There are situations when you need a knife - it can be made from a simple piece of iron. How to make a whetstone from ceramics and sharpen a knife on it with your own hands Knives with a concave shape

Wooden knife

Every avid or novice hunter wants to have a high-quality hunting knife, which is needed not only for slaughtering and cutting up animal carcasses, but also for various types of work in the forest. Commercially available mass-produced knives typically do not stand up to heavy use, and a custom-made dagger tends to be expensive. Therefore, many hunters do not use any other option but to make a hunting knife with their own hands. At the same time, it must have the following characteristics:

• Straight handle for ease of striking when finishing. A sharp blade located in the center (hunting dagger) is often used.
• Blade length ranging from 10 to 15 cm.
• Use of hard steel in manufacturing.
• Handle material: wood, bark, hard non-slip artificial materials with moderate relief. The knife should be comfortable for cutting with forward and away movements, and not slip in your hand.
• There are no additional accessories or functions.

Before making a knife for hunting, you need to choose the right material. If it is steel, it must have the following characteristics:

• The degree of hardness on the Rockwell scale is from 20 to 67 HRC. The harder the metal, the greater its resistance to deformation.
• Impact resistance
• Ductility of steel
• Resistance of metal when exposed to temperature.

The most suitable metal for making a high-quality hunting knife is alloy carbon steel, stamped tool steel with the addition of chromium and molybdenum, damask steel or Damascus steel. Damask steel has the best quality characteristics. If it is not possible to use high-quality source material, you can use metal objects, giving them a second life: a spring, a file, an old garden tool.

Hunting knife

To make a knife for hunting with your own hands from steel, you need to follow the guide:

1. The first stage is making a sketch of the future weapon.
2. The second stage is forging. The stove or hearth is lit and the steel is heated to a certain temperature. First, a shank is formed to make it more convenient to hold the workpiece. Next, the shape of the tip is formed. The blade should be forged according to the intended sketch, without changing the thickness of the steel.
3. Making the handle. It can be stacked or solid. If inlaid, the material for the handle is measured in accordance with the shank, both parts of the handle are applied to it and glued. If the handle is solid, a hole is made in it, then it is glued onto the shank. After this, it should be carefully sanded for convenience. To make the handle, it is best to use fiberglass impregnated with epoxy resin or textolite. They are lightweight and durable, unlike wood, which can be damaged if dropped, or metal, which can freeze when the temperature changes and is heavy.

File knife

How to make a hunting knife from a regular file? For this you will need:

1. File
2. Vise
3. Jigsaw or metal scissors
4. Hammer
5. Drill with metal drill
6. Sandpaper
7. Material for the handle (wood, leather, piece of PCB).

First of all, you need to harden the steel. Ideally, a home oven is suitable for this; you need to throw a file into the firebox so that it heats up there for 4-6 hours and then cools down there. A blank for the future knife is made, and a shape is cut out of it from a file. Using sandpaper, the shape of the knife is processed and it is rough sharpened. On the wooden plates that will serve as the handle, holes are made for attaching to the knife using riveting. The pads must first be coated with epoxy resin. The handle can be shaped using a jigsaw. After this, the knife is polished and polished with sandpaper, and final sharpening: first on a sharpening machine, then again with sandpaper. You can polish your resulting blade using felt or polish.

Wooden knife

Wood can be used as a cutting tool, especially when traveling. To make a wooden knife with your own hands, you need to use chips and flakes of coniferous branches that have a sharp cutting edge or other durable and high-quality wood. The process of making a knife from wood with your own hands is simpler than a steel one: you need to prepare a sketch you like on paper, which is transferred to a wooden canvas. Wooden knives are usually made monolithic. After this, the handle and blade are given the desired shape using a chisel or file, and the blade is sharpened. The finished product is varnished or fired.

Another option for making a wooden knife is to make it from medium-thick plywood. Similar to the work described above, first a sketch is made. Then you need to prepare the three components of the blade: the blade and two parts of the handle, consisting of a round holder and a support plate. The blade is sharpened and the handle is processed with a file and sandpaper to remove any rough edges.

