Processed Involve in making Knives

The Manufacturing
Process
Forming the blade

1 The blade begins as a "blank," cut from flat material that is in a "soft" condition,
which means it has not been heat treated. Mass-produced knives are stamped in a

The most important part of the modern hunting knife, the blade, is made of steel or
stainless steel. Of particular importance is the carbon content of the metal, which
determines the hardness of the blade.
punch press, using a hardened punch and die shaped to match the outline of the blade.
The punch is forced through the material into the die, blanking the rough blade into
shape. Custom knives may be cut out with a saw, or an industrial laser may be used to
cut especially intricate blades.
After the blank is cut, holes for the handle stocks are drilled into the tang. Rough
shaping is also performed by grinding or machining. This shaping forms the thickness
of the blade at various points and reduces the amount of finish grinding on the sharp
edge. Any identifying markings or decorative details are stamped while the blade is in
a soft condition.

Hardening

2 The blade is hardened to preserve the sharpness of the knife edge. Each blade
material may require different hardening and heat-treating methods; however,
common steel blades are generally heat treated in the following manner.
To harden the blade, several blades are placed into a ceramic tray in a heat-treating
oven. They are laid flat so the weight of the blades does not cause warping. Depending
upon the specific requirements of the alloy, the temperature in the oven is raised to
approximately 1600F (871C). After heating the blades for approximately two hours,
the entire tray is removed from the oven and the blades are submerged in oil or water.
This rapidly cools the blades and is called quenching. The quenching locks the metal
crystals into an intricate microscopic pattern. This process also results in the metal
becoming very brittle. After quenching, the blades are reheated to approximately
500F (260C). At this point, the metal has a slight dark-reddish color, and the crystals
change their alignment slightly. Then the blades are allowed to cool slowly in a
process called tempering. This toughens the metal while retaining some of the
brittleness needed for fine sharpening. Further heating and cooling cycles may be used
to harden other specialized alloys.

Polishing and sharpening

3 After the heat-treated blades are cool, they are polished and sharpened. Polishing is
performed by machine or by hand. A flat belt sander is used to produce a smooth,
even, "brushed" finish to the sides of the blade. This also polishes out any marks from
the punch press operation and removes the surface residue from the heat-treat
operation. Next the blade is placed into a grinding fixture that passes it through a
series of grinding wheels. Each rotating wheel removes the correct amount of metal

to form the edge relief, point, rough edge angle, and other features of the working
portion of the blade. When utility knives are made, many of these features are left
without further finishing since they are for functional rather than cosmetic purposes. In
the case of fancier knives, these features may be hand polished using a rotating buffing
wheel and jeweler's rouge. The rouge is a soft, abrasive paste which, when spread onto
the cotton buffing wheel and then buffed against the blade surface, polishes the metal
to a high luster. When the blade is finished with these steps, it will be quite sharp and
may appear ready to use. However, the final sharpening steps are required to produce a
long-lasting edge.
Honing

4 To the casual observer, the knife edge appears as simply the result of two
intersecting surfaces. Upon closer examination, the true form of the edge is seen to
consist of two distinctly separate sets of angles. The first is left by the rough grinding
as explained above, while the second is the fine angle that actually forms the cutting
edge. This edge is produced by a fine grinding operation called honing. The angle of
the hone may be between 17 and 30 degrees to the axis of the blade, depending upon
the blade application. A smaller angle will produce a sharper edge, but the edge will
wear and become dull more quickly. A fine grinding hone, or "stone," is oiled and

gently rubbed on the knife edge. This action produces the finest sharpened edge and is
the only true method of properly sharpening a knife blade. When viewed under
a microscope, the rough ground edge appears as a series of jagged points.
While sharp enough to cut adequately in this condition, the points wear easily and
soon the sharpness

is gone. By honing, these points are blended into a consistent edge of equal sharpness.
Assembly of the stocks, guard, and pommel

5 The stocks are riveted or pressed onto the tang of the knife blade. A buffing wheel is
used to smooth the stocks and blend the rivet heads. In the case of a leather handle, the
washer segments are stacked onto the tang starting at the guard. After the handle
length is filled with leather, the pommel is pressed onto the end of the tang and
secured with a pin or rivet. This squeezes the leather together, making a tight, easily
gripped handle. The leather may be shaped using a grinding wheel and then sealed
with a penetrating sealer. The guard and pommel can then be finished by polishing
with the buffing wheel. Great care must be taken during the assembly and finishing
process as not to damage the knife blade or ruin the sharp edge.\

Quality Control
To insure a sharp edge and long life after sharpening, the heat treatment of the blade must be
monitored. This is performed by measuring the Rockwell Hardness, a procedure in which the
blade or a sample specimen is placed under a hardened point. A heavy weight is exerted upon
the point, and the amount of penetration is measured. The dent left by this test is barely visible
to the naked eye, and can be done under the handle where it will be hidden. Using various
conversion scales, the hardness can then be compared with the desired standard.

Sharpness and finish of the blade are also important. Skilled technicians visually inspect the
blade, including using a microscope to closely view the sharpened edge. Any defective blades
are returned to the final finishing and honing operation for rework.
The finish of the handle and other portions of the knife are also visually inspected. In
particular, show knives are meticulously examined for the slightest defect. Since these knives
are a form of art, they will be closely scrutinized by the buyer; any visual defects would
lessen the knife's value. Also, if the knife is a duplicate of an historical piece, specific design
details and markings are important to the collector.