Single tutorial/information pages:____________________________________________________

This section is categorized, but not all inclusive of the tutorials for that category on the page. What you are looking for might be found on a multi-tutorial site or in another section of this page.

There are tutorials for building complete knives in this section. They are in the following categories: Fixed blades, folders , Forged knives and forging.

Safety:

Please read this link: Safety concerns for knifemakers -

Material Safety Data Sheets

Toxic metals

Health hazards associated with welding/high heat

Metal Fume Fever

Ed the "Handyman"

Anodizing:

Anodizing advice

Anodizing Aluminum

Anodizing Aluminum by Ron Newman

Anodizing Titanium by Jason Howell

D.I.Y. anodizing from Popular Science

MrTitanium's Introduction to Anodizing Titanium

Tutorial on Multi-Stage Anodizing 

Also see "Tools and Shop"  or "Multiple tutorial sites" for anodizer plans.

Bolsters/Guards:

Bolster pin trick

Bolster shaping advice

Bolster Soldering Tutorial

Fitting Bolsters

Fitting Guards

Fitting the guard with simple tools.  (.pdf)

Guards 

Hidden tang guard clamp

How-To Pin And Soldering Guards And Bolsters -- Part I 

How-To Pin And Soldering Guards And Bolsters -- Part II

How-To Pin And Soldering Guards And Bolsters -- Part III

Making a "half penny" style quillon guard

Making an oval guard with bells on the end

Marking out where to drill when making a hidden tang guard.

Peening bolster pins

Pinning ferrules/spacers to guards

Scandi Bolster Fit

Solder a guard by Bruce Evans

Soldering the way that seems to work for me by  BobVan Gelder

Solderless Guards by Terry Primos

Tips for fitting guards

Visualize your design - Bolsters from bar stock

also see "Soldering"

Buffing:

see "Finishes"

Carving, Engraving and Inlay:

Carving Tutorial

Carving a metal moth

Carving a Scottish dirk handle

Engraving/ Fine Embellishment

How to carve leather by Ron Ross

Inlay Work

Inlaying brass into steel

Inlaying Gold

Inlaying Mother of pearl

Installing Simple Inlays

Pearl Inlay Technique

Pearl inlay

Short inlaying video

Wire inlay guide

Wire inlay tutorial

Wood engraving 

Casting:

A Home Metalcasting Foundry

Art Metals forum 

Backyard Metal casting

Casting pewter bolsters by Chuck Barrows 

Lost wax casting (Microsoft word document)

Stovetop Metalcasting

Design:

104 templates and 300 drawings by Lloyd Harding - hosted by Hurley Custom Knives , thanks Wil

Bob Engnath's patterns:

Bowies

Daggers

Drop points

Historic

Hunters

Kitchen

Loveless

Tanto

Utility

Yakiba

Electroforming/plating:

Electroforming

Electroforming Step-by-Step

Electroplating

Plating, Anodizing and Metal Finishing

Engraving:

see "Carving, Engraving and Inlay"

Etching::

Etching Damascus

Etching Instructions for Thunderforged™ Damascus

Etching to show quench lines/hamon

Etching wootz steel

Tutorial on Selectively Etching a Blade

Vinegar etch

Also see: Marking your blade

File work:

Filework by Mark Terrell

Filework example

Filework example

Filework example

Filework example

Filework example

Filework example

Filework example

Filework examples

Filework examples

Filework examples

Filework examples

Filework made easy......well,.....easier.

Filework on a Gentleman's folder

Filework patterns  

Filework patterns

Filework tutorial

How to do file work on a fixed-blade knife  by Rocket Knives

How to file work a folding knife by Rocket Knives

Other File Patterns and Tips by Mark Terrell

Some more file work info by Ruben Calo

Also see Bruce Evans' site  for two more file working tutorials.  -

Filing:

Draw filing.  more about draw filing

Excellent File Guide $12.99

Files - selecting and using

File Anti-rocking Device

File Guides and File Jigs -- A Primer...

File jigs

Hints and Tricks on using File Guides and File Jigs...

Info about files

Info on using a file jig

Finishes:

Also see the etching section above

An approach to hybrid polishing

Cleaning up the fullers by D. Fogg

Finishes: Tools and Applications

Grinding and Polishing Procedure Comparison

Hand rubbing a blade by Bruce Evans

Hand rubbing being a pain? can't get the flats as smooth as you want? Try this trick  - palm sander with micarta plate

Hand sanding

How To Buff and Polish 

How to Hot Blue you Knife Blades For Less than $75.00 By Wil Hurley

How to make a tumbler

Info about applying Gun-Kote

Info on the etch and polish of hamon

Kitchen Stove Parkerizing  

Lapping

Mirror finishing 

Restoring Finishes: Florentine, Hammered and Stippled

Patina Formulas for Brass, Bronze and Copper

Polishing  

Sanding and finishing with emery

The Polish Tutorial Page

Tutorial on Engine Turning  

Using cutting or polishing stones 

Fixed Blades:

Absolute Cheapskate Way to Start Making Knives  (.pdf download, requires logging in at  http://knifedogs.com/ - registration is free) Great tutorial using only hand tools  -

As to make a qualitative knife on the knees

Crooked knife plans

Cutlery From Junk: stock removal knife making by serger

First of 3 part stock removal tutorial by Nick Wheeler 
Part 2 
Part 3 

Full tang tutorial by narsil

How I make a knife...  by LongRifle

How I make a Knife by Ray Rogers 

How I Make a Kitchen Knife by Ray Rogers

"How to build a knife"  in the  Miscellaneous Tutorials.