DIY stone knife

The material for making a knife blade can be flat-shaped rocks, such as slate, flint, obsidian, quartz. Layered mineral rocks can easily replace steel with their sharp cutting edge. To make a weapon, you will need a stone one and a half times larger than the original product, without cracks or defects. It needs to be split at an angle of up to 90 degrees so that a flat surface is obtained. After achieving the desired flat shape, you can process the handle by wrapping it with available materials or encasing it in wood. At home, the stone is processed with a hammer. The stone is placed on a flat, hard surface covered with felt. Thus, it will not vibrate from impacts and move. The final formation of the blade can be done with pliers, breaking off piece by piece from its edge. The handle must be attached using epoxy resin, which can be wrapped on top with strips of leather or fabric. The stone knife is not afraid of corrosion, is very sharp and does not require sharpening, but a fall from a height can lead to its splitting.

In this article you will find, perhaps, the most necessary minimum of historical information about where such a wonderful and simple (as it may seem at first glance) thing like a knife came from.

We will go through the history of the appearance of the first knives, look in order at all the significant stages in the development of both the blades themselves and humanity as a whole. First of all, let's turn to our favorite Wikipedia. What definition does she give us of what a knife is?

What is a knife and its definition

A “knife” is a cutting tool, the working part of which is a blade - a strip of hard material (usually metal) with a blade on one or more sides. The design most often includes a blade and a handle.

In general, as we wrote at the very beginning, it doesn’t look so difficult, does it? On the one hand, yes...

On the other hand, humanity has been using knives since Paleolithic times, i.e. from the time of the “Stone Age” to the present day. The knife remains as relevant as ever, and even moreover, in the modern world a gigantic variety of types, types and uses of the knife have appeared.

In practice, we have the fact that the more knowledge and technology humanity acquires, the greater the variety of knives appears in the world. And it all started like this...

Stone Age knife: Neanderthals and their first knives

Here is, presumably, one of the first inventors of the knife and he lived about 2.6 million years ago.

Knives were made from bone, stone, flint flakes or volcanic glass

In the Stone Age, people made knives from bone, horn and stone, but most often from flint flakes or obsidian, which are essentially volcanic glass. They made them very simply - they took large pieces and crushed or broke them into pieces. Due to its structure, silicon, when broken, breaks into pieces with a fairly sharp edge.

It is clear that such knives were not bad at that ancient stage of development; they were sharp and did not become dull for a very long time. They also had several disadvantages inherent in any stone, glass and ceramics:

Nowadays, finding a knife “in Stone Age design” is not difficult. In this case, the knife is made of Damascus steel.

In the territory of modern China, for example, silicon and obsidian were so scarce that bamboo knives became widespread. But bone knives were common among the peoples of the far north until the 19th century.

Bronze Age: Spartan and Roman knife

And these are the legionnaires of the Roman Empire, which existed for 16 centuries.

About five thousand years ago, man finally mastered the mining and processing of metal, and began to make knives from copper and bronze. Actually, all of antiquity from the time of the ancient Hellenes (aka the ancient Greeks) to the ancient Romans and Byzantium is the triumph of copper and bronze over stone.

Knives of that time were most often solid cast

After the development of copper and bronze, empires were created, which in terms of territorial extent and duration of existence have no equal to this day. Knives of those times were mostly solid, but folding knives were also invented in the Roman Empire - the distant ancestor of our modern multi-tool and hiking knife.

Roman folding "army" knife. Spoon, fork, awl, toothpick, and God knows what else. II-III AD. Hello Swiss knives from the Roman Empire!

Such a universal knife was indispensable for meals and especially for the constant marching life that absolutely all soldiers led. Every Roman soldier carried such a knife with him throughout his entire service, and perhaps later used it at home.

Please note that the blade of the knife is not made of bronze, but of iron. Iron was already known in the Bronze Age, although it was not used as massively as in subsequent centuries. At that time, it was much more expensive in terms of extraction and processing, but it gave greater strength and durability, and sharpness to the blade itself.

Iron Age knives: Vikings, knights and samurai

A still from the series “Vikings”, which tells about one of the detachments of that time and shows us the culture, life, rituals and way of life of the Vikings.

