Hi Sandy, I just love your instructional videos, I know you have a son & a daughter & I just cannot understand why either one of them or even both have not joined in you in your knife making venture. I know it won’t make you a millionaire but the satisfaction you must get when you see the final result,to me is irreplaceable. The skills that you could have imparted to them I can’t even count. If I was younger ( I am now 80 years old ) I would, by just following your vlogs, embark on a knife making career . Please keep these blogs coming & who knows, with the knowledge I have picked up from you, I might start to produce a few knives of my own for my bushcrafting family. Thank you for sharing your hard earned knife making skills.
Hi Sandy People who jealously guard their knowledge are usually extremely insecure about who they are and what they know and can do. The fact that you feel free to educate others is a testament to your nature and integrity as a genuine craftsman. Good on you mate. You are an inspiration to us all. Rob 👍
Sandy , loads of us love your face mate... It's just another kind of 'maker's mark' that identifies and asserts the quality of Jacklore ... Mind you, didn't know you have gold implants... Blinged up Sandy ... Flash or what ... Love the vids- may come as little surprise I have a soft spot for the knife'making ones. Always loads of little hints and clues, too many to remember . Always need to rewatch. You're a Gentleman Sir ...
I can't believe you had to explain yourself. I just don't ask people what's wrong with them. I'm sorry you have to go through that in this time of life. Anyway I'm here to enjoy your beautiful knife work. Thanks for sharing and teaching me.
Always a good day when you share another video Sandy. Thanks, I'm sure you'll have a very successful show, The demand for very high quality knives is higher than ever thanks to the meticulous quality you've attained.
Could watch you working for hours my friend. And with the commentary explaining what going on as you do it, it gives us a real insight into what really is involved in making a Jacklore. Any questions as to price of a knife are clearly justified in the watching of the making process. My wasp...is it worth what I paid for it...yes indeed...and then some. When I'm gone, it will be an heirloom and be used hopefully for generations to come.
You’ve made my life a lot easier sandy as a hobby knife maker I haven’t the time to do the research and the trial and error processes that you have and by watching all your vids and still going back and watching them again you have saved me and I’m sure many others a lot of heart ache many thanks sandy for being so forthcoming with your experiences atb scott
As a new knife maker here in the US I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. Very inspirational and relaxing at the same time. Cheers and good health to you.-Steve
Genuinely Sandy, your story regarding your surgery is very inspirational. Not everyone would have such a positive outlook as you. In my work you see people go through their worst days and I hope they come out as strong and as positive. People shouldn’t keep asking what’s wrong. Wear it with pride of a battle you fought and won!
Great tip Sandy. I have watched countless vids on knife making. All the secrets in the world of knife making will not make you a better craftsman. Experience and trial and error will increase your ability to make something beautiful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
You Have Such An Epic Attitude Towards Wanting To Help Others!! It’s People Like You That Give Me Hope For Our Humanity!!!! May You & Your Love Ones Always Be Blessed With Good Fortune!
Hi Sandy. That's one of the best and clearest knife making videos I've ever seen. Another one to show the rest of the build would make a great two-parter that I would be proud to share with many of my friends who may not be knife users but who appreciate fine craftsmanship. Your latest anti-warp strategy looks to be a winner. Love to all, Noel
LOL Thanks Noel. The anti warp strategy works 100% of the time every time:) Some fellow knife makers think I'm mad for sharing my findings but I believe it is good to share ideas. That was everyone benefits.
Very nice video Sandy. It is always very obvious that you have a passion for perfection and that is what makes your knives and everything else that you build, stand out from the rest. I have always felt that pride and compassion are the two most important human traits that make them so valuable to humankind. You absolutely possess both of these traits for sure. Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge that you have acquired with the rest of us. Take care my friend.
Hi Sandy thanks for sharing, been watching your videos for some time now, and i'm hooked so today ordered some 01steel to make my first knife after a lifetime of working in wood i'm going to get my hands dirty I don't have any metal working tools except a drawer full of files and a 4inch grinder so wish me luck. thanks again excellent content
I rarely comment on here but felt like I just bumped into an old friend while watching this. Really pleased to see a video from you, especially once again sharing your hard-won knowledge. I've been subscribed and watched your development over a few years now and you're truly inspirational. I'm glad that your work is so sought after since you've persisted in making yourself a real master of the o1 bushcraft blade. One day I hope to be lucky enough to own an example of your meticulous craftsmanship. I wish you the very best, sir.
