Knife made from COPPER WIRE - Its SHARP!! - Aluminum bronze with forged edge

In this video I'll be making an aluminum bronze knife to use around my shop. I made this knife from copper wire and pure aluminum. 90% copper mixed with 10% aluminum makes a very hard alloy called aluminum bronze. I made the knife by creating a sand casting and then cutting the shape of the knife out of it. I then cast pure copper pins and used them to attach walnut handle scales.

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[robinson-foundry]

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[KatsBrekkie]

I do really enjoy watching. No fuss, no fancy effects, just good dialogue, and proper footage. Also I love the bits you do which are maybe not the ideal way but it's what I had to hand (polyurethane for example!) Great looking knife too.

[jamie_]

I came for the casting... im staying for Penny!

[tpadgett]

as a professional knife maker I'd say you did a hell of a job for your first knife. esp out of what nowadays would be considered non traditional materials (ironic, right?). I did, however, feel for you when you said you spent 6 hours on the bevel. I remember life before my 2x72. I'm glad those days are behind me. lol. for those that don't know, that grind would take about 3 minutes on a 2x72. but the effort and detail you put into your jig and the final result are fantastic. good job.

[KrakenCasting]

Gorgeous! Aluminum bronze is a hell of an alloy. It's crazy tough and darn near impossible to corrode. The knife turned out great, I may have to make one myself before too long.

[AuntieHauntieGames]

Low melting points is one of the great advantages that bronze age weapons had over their early iron counterparts, which is why many people still used bronze even when they figured out iron: a bronze weapon or tool that broke for any reason could always be melted back down and recast into a totally new weapon or tool, something which was considerably more difficult when working with iron. The advantage for bronze tools nowadays, of course, is that they conduct but do not spark.

[Hooptyroo]

Wow for a first knife that’s really good. The home made bevel grinder looked torturous lol

[billwendt]

I worked for AMSCO foundry (Specialty Steels) and we coated our cope and drag molds with a spray-on finish. Release was easier and casting surfaces were superb. We also had patterns for molding in vents and risers. Because you pull your patterns then add vents and risers by hand later, you risk distorting the mold. On your copper hammer video, you got a void because your sand binder isn't fully cured and high temps turn the binding agent into gas which has nowhere to go except into an otherwise beautiful casting. Also watch pouring temps in relation to barometric / atmospheric pressure and humidity (You need to learn how these affect laminar / turbulent flows). I know nothing about casting copper / bronze / aluminum, BUT after applying spray-on finish, we routinely aged our molds for at least 24 hours, then FIRED the insides with blow torches prior to clamping the halves together and pouring a heat of manganese steel. 'Hope this helps.

[yellowice]

8:12 if you counter sunk a couple of holes in the wood before you peened the pins I think the chances of you splitting the wood would go down, not very deep ones, but just enough to allow for for the metal to bulge out, it would also make the pins to have a tighter connecting grip as there's more material hang over against the knife scales.

[jonanderson]

I'm a knife sharpener, about 15 years of experience. Used to really be into chasing the perfect edge. My hands can feel how gummy that alloy is by watching the video. I still grind edges by hand and talking about 6 hours to profile an edge sounds about right. Maybe not for your alloy, but for some higher end steels that come with absurdly obtuse edge profiles.

I'll say this, your approach was beyond reproach! Always take your time, nothing is free. Edge packing is a persistent myth when it comes to steel blades.

[bradymcphail]

I’m just beginning my journey in the other side of metal working after 45 years of welding/ fabrication. I find what you are sharing to be the next level to becoming a master level metal worker

[brianstephens]

As an amateur knife collector, I think looks good! Please keep us updated on how long it keeps an edge!

[krissd]

Very pretty. And I'm glad you used a full size tang instead of so many forged knifes that have a single thin tang instead of the entire width of the handle. Very nice work. I'd love to see a followup on how it works after extensive use.

[Serbianguy]

Well done! The knife turned out very nice and, as always, the video itself is a joy to watch. With all the sounds and close in filming I feel as though I'm part of the project.

[Elmojomo]

Man, that blade came out beautiful, first knife or not!
By the way, that 'cold forging' process he mentions is called edge packing. It's normally done hot during the process of forging a blade, and it absolutely makes a difference in the toughness of an edge, in case anyone is wondering if it's worth it.

[technoe]

Yeah, steel might last longer but it will never look as good as this does. I love it

[tracybowling]

Have I told you lately how much I love your videos? Your voice, the things you make, the effort you put into it, all add up to something great and very fun to watch!!!

[MrGerd]

Never seen this kind of alloy on a knife. Nice looking tool. Cool :)

[elizabethwatson]

VERY nice. One thing you may not notice (I’m a chef and this caught my attention as I’ve injured myself in the past on this oversight) right as the wood ends, on the blade, and the angle begins…those crisp edges need to be eased over. A quick grip on the blade, combined with a bit of force or pressure, that sharp edge could damage your hand.

As I said, I think it’s brilliant! I’d love to see you do an entire collection made this way.

[jonathanclark]

I love how many different methods you show on this channel, its great to get a breif overview of it to then research more fully later.