Vikings (northerners, sea robbers, a disaster for any merchants and conquerors, “the scourge of God” as they were also called in Europe), knights, samurai and ninjas - they all existed, one might say, at the same time, but on different ends of the globe.

Indian and Arab damascus, Russian damask steel, legends about living swords and legends about heroes - all this is the age of iron and steel.

The Iron Age is one of the bloodiest in history, both knives and humanity

Jokes aside, those times were quite bloody, although of course not as bloody as our modern times with nuclear bombs and nuclear cruisers capable of destroying entire cities in a minute.

Although in the Middle Ages most of the knowledge of antiquity was lost, some of it was nevertheless accepted by the barbarian peoples. For example, weapons related to iron processing. If we talk about quality, then it has dropped significantly compared to antiquity.

The average blacksmith of that time had an idea of ​​how to forge a horseshoe or sickle from soft iron for harvesting. Such iron was not only expensive, but there were serious problems with the quality of the steel itself.

The Finnish knife is a typical representative of Scandinavian northern type knives. The Vikings had something similar.

The secrets of weaponry were passed on only to their students.

Each master had his own secrets and passed them on only to his students. It was also dangerous to make strong distinctions based on product quality. If your knives or other weapons were significantly better than those of other blacksmiths, then such a master could be “invited” to the Holy Inquisition to discuss whether you were dabbling in black magic, because... For some reason, other God-fearing blacksmiths do not produce such high-quality things.

As you understand, at that time they burned not only beautiful women and scientists, but also good craftsmen. A good sword could cost several villages along with their inhabitants. Legends were formed about swords, endowed with intelligence, magical properties and given their own names.

After the Crusades the situation changed for the better. The knights, having visited the Muslim east, gained access to knowledge that was preserved and increased by the Arabs (after all, these were previously Roman colonies, and the Romans respected knowledge very much), therefore the knowledge of antiquity was not lost in those countries. The East of those times was very advanced in science, art, medicine, and so on.

European knights, sharpened from head to toe like tanks in iron armor and who flooded the entire east with blood. They also made campaigns against Rus'. Everything, as they say, is for the glory of God, however, they did not offend themselves, along the way taking with them all the treasures and valuable things that they could capture.

Japanese samurai, on the other side of the world, were distinguished by extreme ruthlessness and bloodthirstiness, and repeatedly conquered both Korea and China. Moreover, Korea was attacked simply because it was on the way to China. It was a sin not to rob and kill for pleasure.

The tanto or Japanese knife is a legacy of the samurai that has survived to this day.

Iron Age knives were very diverse, ranging from shape, length and materials. In Indonesia, a curved knife with a sickle-shaped blade in the shape of a tiger claw appears - karambit, as well as the famous kris knife with a wavy blade in the form of a fiery tongue of flame.

A knife in Rus' is an attribute of a free person

In Rus' and Europe, a knife is an attribute of a free person. A slave or a Polonian does not have the right to have his own knife.

The knife of the Vikings and northerners is generally made with a wooden handle so that the steel does not burn the hand in the cold and does not slip in the blood when cutting game and fish. Let’s not forget about the Finnish hunter’s and fisherman’s knife, Japanese knives made of blue steel. All of them were also finally formed in the Middle Ages!

Renaissance: pirate knife and sea conquests

His Majesty's Royal Musketeers in Europe.

The Renaissance is characterized by several important points:

1. At this time, the sciences and arts were rapidly developing, the first industrial centers emerged, where metal processing was not the work of talented individuals (as was previously the case), but of entire craft and trade guilds.
Firearms are relegating knives to the background
2. The invention of firearms makes armor and shields so heavy and expensive that they are abandoned altogether. The Spanish conquistadors, armed with pikes, were among the last to use armor - the last legacy of the Middle Ages. The shell is very good against edged weapons, but heavy muskets, which replaced small-caliber arquebuses, penetrate even them.
3. The period of revival is the time of complete mastery of metal. Knives of this era are varied and stand out for their excellent quality.
4. The discovery of America, the development of trade and weak control of the colonies gives rise to such a phenomenon as the brotherhood of the sea. Board, pirates!

