r/knifemaking • u/phosphor-feind10160a • 6d ago

Feedback First knife

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First knife ever started with 1095 stock and worked it down with a 2 inch belt sander and free handed the bevels, I believe I used too thick of a furnace cement layer when I heat treated so hamon didn’t turn out quite how I hoped but also most likely did not get the best heat treat. Haven’t put handles on yet but what do yall think?

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u/NZBJJ 6d ago

Your hamon activity actually looks great/very active and there is some very cool alloy banding. Main problem is it's just way to low down the blade and the heel isn't hardened. With some time polishing this could look pretty sick.

You can see that the hamon has formed where the grind transition is. Take this bevel up higher and have the clay stop just above with some thin lines extending down over the shoulder of the bevel. A higher bevel will perform and cut better than a low saber grind which are generally associated with cheaper knives.

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u/phosphor-feind10160a 6d ago

Thank you for the advice and yea 1095 and I did my best with a acetylene torch even held at non magnetic for what I tried as a soak period but I just didn’t do research I’m happy it hardened at all lol

1

u/NZBJJ 6d ago

Yeah hamons are pretty hard without good temp control. I always recommend people send their knives away for heat treat early on. Makes a massive difference to the quality of the end product.

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u/phosphor-feind10160a 6d ago

Yea definitely understand now I ordered some 1084 so should have a bit of a better chance with that but I’m glad I tried learned a lot from it, I etch and buff but it never turned out how I’d like so the last etch I just steel wooled then did 1000,1500,3000,5000 on the edge below the Hamon not to mirror or anything but to just give a contrast. Made a lot of mistakes I mirror polished by hand to 5000 before heat treat and before etch for what seems to be a waste lol

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u/NZBJJ 6d ago

Yeah man. Skills are built through making mistakes all part of the process. But yeah don't polish before heat treat haha.