instructables

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process)

by arkray

The reductive knife making process is the easiest and
most accessible way of making your own knives in
your garage or backyard. Basically, you will start with
a piece of bar stock steel (or theoretically any hard
material that you wish to make a knife from) and you
will progressively REDUCE material until you have
the desire form/shape. You are pretty much only
limited by you imagination and how much you want to
spend on equipment. The process that I will show you
uses affordable materials and tools that you can get
at most hardware stores or off of Amazon. After you
have read through this write up, my goal is that you
will be at a good starting point in designing and
making your very own knife! SO...without further
ado...lets get started!

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 1

Step 1: Materials and Equipment
MATERIALS:
1. Steel - The steel you use is 100% up to you! There
are many characteristics to consider when choosing
what type of steel i.e. edge retention, durability, ease
of handling, rust resistance, etc. The steel that I
typically use is 1095 high carbon steel. It is one of, if
not the most, common blade steels for DIYers. It is
relatively easy to work with, it's affordable, has good
edge retention, and pretty resistant to rust if you take
care of it. You can google different blade/tool steels to
see if another type of steel suits you fancy, but I like
tried and true.
2. Handle Material - Again, handle material is
completely up to you! Some people use exotic
woods, bone, antler, different plastics, etc. I choose to
use micarta. Micarta is made by epoxying sheets of
paper or fabric together similar to fiberglassing. The
end product is basically a plastic handle. I like it
because it's easy to work with, easy to clean and its
very durable.
3. Epoxy - You will also need to use some sort of 2-
part epoxy to aid in attaching the handle. I just use a
cheap 2-part quick set epoxy I picked up at Harbor
Freight and have never had an issue.
4. Pins/Rivets - These are also used to help attach
the handle. Again, the specific material you use is up
to you. I just use 3/16" galvanized rod I bought at
Home Depot.
EQUIPMENT:
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 2
A lot of the tools that you may or may not need you
may already have in your toolbox at home:
1. Rasps.
2. Clamps.
3. Pliers.
4. Misc. buckets, kitchen oven, saws, and other
grinding/sanding tools are also helpful.
There are a couple of "specialty tools" that you may
not have:
5. Tabletop sander and various belts of differing
grits. I use a 1" x 30" belt sander I got from Harbor
Freight.
6. Drill/drill press and various bits. A drill press is
not a necessity by any means but it definitely
increases the quality of the end product, in my
opinion (another Harbor Freight purchase).
7. Angle grinder with grinding wheel and cut-off
wheel. (more Harbor Freight)
That's about it! You can stay pretty affordable and
basic or you can go all out and buy expensive really
nice and fancy tools, it's all up to you and your wallet!
8. OH YEAH! Almost forgot! Some sort of eyes
and ears protection!
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 3
Step 2: Design
This can be one of the most important steps in the
process. If you get over ambitious with what you want
and design something that is beyond your
capabilities, or even worse, beyond the capabilities of
your equipment, you may be disappointed and
discouraged. I suggest starting basic and working up
to more complex designs. None of the steps are
particularly difficult but there is a short learning curve
as to how each tool functions and feels, as well as,
each tool's specific limitations. For example, the
clunky nature of an angle grinder lends itself better to
rough cutting and shaping rather than finer detail work
or finishing. Also consider the grinding steep and
deep angles can be difficult to do precisely with a belt
sander and not clean enough with an angle grinder.
Cases like that may require a spindle sander, again,
fancier and more expensive tools. BUT with a steady
hand and some patience you can make most
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 4
anything work.
The first thing you'll want to do is to draw out your
well thought out design ;) on the sheet of metal with
Sharpie, the color is your choice but choose
something that is easy to see :).
PRO TIP #1: I prefer to draw it out on manila paper
with pencil first. It is a lot easier to transcribe what
you see in your head into a visual form. It's much
easier to erase and redo or redesign, as needed.
After you've drawn it out to your satisfaction, cut it out
and trace it onto the sheet of metal as before.
PRO TIP #2: Try to place you design somewhere on
the metal as to minimize waste i.e. as close to an
edge as possible.
Step 3: Rough Cutting
This step is exactly as it sounds, roughly cutting out
the basic shape that you've drawn out on the sheet of
metal. Clamp down the sheet of metal and use an
angle grinder with the cut-off wheel attachment to
slowly and carefully cut out the basic shape of your
knife.
NOTE: The cut-off wheel is really only designed to
cut straight lines so keep that in mind when choosing
where you want to make your cuts.
Step 4: Fine Grinding/Shaping
Now you should have a chunk of metal shaped kind
of like a knife :)
From here on out, we will mostly be using the belt
sander for the rest of the shaping and finishing. In this
step, we'll use mostly coarser grits such as 60 or 80
to "quickly" remove material to the final shape. Start
by, slowly and carefully (noticing a trend yet?),
grinding down all the edges just to the point where
you can no long see the Sharpie marks. This will be
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 5
Once you've cut our the basic shape, you clamp it
down to your work bench and start cutting off any
larger chunks of material that you don't need. After all
the larger pieces have been removed, switch to the
grinder attachment and slowly and carefully begin to
remove more material, getting as close to your
Sharpie line as you can.
A LITTLE PATIENCE GOES A LONG WAY!
the final "blank" shape. There should be a 90 degree
edge all around the entire piece.
NOTE: If you want, you can go down to some finer
grits to smooth out the edges but just be aware that
the following steps may cause scuffs and scratches
that you'll have to fine sand out again. IMO it best to
just wait till the end :)
Step 5: Bevel Cutting/Grinding

