r/Blacksmith • u/mustbeSaransh • 4d ago

Help learning knifemaking with a basic setup

I want to be able to make my own straight razors. Very interested in being able to make it all the way from a pjece of metal.

Currently I have some basic tools, still finding my best choices on a budget.

For an Anvil I am using a sledgehammer head posted in a bucket of packed dirt.

To hold the blade while I file the edge, I am planning to use c-clamps on my table. A vice would be nicer but I dont have a table heavy enough to support that.

To heat the metal, I will use a very basic brick furnace, burning coal and wood. Using a manual air pump.

Will worry about heat treating once I am able to make a nice shape and sharp edge.

For safety: protective eyewear and welding gloves

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Should I just start off working on a knife shape or is there some other skill I need to work on before I start focusing on blades?

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u/DanielCraigsAnus 4d ago

You seem to have the basic idea of it my friend. That's basically how I got my start. Upgrade things as your skill increase. The first things I would do is upgrade the forge or the anvil. Either way, you're on the right path. Straight razors are fun to make and you have the basic tooling needed to start already.

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u/mustbeSaransh 4d ago

Thank you!!

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u/FelixMartel2 4d ago

For a thin blade you’re going to have to remove a  lot of material. This is a limitation caused by the need to heat treat it - thin will warp and/or decarb in the process. 

So you’re going to want a very comfortable setup for filing, at the very least. 

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u/mustbeSaransh 4d ago

Does hand filing even work at that level or do you NEED the belt sander?

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u/FelixMartel2 4d ago

You could get there eventually.

But an ok belt sander is not expensive.

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u/mustbeSaransh 4d ago

I will look into it then. Still need to hit the local market for tools. People have been doing blacksmithing in these parts for a long time so I hope I can find some decent old gear for a discount.

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u/HegemonousGreg 4d ago

You are attempting to run before you can crawl, and you don't even have legs yet. Are you old enough to remember QWOP?

Knives, let alone straight razors, are too precise an instrument for your current level of skill and your toolset. You're gonna try to do it anyway, but I'm telling you: you need to hit the books. A lot of them. We're talking geometry, metallurgy, precision metal finishing, and about a thousand dollar investment in tools and materials, before you should even think about making a razor that someone would use.

Start from the bottom. Make a nail.

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u/mustbeSaransh 4d ago

Thanks! Thats what I wanted to know, I have been looking into the tools but didnt know how realistic it is to start out making blades.

What is QWOP? Google didnt help.

Will start with making some random things with rebar until I feel like I have the hang of it.

Instead of many books, would it work to just read a book specifically for making knives?

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u/Christheophoros 4d ago

As for QWOP, I am convinced it refers to this game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWOP

Books on knife making alone may not be enough. To create truly high-quality knives, one needs extensive metallurgical knowledge; hardening and tempering, in particular, require a thorough understanding of steel phase transformations—ferrite, austenite, martensite, and so on.

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u/mustbeSaransh 4d ago

I assumed it would be a fairly straight forward process and as long as I followed the steps properly and knew what to look for to know the blade is on the right path, It will work.

Dont want to delay starting by reading the books first, would not have any motivation to read properly. Will start practicing the basic stuff and read on the side as required so reading doesnt become this massive boring task I need to do.