Mozzie101's Knife Build

The file is nice and hot now. It gets left in the fire over night and pulled out the next day when it has cooled.


Starting to work the knife. Profile cut to shape. You can just see the Wiltshire Australia logo on the right hand end.


At this stage the knife is finished and ready for the tempering stage.   


From left to right; The knife, waste diesel engine oil, welding glove and multi grips.


More to follow.

The handles are pieces of form ply I had laying around. They have been Araldited on and three brass pins fitted (brazing rod) to secure it.


After leaving the knife over night to harden. I started to shape the handles. Its coming along nicely. Pretty happy with the colour.

More to follow.

Thanks Gray,

I had a look around on YouTube and in general on the net for a bit of info and there is surprisingly a lot of people doing it this the way. That's why I did it. I work on the KISS principle as much as I can where possible. 

Well after 3 days of work. Its finished. The last stages where sanding to a profile that fits my hand and then 3 coats of Birchwood Casey rifle stock finish followed by the blade sharpened up to a usable edge. It sill needs more work.

The tools I used where Metal files, a wood rasp, ball peen hammer, hacksaw with fine blade and various grits of wet and dry as well as course/medium sand paper. There was no power tools used. I could have but this was as much an exercise of simplicity as it was to see if I could make the knife out of a file.

I'm very happy the way it came out. I have learned a heap from this and I will be looking at doing another knife soon.

Mozzie101 Out

Thanks Para. I wanted to extend the butt for a couple of reasons one for what was written on it and secondly as a utility piece like what is on my Gerber below. Mate I will be using power tools next time for sure. Thanks for the tip about the plastic liners between the scales and the steel. I will put that one in the memory bank.

The next knife will be made from a file again with a distinct Tanto look to it. I don't think it will have scales as such. I am thinking of wrapping the handle in para cord like a survival style knife. Might even do a Kydex sheath. Will see as I go.

Cheers Mozzie101

If you want to make good knives yourself spend the time sourcing good steel.  I made lots as a youngster out of everything from Jetty spikes to hacksaw blades to agricultural harrow tynes.

Best steel and method I found was a thick old carpenter saw (1960's era - tuff, hard and springy) bought for $10 from a 2nd hand shop.  Applied zero heat to it to keep the qualities of the steel as they were when the saw left the mill/factory in West Germany.  I then cut out the desired shape by hand with a hacksaw to avoid heating the metal.  I reckon it took about 30 hours over the course of a month.  Put a cutting edge on it with a bench grinder being very careful to not overheat the metal and finished with a couple of different types of sharpening stone.  Handle was made of a piece of poly pipe covered in araldite and many, many windings of different coloured embroidery thread I scrounged from my nanna.

Loved that knife. 

It's laid to rest somewhere along the eastern edge of Lake Eyre South.

Lesson: If you take a knife in a canoe make sure it has a hole thru the handle and is tied to the canoe.  Or ... don't take your favourite hand made knife canoeing.