Now the fun part! This is really where the knife starts
to look like a real knife, IMO. There are two main
techniques to make one of the two main bevel styles:
STYLES
Flat V Bevel - This is the most commonly used
design, where you use the same angle on both sides
of the blade, meeting in the center.
Chisel Bevel - This style is a little easier because
you don't meet in the center. You select the desired
angle and you keep removing material from one side
until you reach the other.
IMPORTANT: When cutting the bevel, be sure to
leave roughly a dimes thickness of material left. If
you do not, you run the risk of the blade warping
during the heat treating.
Using a Jig - My preferred technique is to use a jig.
The benefit of a jig is it is much easier to maintain the
desired bevel angle leaving you to only have to focus
on making smooth and even strokes through the belt
sander. You can purchase adjustable jigs (fancier and
more expensive) or you can build your own! Using a
miter saw, you can cut blocks of wood to have the
desired bevel angle and then gluing them together to
roughly be equal to the length of the blade. For
reference, the angle I prefer is a 5 degree jig angle on
both sides creating a 10 degree bevel, but experiment
with different angles and see what you like the best.
To use the jig, you set the desired angle or choose
the block jig of the desired angle, then clamp the knife
to it.
NOTE: For cleaner more even bevels, make sure to
perfectly (as close as possible) mirror how you
mounted the blade when you switch to the other side.

TECHNIQUES Both techniques require you to take your time to

make smooth and even strokes. The more attention
Freehand - Exactly as it sounds, just hold the blade you pay in this step, the better the final project will be!
in your hand and doing your best to make even and If you start to get tired or bored or disinterested, take
consistent strokes across the belt sander. This a break, go get a snack, go do something else! Trust
technique taking a particular amount of practice but I me, this step is best done with your complete
have seen people who can freehand very smooth and attention!
even bevels! Better people than I!

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 6

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 7
Step 6: Drill Pin Holes (and Rough Cut Pins)

Drilling the holes for the pins can really be done at any step PRIOR to the heat treating. After the heat treating, the
metal will be really hard and make it more difficult to drill through (but not impossible, so worry too much if you
forget). Theoretically, there is no maximum number of pins, BUT I would recommend a MINIMUM of 2. This step is
pretty self-explanatory but let me give you a couple tips/hints:

1. Be sure to choose the drill bit that exactly matches the diameter of the pins you are using (I use
3/16'').
2. If you have access to a drill press, it is definetely the better choice over using a hand drill to making
perfect perpendicular holes.
3. Try to choose a spot in the handle that is evenly space from the belly and the spine of the handle
and evenly spaces, relative to each other. For an idea, look at your kitchen knives or and fixed blade
knives you may have around the house.
4. Clamp the blade to the work station! The blade may not be sharp but if the drill bit bites the metal, it
can swing/kick at your fingers/hand with considerable force and it will not feel good...or so I'm told ;)

The pins can be made from any rod material. Just make sure to cut them a little longer than you need and grind off
the burrs. Too long is better than too short (That's what she said?).

