[BasketballJones]

BC,
I'd like to say that I love your energy and enthusiasm in your posts. You need to bookmark Clifford Parker and Rick's Little Shaver page. Their sharpening tips eased my sharpening frustrations.

You can sharpen an x-acto and utility blade but it won't hold it's edge very long. As the blade dulls it will slip but it is still sharp enough to cut flesh. My mishaps have been related to drywall and baseboard trim which is softer than the wood you are carving. Go with the pocketknife.

Clifford, I suppose I don't feel that two - three hours is well spent personally to making one when I can buy one for $20. It makes a difference too that I just don't have that much time to carve as it is. I guess it also makes a difference when most of us already have more tools than we will ever use. I still use of of the knives that I made, but most of the time I use the one or two favorites that I have had for years. It will help bcarvings to make a few to learn more about the tools - and it is satisfying to have one that works well if you make it yourself.

[Captain_Bandaid]

I have forged tool steel carving knives and put exotic wood handles on them. I have made them with antler handles, too. For all the fun and effort, you can buy a Murphey Knife blade for about $5 and mount it in the handle of your choice. Or you can buy it in the handle for about $9. The Murphey knife isn't pretty but it will carve just fine. Uh....that's if you can sharpen it first.....

Making knives can be quite educational and perhaps even dangerous for someone who is not comfortable around a torch.

I am not accident prone, but I have been cut, burned, abraded, skewered and had a few injuries that are difficult to catorgorize. Â* All in the persuit of knifemaking; which to me is worth the occasional injury.

Like wood carving, it entails a certain amount of risk.
Here is a short list of things I have learned to be careful of:

Metal dust like wood dust is dangerous to your health.

Hot metal should be cooled before being handled.

A buffing wheel will sometimes grip better than a hand.

Rotating sanding belts are tougher than skin on knuckles.

Use a vise when drilling the hole in a knife handle.

If you decide to hold the handle with your hand when drilling it, have a first-aid kit nearby.

A drill press sometimes has a better grip than a hand.

Shut off the drill press before trying to get your handle back.

A blacksmith's hammer will rebound very high and fast when struck properly on an anvil.

Don't lean your head over your hammer when striking an anvil.

Keep the area around your anvil clear in case you should need a place to sleep for a while.


This is only a small part of what I have learned over the years.

One more thing,
'Time saved being unsafe, is often time spent at the hospital' Â*:P

[bcarvings]

Hi,
I made my decsion to buy a knife. I will put up another post on the differ kinds I'm looking at to buy. And no I'm not getting a murphy knife because I can't sharpen good enough. Anyway I'm going to save the info on how to make a knife from a hacksaw blade, very useful info. Thanks a ton. Alright thanks for all your help.

[squbrigg]

Rick,

That's an excellent summery, and spot on by-the-way! A good example how difficult it is to gain a little experience.

Thanks for sharing,

Bob

[mikeg]

BC,

I'm a newbie as well. I'm still learning to sharpen my tools so I can feel your pain.

I've been doing a lot of sharpening on some of my pocket knives and I'm definitely getting there. One of the best things I did though was to buy a Murphy knife from Rick at Little shavers. He sends them presharpened. I already had one that wasn't very sharp. Now I can work on the dull one and compare it to the one I bought from Rick. The one from Rick is the sharpest knife in my box!

Just my 2 cents.

mikeg

[BobD]

Rick,
I was laughing out loud reading your post!!! That was hysterical--mainly because I've done the same things. In high school shop class, I was trying my hand at oxy-acetelyne welding and dripped a drop of filler stick on my head!

Bob

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

that's using your head Bob!

I got a dummy award in high school shop class. Tried drilling a piece of sheet metal on a drill press without clamping it. Don't remember how many stitches it was, but still have a scar about 2 12 inches long.