In battle, Spanish pikemen cover the musketeers from the reiters (cavalry with pistols).

Spain was undoubtedly the queen of the seas at that time. Their infantry, the most disciplined and powerful infantry of those times, was very effective in battle, which ultimately failed Spain itself. Such efficiency slowed down the development and adoption of firearms, which gave the British, French and Dutch a chance to get ahead.

Let's not forget that it was the Spaniards who discovered and conquered America - with crossbows, broadswords and pikes. It was believed that in a humid and hot climate, firearms were too unreliable.

Now directly about the knives of the Renaissance and sea discoveries.

The Spanish Navaja is a classic folding knife of the time.

One of the most famous examples of this time is the Spanish Navaja. She was born in the 15th century, when the authorities, due to the danger of popular riots, legally prohibited commoners from having edged weapons with a fixed blade. Only the upper class and the army had the right to wear swords and other weapons. Sailors' knives were often folding, because this type of knife could be carried anywhere with you and it takes up little space.

An example of a modern knife that has already become a classic.

Once knife production becomes widespread, there are so many options that making a choice becomes a bit of a challenge. Advertising, films and the press are so intertwined with each other in an attempt to realize and make money on the sales of blades that an ordinary buyer, not sophisticated in knowledge, must learn to understand the many intricacies of this area.

• Should you choose a folding knife or a fixed blade?
• What brand of blade did you use?
• What size?
• Which companies produce high-quality and inexpensive knives?
• What cost should you expect?

We will try to answer these and other questions in subsequent articles. For now, I would like to give general, but no less important recommendations. The main thing you need to do in any case is to understand

1. For what purposes do you need a knife and in what conditions will you use it?
2. How much do you expect?

Formulate for yourself the answers to these seemingly simple questions (only you can answer them) and 90% of the work will already be done.

Please write in the comments below - was this article helpful? What did you like and what remained undisclosed? Ask questions, we will try to help.

After watching the movie “Driven” again, I wanted to remember my childhood and make myself a knife out of stone again. I’ll definitely do this in the near future, but for now a little theory...

These three pictures show the three stages of making a flint knife.
1. Rough processing of a flint workpiece with a stone hammer.
2. Careful finishing of the flake using a softer striker made of bone or antler.
3. Finishing the knife blade using the squeezing method.

Manufacturing materials:

Obsidian- homogeneous volcanic glass that has passed through the rapid cooling of molten rocks. Obsidian can be found in the Aeolian Islands, Iceland, the Caucasus, Siberia and Kamchatka.

Quartz- one of the most common minerals in the earth's crust, the rock-forming mineral of most igneous and metamorphic rocks. 12 percent of the earth's crust is made of quartz.

Flint- silica concretions (SiO2) in sedimentary rocks. Often colored with oxides of iron and manganese in different colors, with smooth transitions between them

Slates- rocks with a parallel (layered) arrangement of the minerals included in their composition. Shales are characterized by foliation - the ability to easily split into separate plates.

And so let's start, take a suitable stone, it should be one and a half times larger than the planned tool and not have cracks.
Hit the workpiece with a hard, smooth stone to create a flat surface. The blow should be struck at an angle of less than 90°. After a good blow, you should get a flat chip with a cutting edge; if this is enough for us, we can cut, since the edge turns out to be sharp.
If you want to give it a certain shape, then you should take a bone or hard wood and “plane it a little”, the main thing here is to be careful and not to rush into anything.
The handle can be wrapped with available materials (leather, fabric, young bark) or the resulting blade can be secured in wood or bone and wrapped in the same way. You can also put it on glue, I’ll tell you how to make it a little later...

I want to say that you can’t open a tin can with such a knife, but you can remove a skin, cut a rope, finish off an animal, or if you make a stone axe, you can fell a tree

I hope the material will be useful to someone. I collected pieces from my memory and the Internet helped and advised me with this :)

P.S. Dear, if you are “-”, then write why, just curious

Let’s just say that a knife is an extremely necessary thing, and if it so happens that you find yourself alone with nature, you don’t have a knife, but there’s nowhere to go without it! Take advantage of the experience of our ancestors and try to make a knife from stone.