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 8

Step 7: Heat Treating (with a Hint of Tempering)
Heat treating can vary greatly, depending on your
needs and the type of metal you are using. You can
find a heating and tempering "recipe" for just about
any metal online. Since I use 1095, that's the "recipe"
I will explain :)
First, a bit of an explanation:
Why heat treat? The reason we want to heat treat is
to bring the metal up to its maximum hardness. This
is beneficial because it is the characteristic that
allows the metal to hold a razor sharp edge, as well
as keep that edge.
Why temper? Heat treating to maximum hardness
comes with one really detrimental weakness, the
blade is extremely brittle! For example, if you were to
drop a recently hardened blade on concrete it would
probably chip or break in half, kind of like glass!
That's where tempering comes into play. Tempering
removes a little bit of that extreme hardness which
will help to increase the durability, BUT not too much.
We need to find a happy medium...a good balance
between hardness and durability. Enter, the recipe!
RECIPE
To heat treat, in general, we need to bring the metal
up to its critical temperature then quickly cool it (but
not too quickly that we run the risk of shattering).
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 9
Critical temperature of 1095 is right around 1500
degrees (F), but that number is not super important,
unless you have a kiln (fancy and expensive). For us,
we will heat the steel in a makeshift forge using
bricks, scrap lumber, and an air mattress electric
pump used as a billow. The goal is to get the blade to
that critical temperature which is characterized by
glowing bright orange AND more importantly
becoming non-magnetic. You want the blade to sit at
that temperature for a couple of minutes to make sure
it's heated through out (the tang/handle doesn't need
to be hardened) then we will quench it in used motor
oil. Some people say to warm the oil first by pre-
dipping some heated scrap metal but I've never had
an issue..but I live in AZ where the oil comes
preheated ;)
NOTE: When you quench the blade, the oil will ignite
so be careful not to burn yourself.
NOTE: You'll want to move the blade up and down
and forwards and backward (similar to a slicing
motion). Not side to side (similar to a paddling
motion), this may warp the blade.
Once the oil no longer ignites, you can leave the
blade in the oil to cool further. While you're waiting,
begin preheating your oven to 400 degrees (F).
Step 8: Tempering

NOTE: When you preheat your oven to 400 degrees temperature, then repeating the process one more
(F), that doesn't actually mean you oven is sittinf at time. If possible, lay the blade on its spine so that it
400 degrees. Different oven will vary. It is very helpful heats evenly, I don’t know if it’s super important but
to have thermometer in the oven so you can see what it’s what I’ve always been told and how I’ve always
the true temperature is inside your oven. I use 400 as done it ;) That's it, EASY!
the starting point.
NOTE: Make sure to clean of the blade with some
For 1095, I prefer to tempering my knives right around soap and water and a good scrub pad so you can see
400-425, usually leaning closer to 425, depending on the color change of the metal once it is properly
where I can get my oven sit more consistantly. tempered. You want a burnt straw (brownish yellow)
Basically, all we are doing is bathing the blade at 425, color as is pictured above.
or whatever for 2 hours, then letting it cool to room

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 10

Step 9: Heat Treat/Tempering Cleanup

From here, you will want use the belt sander to sand
off all the black scale that developed during the heat
treating process. Use you jig(s) to sand all the metal
surfaces evenly and cleanly. This will also remove the
yellowish coloring (that's OK!) but be very careful not
to sand the metal too much between cold water
quenchings. If you work a section too long and it
becomes discolored (like that anodized purplish/blue
color we've all seen), it means you have lost your
heat treatment and that section of the blade has
become compromised. I recommend only 3, maybe 4,
strokes through the sander at a time, then quench in
water, then repeat.
When you are done with this step, you will have a
fully shaped and heat treated blade, minus the
sharpened edge.

