Using nails is an inexpensive way to make a knife. Old bent nails cost nothing, and can be forged into small knives in no time.
Steel needs to be hot forged, while iron can be cold forged (annealed when hardened). To anneal it you bring it to a red-heath temperature and let it air-cool.
1. Heat the nail with a torch
The process of heating a nail with a torch is fairly simple. It’s just a matter of putting the torch underneath the glass nail, quartz banger, titanium or ceramic nail and heating it until it glows red.
It will take a little trial and error to find the right window of time, but you should be able to get it down to about 30 seconds.
2. Place the nail on an anvil
The best way to make a knife from a nail is to take the time and effort to do it right. This can be accomplished by using the right tools and materials.
For starters, you need a nail and an anvil. You should also consider getting a good quality knife maker’s guidebook. This will ensure you’re making a quality knife that you can be proud of.
3. Place the blade on the anvil
Forging a blade is a bit trickier than it looks. You first need to heat the steel, then hammer it to harden it (by quenching it), and finally let it air-cool. Afterwards, you can sharpen it. The key is to do it right. It can be a lot of fun. But it is also dangerous. So take your time! Good luck! and don’t forget to anneal your nails!
4. Place the handle on the anvil
To make a handle you must first flatten the part of the nail between the head and the blade. You can do this with a bit of hammer blows or by using pliers. You can also anneal the steel by heating it to red heath and then letting it air-cool. Then you can try shaping the raw material: old nails are cheap and you can experiment with different shapes at no cost.
5. Hammer the handle on the anvil
An anvil in vanilla Minecraft is a block that causes items to get rounder or flatter by hitting it with a hammer. This allows a player to manufacture a variety of items including Poke Ball discs, iron discs and aluminum ingots.
To make a knife from a nail you need a few things. First, you need a hammer and some hot metal. Then, you need to find the most efficient way to shape your wares.
6. Hammer the blade on the anvil
The next step is to hammer the blade on an anvil. This will give you a good grip and make it easier to hold the blade with one hand.
This is called peening. You’ll need a scythe-shaped hammer, which is specially designed for this purpose.
7. Hammer the blade on the anvil
Once you have a good grip on the blade, put it on the anvil and hit it with your hammer. This will hammer the blade thin and help you sharpen it.
Scythe blades are very hard and can be sharpened using a whetstone. However, they often get worn over time and the whetstone can no longer hone them to their original cutting edge angle.
8. Hammer the blade on the anvil
When you have your knife blade all shaped up, it is time to start hammering it on the anvil. You will want to use a hammer that is tempered and hardened enough so that it won’t break off in your hand or slit your skin.
The hammering process will remove any contaminates from the steel and make it more durable. This is a key process in making any forged blade.
9. Hammer the blade on the anvil
The blade is peened on the anvil by hammering it. This is a form of’reshaping’ the steel, like molding clay.
It is best to hammer the blade on a stump or block of wood that is high enough for you to sit on, as this allows you to support both ends with your thighs while you hammer.
The stump needs to be big enough for you to hammer the blade into shape, and it should be set far away from the edge to prevent it splitting.
10. Hammer the blade on the anvil
Hammering the blade on the anvil helps to shape it. There are several different hammer strikes that can be used, including parallel blows and angle blows.
To start, you should make sure that the anvil is in good condition and that it’s heavy enough to withstand the hammer strike. If not, you might want to buy a new anvil.