Page 250 - The Lost Ways

The metal was heated to about 1500 degrees and oil quenched to harden it; now it is
heated to about 400 degrees for about two hours and allowed to air cool to temper it.
The actual temperature used will depend on the type of steel used for the knife.

Making the Handle

Many different materials have been used through the centuries for knife handles. The

simplest handle is created by wrapping the tang with leather, but wood is most common.
Handles can also be made of antler, bone, stone and even the preserved feet of animals.

If the knife is going to have a hilt, the knife maker would cut it out of thick sheet metal,
usually brass (1/8" to 1/4" thick). As a soft metal, brass works well for a knife hilt, as the
opponent's blade may stick in it, when blocking, giving the knife wielder an opportunity
to try and jerk the knife out of their opponent's hand.

Wood handles are made by rough-cutting the two sides, usually out of the same thin piece
of wood. The knife tang is used as a pattern for cutting out the handle pieces and drilling
the holes. Once rough shaped, they are attached to the handle with rivets (usually brass).
Final shaping of the handle is made back on the grinder, shaping the handle to fit
comfortably in the hand.

The final step to making any knife is to put an edge on it with a whetstone. Knife makers
look for an ideal of an edge that can cut paper by being pushed through the edge of the
paper, without any lateral movement. That's a really sharp blade.

How to Make Your Own Knife

Most of us don’t have a blacksmith’s shop in our backyards or even know how to work in
one if we did have it, so we are limited in our ability to make knives. However, if you have
a grinder or stationary belt sander, you can still make knives by grinding the blades. A belt
sander actually works better and is the tool of choice for most modern knife makers.

While people who make knives regularly use some rather sophisticated belt sanders, you
don’t need a high-dollar belt sander to make a knife. I have a 1" by 30" belt sander that I
bought at Harbor Freight. This is probably the cheapest belt sander on the market, yet I
have been able to make knives successfully on it. The narrow belt actually works better
than a wide belt would and more closely resembles the two-inch-wide belts used by the
pros.

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