Making a replacement blade from scratch

[Ozwelder]

Hi fellas
Just the usual dumb questions. My Whittingslowe No. 41 is becoming a favorite of mine. However the blades are badly worn. Comparing it to a picture of another No.41 the secondary blade is at least 1/2" too short.The primary blade is the same but as worn a bit less .

The secondary blade is a drop point and the point of the blade hangs out in mid air way above the scales and liner.

I am thinking the way to go is to make blades from scratch. I have some lengths 1084 and 1089 both 2" x 1/8". I have pretty much all of the tools and equipment needed having made fixed blades in the past.

I surmise that the blades will have to be left quite a bit longer at the tang end just to hold for the grinding and shaping grinding operations.

I am hoping there maybe someone here who has made their own pocket knife blade from scratch and can offer some insights.

I am grateful for any comments and advice.

Ozwelder

[OLDE CUTLER]

Hi fellas
Just the usual dumb questions. My Whittingslowe No. 41 is becoming a favorite of mine. However the blades are badly worn. Comparing it to a picture of another No.41 the secondary blade is at least 1/2" too short.The primary blade is the same but as worn a bit less .

The secondary blade is a drop point and the point of the blade hangs out in mid air way above the scales and liner.

I am thinking the way to go is to make blades from scratch. I have some lengths 1084 and 1089 both 2" x 1/8". I have pretty much all of the tools and equipment needed having made fixed blades in the past.

I surmise that the blades will have to be left quite a bit longer at the tang end just to hold for the grinding and shaping grinding operations.

I am hoping there maybe someone here who has made their own pocket knife blade from scratch and can offer some insights.

I am grateful for any comments and advice.

Ozwelder

Yes I have both made replacement blades and a couple of knives entirely from scratch. First thing I have to say is it is a lot of work. Don't expect to finish it all in one day!! I don't have a belt grinder, so I use a home made file jig to put the bevels on the 1095 blade blanks cut from bar stock. I will attempt to put links for pictures I have posted here so show the jig in action.

IMG_2487.JPG (19.03 KiB) Viewed 255 times

IMG_2488.JPG (28.92 KiB) Viewed 255 times

IMG_2489.JPG (25.53 KiB) Viewed 255 times

[Ozwelder]

Thank you,
Olde Cutler

Ozwelder

[tinkerer]

Hi Ozwelder,

I’ve only made two from scratch so take my advice with a pinch of salt.

I would scribe the patterns and drill the pivot holes first. Your idea to stay a little proud of the scribe lines is what I’d do. Then I would rough grind the profile and heat treat. If you have or can fab a Ruple gauge you can dial in the tang first with the old springs and once that’s done you can grind in the bevels and nail nicks.

Good luck!