Pocket knives are very versatile and can be used for a wide range of tasks like opening packages, cutting threads from clothes, cutting nails, and lots more. In this article, I will be sharing two ways on how to make a pocket knife. There are different pocket knife shapes, so when choosing the desired shape. You can choose from the available shapes like a drop point knife, or you could create yours. During the creation or usage, you should be very careful as it is a sharp object.
Contents
How to make a pocket knife at home:
Set the needed supplies:
To make a pocket knife, you will need some supplies.
The necessary tools are:
- Drill
- Iron saw
- Wood saw
- Metal cutter; this is optional.
You will also need some materials. These materials are:
- A thin piece of wood
- Bolts and nuts
- An old saw blade or a metal piece
- Pvc pipe
You will also need a source of heat
2. The second stage is making the handle:
Without the handle, it will be impossible to cut effectively with the blade
- Cut the PVC pipe: start by slashing the PVC pipe at one end to open it up. Don’t slash all the way through.
- Application of heat: The next thing is to apply heat to the pipe in order to get a flat pipe. Apply heat to the already opened pipe, then gently apply pressure to the PVC pipe. Do this on a flat surface
- Fold the PVC: this stage is important to get the desired shape of your pocket knife handle. All you need to do is to get a piece of metal and lay the flattened PVC on it. Apply heat on the PVC and as it gets softened, begin to fold the PVC to the shape of the metal piece.
3. The third stage:
Making the blade: An old saw blade can be used. The teeth of the saw serve as the teeth of our upcoming blade. You can either make a rough sketch of the shape you want or just make the choice in your head. Trace your desired shape onto a piece of metal. A metal cutter can be used to cut out the mark already made. In the absence of the metal cutter, an iron saw can be used. When cutting, ensure the shape and size of the blade is small enough to fit into the PVC pipe handle which you have previously created
4. Next is inserting the blade into the PVC handle:
Place the cutout blade into the PVC handle and mark a point where you will like the blade to be flexible, i.e. to go in and come out. Mark out the point on the plastic handle, and also on the blade. Using a drill, make holes that will allow bolts and nuts to stay in them. Not too small, not too large.
NB: To make the knife look more attractive, place the PVC on a thin piece of wood, trace the drills which you had formerly made and trace out their rough edges to make your new knife smooth and nice.
Your new knife is almost ready to be used.
5. Sharpen the knife:
After you have followed the necessary step to make your knife, the next thing is to sharpen the knife. Stone sharpening is the best way to sharpen a new pocket knife. You can then maintain the blade over time with the honing method.
The second way:
How to make a pocket knife out of a paper
A paper knife can be used to cut books produced by hand. Most especially, to open folding of printed sheets that requires their edges to be severed before they can be read. Paper knives are very easy to use and safe to be used by both children and adults.
Steps to make a knife from a paper:
- Find a thick sheet of printer paper: in the absence of a thick printer paper, an ordinary printer paper will be fine, but an ordinary notebook sheet will not work because it is too thin.
- Fold the paper from the top right corner to the left as if you are going to make a triangle shape
- At the point where the folding ends, you will notice a rectangular shape. Cut this shape out from the bottom. Do not throw this piece away. Once you’re done cutting, open the fold up, you will notice that the paper is now squared shaped.
- Starting from one end of the square piece, begin to fold the paper to get a 5cm thick paper. It can be folded 4 times. The result should look like a stick.
- Gently slant the edge of the folded paper like that of a knife and cut it out. This is the tip of your new knife.
- Use a stapler to staple the blade together
- Use the previously cut rectangle to make a handle. The angle should be about one inch longer than the slanted tip
- Using a stapler, staple the handle and the blade together.
Your paper knife is ready to be used. You can decorate it according to your preference.
How to make a paper knife:
A paper knife is made using stainless steel. It can also be made using wood, ivory, or plastic. The materials are thinned out at the blade to enable them to function well when they are made as knives. Paper-knives can be used to make cuts on folded papers and to open letters.
How to make a paper-knife from wood:
You will need:
- A wooden shim
- A sharp knife or blade
- A thread or something that can be used to wrap the handle
- A pen
- The knife shape
- A sander, glue and paint/stain (optional)
- The first step to start making your knife is to know the shape of the knife you would like to make. Once you know this, the next thing is to carve the shape of both the handle and the blade on the piece of wood that you have available.
- Secondly, draw the desired shape of the knife on the piece of wood available
- Begin to shape little by little till you get your desired shape of the blade
- Gently carve the handle of the knife to give it a smooth round shape that we see on knives using razors. You can decide to sand the blade instead of carving
- Begin to wrap the body of the handle using a thread or an elastic rubber. To decorate your knife, you can paint or stain it, but this is absolutely optional
This article explains how to make three different knives so, next time you need a knife, you don’t have to buy. All you need to do is to sit down, draw the knife shape that you want, and create an amazing knife