Question for you knifemakers out there!

1shotwade · #1 07/08/14, 08:44 AM

I do some metal detecting and found an old hunting knife I'd like some info on restoring. It was found in an old fire pit.It's a hunting type knife with a 3" blade and would have had a leather handle but it's been through a fire.
What can I do to get the metal back in condition to make it a useable knife? I'm not worried about the handle as I have made many and it isn't a concern but I don't know what to do to the metal to give it the right properties for regular use.
Any help would be great!Thanks!

Wade

copperkid3 · #2 07/09/14, 12:29 AM

P.m. Ernie.

1shotwade · #3 07/21/14, 07:27 AM

Ya know,I've seen a lot of posts here waning to sell knives by people claiming to be "knifemakers"!Now,this thread has been posted this long without one response by a knife maker! Really!?! No knife makers reads this section I posted it in?
Sometimes "silence" says more than reading a novel! I can only assume you're seeing the true colors come out! Have a good day!

Wade

simi-steading · #4 07/21/14, 07:36 AM

I think a knife maker wouldn't want to get involved, because once metal has been through a fire, it's hard to tel what would need to be done to re-treat the knife properly... Without having the blade in hand to know what condition it metal is in, I"d hate to say anything either... I know how to heat treat metal, but not without being able to examine it in person to know what it needs...

It depends a lot on how hot the metal got, how long it was in the fire and so on..

MSCantrell · #5 07/29/14, 10:28 AM

You need to heat treat it again.

Heat treatment is the process of hardening the steel to it's maximum hardness, then softening back down to a useful hardness.

The "recipe" for heat treatment involves:
1. A certain amount of time at a certain temperature (for example, 80 minutes at 1620F)
2. Cooling quickly enough (different speed for different steels) (this step requires precautions to prevent warping or cracking)
3. A certain amount of time at another certain temperature (for example, 60 minutes at 425F, three times, cooling to room temp in between)

What steel is your blade made of? If you know, then it's easy to look up a heat treatment recipe.

wogglebug · #6 08/03/14, 12:54 PM

Soak it, brush it, rinse it, wash it with detergent and a scrubby, rinse again, dry it, inspect it. If the blade doesn't have any fatal holes or gaps in it, dry to bend it just a little (safely) with your bare hands. If it's soft, you'll need to heat treat it. Before you do, dress up the blade roughly with files and stone, remove any rivets, do any shaping and cleaning on the soft steel. Heat it to a dull red, and quench in oil. Tidy it up, sharpen it, heat again, and quench in water. Put a fine edge on and check it out for a month - something like wrapped tape would be a good-enough temporary handle.
I've done this, and ended up with the best cutting knife I've ever had. It wasn't as hard as others, but fairly fine because the blade had corroded, and that meant I could put a razor-sharp fine edge on it whenever it needed, touch it up quickly, but there was still enough carbon and enough temper that the edge would last pretty well. I should have stored it more, used it less and kept it longer - it was too good to use up as quickly as I did.

wr · #7 08/03/14, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1shotwade

Ya know,I've seen a lot of posts here waning to sell knives by people claiming to be "knifemakers"!Now,this thread has been posted this long without one response by a knife maker! Really!?! No knife makers reads this section I posted it in?

Sometimes "silence" says more than reading a novel! I can only assume you're seeing the true colors come out! Have a good day!

Wade

The two members I know to be knife makers are busy guys and may not have seen your post or had time to visit. I doubt very much that insulting their skill will inspire them to respond.

1shotwade · #8 08/03/14, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wogglebug

Soak it, brush it, rinse it, wash it with detergent and a scrubby, rinse again, dry it, inspect it. If the blade doesn't have any fatal holes or gaps in it, dry to bend it just a little (safely) with your bare hands. If it's soft, you'll need to heat treat it. Before you do, dress up the blade roughly with files and stone, remove any rivets, do any shaping and cleaning on the soft steel. Heat it to a dull red, and quench in oil. Tidy it up, sharpen it, heat again, and quench in water. Put a fine edge on and check it out for a month - something like wrapped tape would be a good-enough temporary handle.
I've done this, and ended up with the best cutting knife I've ever had. It wasn't as hard as others, but fairly fine because the blade had corroded, and that meant I could put a razor-sharp fine edge on it whenever it needed, touch it up quickly, but there was still enough carbon and enough temper that the edge would last pretty well. I should have stored it more, used it less and kept it longer - it was too good to use up as quickly as I did.

Hey! Thanks so much! That is the guidance I was looking for! The handle is burnt off but doesn't mean anything to me. I can put any kind of handle on it I want. My only concern is the condition of the blade and you covered that quite well@ Thank you. It is all that red look of things being burnt but it is not warped or nicked up so I'm thinking it should restore well.
Thanks again.

Wade

1shotwade · #9 08/03/14, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wr

The two members I know to be knife makers are busy guys and may not have seen your post or had time to visit. I doubt very much that insulting their skill will inspire them to respond.

Yah! OK, probably not my best moment there! Just one of those days I guess. It's frustrating when you respond to a posts with an answer that has worked for you in the past and it is totally ignored,then seek an answer and get no response! I guess it's just the nature of the beast! I should be used to it by now!
Thanks,

Wade