knifemaking

TKG Fall Hammer In, Nov 12, 2016

By Jason Fry|2016-11-17T00:21:47-06:00November 17th, 2016|Event Reports|0 Comments

Multiple pictures above, click for gallery. The TKG hosted a hammer-in at Chad Cunningham's ranch south of Baird, TX on November 12, 2016. Last year it rained and folks got stuck in the mud, but this year we couldn't have ordered better weather. Around 45 people came to the event, from as far away as Lubbock, San Antonio, and Bonham. The event featured five organized classes or demonstrations. Jason Fry, TKG president and national Knifemakers' Guild member, taught a class on "Fit and Finish." He spoke about the details that separate a good knife from a great one, or a great knife from an excellent [...]

Troubleshooting Common Knifemaking Problems

Here are a few tips for dealing with some of the places where things commonly go wrong. Dealing With Warpage Sometimes the blade comes out of the quench crooked. It can be straightened hot, above roughly 500 degrees, immediately after the quench. Use welding gloves. Once it’s cool, it can be straightened during the temper cycles. Clamp the blade to a piece of steel that is flat. Use shims if necessary. Run through temper cycles as usual. Sometimes takes a bit of trial and error, but works almost every time. If you want a two-piece knife, go ahead and try and straighten one cold by [...]