I've ground a little steel in my 80 years, (and read a few books on it) and I've seen a few nice knives made from files and such. And Nick's is a nice one. Takes skill to get a blade like that without jigs involved. What Nick means by "too hot" will show up as a BLUE IRIDESCENT color on the steel.That means the steel has reached 900 degrees F. Almost impossible to see on the surface of the file until the "teeth" are gone, but easily seen on the "shiny" part. Blue color doesn't matter much on the handle area, but avoid it on the blade.Keep using your water dip. Every blue spot will be a soft spot which will stay there unless the knife is heat treated again.
I found one in a barn sale box(6 inch folding knife) ..Made From a file in 1840's and carried in the US CIVIL WAR...(Expert realized) Had name scribed and a Heart on one side and Diamond on other which were the Union Army Regimental emblems he fought with. If you get Old era files,NOT WOOD RASPS...(You want Nicholson's,Black Diamond etc ) not Case hardened ,you can make a blade as fine as any you can buy.. I get Pre 1970 Files for Mill metals from my local salvage yard..Even some that are 19.5 inches and all High carbon..Many of those are 1095 steel,(same Tops and Ontario uses)...If made properly,they can be and have been through history,the very finest..You can take the rat tail of the file,heat it glowing red with a hand torch and quench it in warm water or warm oil...Then place it in a vice and hit with a hammer...If it bends over it is JUNK AND DO NOT USE IT FOR A KNIFE....If you bang it with a hammer and it snapped like glass,it is HIGH CARBON CONTENT and use it for a knife....You only do the rat tail,and clamp vice in fat part of file that is left alone because that part you leave alone..Bang,snap,great for knife.......Bang, bend it is junk and Probably low carbon wood rasp or case hardened..Slammer knives that have great edge retention from files....If someone messed up,is because they used bad file or did not have good process...Go see Tops or Ontario knives,that is how great you can shoot for to get your file, because most likely the same 1095 steel the file is made...
Dude, I love the simplicity of all your stuff. I always get so caught up in the finer details in other knife making videos. Yours remind me that I actually don't need a $10,000 shop setup. Keep it up!
That's a sweet little blade! A couple of items you left out of your list of required tools -- an eye for shape/form and a sure hand using power tools. Some people have both naturally, others have to work at them, but anybody can have them both if they're willing to put a little time into it. Really enjoy your videos.
I had a whole drawer full of old files given to me. I had no clue what the hell I was going to do with em. Well... now I know! lovin' how that came out! You have some skills my man.
Just bought some large files from a stall at a festival here in the UK so im going to try your simple method dont get me wrong yours looks awsome but ill definitely be puttung a handle on it good job brother and thanks for the video
Thanks for making this video. It inspired me to give it a try for myself. I used a combination of a bench grinder and an angle grinder. I was so excited to get started I neglected to make a video. It was a lot of fun. I decided to add wooden scales to the grip. Right now I've got the wood clamped to the grip with epoxy. I'm going to let it cure overnight before I attempt to shape the wood to make it more ergonomic. I've learned a lot from this build so far. I think my next one is going to be better. I didn't take much time to plan this one out. I just sketched up a reasonable knife shape and jumped into it. :) It's a 10" total length with a blade length of 5 3/4". The scales are hickory. I'm not pinning it this time. Between the wood grain and the file surface on the grip, I think the epoxy should hold just fine. If it ever falls off, I can revisit it.
So I'm about to make a knife using an old file that's broken in half. I'm gonna keep the tang on it and fit it into a piece of hammer handle then pin it and sand it right down :) Very simple knife mate, sexy curves and a nice compact cutting edge. Well done. Iv pinned your vid for later inspiration.
hey nick i just searched up how to make a knife and you were the first one that i saw of how to make a knife and i really liked how you explained everything. you have now become one of my favorite you-tubers ever.
This is the best video for me so far since I can start tomorrow... Off the get a bench grinder and already have the toaster oven that hits that temp.... Thank you so much... Cheers!! ... I'm excited! :-)
Nick, Your videos Never disappoint, I know your name will be spoken among the wood and metal working community more and more as long as you continue to share your knowledge with us! Thank you!
Great job, Nick. I'll be making an attempt at one of these this week. Keep the vids coming for us guys with limited blacksmithing tools (and talent}. Joe from Kelso
Nick, that knife is gorgeous! Thanks for the simple DIY tips. I'm really looking forward to making my own. I've never worked with metal because it always seemed intimidating but I guess this is a good start :)
Nick you are the most talented and creative guy i have ever seen. From PVC Bows to knife making... i mean apsolutely outstanding. Well done man. I hope our paths cross someday so i can learn a thing or two from you!
I made a knife from a file probably 30 years ago. It still holds a great edge and has dressed out more deer than I could ever remember. It's a great way to make a nice knife for practically nothing as you can pick up an old file anywhere. They can be a little tricky sharpening though as the tempered steel is extremely hard and it takes a little while to get a razors edge.
I've done this with a half round 1/4 file, ground both sides to a stout blade going to a point(like 3inch dagger) but still kept the width then in oven for 50mins then heat the tang to melt back the plastic handle. Absolutely great for awkward plastic packaging, cutting cable ties without slicing your fingers off
Nick, I love you're enthusiasm and I am planning on doing something similar to your bushcraft knife set from the machete build, keep up the great work!!!
Great work Nick! I absolutely love how it turned out, the elegant lines and the cool factor of the file handle. I bet that would actually provide for some decent grip right? This is actually one of my favorite knife types. Small slender fixed blade perfect for slicing. I find I reach for this kind of knife far more than those big bushcraft knives when I go camping/hiking... You should make more 'less tools' videos. It goes back to the DIY nature of this channel imo.
This is wicked cool.. recently I tried one myself (but with wood scales)... not nearly as nice looking! Your stuff has a wonderful aesthetic quality... it just looks awesome, while being functional, whereas many of us can barely make something functional!