Step 10: Rough Shaping the Handle Scales

NOTE: During this next step, it is a good idea to put removed after we epoxy the handle.
masking tape around the blade and any part of the
knife you don't want to get scratched or get epoxy on. NOTE: DO NOT round off any of the edges at this
point. We want to flat surfaces when we clean and
I like to use the tang of the blade as a stencil to draw true up the edges after we epoxy the handle. One
out on the sheets of Micarta. From there i will use exception, you may round the edge that faces the tip
various saws to rough cut the scales out and then use of the blade because after the epoxy sets, it will be
the belt sander to get the last bit. Like we did when very difficult to shape this edge without
shaping the knife blank, only sand down every until damage/scratching the blade.
you can only see the Sharpie line, the rest will be

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 11

Step 11: Epoxy the Handle Pieces
I recommend following the instruction on whatever
epoxy you use. The cheap quick-set harbor freight
epoxy I use requires you to mix equal parts from both
tubes and you'll have a 5 minute working time before
it sets up. It might be easier at first for you to do one
side because 5 minutes really isn't all that long to
work with but after you've done it a couple of times,
you'll be fast enough to do both sides at once. First,
you'll want to mix more than enough epoxy, too much
is better than not enough. Then, smoothly cover the
Step 12: Handle Cleanup
Depending on how much extra length you have on
your pins, it might be best to use a cut off wheel to cut
the majority of the extra off. Then use the belt sander
to flush them up to the scales as well as sanding off
the excess dried epoxy off the face, taking care not to
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 12
inside face of each scale (or one scale if you are
doing one at a time) as well as the pins (if you're only
doing one side, try to only cover the sections of the
pins that will contact the scale and metal). Now,
quickly but carefully assembly the handle (depending
on the tolerances of your drill bit and/or pins, you may
have to use a mallet to drive the pin through the
holes). Once assembled, clamp it all together as
pictured above and allow to set.
remove too much material. You only want to remove
the dried epoxy, not begin to shape the handle.
Finally, using the belt sander to flush the edges with
the tang (as pictured).
Step 13: Final Handle Shaping
Here is another fun step! :)
The sky is the limit! You get to decide how you want
the handle to look and feel. You can just round the
edges and call it good or you can round the edges,
add divets, and polish it! How much work you want to
put in this step is entirely up to you. I pictured a
couple of different handles I've used in the past. You
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 13
can use the belt sander, you can use a grinder, you
can use any number of rasps, a Dremel tool, basically
anything that removes material will work. You'll have
to experiment with what tools you like the best to
accomplish the designs you want. Take it slow and
I'm sure you'll end up with something you're happy
with!
Step 14: Edge Shaping (secondary Bevel)
NOTE: This step is not necessary if you are making a
something like a kitchen knife, will explain more in a
bit. If you are skipping this step, continue the primary
bevel as before being very careful not to overheat the
edge.
Now let's make this knife functional! The goal here is
to make a slightly less acute bevel on just the edge.
Remember that I use a 10 degree bevel. A 10 degree
bevel or less is fine and dandy for a kitchen knife that
won't see much abuse but for a
survival/hunting/camping/EDC knife, you'll want
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 14
something a bit more durable. Somewhere between
25 and 30 degrees is a good balance between
durable and sharpness. I've never had much success
using a jig for this step. I just use a really fine belt,
around 400 grit, and make very careful light strokes at
the approximate angle I want. It doesn't have to be
perfect because the exact angle will be obtained
during the actual sharpening step. Again, go very
slowly and only do one or two strokes per side until
the secondary bevels meet in the center.
Step 15: Sharpening
The final step! We're almost done! There are almost
just as many ways to sharpen a knife as there are to
make one. I prefer a kit that comes with a jig and
various grit grinding stones, such as the Lansky kit I
pictured. With this kit, it comes with a jig with multiple
sharpening angles to choose from (remember we're
using 25-30 degrees) with 5 stages of grinding stone
starting with the very coarse to very fine. Whichever
Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 15
kit or tool you use, be sure to follow the direction and
before no time, you'll have a razor sharp knife!
CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! You made a knife!
that wasn't too bad, now was it? I hope you enjoyed
my write up! If you have any questions, please feel
free to ask!
Interesting. There is a lot more to knife making than I would have thought.

Knife Making 101 (reductive Process): Page 16