In theory, everything is quite simple, you need to find a suitable stone and process it so that it has a cutting surface.

To do this, the stone needs to be split into plates and sharpened if necessary. As tools for making and sharpening, you can use another stone, bone, animal horn, and anything else that can be used to give our knife the desired shape and sharpness; in this sense, it would be a good idea to practice in advance.

For manufacturing, it is best to use stones of the following types:

Slates- various rocks with a parallel (layered) arrangement of intergrowths of low- or medium-temperature minerals. Shales are characterized by foliation - the ability to easily split into separate plates. They belong to terrigenous or metamorphic rocks.

Flint- a mineral formation consisting of crystalline and amorphous silica (SiO 2) in sedimentary rocks. Often colored with oxides of iron and manganese in different colors, with smooth transitions between them.

In ancient times, flint fragments were used to strike fire, make weapons and household items (arrowheads, flint knives, etc.) In the Middle Ages, flint was widely used to create fire by striking sparks onto tinder using two pieces of flint, or one flint and a piece of other material (flint-pyrite, flint-steel). Later it was used in weaponry in wheel and percussion flintlocks.

Quartz- one of the most common minerals in the earth's crust, the rock-forming mineral of most igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Obsidian- igneous rock consisting of volcanic glass with a water content of no more than 1%, homogeneous volcanic glass that has passed through the rapid cooling of molten rocks. Volcanic glasses richer in water, which swell when heated, are classified as perlites.

You can make your knife a wooden handle (by tying the blade to the wood with string) or use it as such. The undoubted advantage of a stone knife is its sharpness; it is also not susceptible to corrosion, but in terms of strength it is not very strong; it can break from a fall or blow.

© SURVIVE.RU

Post Views: 3,773

It was enough for Mowgli to acquire an “iron tooth”, and half of his problems were solved, which as a result brought him to the throne of the wolf pack. And this is not a joke: having a knife in a survival situation immediately increases the chances of success by at least 50%. But even if such a product is not among your things, you can make a knife yourself, and not only from metals.

The ability to build a knife depends on the available resources and the conditions of the area in which the person finds himself. Almost everywhere you can find natural material for making blades of various types.

You should pay attention to the rocks. Obsidian (volcanic glass), quartz, flint, and slate (layered material) are suitable for making a knife. The stone is split against the rock by hitting it at a 90-degree angle, resulting in a sharp edge that can be processed further or left as is. Such a product will allow you to cut a rope, finish off game, build an ax, etc.

In forests, flakes from hard wood (such as oak or conifers) are used to create a cutting edge. Such wood is characterized by good strength, which increases with the sharpness of the “blade” after firing. A wooden knife can be wrapped in a rag or other material to create a handle. The application is almost similar to the stone one - it is suitable for cutting a carcass and cutting a rope. It is better to have several of these products with you.

If you are near a river or other body of water, shells such as toothless shells can help. Half of such a shell has a good cutting edge.

In the sands, saxaul can play the role of a knife. It is also worth paying attention to the shells of turtles. This chitinous "body armor" consists of slate-like plates that can be adapted as a knife.

If you are a successful hunter and you come across a medium-sized animal, you can make a knife from ribs by sharpening one of the edges on a stone. Fibula bones are also suitable for this. In addition, sometimes other natural materials can play the role of a knife. For example, a sedge leaf will allow you to quickly peel a mushroom for boiling.

Now a few words about metal. Many people get into accidents without a knife, but with a sufficient amount of other materials. To make a blade in this case, it is necessary to select a pliable (soft) metal and process it with a heavy object resembling a hammer (for example, a large nut with an ax inserted into the hole, etc.). Processing is carried out on a flat surface (for example, on a flat stone), where the product is given the required shape and the cutting edge is brought out. The handle is made of wood. Of course, this is not a steel knife, but it will perform the household functions tolerably.

Any piece of metal or other material can be used as a knife. For example, a bent lid of a tin can, half of which is wrapped in cloth, or a long piece of glass, for which a rope or rag “handle” is also made. The main thing is not to get confused and show your imagination and ingenuity.