etching initials or logo into blade

bbs383ci

Senior Member
guys as most of you know i am using premade blanks for my knives. i am looking at ttrying to make a stamp for my blades, and since they are al ready hardened i will have to go with an etching type. what are some options out there for this type?

thanks
 

John I. Shore

Senior Member
You can make your own machine and buy the stencils.....of course all I use is Marking Methods......machine, stencil, acid, and cleaner. Google it and you can get all the parts you need to make the machine part at Radio Shack.

So, just guessing but I'm thinking that you have managed to swallow the hook and there's no getting away now so time for you to move on up to good knives......send me your address, I'll send you a real blade that has been properly shaped, ground, and heat-treated......you'll throw rocks at those you have been buying.

I want to make sure that you've rolled past "The Point Of No Return", grasshopper.

John I.
 

Razor Blade

Senior Member
Set the hook John, set the hook :cool: So theres no turning back, Or gettin loose. He may as well be in the same boat with the rest of us, at least there will be good company there.:D
 

bbs383ci

Senior Member
Hook line and sinker. Lol. My wife is always getting on to me about how many hobbies I have, so now I have a hobby that I can actually make a little money doing and I like doing it. I am trying to get the money to get some equipment to actually make my blades. I have some good designs in my head l, it's just getting the equipment to shape them. I have my eye on a little 8" bench grinder at HD may try to get it this week end and then after I sell a couple more knives I can getting a little bigger belt grinder.

But yes I have started this and love doing it.

My oldest son is 4 andi had a jantz catalog laying around and one day when I got home he had already picked out a knife and handle material that he wants me to do for him lol.
 

bbs383ci

Senior Member
I thought you were wanting to make knives?
Oh, OK, I see you said a LITTLE money. You are in the right hobbie then.

Lol any profit is better than none. One good thing is is my wife does support me 100% in this hobby since it is a little productive.

Oh one other thing. For the guys who send their blades off to get heat treated where do you get this done?
 

John I. Shore

Senior Member
Peter's Heat Treat in PA, they have their own custom knife section for heat treat, they HT, Cryo to -300 below zero, straighten, and Rockwell hardness test each blade so you know what you have.....no heating it up and guessing.

If you are only doing onezies or small batches there is Texas Knifemakers Supply, they do pretty good also, they do Cryo as well. You don't get a price break on HT unless you do large batches......so you might find someone to double up with, not an uncommon practice.

Hope that helps. (Hey guys.....this one is hooked bad, gonna cost him lots of C notes.):rofl::rofl::rofl:

John I.
 

bbs383ci

Senior Member
Lol. Thx.

Not going to show the wife that last part rofl.
 

Anvil Head

Senior Member
I'm telling you guys......use circle hooks! Don't have to set nothing, just pull the line tight.

BB, I think you will find that "profit" and knifemaking don't work out very well....tighten up the math and you will see that you only reduce the red side of the ledger with a lot of practice. Better get used to seeing the backside of past presidents as they leave your wallet.
Also, the 8" grinder if a "hard wheel" grinder, will only frustrate you. Has it's place, but not as a knifegrinder. Even the little 1"x's aren't really suitable (although many have started with them). Money is better spent if saved up to buy a serious belt grinder or parts for making one. There are so many reasons there's not enough room to list them all.

One thing to always remember in all of this...power tools such as grinders, only make it possible to mess up faster and bigger. Your little scratches will turn to tractor ruts if you don't develop the basic skills first.
 

fishbum2000

Senior Member
You can make your own machine and buy the stencils.....of course all I use is Marking Methods......machine, stencil, acid, and cleaner. Google it and you can get all the parts you need to make the machine part at Radio Shack.

So, just guessing but I'm thinking that you have managed to swallow the hook and there's no getting away now so time for you to move on up to good knives......send me your address, I'll send you a real blade that has been properly shaped, ground, and heat-treated......you'll throw rocks at those you have been buying.

I want to make sure that you've rolled past "The Point Of No Return", grasshopper.

John I.