How_To_Build_A_Knife by Jim Small e-book (.pdf)  Right click and save as.

How to make a fixed blade knife by Rocket Knives

How to make a knife back yard style by Bossman  (photos missing)

How To Make an Eating Dagger from a File by Al Massey  

How to make knives by ginsengavenger 

How to make your favorite carving knife by Rick Ferry   

How to make your own hunting knife from an old saw blade by David Boye

Kitchen knife tutorial by Lone Shepherd 

Knifemaking  (Japanese text) Translator (cut and paste the url; use the lower set of characters in the url drop down box for English)

Knifemaking  (Japanese text) Translator (cut and paste the url; use the lower set of characters in the url drop down box for English)

Knife Making 101

Knife making with titanium by Mission knives

Let's make a little skinner  by Terry Hearn  from The Knife Network

Make a Marking Knife by J.R. Buchanan 

Make a "Po'boy Puukko" by Sylvrfalcn   (registration required, but no cost involved) -

Make a skew knife and a camp knife  by Chuck  Barrows

Making a bird and trout knife by Steve Sando  

Making an Authentic Belt Knife

Making the blade 

Making the handle

Making and throwing knives  (no detailed making information, but some nice designs)

Making an integral bolster camp knife 

Making Your First Blade

"Old Hickory" skinner to Nessmuk conversion 

Oupa's Old Hickory Skinner to Nessmuk conversion

Photos of the knife making process - Japanese page. no pertinent text, but nice photos of some knife making techniques.

Saw blade knife & PVC water pipe sheath by Junior Doughty 

The 60 minute knife by Jason Cutter

"The Anyone Can Make It Copperhead Survival Knife"  

The Shade Tree Knife Mechanic knife making tutorial 

The Stock Removal Knife Tutorial - Part 1   by Fox

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

"Your first knife"  

Fobs and lanyards:

Boondoggle Projects

Braided Leather Knife Lanyard—2 Tailed

Braided strap

Leather braiding

Make a fob 

Non-snagging lanyard loop tutorial - Registration (no cost involved) required

The Monkey Fist

Tying a lanyard - Chris Reeves

Tying a lanyard - Chris Reeves

Folders:

Bose Back pocket Knife Construction

Building an Interframe Folder by Neil Charity from The Knife Network

Building a No Tang Pin, Sandwich Constructed Balisong by Terry Guinn 

Folding knife designs

Friction folder - the blade

Friction folder - the handle

Friction folder tutorial

How I Make a Folding Knife by Ray Rogers

How to build a Lock-Back Folder by Neil Charity from The Knife Network

How to go about making a liner locking folder by Rocket Knives 

How To Make A Slip Joint Pocketknife by Chris Crawford 

Interesting pictorial of a lock back folder; design to finish  (I believe he made it entirely on a mill )

Japanese page that has some nice photos of  folding knife construction -Translator (cut and paste the url; use the lower set of characters in the url drop down box for English)

Lets build a friction folder from scratch.

Liner lock folding knife by Ray Rogers

Liner lock tutorial by Filip De Coene, knifemaker

Manufacture of a Piedmontese knife (friction folder)

The Liner-Lock Folder by Jason Howell  

Tony Bose Pivot Bushing Construction

Trials and tribulations in the making of a liner lock folder

Tutorial on Building a Frame-Lock Folder

Tutorial on Customizing Pivot Screws

Tutorial on Making a Custom Pivot Assembly 

Tutorial on Making Titanium Spacers

Washers From Razors - How To Make .004 Inch Stainless Steel Washers by Chris Crawford 

Forged knives and forging:

Basic Blacksmithing e-book (.pdf)

Beginner's guide to bladesmithing

Blacksmithing techniques  – (Translate with Babelfish, French to English) use the “Cours” link

Bronze Cable Damascus Tutorial by Gene Osborne

Canister welded chainsaw chain  and 5160 san mai with brass accent by Ariel Salaverria

Cold forging

Contrasting steels by D. Fogg

Combined Handout for Basic Blacksmithing, Practical Blacksmithing and Forge Welding - taught by Don Njall Olaf Hagerson

Damascus tutorial

Everything from the use of basic tools like fullers to forging roses, axes, hammers, knives and bells.

