Knife Blades

[Tony N]

just starting with deer antler wondering where i get the blade as i wish to make knife hadles like some of the other carver here any pointers please i'm in new zealand and new to carving knife handles so any tips of help would be nice have learnt so much from read post here as well as see photo of others work hoping to be as good as ome of you here some day

[Thomas]

Hey there, you can smith your own or find a blacksmith who will do it for you:) or alternatively you could buy an old or a new knife and pull it a part and rebuild it with your new handle. Ebay is good and they sell blade blanks for builders to finish. Knifemaking sites sell parts and blades

Hope that helps, sorry I dont have specific links, I forge blades but it would be cheaper to buy in NZ due to postage:) Find a local or build your self a forge it is easier than it appears, and you can create great knives from scrap steel and develop it into art form with pattern welded steels.

[Jules Delaney]

I have some very integral Yukon nephrite and after reading the New Zealand book on jade "Pounamu" began carving adze blades with much trepidation... more experience led to forming six to eight inch knife blades, which was the limit of my equipment at the time, and after a bit of experience and making a 36inch overhead diamond blade swing saw have graduated to 12 to 17 inch slabs which i'm about to start carving asap.. as in when I finish replacing the bearings in my old bench grinder.

Jade was used before metal in many cultures and once one gets used to its need for a slightly thicker sharp edge is an amazing experience to chop carve and chisel with.

I also became enamoured with the thought that pre iron age women would wear their very precious jade needles proudly in a string from their ears, not only because they where so precious, but the tinkling sound of their rattles was aesthetically valued in their pre iron reality.

And so I spent way too long last winter forming a small handful of 3 to 5 inch beautifully musical jade and agate needles and so it goes in the rural art scene dancing along the carving path.

[Dan]

just starting with deer antler wondering where i get the blade as i wish to make knife hadles like some of the other carver here any pointers please i'm in new zealand and new to carving knife handles so any tips of help would be nice have learnt so much from read post here as well as see photo of others work hoping to be as good as ome of you here some day

 

to get the steel you need prity qualy metal try looking at lumber mills and machine shops to buy there old saw blades. you can get the huge band saw blades that lumber mills use to make there lumber. that is usualy high speed steel or a similar qualy metal. then you can just cut and shape and retemper the metal to make a sharp knife.