Ok, we have hardened and tempered this dagger. The forging work is done now we can finish it all off by polishing it and attaching the handle.

Clamp the dagger down by the handle part and start the polishing of the blade. You do this through a series of emory paper. I started at 200 grit and worked my way to 400, 500, 600 and then 1200. This will give it a nice shine and it will look like a knife!

You don't have to polish the handle portion of it. Just clean it up.

Let's attach the handle

I cut two brass pins from 1/4 inch brass rod. I cut them the same size as the wooden pins that had temporarily held the handle to the blade. Best to cut these pins just a little bit long. You can file them down later so they are perfect.

I mixed up a batch of gorilla 5 minute epoxy. This stuff is perfect for attaching wood and steel.

Gorilla Epoxy Gorilla Epoxy This is the epoxy that I use.

Spread the epoxy liberally onto both halves of the wooden handle and place them onto the knife handle just about in the right place. Don't forget to put the brass guard on before you do this!

Then go ahead and put in the brass pins. You will probably need to tap them with a hammer.

Wipe off the excess glue with mineral spirits and clean it up a bit. Then clamp it down. Don't clamp on the pins this could cause an uneven gluing.

Once it is dried you can remove it from the clamp and finish the shaping of the handle. Use a file to file down the brass pins so they are flush with the handle. Do any final sanding and shaping of the handle.

You can finish off the knife by polishing and treating it with multiple coats of Tung oil. Do multiple coats. 20 or more coats is great. It will give the handle a dark and rich lustre.

And Your Dagger is finished.

Tutorial on How to Forge a Knife - I take you through the complete process of forging a knife. All the way from raw piece of steel to finished knife. With lots of pictures and even videos. How to forge a knife

How to Forge a Sword - This is part 1 of a series of tutorials that take you through the whole process of blacksmithing a sword: How to forge a sword

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.