Kitchen/Chef's Knives Set in the Works

[Utectok]

Ay up @Utectok , no worries, I apply those during (or just prior to), the heat treatment process, the reasoning etc is touched upon in here if you fancy a short read...

Something a Litte Different? Serbian Chef's Knives

Ahh thank you that’s interesting. Last stupid question do you temper before you grind the blades or after? Basically I’ve not made a knife since I was about 16yrs old and I can’t remember but would have thought a narrow hollow ground blade or something would heat up to much when being ground and draw the temper but then again if it was tempered after grinding it would buckle and blister….. or perhaps it’s just skills I don’t posses

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Ahh thank you that’s interesting. Last stupid question do you temper before you grind the blades or after? Basically I’ve not made a knife since I was about 16yrs old and I can’t remember but would have thought a narrow hollow ground blade or something would heat up to much when being ground and draw the temper but then again if it was tempered after grinding it would buckle and blister….. or perhaps it’s just skills I don’t posses

I always, 100% of the time, heat treat before grinding these days.

You just need to be be disciplined and keep the blade cool, grind, dunk, grind, dunk, grind, dunk, and don't wear gloves.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Rather rubbish photographs (and pardon the crumbs on the breadboard ).

I would say, the knife is from the mother in law, so not exactly young. But feel like I've picked a reasonable serration to hold against the ruler depth appears to be around 1.5mm. The amount of serrations per inch seems to be greater too? Not sure if that plays a part in all this

To be honest the MIL used to have one of those electric rotary bread cutters that are common on the continent (makes sense as she's in Luxembourg) and that was used more often.

Interestingly, I think my other bread knife might have fewer serrations per inch, but actually be even deeper. Although that's just from memory - it's been boxed up somewhere to take to the skip

View attachment 372867View attachment 372868

Yup, exactly as I thought

Sometimes, generally, with the cheaper off the shelf stuff, and you see it a lot with steak knives too, the blades are not actually ground to an edge, even that blade of yours there only has a narrow (I imagine hollow) bevel and I also suspect on one side only?

Imagine how thick that steel is getting quite quickly behind the edge.

They'll be, and yours is the same, stamped from a reasonably thin, mostly pre heat treated, sheet of steel and although your example does have that basic bevel, sometimes the serrates are the bit that takes that steel/those blades to their edge, so the serrates looks deeper as the steel is thicker.

Thinner at the edge = less aggressive looking = same (or better) result.

 

[chriswjx]

Very interesting! Thank you for taking the time to explain all that That is really quite fascinating to know, so much goes into what can look like a "simple" blade

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Very interesting! Thank you for taking the time to explain all that That is really quite fascinating to know, so much goes into what can look like a "simple" blade

No problem at all.

I think that is the same of many things isn't it, simple looking things that we take for granted and then instantly get more complicated once you scratch the surface, that is why I love How It's Made on TV

 

[chriswjx]

No problem at all.

I think that is the same of many things isn't it, simple looking things that we take for granted and then instantly get more complicated once you scratch the surface, that is why I love How It's Made on TV

Oh yes! I grew up watching that When I'm allowed control of the remote, that's one of the things that usually gets chucked on

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Oh yes! I grew up watching that When I'm allowed control of the remote, that's one of the things that usually gets chucked on

That and Wheeler Dealers for me

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Ahh thank you that’s interesting. Last stupid question do you temper before you grind the blades or after? Basically I’ve not made a knife since I was about 16yrs old and I can’t remember but would have thought a narrow hollow ground blade or something would heat up to much when being ground and draw the temper but then again if it was tempered after grinding it would buckle and blister….. or perhaps it’s just skills I don’t posses

I always, 100% of the time, heat treat before grinding these days.

You just need to be be disciplined and keep the blade cool, grind, dunk, grind, dunk, grind, dunk, and don't wear gloves.

Also @Utectok , I should also say that a huge step forwards these days to making grinding post HT is the quality of the abrasives, at my disposal I do have a large, over a metre or so in diameter when new, grinding wheel that runs in water, a proper olden days thing, and although even these are better than they were they still aren't the most efficient of things.

It very seldom gets used these days, I can't recall the lats time I used it.

The quality and efficiency of abrasive belts these days is mind boggling, specially formulated coatings with ceramic grit, even the shape of that grit is controlled.

They cut cool and they just keep cutting.

You do still need to be disciplined with your grind/dunk regime though.

This is the working surface of a modern day 36grit abrasive belt.

Best to keep knuckles well away





Your comments about heat treating post grinding are totally correct too, you do run a greater risk of introducing distortion into your blade this way.

Heat treat, keep it flat, grind it, keep it cool, job is a guddun.

 

[Utectok]

Also @Utectok , I should also say that a huge step forwards these days to making grinding post HT is the quality of the abrasives, at my disposal I do have a large, over a metre or so in diameter when new, grinding wheel that runs in water, a proper olden days thing, and although even these are better than they were they still aren't the most efficient of things.

It very seldom gets used these days, I can't recall the lats time I used it.

The quality and efficiency of abrasive belts these days is mind boggling, specially formulated coatings with ceramic grit, even the shape of that grit is controlled.

They cut cool and they just keep cutting.

You do still need to be disciplined with your grind/dunk regime though.

This is the working surface of a modern day 36grit abrasive belt.

Best to keep knuckles well away


View attachment 373040


Your comments about heat treating post grinding are totally correct too, you do run a greater risk of introducing distortion into your blade this way.

Heat treat, keep it flat, grind it, keep it cool, job is a guddun.

Ahh also I can say the past knife I made was 3yrs ago so probably much more difficult then lol? Mind you that was on a bench grinder! Keep up your work one of these days
Going to ask you to make a loveless drop point one for me!

 

[Mr Tree]

Beautiful work Stuart, thanks for showing.