How to open a knife making workshop. Knife making business

The idea is not new - knives have been sold on the Internet for several years, but lately competition is growing faster and faster. There are more and more websites, buyers are becoming more selective, and a catalog simply rich in goods will no longer surprise anyone. In addition, the sale of knives is a rather complex topic from a legal point of view.

It is with the question of the legality of selling knives that we will begin.

Law

Russian legislation clearly regulates which knives with what characteristics are classified as edged weapons and can only be sold to people with a license to carry them, and which ones cannot.

This is what the Weapons Law says: “Melee weapons are weapons designed to hit a target using human muscle power in direct contact with the target” (Article 1 of the Law “On Weapons” Federal Law No. 150 of December 13, 1996).

Edged weapons include checkers, sabers, daggers, dirks, Finnish knives, stilettos, brass knuckles, etc. They do not include penknives, kitchen knives, garden knives, shoe knives, tourist knives and other knives that are similar in appearance to edged weapons, but certified as products for household and industrial purposes (Article 1 of the Law “On Weapons”).

Since it is impossible to check on the Internet whether the buyer has a license to carry bladed weapons, the online store can only sell those knives that do not fall under the letter of Federal Law No. 150 of December 13, 1996.

To do this, we recommend posting a special certificate issued by civilian weapons certification bodies on the page of each product. It clearly states that the knife you have for sale is not a bladed weapon (KW). This way you can avoid unnecessary attention from law enforcement agencies.

Certificate example:

Most knife pages have certificates available for downloading.

Let’s finish talking about legal restrictions and permissions and move on to the websites.

Product card

To design a product card, you should use unique, high-quality photographs. There are two reasons for this:

1. Unique photos increase user confidence.

2. Non-unique photos can affect the position of your site in search results.

A good example of unique photography is Custom Knife. This project was developed by the Uplab agency for a private knife collector. The customer himself photographs new models against the same recognizable background, and then posts them on the website.

Knife page:

Photo from the page:

Don’t try to come up with a too original design for the product card. Secrets of creation good online store and so dedicated. Avoid excessive creativity - use proven, successful methods.

Pros:

1. Convenient search. You can select models by purpose, manufacturer, material.

2. Unique photographs of products in good quality.

3. Good design and location of the price and the “Buy” button.

4. Clear and detailed description of the product

After the description there is a “Similar Products” block, which helps you decide on the choice of knife. The page also includes a section with comments from VKontakte, where you can leave a review or ask a question about this model.

Pros:

1. Convenient block in the upper right corner: choice of currency for prices, shopping cart, prominent phone number, work schedule, search bar.

2. Easy navigation in “breadcrumbs”, easy-to-read title, high-quality photographs.

3. Excellent placement of the “Price” and “Place an order” buttons. You can add products to “Favorites”, “Cart”, “Compare”.

4. Product information is presented unobtrusively, but noticeably.

At the bottom of the page there is information about delivery, product characteristics, more photos, reviews. There are also blocks with similar knife models and sharpening kits, as well as useful videos.

Pros:

1. Phone numbers, “Login” and “Registration” buttons are placed in a separate, noticeable panel.

2. The “Cart” block is well designed and located.

3. High-quality photographs.

4. The block with the price, brand and the “Add to cart” button is succinctly designed.

At the bottom of the page are the characteristics of the knife and the certificate.

The blocks “Buy with this product” (1) and “Bestsellers” (2) are highlighted separately:

Foreign

Pros:

1. Prominent search bar.

2. Country selection button (forms the price in local currency).

3. Block of similar products.

4. Photos and video review.

5. A noticeable price that automatically adjusts to the currency of the visitor’s country.

6. The “Add to cart” and “Select quantity” buttons are well located. You can add the model you like to your wish list.

7. A block with products that were most often viewed by people who visited the page with this instance is presented.

At the bottom of the page 1 - description of the product: 2 - complete information about the product in several tabs, 3 - product characteristics, 4 - the description itself, plus useful information(buyer's guide, similar categories):

Pros:

1. Noticeable blocks “Search” and “Cart”.

2. High-quality photographs.

3. The “Purchase Block” is well designed: price, information about discounts and delivery, and the “Add to Cart” button.

There is a lot of useful information at the bottom of the page:

Video review of the knife and additional photos.
Detailed characteristics in several tabs.
Information about customization.
Special offers.
Similar products.

