First DIY blade

[DWFII]

Very nice!

I have played with the notion of making my own blade, as well.

Did you just remove stock...presumably with a grindstone...or did you temper and anneal certain parts of the blade as well?

I am mostly ignorant of this kind of thing...that's why I ask...but wouldn't you want the blade hard enough to take and hold a good edge and the tang soft enough to not be brittle?

[Kerr the Walker]

Very nice!

I have played with the notion of making my own blade, as well.

Did you just remove stock...presumably with a grindstone...or did you temper and anneal certain parts of the blade as well?

I am mostly ignorant of this kind of thing...that's why I ask...but wouldn't you want the blade hard enough to take and hold a good edge and the tang soft enough to not be brittle?

Thanks!

Stock removal to get the shape. Roughed it out with a grinding wheel and did the finishing touches with various hand files to get it right.

Once I had the shape I wanted, I heated it up to non-magnetic and quenched in used motor oil (finally found a use for the stuff!) After it had cooled enough to handle, I cleaned off all the oil residue and popped it in the oven at 400* for 45'. Let cool to ambient, back in the oven for 45' at 400*. Just a matter of polishing after that.

Between the quenching in oil and annealing in the oven it's got a decent amount of hardness to it, but hopefully not so hard that it's brittle.

A lesson learned for next time: Make sure to drill the tang before hardening. I went through at least 4 drill bits trying to get that blasted hole drilled after hardening.

[Tartan Hiker]

So what did you use to heat treat if even the tang got hot enough to harden? Doesn't sound like a propane torch....

[Kerr the Walker]

So what did you use to heat treat if even the tang got hot enough to harden? Doesn't sound like a propane torch....

Charcoal fire and a lot of fanning to get the heat up.

Ended up annealing the tang down a bit more so I could get the hold drilled. I used a torch for that part.

Probably not the best way to do things, but for a first crack at it, it'll do.

[Firetacoma]

Moderators, please feel free to delete this if it's inappropriate, but a firearms forum I visit has a custom knife section. The following link is to a user's write-up about how he creates custom knives. Many of these steps/tricks/tips could certainly be applied to making a sgian dubh.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums...d.php?t=264909

Again, if this is out of line, feel free to delete it without ill will from me.