How to Make a Combat Knife

Technically, a combat knife is defined as a large knife which can be used for military purposes. Many people think that this immediately means close quarters combat. This is not true. In most cases, a combat knife is simply another tool for whatever needs a soldier may have. This is a rather loose definition and can encompass many thousands of different knife designs employed throughout the world. As such, I leave the exact knife design and shape to you. The manner in which the knife is made however, is extremely important. Though one can fashion a knife from a steel blank with a plasma torch and chisel, one must forge and harden it in the manner that a blacksmith would if the knife is to stand up to rigors of daily use in any given situation.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Coal forge Coal Newspaper Kindling Tinder Quenching tank Anvil 1-foot by 4-inches by 1/8-inch 440 carbon stainless steel slat Anvil Blacksmithing punch Blacksmithing hammer Blacksmithing tongs Goggles Leather apron Leather gloves Blacksmithing chisel 3 feet nylon cord Lighter Steel rasp Flat diamond file 1/8-inch thin triangular diamond file

1. Prep your forge. Pile coal in a circle around the center of the hearth. The process of getting a coal forge ready to work with can take a little time. Place a few wads of newspaper in the center and light them. As the fire begins to catch, add some tinder--leaves, dried grass, small twigs. As the tinder catches, add larger kindling until that is burning well. Then push the coal inward toward the fire to heat. You are essentially cooking the coal into coke. This is a point a lot of people miss. Coal is not a very good substance to use in a forge, as it releases black choking smoke and heats unevenly. By roasting the coal it becomes coke, which burns hot and clean.

2. Wear all the necessary protective clothing (goggles, leather apron and, leather gloves) and always handle the steel with tongs.

3. Thrust the entire length of the steel blank into the forge once you've gotten it going. Wait until the steel is burning a bright orange. It's at this point that it's at its most malleable. Take it out of the forge and place it across the anvil while taking up your hammer in your main hand.

4. Hold the steel at a shallow angle across the anvil, only letting the very edge touch. This is the hardest part, as it's not something which can be described or taught, only learned through years of practice. Hammer down across the far end, where the knife will curve to a point. The design of the blade is entirely up to you, so the degree of the curve, or whether you want it straight, is up to you. For a beginner the easiest thing to do would be to fold a triangle of the steel by hammering it flat and then pressing it against the body of the steel blank. This forms a natural edge for the blade where the steel was folded.

5. Place the steel back into the forge for a moment and then take it back out, making sure the fold in the steel is indiscernible from the rest of the blank. Resume shaping the blade by flattening the edge of the blank against the anvil with the hammer until you've got a smooth even edge. It's easiest to work from the hilt forward toward the point. With this done you've got to flip the blank over and shape the other side to maintain symmetry. Accentuate the point by hammering the back of the knife into a false edge, like that of a Bowie knife. With the basic blade shape complete, it's time to focus on the shape of the handle.

6. Place the blank, handle first, back into the forge. Wait until the steel is glowing dark orange. Place it back on the anvil, with the edge facing straight up. Hammer downward into the area where you want the handle to be to thicken the metal. Consider tapping the back end to round the edges. Place the incomplete knife on its side. Use a blacksmithing punch and the hammer to drive a hole straight through the side of the handle, a 1/4 inch shy of the back.

7. Plunge the knife into the quenching tank to cool it rapidly and harden the steel. It should still be too hot to touch, so the next part is easiest done if you can place it in a vice. Use the steel rasp to work out all the burs and imperfects on the edges, as well as the flat surfaces of the knife. It's helpful to have serrations on a combat knife as they can cut rope and other tough materials more easily. For this reason, place the triangular diamond edged file against the very base of the knife edge and file away until you've got a sharpened groove. Lift your file a fraction further down the blade and repeat until you've got an inch or two of serrations.

8. Use your flat diamond file to sharpen the knife until you're happy with the edge. Do not press down too hard, while it's hot the steel can be worked more easily and will need less force to develop an edge. Wait until the knife is completely cool and can be held in your bare hands.

9. Bind the handle. Roughly 3 feet of black nylon cord should do the trick. The kind that's used for rope rather than shoelaces is a bit better quality. Thread half of the cord's length through the hole in the base and twist it round, as if you were threading shoelaces. Each time the cords cross over one another, twist them together and pass them back the way they came. When you reach the end of the knife, trim off any excess length so the ends of the cords meet. Use a lighter to melt them together to complete the knife.