Pros:

1. Automatic region detection, information about delivery to the user’s region, detailed menu.

2. A good and high-quality photograph of the knife.

3. A prominent “Add to cart” block.

4. Tabs with information.

5. Block with other knives.

Selection of requests

Before selecting keywords for an online knife store, you need to carefully study the demand of the audience and the offers of competitors.

Interesting point. It is not always useful to use high-frequency commercial keys. For example, the request “buy a knife” is too general - it is unlikely that the search results will contain what the user needs. There are different types of knives - kitchen, tourist, hunting, and buyers will definitely clarify this information in their requests. If a person wants to buy a kitchen knife and lands on a hunting knife website from a search, he is unlikely to stay there for long. As a result, the site will experience deterioration in behavioral factors.

In positions 1 and 4 are sites that sell knives; on 2 and 3 - online stores “Sotmarket” and “Eldorado” - sites that are not entirely suitable for the topic.

An effective kernel must contain a minimum general issues and maximum specificity. Buy boker knife- correct request, buy a knife- incorrect.

Using the Key Collector program, you can get an extensive kernel with a large number of low-frequency queries. You can also use other services - SEO specialist Anastasia Radikova talked about them in the article.

First, you need to find a list of popular knife manufacturers, then collect queries based on them and carefully sift out all that is unnecessary. As a result, you will get an excellent core of low-frequency queries with popular knives. Such queries will not generate huge traffic, but the conversion will be higher.

We looked at how to select clearly commercial requests, that is, obvious ones for an online knife store. To make the core more complete and cover as large a target audience as possible, it is recommended to use “implicit” queries.

For example, queries from the “Gifts” topic: luxury gifts for men, expensive gifts , men's gifts, gifts for men etc. They do not lie on the surface, but at the same time they correspond to the theme of the site, because a knife is great gift for a man.

Examples of sites with luxury gifts for men:

Another interesting point. Typically, elite gift knives are considered to be expensive knives with gold or gilded plating, stones, and on stone stands. However, there are functional knives that are not covered with gold and stones, but still belong to the elite category.

Conclusion

1. Don't forget about the law. Melee weapons cannot be sold to persons without the appropriate permit. If your knives are not bladed weapons, post the appropriate certificates on the website.

2. Design product cards and all pages efficiently and beautifully. Poorly designed pages do not sell on the Internet. Feel free to use successful examples from other sites (but don’t just copy everything). There are many good guidelines for designing product and non-product pages – don’t be afraid to use them.

3. The structure and design of the online store should be convenient and understandable. Don't make your site a labyrinth - give the visitor a modern supermarket with a professional consultant!

*Calculations use average data for Russia

1.Project summary

The goal of the project is to open a specialized store for the retail sale of household, tourist, cutting and other types of knives and accessories for them and to make a profit. The store planned to open will feature knives that are not bladed weapons, and their sale will not be subject to licensing.

The essence of the idea is to create a multi-brand retail outlet, where knives from both domestic and foreign manufacturers will be presented. Due to the narrow specialization of the store, the main emphasis will be on the breadth of the assortment. In the store you will find both inexpensive Chinese-made knives for any occasion and expensive collectible knives. In addition to selling knives and accessories, the store will provide professional knife sharpening services. The target audience of the project will be men over 23 years of age: hunters, fishermen, tourists, survivalists and “knife lovers” of all stripes.