DO IT DO IT DO IT and do it quick John did this for me and the knife is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! only problem is trying to get the hook out is impossible without killing the fish!::ke:::ke:::ke:::ke:

so Sencei does this mean I have progressed to a higher plane therefore in need of a name change? Or is your DoJo large enough for more than one student?? :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::bounce::bounce:
 

bbs383ci

Senior Member
Yeah once I get a grinder I'm going to be practicing on mild steel till I learn what I am doing. Guys I really appreciate all your advice, tips and tricks.

Now off to fil's house we are helping him build a new one, should finish framing today.
 

ncrobb

Senior Member
I am hooked as well. But back to how to mark the blade. I use a very basic method that I like and it will work on heat treated blades. I started thinking about how you chrome plate and figured I could reverse the process. Others had the same idea and you can find info on the net but here is the short version. I mask out a small rectangular area on the blade where I want my name then fill it with resist (aka a color of my wife's fingernail polish she doesn't like). You need a consistently thin layer of resist and let it dry for 5-10 mins. I use a brass rod sharpened to a point to literally write my name, just like I would print it on paper. If you don't like the way it looks remove the resist with acetone and start over. Once I am happy with how it looks I take a very loose brush and lightly brush away the resist that came off when I scribed it to clean out the lines. I use a 9volt battery with two 12" leads and alligator clips to etch with. The positive goes to the blade. Dip a q-tip in salt water put the stem into the negative alligator clip making sure the saturated cotton is touching the clip. Now rub the q-tip over the mark back and forth. The cotton will turn a dark yellow color. I usually rub back and forth for a count of 40 (very scientific, huh?) and then clean off the resist with acetone. I get a pretty clean mark that way and it was pretty cost efficient to set up. I worked out my method on scrape and so far I am happy with it.

Robb
 

John I. Shore

Senior Member
so Sencei does this mean I have progressed to a higher plane therefore in need of a name change? Or is your DoJo large enough for more than one student?? :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::bounce::bounce:

When you can take the pebble from my hand grasshopper, it will be time for you to leave. Yet my young eager friend, you have but only begun the journey.

John I.
 

bbs383ci

Senior Member
Thx Robb I will try that when I get the chance.
 

Anvil Head

Senior Member
You can get a small clip on battery trickle charger from Harbor Freight for very little when they go on sale. Comes with the clips and leads. Little "quicker" than the battery and will last a lot longer.
Still, if you have a battery and the leads/clips on hand.....just do it (like anything else, practice on scrap until you get it right).
 

fishbum2000

Senior Member
I'm telling you guys......use circle hooks! Don't have to set nothing, just pull the line tight.

BB, I think you will find that "profit" and knifemaking don't work out very well....tighten up the math and you will see that you only reduce the red side of the ledger with a lot of practice. Better get used to seeing the backside of past presidents as they leave your wallet.
Also, the 8" grinder if a "hard wheel" grinder, will only frustrate you. Has it's place, but not as a knifegrinder. Even the little 1"x's aren't really suitable (although many have started with them). Money is better spent if saved up to buy a serious belt grinder or parts for making one. There are so many reasons there's not enough room to list them all.

One thing to always remember in all of this...power tools such as grinders, only make it possible to mess up faster and bigger. Your little scratches will turn to tractor ruts if you don't develop the basic skills first.


Carl always has a way of telling it like it is. The only way I have made any "profit" on knife making, if I have at all, is because I have had some folks send me handle material and pin stock. My dad owns a Dulcimer shop up in the mountains of NC. He has sent me a care package of his scraps. A close friend gave me a couple of chunks of mahogany, Raleigh sent me a care package, etc........

Heck if I didn't have a commercial acct at Fastenal, I'd go broke in sandpaper alone. I'm just happy to break even, but these guys are a wealth of info. and support EVEN IF THEY SET YOU UP TO GET HOOKED LIKE A TROUT.

I love making knives and I love these people on Woody's
 

fishbum2000

Senior Member
When you can take the pebble from my hand grasshopper, it will be time for you to leave. Yet my young eager friend, you have but only begun the journey.

John I.

OK I'm safe then. I can't even see the pebble yet. WHEW
 
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