Do you like the pre-modern bladed stuff or the post modern-per the "fantasy"?

That is not a butterfly knife

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102203


That said, like nunchakus, people are lured to the action, but when the time comes for actual use (of either), the owner usually hurt themselves

 

I've got several knives. Most are "hunting" knives or folders. Though my favorite piece has to be a British bayonet from 1953. Can't seem to find a picture though.

 

I usually prefer pre modern designs for 1 simple reason: they are meant to be used. I respect the skill that goes into making a fantasy piece (at least if it is made by a real knifemaker) but 99% of those knives will never be used.

I know collectors who have 1000 dollar blades custom made, only to put them in a shadowbox. That is a shame. In fact, the more expensive the knife, the less likely to be used.

I am an amateur knifemaker, and I only make blades that are intended to be used. If I know that the blade will not see use, I politely decline the job. I make knives for using. If a knife of mine would not be used, my time and effort in making it have been wasted. Admittedly, as a business model this is rather bad. Since it is my hobby, rather than my source of income, I choose the approach that gives me the most satisfaction.

 

I'm a big fan of classic designs using modern materials. For my money unless I'm taking it to a highly moist environment my knives should be high carbon with some kind of coating on the blade to help prevent rust, modern handle material like Micarta or a rubberized material, and a kydex sheath is a must.

But moreso than coating I'm a huge fane of modern materials for making blades. One of the things I want to get made once I've finished the wing chun curriculum is a modern made pair of baat jaam do. Micarta handles, dura coating, and a kydex sheath... Drool

As far as combat blades go I'm a big fan of large blades because they have bushcrafting utility as well.

I posted my knives a while ago in a thread here http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105911&highlight=Sketco+knives

 

That is a realy interesting hobby, what kind of start up costs does it incur? What kind of set up do you have?

I am interested in blacksmithing and ultimately farriering (Horse power is going to make a come back...mark my words). Did a metalwork coarse that included backsmiting, but it barely scratched the surface. I did get a garden gate out of it though

 

What methods and materials do you use?

 

As a one time member of the US Marine Corps of course my favorite knife is the K-Bar. Mine looks very much like this:

 

If you don't mind making do initially and don't mind doing things the slow way, it can be fairly cheap. The cheapest method is stock removal. You buy a piece of O1 tool steel with the correct thickness, and then remove anything that is not 'knife'. The cheapest way to do this is just using files, sandpaper (the kind for metal), and a hacksaw.

Then you need to heat the blade to nonmagnetic, and quench it in the cheapest vegetable oil you can find. After that an hour in the oven at 190 degrees celsius to relieve the stresses caught in the steel during the quench. After that it is just a matter of more sanding and polishing, and fitting a handle. Any holes you want, you have to drill before quenching. You should leave some metal to be removed after the heat treatment. Removing hardened steel is difficult (can't file anymore) but the heat treament will damage the surface area. And the heat will decarburize the surface steel a bit, so you need to get rid of that to get to the best steel for your knife edge.

Anyone can make a knife. The most 'complex' part is the heat treatment. You'll need to build a fire that gets hot enough. My fire is a DIY forge.
http://onikudaki.be/content/54-building-forge
When you get down to it, a forge is nothing but a fire with air blowing through. Any method that achieves this will work. That is the cheap way to get started. It will take time. Filing steel is not a quick job. But as I said, with some steel and basic tools, you can get started. After that you can buy tools to make things go faster.

A drill press is the number 1 item for most knifemakers. Drilling proper aligned holes is a critical thing that ou can't do half-assed. If you want to start forging as well, you need an anvil. 100 pounds is the minimum weight I would settle for. And it needs a hardened surface. Realistically, you need to buy second hand unless you want to fork over 1500 dollars. Second hand you need to do some searching, but a good anvil can be found for a couple 100s. The number 1 thing to make life easier is a belt sander. Currently I make do with a belt sander for home use (sanding doors, that kind of stuff). I am saving up for a decent knife makers belt grinder. Them things start at 2000$

Anyway, to get back to your question: starting is as cheap as you want, and you simply build from there. Make the rough shape, heat treatment, refine the final shape.