Investment in opening a store – RUB 1,785,000. Own funds will be used to launch the project. The preparation stage for the start of sales will be 3 months, including renovation and equipment of the premises, recruitment of personnel, formation of the starting assortment. This business plan is relevant for cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people.

2.Description of the industry and company

The history of the knife in Russia goes back a long way. Located between East and West, combining many peoples and climatic zones on one territory, Russia has seen thousands of knives with different design features. In Russia there were both national knives, for example, field, belt and sideknives, and a large number of knives of other nations. The development of new territories or the establishment of close ties with them contributed to the emergence of new types of knives. During the conquest of the Caucasus, a fashion for Caucasian weapons began; hunting daggers and folding knives came from Europe. The most famous knife production centers were Zlatoust, Tula, Vorsma, and Fiskars. During Soviet times, knife culture experienced a colossal decline. Knife production collapsed in the 30s of the last century. In the USSR, there were strict laws restricting the carrying of bladed weapons, as a result of which the industry was completely degraded. There remained only small shops for consumer goods at enterprises engaged in the production of metal products. Only in 1992 passed law“On Weapons” has softened the possibilities for acquiring high-quality edged weapons. In the absence of its own production, a flow of cheap Chinese products, as well as modern folding knives made in America and Europe, poured into the country. The breakthrough in the global knife market in terms of innovation and design is associated with the activities of the American company Spyderco, which has patents for a hole in the blade, a clip holder and serrated sharpening of the blade. The domestic knife industry gradually began to revive. Products that are not inferior in quality to foreign companies are now produced in various cities and regions of the country (Kizlyar, Moscow, Zlatoust, Nizhny Novgorod region, Tula, Izhevsk, Uglich, Volgograd, etc.).

The goal of this project is to open a specialized store for the retail sale of household, tourist, cutting and other types of knives and accessories for them and to make a profit. The store planned to open will feature knives that are not bladed weapons, and their sale will not be subject to licensing.

3.Description of goods

The store’s assortment is planned to include domestic and foreign products, including knives made of steel, damask steel, Damascus steel, forged steel, and ceramic knives. The product matrix will be based on knives of three categories: cheap Chinese-made knives that are in mass demand, as well as domestic and branded knives in the lower, middle and premium segments. Also in the store you will be able to purchase accessories and items for knife care and sharpening (for more details, see Table 3). In the process of development, the range can be expanded to include other products (pneumatics, crossbows, etc.). In addition, customers of the store will be able to take advantage of the services of sharpening, resharpening and finishing knives.

Table 1. List of goods

	Name	Description		Cost, rub.
Chinese knives
	Folding knives		Machete, throwing knives, cutting knives, souvenir knives, tourist knives
	Folding knives		Keychain knives, card knives, tourist knives
	Switchblades		Knives with automatic blade extraction (tourist knives)
	Butterfly knives		Knives with dynamic blade extraction (tourist knives)
Russian knives

	Folding knives		Travel knives
	Butterfly knives		Knives with automatic blade extraction
	Kitchen knives		Kitchen universal, chef's knives, pchak, fillet knives
Brand knives
	Brand knives		Folding, non-folding, switchblade knives of foreign brands
	Branded machetes		Machetes of foreign brands
			Kukri knives
	Kitchen knives		Kitchen utility knives, potato peelers
Other types of knives and other products
			Checkers, sabers, dirks, scimitars
	Multifunctional knives		Multitools, multifunctional knives, survival knives
	Knife sets		Hunting knife sets, kitchen knife sets
	Penknives		Penknives, blades
	Garden knives		Garden knives
	Tactical pens		Tactical pens
	Travel devices		Spoons, forks, bottle openers, tourist axes
Accessories and care products for knives
			Covers, cases
	Pendants		Belt pendants, checker overhangs
	Knife stands		Stands for collectible knives, kitchen knives, saber stands
	Lubricants, wipes		Lubricants, wipes for knives
	Sharpening objects		Sharpeners, whetstones, sharpening machines, sharpening kits, sharpening tools, sharpening oil
Other
	Magazines, literature		Magazines and literature about knives

