part of quality hunting knives. They are designed to keep the blade from external negative impacts, and also allow you to keep a hunting dagger always at hand. A knife for everyday use should be equipped with a collapsible sheath for easy cleaning. The sheath for a hunting knife can be made of leather and wood. Everyone chooses for themselves how to make a knife sheath.
Wooden scabbard
Necessary:
- Cut a suitable piece of wood into two halves. If the handle is made of wood, then it is best to use a block of the same type of wood.
- Draw on each half the outline of the corresponding side of the blade.
- Make a recess according to the outline in the two halves of the sheath to the thickness of the blade. You should slowly adjust the recesses so that the sheath fits tightly in the future.
- Glue the halves strictly along the edges of the recesses. A moderate coat of epoxy should be applied to prevent penetration into the blade recess. If necessary, pre-sand the surfaces to be glued for a tighter fit. You can also fasten the halves together with decorative screws.
- Give final shapes using a file or Dremel and sand.
Leather scabbard
You will need:
- Make a mockup out of paper and tape.
- Transfer the pattern to the leather and cut, leaving a seam margin of approximately 7-10 mm.
- Soak the skin in water at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
- Cut out a thin plastic liner.
- Protect the blade with masking tape.
- Wrap the knife in the soaked cut leather. Fix the necessary bends (you can use regular clothespins).
- Make a pendant (trench) and form a hole in its loop. Cut a strip of leather and fold it in half, this will be the pendant.
- After the leather has dried, glue the pendant and sew it to the sheath.
- Glue in the plastic liner.
- Make an expansion wedge for the top of the sheath.
- Sew the sheath by first making symmetrical holes.
- Soak the sheath and place the blade in it, then place it under a press to give the final shape.
- After drying, you can impregnate the leather with shoe wax or special impregnations.
Making a knife from a file
As you know, a good blade made of excellent steel can cost a lot of money. In such cases, the question arises: how to make a knife with your own hands from scrap materials? An old, unnecessary file will come to the rescue, from which you can make a hunting knife with your own hands.
Tools and materials
Making a hunting knife with your own hands from a file must begin with selecting source material, or simply “blanks”. It is best if it is a Soviet file, since at that time they were made of very high quality steel. The shape of the file should be flat, rectangular, or better yet diamond-shaped, about 30-40 mm wide.
It is necessary to decide what the handle of the future knife will be made of and prepare materials for it. In addition, you will also need:
- epoxy resin;
- brass or aluminum rivets;
- vice;
- sharpening machine;
- sander;
- sandpaper of different grain sizes;
- magnet (necessary for hardening);
- ferric chloride (for etching).
Step-by-step instruction
- First of all, to make a knife with your own hands from a file, draw sketch future knife.
- Annealing. We heat the workpiece to approximately 700 degrees. When you have to make a knife with your own hands at home, you can use a gas stove. To determine the heating, use coarse table salt, pour it onto the heated area, when it begins to melt, it means the heating is sufficient. After the metal has acquired an even color, it is necessary to keep it in this state for 4 hours. Then the metal should cool slowly.
- Blade formation. We cut off all the excess with a grinder and shape the future blade. Next, using circles of different grain sizes, they form a trigger on the knife with their own hands, a butt, and a shank for attaching the handle.
- We produce hardening and product release.
- Grinding and polishing the knife to the finished state. We use sandpaper, gradually reducing its grain size, and for polishing we use a felt wheel and Goya paste.
- Attaching the handle and bring it to the final state by grinding and sanding.
- Etching. Important stage, which is necessary to prevent rust on the blade.
Additional accessories
Such devices most often include a trench and a sharpener, as well as secret holes in the back of the knife and pockets on the sheath.
Trenchik
A special loop for attaching the sheath to a belt. When making a trench coat, various materials are used: rope, cord, strip of leather. Making a sheath with your own hands allows you to make a trench coat from any available material.
The trench coat can be glued, sewn, attached with a screw with inside sheath, the main thing is to make a loop with a margin for any width of the belt. The length must be selected individually.
Sharpener
A small, fine-grained block of stone used for sharpening a knife. The sharpener is attached to the sheath and is necessary when using the blade for a long time.
Pockets
Making a knife and a sheath with your own hands allows you to fully equip it to your taste. But it is worth carefully considering the necessity, and most importantly, the practicality of this or that pocket.
When making handles for knives, some craftsmen leave a cavity in the back, into which small objects can also be placed.
How to harden steel at home
In fact, steel hardening can be done not only in a forge. It is quite possible to build a small stove on fresh air or make do gas stove. It is only necessary to create conditions for retention maximum quantity heat near the knife. For this purpose they use heat shields, or more simply put, metal plates.
The metal must be heated until it acquires a uniform bright red color. On the edge of the blade, the metal is thinner, so it heats up more strongly and can have almost White color. A magnet will help determine the optimal degree of heat. If the magnet stops reacting to metal, it needs to be cooled. It is necessary to cool sharply, take it with pincers or pliers and dip it in a bucket of water, and some craftsmen advise dipping it in used machine oil.
After the hardening process, the metal remains “stressed” and there is a danger of crumbling. In order to prevent this, metal tempering is carried out. Place the knife in an oven heated to 200 degrees and leave for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and let the metal cool along with the oven.
Making a knife with your own hands is quite a labor-intensive task. Even using ready-made drawings for making knives and detailed instructions, on the way to success you can spoil more than one workpiece, get more than one callus, get more than one cut. But you shouldn’t stop there, because everyone can make a blade with their own hands.
The independent manufacturing process gives rise to a special attitude towards your blade and makes you appreciate the work put into it.
Video
Watch the video on how to make a hunting knife from a drill with your own hands.
