This is part 4 of the knife making tutorial. In this part of the series we finish off the knife. We harden it, temper it, mount the handle and sharpen it.

If you came directly to this webpage you can start this tutorial on page 1 right here: Forging a knife part 1

I also have a pair of videos that show this whole process. You can watch them here.

Hardening and Tempering the Blade

Now we need to get this knife ready for action. And that means hardening the steel then softening it up a little bit so it isn't brittle. This is the process of hardening and tempering.

Crank up the forge. You will also need a bucket of oil for this. Any kind of used oil will work. Motor oil, vegetable oil, even transmission fluid is ok.

Crank up the forge and put your knife in it. Also put a long piece of metal in there too. Something like a piece of rebar is what I am using.

As that extra piece gets up to heat take it out of the fire and dip it into your bucket of oil as shown here. This brings up the temperature of the oil. It will make for a better hardening and tempering.

Hardening the blade

Heat the knife, paying particular attention to the blade and point, to red orange. It isn't so necessary to harden and temper the whole knife. Just the blade is good. Get it to the point where a magnet no longer sticks to it. This is the Curie temperature and once it hits this non stick point you can submerge it totally in the oil. And be sure to swirl it around.

Once it is cooled you can test the hardening with a file. Running a file lightly over it will give a glassy sound. The file rides over it without grabbing at anything. Compare this to sound it makes when filing the butt end where it isn't so hardened.

Now clean the blade of the knife (both sides) with emory paper or sand paper. Get it pretty clean. We need to see the metal for the next step of tempering.

Tempering the Blade

Before we temper the blade let me show you what you are shooting for. We want to slowly bring up the temperature of the blade (only to about 450-500) and we want the temp higher along the spine of the blade. The spine is the edge that doesn't cut.

The higher we bring the temp the softer the metal will get. So, we want to soften up the spine a fair amount but soften up the cutting edge just a little.

We do this by watching the color of the steel as it heats up.

This picture gives you a pretty good idea of what we are shooting for. We want the spine to get to a plum color and the cutting edge to get to wheat color.

We achieve this by putting it near the fire with the back edge closest to the fire.

The arrow shows the knife. And you can see that the spine is facing the fire with the cutting edge facing away. This will heat up the spine first and slowly transmit that heat into the blade.

Monitor it closely and move it around to change the colors as you need it. Once you get it to plum on the back and wheat on the cutting edge dip it in your oil to lock it in.

Ok, lets finish off this knife

Sarge Knives SK-914KIT Drop Point Kit with 3-3/4-Inch Stainless Steel Blade -

This 8 3/8" 440C stainless steel pre-form (tang and blade) is shaped, drilled and sharpened and comes with aluminum handle pins and a custom-fitted leather sheath. In a few hours, you will have a personalized fixed blade that suits your taste. Serge knives understands the importance of toting a quality knife and that is why they are committed to providing a wide selection of high quality cutlery for every imaginable purpose. Whether you are outdoors skinning game or indoors preparing to cook for your loved ones, Serge has affordable knives sets for any occasion. Made from top-grade stainless steel, Sarge Blades remain sharp even after many years of use.

Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, Revised

-Reveals secrets to crafting durable knives without spending a lot of money -Speaks to a ready audience: BLADE Show -- largest custom cutlery show in the U.S. draws 10,000 people each year -Presents simple, expert instruction in full color photos

Knife-makers, veteran and novice, know and trust Wayne Goddard's techniques and teaching, and it shows in the level of craftsmanship featured at the nation's knife shows. The very book that changed the face of bladesmithing is revamped, with full color photo instructions and the tried-and-true format knife-makers will refer to for years to come.

Do you like making projects and exploring a variety of hobbies?

Sign up for my free newsletter. I give you regular updates on hobbies and projects you can make. it is totally free and I don't share your email with anybody.