looking for trade knife blank

[neonbutterfly]

i have some wood blocks, 1/4" thick x 6" x 1 1/2" from my bow, cocobla and bocote and i would like to use them as scales for a trade knife to match my bow....blade about 3 3/4" long, full tang handle with some holes to secure the scales.....total knife length about 7 inches......

a couple of years ago i bought some cheap knife blanks to try my hand at finishing...and they didn't come out that bad....nothing like i see on this forum tho!.....

i've had the scales sitting around for 10 years and if i don't do something soon, i may just add the to my next campfire....

i am looking for a blade smith to furnish me a blank....or would it make more sense to send everything off to someone and have them do the whole knife....

if anyone is interested please send me a pm so we can chat......thanks

bob

[tomsm44]

Have you considered making your own?  Trade knives are a fairly simple design.  You can get a billet of 1084 around 1/8 x 1 x 12 for around $10 or so and grind your profile on a bench grinder or even with an angle grinder.  You can do your bevels with a file and hand sand them with a piece of sand paper and a backing stick.  You can send it off to be heat treated for not too much.  It'll take some time, but you can make an awesom blade with just a file and a little elbow grease.  Good luck either way.

Matt

[benny]

I see a lot of the smith's forge (heat and hammer) 1084. I know proper heat treatment means everything.
Does forging verses stock removal make any difference?

Thanks
Benny

[neonbutterfly]

I am not looking to create my own blade....i would like to purchase one, ready for the handle...

bob

[tomsm44]

If you heat treat properly after forging or grinding, there shouldn't be any difference in performance.  Overheating during the forging could have a negative effect, but there isn't any metallurgical advantage to forging.  It's just fun and super manly to heat a piece of steel up and beat on it with a hammer.

[Bobby Urban]

Another potential option is keep an eye open at flea markets, antique stores, etc.  There are some pretty nice pieces of steel out there that need handles and some reshaping to create a blade profile you prefer.  I have a couple nice carbon steel knives in my kitchen that are reshaped, re-handled and repurposed from 2nd hand store junk bins.

[benny]

Helle knife blanks are nice.