Hi Sandy, thank you so much for taking the time to show us just a part of what is required to produce your wonderful knives, you certainly have the touch when it comes to dragging a knife out of a lump of 01 steel! Wonderful stuff. Just a small point, please, please use proper eye protection when using the pillar drill, the thought of some swarf wizzing off and landing, who knows where doesn’t bear thinking about! If I’m speaking out of turn please accept my apology. I for one will be keeping an eye on the Jacklore web page! (Is that the right place?) Take care, regards Clive
I don't know how i missed this one. I try to catch all your videos, especially the tutorials... I always do one temper cycle, then if the blade is warped, I put it on a piece of steel with washers on each end and a clamp on the bend and back in for the 2nd temper... though I usually do different shapes. I really like your idea... Thanks for the tips... Also, thanks for sharing, I had an infection from my messed up arm go into my heart, they had to do open heart surgery to replace my aorta valve... but I just keep trying to learn and better myself... You do some awesome work...take it easy...
Oh, this was in 2014, I didn't even start making knives til later that year... Funny how something like that puts everything into perspective... It was actually Dell(Webberhandmade) that got me interested, my friend had a few of his knives, I started learning and have been hooked ever since...though I didn't start doing videos till a few months ago... Have a great day...
Wow! I just learned someting new. The steel needs a while after the quench to turn into martensite. That explains why I never get really hard blades. I always check the blade for hardness imediately after the quench. Next time I will leave them to sit for a little while. Thanks a lot!
Sandy, you are a master at multi-tasking. Great hints and tips. Thanks for sharing your experience...and results from years chasing perfection. Peace, Ken
Hi Sandy, sharing is the way forward to a sustainable future for the common good. I cannot see the point in labs around the world reinventing the wheel because a patent prevents them using one already developed. This is wasteful and unsustainable. Contemporary thinking is that sharing is good for business but it is incredibly difficult to change the protectionist mindset. The original Damascus steel secrets were lost, when those that had the knowledge died. Studies of our stone age ancestors show that there many instances in our history where knowledge was lost and had to be rediscovered due to the groups that held the knowledge dying out. This is fine when the population of the entire world was low and resources were abundant but high populations and depletion of resources mean we have to learn to share knowledge and legislate against ownership of ideas which are rarely a magical and miraculous insight by a single individual but rather an evolution built up over millenia. I would argue for this reason, and for sustainability all knowledge is the common ownership of humankind and intellectual property is a scam. I agree with you that people understanding the craftsmanship that goes into a custom knife will be more prepared to pay a realistic price for the product. I think your story is an amazing one. Keep telling it.
Zane Slocombe i couldn't agree more. i studied under someone with an alarmingly high level of skill yet took every oppptunity to hide what he did and shared as little of his knowledge as possible. taught me what not to turn into as i got older and developed my own skills. so i share with anyone that ever asks me what I've learnt ;)
Great to see an instructional video Sandy. Love the new clamping part of your process and I hope it gives great results. Hope you don’t mind me saying so, but I’ve noticed you mention the gold weight in your left eye before and it always makes me think you’ve got some pirate blood in you 😁
Fantastic information thanks. For the stock that you are clamping to in the temper oven. What steel is that or does it matter? Also I assume this will only work effectively if all of the knives in the batch are exactly the same pattern.
Thanks for sharing, what great tip.. Is the steel you use to sandwich the knives for tempering hardened or soft? I am just getting ready to heat treat my first knife in 1095 steel, you have been an inspiration to me!
I will try this method next batch. Thanks, I was clamping with Knives bent in the opposite direction of warps and it was frustrating, could have been a time issue since I would heat for 30 min to get warps out.
You said, I hope this will help some body, well it has sandy, I have a knife on the bench which I've lost interest in because of the worp seen a video of yours about how to remove it with a vice and jig but I don't have a vice so this might work for me, so it's up the shed tonight and I'll give it a try, thank you for sharing this information. I have. 1x 30 grinder and I've built my own 2x72" grinder But no vice LOL Thanks. Again from Swansea
Hi this is a fan of your work from Alabama USA !!!. Thanks for giving all of us newbies the onsite on knives,helps us greatly. What are is the type of tong that you used to pull your knifes out of your tempering oven? Thanks again for your time!.
Good morning, first off I'd like to thank you for sharing you skills and knowledge with us, your attention to detail, skills and dedication is top drawer. I am going off topic now ... I have a question, with the new knife posting laws coming to the UK, where do we stand about sending knives off for repair or perhaps to have a sheath made? .. will it still be possible to have a knife delivered to my home address if I send it off to have a sheath made, after all no knife sale has taken place.
