Looking
through my carving bag the other day made me realize
that I have made carving knives out of a lot of
different items. So, I thought it would be fun to
let you know how you could try it yourself. It really
is fun, and kinda neat, to see the finished product
and think - gosh I make that (and it works).
The
following list of materials require no forging or
messing around with a propane torch or kitchen stove.
Most can be made with a Dremel Tool and grinding
stone. Just
slowly grind them down to what you want. Keep the
blade cool by dunking it
in water when you grind them and you'll be fine.
If it turns blue cut off
that section and start over. Sand the blade or chisel
with fine wet
silicone carbide sandpaper (ask at the hardware
store). With the smaller
steel sections like Music Wire, just use a rougher
to smoother set of
whetstones then finish by stropping. Remember to
leave some material to be able to place it in a
handle and you are finished. Because the material
has already been hardened and tempered, that really
is all there is to it.
So
here's my list-
Mechanical
Hacksaw Blades: Not sawzalls. You're looking
for the foot long
ones that are painted yellow-gold or Reddish Brown.
Check the local Machine
Shops or metal manufacturing plants.
Motorcycle Spokes: These are great for microtools
Music wire: Found at your local Ace hardware. About
$1.89 for 24". Another
microtool steel
Straight Razors: The old ones that grandpa
used. Look at yard sales and junk
shops for the best deals. Antique stores want a
small fortune.
Hex Wrenches: Yep, those L-shaped wrenches
that you get when you assemble
furniture from Ikea or the office chair from Office
Max.
Chainsaw Files
Needle Files: I used to buy these at our
local Surplus store for 25 cents
apiece. They are very hard but stay sharp and if
it breaks, oh-well, you're
out a quarter.
Surface Planer Blades: My dad used to give
old ones to me after planning Ash
planks. They are about a foot long and have edges
on both sides so be
careful.
Cement Nails: I still have my cement nail
flat palm chisel!
Large Clock Springs: I haven't found many
of these but you want the thicker
ones. A good one will roll out to 5 or 6 ft.
Large bulldog clips: You know the ones. The
large black clips that held
together last years budget report. Use the corners
for a nice gouge.
This
is just a small list of items. If you wanted to
get into the hardening and tempering process, the
list can get pretty long.
So,
get out there and give it a try. Good Luck!
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