Flint striker knife tutorial by Anvil Magazine

Forging

Forging a blade by Andrew Jordan 

Forging a Knife Blade

Forging a Seax (?) pictorial

Forging a Small Drawknife site having troubles as of 1-22-2007

Forging blade from zero

Forging the sword by D. Fogg

Forging tutorials 

Forge welding by D. Fogg

Forge welding site having troubles as of 1-22-2007

Fundamentals of Knife Forging -  Starting from Zero

How a khukuri is made in Nepal 

How I Make Damascus Steel by Ariel Salaverria

How to Forge a C15th Eating Knife by Ragged Staff

Knife Making in Barrytown

Making A Pattern Welded Blacksmith's Knife by sjaqua 

Making a San Mai tanto - motorcycle chain and W1  

Manufacture of a Piedmontese knife (friction folder)

Mosaics by D. Fogg

Pattern development in Damascus steel by D. Fogg

Pattern welding by Andrew Jordan

RR spike knife by J Hrisoulas

San Mai Japanese Style Chefs Knives

"The making of a Seventeenth Century Iron Trade Axe"

The mystery of Damascus blades and how to make a Damascus blade

The Touareg blacksmiths

See more forging tutorials here and here. There is even more forging info available on some of the multiple tutorial sites below.

Grinding:

Basic hollow-grinding technique

Blade Grinding (My way) lot’s of Pic’s by Aly

Convex grinding tips

Dovetail grinding jig

Grind height widget (calculator)

Grinding a blade by Andrew Jordan

Grinding a Blade by Ariel Elias Salaverria

Grinding a cutlass ground Bowie blade by Bruce Evans

Grinding daggers by D. Fogg

Grinding jig by Filip De Coene, knifemaker

Grinding Karambits and Hawkbills by Mark Terrell

Grinding Recurved Blades  by Mark Terrell

Grinding tips

How to grind by Dragon Cutlery 

Jigs

Knife bevel grinding jig  (using an angle grinder) – Langdon Wilson, Knifemangler

Make a "Small Screw" Holder for Filing or Grinding

Making fullers  by D. Fogg

Serrations

Stock removal Damascus

Tapering Tangs by Robert Brown

Tang tapering Tutorial  by Don Cowles from The Knife Network

Training wheels for knife grinding

Guards:

see "Bolsters and guards" and "Soldering"

Hamon:

Clay Coated Heat Treat

Differential hardening with clay

Getting the clay to stick

How to clay temper a blade 

Info on the etch and polish of hamon

My method for getting hamon on 1095  by Chiro75

Nice photo of applied clay in this bowie pictorial

Questions about clay coating

Handles:

Another approach to framed handles by Gene Anderson

Antler handle without adhesives

Birch bark handle tutorial

Brad's Nordic Knife Making Instructions

Constructing a knife

Cord wrapped Knife Handles; The Running Dog way!

Cord Wrapping Your Handles by Greg Watkins

Crooked Spear - An Old Blade Gets A New Life (stag stick tang) by Bill Hay

Exotic Wood Handle Types for Knives

Finishing Ivory and Stag Surfaces

Finishing Stag

Handle fitting by D. Fogg

Handle Materials Table

How about making your own? another Scandi, this one by Glen Lewis

How To Install Scales On A Knife Blade  

Indexing pins for hidden tang construction

Interesting handle construction method

Installing Handles 102...

Installing Handles 201 -- Tapered Tangs...

Japanese style handle wrapping  (Japanese text, but great photos) Translator (cut and paste the url; use the lower set of characters in the url drop down box for English)

Japanese style handle wrapping 

Leather washer handle

Making a Birch Bark Knife Handle by Tom Mills

Making a "Coke bottle" style handle (Framed handle) by Bruce Evans

Making a multi-colored, laminated wood handle with veneer from Home Depot

Making a Nessmuk knife from Dale's blade 

Making a Nessmuk knife from Dale's blade  part 2                             (Top)

Making a Nessmuk knife from Dale's blade  part 3

Micarta:

Information on different kinds of micarta

Home Grown Micarta

Tutorial - Multilayer Materials

Textured Home Made Micarta

Discussion/Information on homemade micarta

Para-cord wrap

Repairing a cracked handle

Scandi style knife construction tutorial

Stacked wood and antler handle 

The knife handle material Encyclopedia (75+ pics) -

There are more handle tutorials in the "Multiple tutorial sites" section

Heat treating:

see "Heat treat information"

Inlay:

see "Carving, Engraving and Inlay"

Lanyards:

see "Fobs and lanyards"

Marking your blade:

Help/tips on stencils and etching

Logo (Maker's mark) cleanup tips  

Stencil information

Stamps, gravers:

Custom tang stamps - Henry Evers

Custom knife stamps - Harper mfg.

Micro Stamp 

Making your own touch mark

Tools made from nails - graver and punch