Introduction
While forging has been the main way to make knives for a long time, stock removal has become more popular, especially for beginners. Forging shapes your blade with high heat, but stock removal is more like carving or sculpting your blade. You use tools to remove extra material instead of shaping the knife with heat. You take away material until the blade has the shape you want.
This method is a skill that many new knife makers try to get great results with. It is perfect if you want to learn knife-making or take a course.
A Brief History Of Knives
Knives have been around for a long time, used as tools, weapons, and for eating. But it was not until recently that people started designing knives specifically for the table. In mediaeval Europe, guests did not get their cutlery. Instead, they carried their narrow knives with pointed ends on their belts, which they used for eating.
Even after knives were accepted for table use, they were still seen as weapons too. This made dinner tables potentially dangerous. But as forks became more common and easier to use, the need for sharp-pointed knives faded. In 1669, King Louis XIV of France made a rule that all knives had to have their points rounded off to stop violence.
After this rule, knife designs changed. They became wider and rounder at the end for easier use, especially with the new forks. Handles started to look more like pistol grips, and blades curved back to make it easier to get food to your mouth without twisting your wrist.
This change in knife design also affected American dining. In the early 18th century, America didn’t have many forks, so people used spoons instead. With the new blunt-ended knives, they used spoons to hold the food while cutting, then switched them to scoop up and eat.
Stock Removal Knife Making: An Overview
Stock removal knife making is similar to blacksmithing but uses a different way to make a knife. Instead of heating and hammering the metal yourself, you buy pre-heated and hammered bar stock. You then shape the metal by removing material until you get the knife shape you want. Despite their differences, both blacksmithing and stock removal use similar methods, materials, and tools.
Stock Removal — Forging: Know The Difference
Making knives involves two main methods: taking away extra metal (stock removal) and shaping metal by hitting it (forging). Think of stock removal like carving and forging like shaping clay with a hammer. Knife makers need to be good at both ways to make great knives. Let us learn more about these two ways of making knives.
What Is Forging?
For a long time, people have mainly made knives by forging. This means heating the blade in a special oven (forge) until it is really hot, then shaping it with a hammer and a big metal block (anvil). In the past, blacksmiths used coal or wood to heat the forge, but now they often use gas for better control of the temperature.
In old movies and TV shows, you are likely to see a lone blacksmith working hard, hammering hot metal to make a knife. But in real life, it is a bit more complex, especially nowadays with new technology.
What Is Stock Removal?
While forging has been the main way to make knives for a long time, stock removal is becoming more popular, especially with beginner knife-makers.
Instead of shaping the blade with heat like forging, stock removal is more like carving or sculpting. Knife makers use tools like belt sanders, saws, and other things that scratch away extra material until they get the shape they want.
Check this out:
https://www.knafs.com/pages/pocket-knife-history
https://academicjournals.org/journal/AJHC/article-full-text/6766B4266068
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WRCA6qh-Y
Knife Making For Beginners
For beginners just starting to make knives, stock removal is often easier and faster to learn. It might not be quicker for very detailed designs, but with a simple plan and the right tools, it works just as well as forging.
Stock removal needs fewer tools and costs less than forging. Plus, it lets you use different kinds of steel more easily.
Guide To Knife Making
Stock removal
- Knife makers start with a steel bar
- Draw the knife shape on the bar and cut it with a saw or grinder
- Then they shape it with files, grinders, or sandpaper
- Grind or file bevels into the blade
- Sand it smoothly
- Heat the steel and cool it quickly to harden it, which makes it brittle
- To make it less brittle, they heat it again at a lower temperature and let it cool slowly
- Do this a few times to get rid of any stress in the steel
- Some steels benefit from being frozen in liquid nitrogen after this to make them even stronger.
Bladesmiths
- Bladesmiths can start with bar stock or other pieces of high-carbon steel, such as motor vehicle leaf springs, coil springs from trucks, old files, or large industrial ball bearings
- The steel is heated in a forge to temperatures between 1100 and 1200 degrees Celsius, then shaped on an anvil using a hammer
- Some bladesmiths use power hammers and presses to speed up the process and reduce hand hammering
- Once the blade is roughly shaped, the process is the same as that of stock removal knife-makers
- Grinding
- Filing
- Sanding
- Heat treating
- Quenching
- Tempering
When choosing steel, it is important to be sure it contains between 0.4% and 2% carbon for its hardenability. Adding more than 13% chrome makes it Stainless Steel. Other elements like vanadium, manganese, nickel, molybdenum, and others, can be used to affect machinability, corrosion resistance, and performance at high temperatures.
Knife Making Tools
Making knives might seem hard because some tools are expensive. Online, people use belt grinders that can cost between R15,000 to R25,000 in SA. Bladesmiths use gas forges and big anvils, which can cost from R2,000 upwards.
But you can still make a good knife with just hand tools. A hacksaw and different files can do what a belt grinder and band saw do. To file bevels, you can use a simple wooden jig to keep the angle right.
For heating and cooling the steel, you usually need a forge or oven. But some places that sell steel can do this for you for a small fee. They often use special ovens that keep the metal safe from rust.
Benefits Of A Knife-Making Course
Taking a knife making course is a great idea because you get to use all the tools and equipment. The course helps you learn both forging and stock removal techniques. Instead of just figuring it out on your own, you get step-by-step guidance from experienced teachers. This makes learning faster and stops you from making big mistakes that cost a lot of money.
Instructors teach you how to pick the right steel. How to heat and cool it, and how to design and finish your knife. Being in a class with other people who love making knives is fun. You can share ideas and help each other out. Overall, taking a course not only makes you better at making knives but also makes you love the craft even more.
Even though knife making might seem tricky at first, it is a craft full of possibilities for being creative and improving your skills. Whether you are into forging or stock removal, making a knife is all about exploring, coming up with new ideas, and getting better at what you do.
Starting might seem hard, but if you are determined and find the right help, you can overcome any challenges. Taking a knife making course is a great way to get that help. It gives you the knowledge and skills you need to turn your ideas into real knives.
Whether you are heating steel in a forge or carefully shaping it with tools, every step is a chance to learn and get better. With hard work, knife makers can turn simple materials into beautiful knives, each with its own story to tell. As you work in your workshop, surrounded by the glow of the forge and the sound of your tools, you will find a sense of peace and purpose in the timeless craft of making knives.
People Also Ask
Did the samurai use Damascus steel?
While there is evidence of Japanese swords being crafted from steels imported from mainland Asia, notably China, there is no indication that any of these blades contained the materials characteristic of wootz steel (the technical term for Damascus Steel).
What is Damascus called today?
Damascus, Syria – Image of the Week – Earth Watching. Damascus serves as the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic and is presumed to be the country’s largest city, particularly after the population decrease in Aleppo resulting from the city’s battle. Locally in Syria, it is commonly referred to as ash-Sham and holds the title of the City of Jasmine.
What is jewel steel?
Tamahagane, written with the characters 玉鋼 meaning “jewel steel” or “precious steel,” represents a type of steel produced through highly traditional smelting techniques. It originates from iron sand, a coarse, black material resembling ordinary beach sand.
Author: Janice van der Westhuizen