How to Make a Knife
In near future, we'll be updating this page with photos to help novice knife makers so they can make a knife from our blank blades and kits.
These instructions are the same for all kits in this series. Some kits are with bolster but the making process is more or less the same.
Tools required:
- File
- Sand paper
- Hammer
- Something heavy and solid to hammer against
- A way to cut the steel pins, like a vice and hacksaw, or a Dremel tool
- If required, shorten the steel pins for the bolsters so they stick max one pin thickness out on each side of the bolster. Leaving the pins too long might result in them bending over rather than peening or “mushrooming” out when hitting them with a hammer.
- Place the knife with bolsters added and pins inserted on something solid, and start lightly tapping the end of the pins with the hammer. Turn the knife from side to side to make the peening even. The purpose is to hit the pins until they bloom out and down, creating a domed pin and locking the bolster solidly in place on the blade.
- Now file or grind the pins carefully down flush with the bolster. Try not to remove more material from the bolster than required. Sand with sandpaper until happy with the finish of the bolster and pins.
- Insert the handle rivets and lightly hammer the rivets flush with the wooden handle scales:
- Sand the handle and bolster to desired finish, by clamping the blade to the end of a table. Shoe shining with a strip of sandpaper helps create an even, rounded finish.
TIP: If your brass pins are bigger than hole sizes in the blade handle, you can rub them with sandpaper to adjust according to the holes.