Commercial Blade stock miniumum thickness available.

[Ozwelder]

Hi Guys,
I have a a look around in some of the knifemaking supplies sites some of you kindly have given me.

In particular I was looking for thin blade stock.

Yes, I am one of those blokes dumb enough to want to make his own pocket knife replacement blades. My question is about the thickness of blade stock.
If I have to make springs I'll use 1/8". The thinnest I have found, so far, is 3.2 mm/ 1/8".For the moment, I am only considering 1080.I have heat treated my fixed blade knives and some of been from that so thats no issue.

This thickness is a tad big for blades as I realise the have to be thinner than the springs.

Is it normal practice to belt grind the blade to a 3mm sub thickness? .If so how much thinner?
The only way I see of holding the blades would be with a couple of strong neodimnium magnets embedded in a wooden handle as a way of work holding.

Your thoughts and advice on this please.
thanks in advance
Ozwelder

[just bob]

I don't have one, but if you have one of those mini - mills you can knock the thickness on stock right down. When I needed something of a critical thickness I contacted a person I knew and paid him to machine it down. I could do it on a belt sander but it was very hard for me to get it uniform.

[Meridian_Mike]

Well..... I am one of those dumb blokes too.
I enjoy making blades.... I have made several and I enjoy the satisfaction of "making the whole thing"...
I have made some springs also. (It's not too hard to do if you do the "magnet" test on blades and springs)

I haven't tried to make a blade..... yet.... to match up to an existing spring. BUT....I do plan to restore a few knives soon where I will need to totally make a blade. I will just have to see how that shakes out I guess.

Anyway...... I would be using a file of my sander to get a blank blade to a thinner thickness.... I am machinery handicapped.
(as in... I just don't have anything but the basics)

[tinkerer]

I'm an absolute novice to folder making, having made only two. I can offer that the way I thinned down stock on one is with a home built drum sander. It has a bottom on a pivot to adjust the thickness of the sanding, like a veneer sander. Here's a picture. It's crude but it did what I needed it to do.

[Meridian_Mike]

Interesting.....
I can see how that would give you a uniform thickness for almost anything you are cutting.
Good thinking outside the box!

For a blade, I would think something like that would work....

[tinkerer]

Thanks! I feel it works equally well for the steel parts like blade and springs if you have a flat surface but takes some time to remove stock.

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks! I feel it works equally well for the steel parts like blade and springs if you have a flat surface but takes some time to remove stock.

Well... if your like me and don't have all the fancy machinist tools at your disposal, an idea like this is right up my alley. I'll just take the time....

Your idea has me thinking!!

[tinkerer]

Glad I could offer something finally. This forum has some really innovative crafters and I enjoy reading and seeing the work done.

[btrwtr]

I don't know that it is necessary to make the blade any thinner than the spring. I normally try to get the spring and tang to the same thickness and use a slacker to install the blade getting the same clearance for both the pivoting tang and moving spring. Get the blade too thin and you might pinch the spring or allow too much play in the blade allowing it to wobble. Most all of what I do is learned by trial and error. I'm sure there are other and maybe better ways to get this done.

[Meridian_Mike]

Hmmmmmm.... that could be another debate on another day....

I think we were just talking about getting the thickness of blade stock down to match an existing spring.... weren't we?

[btrwtr]

Hmmmmmm.... that could be another debate on another day....

I think we were just talking about getting the thickness of blade stock down to match an existing spring.... weren't we?

I thought the question was. "Is it normal practice to belt grind the blade to a 3mm sub thickness? .If so how much thinner?

[Bill DeShivs]

Jantz Supply has 1095 steel in sizes thinner than 1/8". I buy mine from them.

[Meridian_Mike]

Maybe so....
Well..... maybe I didn't read close enough....

I do agree with you about any difference between the spring and blade thickness could be a problem. I think they should both be the same..... Maybe I'm wrong.... But if the blade is thinner, and you use a .008 slacker on it, you stand a chance of pinching the spring.

NOW, if the blade is thicker than the spring and you use a slacker on the blade, then I don't see a problem there.

[Ozwelder]

G'day Mike,

The knives I am dealing with are all mostly small knives and as originals some have very thin blades.
Some I will attempt to copy as some are unique and I don't wish to damage them, hence the need for copies.

Some of the knives are just as practice to make/repair /copy mainly as a much needed practice for me.

I have made quite a few full tang blades but they were 3/16" and upwards and gave no trouble as far the thickness was concerned.

I did check the Jantz site but they talk of 1095 coming as slightly curved with the comment "that of course you will be forging it".

Yeah right ? I assume the curve is from rolls of sheet supplied in bulk to the manufacturers who would stamp out these blades.

at this point it is very obvious why Aussie knife making supplies companies don't stock these thicknesses - low volume- no money in it.

While your knife maker supplies blokes are cheap the cost of importing to Australia is over the top unless a bulk rate box is used.I sometimes do this with Track of the Wolf for M/loading related items.

My cunning plan is to embed 3 or 4 neodymium circular magnets in a bit of hardwood with a handle and use it vertically holding the blades to be thicknessed against the vertical platen.

If the blade doesn't move it should work ok. I don't reckon I will generate enough heat to make the JB weld to let go from the magnets in their sockets.

I have yet to get my new phone camera to talk to the iMac,so when I do that I'll post photos.
Thanks everyone for your assistance thus far.Point noted on the slacker-next tool to make.

Ozwelder

[Ozwelder]

Hi guys
I said I was going to try a magnetic work holder to hold the small pocket knife blades so I could use the belt grinder to reduce blade thickness.

It was made from a piece of 3 x 2x 5/8 thick hardwood and pockets bored in it with a 3/4" spade to suit the 3/4 x 3/16 round neodymnium magnets which were glued in using epoxy glue.
I have completed it and it works but with one minor drawback.

The ground off dust gets between the magnets and blade surface causing the blade to slip slightly to slip across the magnet. That means the grind lines are sometimes not parallel with the blade axis.I can regain those straight lines by a soft pass after I clean the metal fuzz off the magnets .

It only took ten minutes to reduce the thicknesss from 3.25MM ( 1/8") down to 2.5mm( not sure what that is in inches)
As well I was able to grind a gentle pivot to point taper, in the blade. I kept the whole look cool by constantly dipping in a bucket of water.

What has surprised me greatly was the consistency and flatness of the grind. I used an 80# VSM ceramic belt which was clogged and unusually, gave a very smooth and bright finish.

I am happy with with that for now but will chase up the thinner stock stateside in the new year.Right now the mail system is chockers (jammed) with Xmas mail and packages which will way extend the normal 3 week wait.That gives me time to get a decent package of other hard to find ( down here) pocket knife related items so to offset the killer mailing/shipping rates.

The next challenge is to work out the nail nick. Right now all I have is a few Dremels and a Dremel drill press, but no mill. I think I will use a 1" cutting disk to grind the groove for the nail nick.

This will require me to construct a jig to position the blade. How hard can it be?

Ozwelder