Cheers Sandy, I enjoy these informative videos of yours, there are many many top shelf knife makers out there but I hold your good self in high esteem. In your personal opinion, what would be the ideal temperature for tempering in an oven and for how long ? thank you for your efforts mate and atb to you and your family 👍🏻🇬🇧
This really makes me feel nostalgic because this enterprise is keeping the Swindon heritage alive. There is a wide chasm between a tradesman and a craftsman. The maker of this video is the latter. He is a proud son of England and all that's made Britain great.
Thanks for the great tips Sandy, very useful not just for knife making but for general engineering. Would you, or have you ever considered using different knife steels from the traditional 01 steels for some of your knifes. stay safe buddy ATB Paul
Hi Sandy, what was the piece of music 🎧 you used called and where do you get your music from that you use in general? It does make your vids even more relaxing to view! My best to you as always..... Cam
Hi Cam, I can't remember the name of the track but it would have been downloaded from the RU-vid creator studio. Some good sounds there but also use another site called Bensound.com. Sandy
I enjoyed that video, and thank you for being so candid about your personal trauma, it takes courage to do that... one question, what temperature do you temper at... I noticed that the temperature on the control was obscured... is that a trade craft secret?... All in all nice work Jack, I was wondering where you had gotten to....lol...👍🏻
No secret. The numbers shown would have been misleading as I was using a different rated thermocouple. For 01 try tempering in the range 230C to 250C and see how it works.
I really appreciate this video Sandy. Your willingness to share your knowledge is absolutely invaluable to me, so many thanks. What grit do you finish to before heat treat?
Just a general question please guys, I bought a belt sander and some other pieces of knife making equipment last autumn. I'd like to make myself a Kukri style blade on the larger side. Where can I buy knife blanks and would they cut to shape if provided with an outline? Any help much appreciated
Hi sandy. Many thanks for sharing your hard earned knowledge. Couple of questions, what are your current thoughts on keeping the blades warm (app 60c) to prevent micro fractures, tripple tempering to ensure as full a conversion to martensite as possible and do you have any tips on correcting warp on tapered tang knives. Many thanks again and keep well.
In the past I have tapered tangs and used the taper to remove the warp. Triple tempering is good, you gain little from the third temper but I still do triple temper. Dual tempering is the minimum requirement. Keeping blades warm is good and even essential for other steels like 1095. Not so important with 01. If your not careful you can get retained austenite. However I do leave my knife blanks in a warm place for several minutes to convert as much to martensite before first temper. I have not noticed any micro fractures with 01 when I did tests allowing the steel to cool completely. Infact edge tests and deflection and return tests have been excellent. I even ran a test test where I quenched a piece of steel, placed it in the freezer over night and tempered it the next day. (01 tool steel this is) results no micro fractures. Do that to 1095 and you will have a broken blade everytime. It's something to do with the addition of chromium in the 01 mix. I'm not a metallurgist but the chromium pins the grain boundaries and this certainly stops grain growth when soaking 01 at austenitizing temp. Whether it helps stop micro fractures is another matter. Steel manufacturers recommend to keep the steel warm. This may be a throwback to simple carbon steels but I've not seen any difference. As a parting note I would say, keep the steel warm but give it time to convert before you temper. Sandy
Many many thanks for taking the time to respond. I believe my skills have come on so much faster than would have been possible relying on trial and error due to your sharing your knowledge (and a few others). Thanks again.
It's a process of care really, to the minute detail i might add. Very interesting Sandy and good on you for sharing the wealth of knowledge. On a side note, can i ask how long it took you to get your work shop to that level?. as a man cave lover, this really has it all. Cheers Moose.
Thanks Sandy, love all your videos. Just a novice looking for some wood scales and its harder than I thought. Then I have to source a good leather supplier for a small amount (one knife sheath quantity) Cant get the Stabilised Maple Burl I originally wanted only un-stabilised Maple or Black Locust Burl as I want a good figured grain finish. I read that the Black Locust was extremely dense so was just concerned if it actually needed to be stabilised. Thanks for the reply though as I know you are extremely busy knocking out your knives. Regards, Gary
I have a heat treatment book by William E Bryson, can be down loaded from the internet where he discusses the whole heat treatment process for various steels and here is a quote from the book on straightening after initial quench. No negatives intended just offering some information "Straightening There are some other things that can be done prior to the quench to 150° F (65° C). After the steel reaches 1050° F (565° C) and before it transforms to a hardened structure at 400° F (205° C), the steel can be straightened if there are critical sections that may have deformed. Contrary to all opinion otherwise, there is absolutely no hardness in the steel until that transformation at 400° F (205° C) takes place."
