On 2013-06-09, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus20041 wrote:

On 2013-06-09, RogerN wrote:
"Ignoramus20041" wrote in message
...

On 2013-06-09, RogerN wrote:
I thought knife making would be an interesting metalworking topic. I
mean
we got tools, quality metalworking, steels, heat treating, forging, and
on
and on.

So if I get my shop building and have more convenient access to my
equipment, I'd like to make some quality knives. For one, I want a blade
of
D2 because I hear it's almost stainless but holds an edge real well.

It is not almost stainless, it rusts.

That's why I said almost, if it didn't rust it wouldn't be almost.

http://www.midwayusa.com/technicalNo...rial_chart.htm
D2 This air hardened tool steel is sometimes called a "semi-stainless"
steel, because it contains 12% chromium. It offers decent corrosion
resistance with exceptional edge retention. It is harder to sharpen than
most, but can be finished to a high-polish shine.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/...lade_steel.php
D2
This material is a very high carbon steel (1.5%) that has superb edge
holding ability and unmatched wear resistance, but lacks toughness. It is
not as corrosion resistant as 440C or ATS-34, and is not considered a
stainless steel because it only has 12% chrome. Stainless blades have 13% or
more.

It rusts almost as bad as regular steel.


One thing I noticed about knife making is that you can get a lot of money
tied up in equipment, and I always like the idea of getting more
equipment
but not spending lots of dollars. I thought I could make a knife makers
grinder by using tubing in the Reese hitch size ranges, maybe using
polyurethane wheels ground true for contact wheels.

I do not believe that there is any money to be made by knife making.

I agree, I just want to make them for myself or maybe gifts, not for making
money.

Great idea. You need a 1 inch belt sander and a HT oven, you have a
mill already.

The heat treating furnaces are quite high too. Maybe get some kiln
firebrick and heat elements, fabricate a frame to hold the bricks, and
use
an industrial ramping temperature controller with a solid sate relay for
temperature control. Then I can set it to soak, ramp to temperature,
hold,
then switch to tempering temperature. Also it seems one of the
controllers
would be great at annealing, heat, soak, let it cool at specified rate at
the critical temperatures.

Anyone here do any knife making?

I do not and do not plan to. Seems like everyone wants to be making
knives.

But the equipment, you can get on the cheap.

i

I don't guess you have any small, shippable, heat treating kilns/furnaces?

RogerN



I have one small one, but it will have to go by freight. Freight cost
to BUSINESS in your area, with forklift, that takes a semi truck, is
$100. $100 more to a house. I will need to test it first and it is
subject to verification.

i

While on the subject of freight cost, do you know what your freight
costs would be to get something like that to the Central Freight
terminal in Sherman, TX? I know residential is always big $, but I've
got that freight terminal nearby where I could pickup from. And yes, I'm
interested in a heat treat oven as well, especially now that I have a
surface grinder.

$150 to terminal. $100 more to a house.

i