All products presented in the store will be freely sold in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, without requiring a license for both sale and purchase. Upon purchase, customers will be issued certificates of conformity or so-called information sheets confirming that the goods are not subject to licensing and are not edged weapons. The signs by which knives are not edged weapons, but belong to other categories, are described in the Law “On Weapons” No. 150-FZ, as well as in the following GOSTs: GOST R 51501-99 Tourist and special sports knives; GOST R 51644-2000 Cutting and skinning knives; GOST R 51215-98 Cold steel. Terms and definitions; GOST R 51500-99 Hunting knives and daggers. General technical conditions; GOST R 51548-2000 Survival knives, GOST R 51715-2001 Decorative and souvenir products, similar in external structure with cold and throwing weapons.

4.Sales and marketing

The target audience of the store will be predominantly the male population of the city. Based on an analysis of group members on social networks of specialized knife stores, it was found that the share of female buyers does not exceed 10-15%. If we talk about the male contingent of buyers, then such products are in greatest demand among men aged 23 to 40 years (about 60% of buyers), the remaining 40% are among the audience under 23 years old, or people over 40 years old. The main buyers of such stores are:

Hunters;

Military;

Tourists, travelers and outdoor enthusiasts;

Preppers.

In addition to specialized stores of this format, knife products are presented in a narrower range in the departments of tourist, hunting, fishing stores, as well as in souvenir and household goods stores, when it comes to the sale of kitchen knives. Increasing competition is also being created by online stores, which are successful due to the absence of costs for real estate and wages for employees.

Buyers' requirements for knives vary depending on the specific types of knives and their areas of application. In general terms, the most successful among active consumers are knives that combine two qualities: practicality in use and stylish appearance. The choice of a particular product can be influenced by several basic criteria, including the type and quality of steel, Rockwell hardness, blade shape, brand and country of origin, affordable cost, comfort and handle design, wear resistance and warranty period from the manufacturer.

It is also worth noting the fact that, unlike the 90s, the buyer has become more demanding. The horizons of buyers have expanded, and more and more of them know exactly what kind of knife they need. The modern buyer has the opportunity to purchase an individual product that is suitable for him in terms of characteristics and external design. At the same time, a new type of knife has appeared - Every Day Carry, that is, a knife for every day - an urban type knife that can be used and displayed in public places without fear. They are non-aggressive in design, comfortable to wear and use. In recent years, so-called survival knives, designed for multifunctional use in extreme conditions wildlife. You can use them to cut branches for lighting a fire, cook food, clean animal skins, build a home, and so on.

In connection with the above trends, the store plans to present a variety of modern products for making a purchase that meet the individual needs of the buyer. Creating a stationary specialized store would be most appropriate in a city with a population of more than 500 thousand people, which has a large number of potential paying customers. The level of demand for knives can be judged based on the number of requests in electronic search engines(See Table 2-3).

Table 2 Number of Internet requests related to the purchase of knives by Russian cities*

	City	Request “buy a knife”	Total queries related to the purchase of knives**
All Russia

	Saint Petersburg
	Ekaterinburg
	Rostov-on-Don
	Nizhny Novgorod
	Novosibirsk

	Krasnodar
	Chelyabinsk
	Krasnoyarsk

	Volgograd


	Kemerovo




	Stavropol

*based on Yandex Wordstat statistics as of 04/14/2016

**the amount includes the requests “buy a knife”, “knives price”, “knife store”, “online knife store”, “buy a knife in Moscow”, “buy a folding knife”, “buy a butterfly knife”, “buy a knife store ", "knives buy online", "buy hunting knife"", "buy a bayonet knife", "where to buy a knife", "buy knives in an online store", "buy a knife in St. Petersburg", "buy kitchen knives", "buy throwing knives", "buy a set of knives", "sale of knives "", "buy a kizlyar knife", "buy a knife price", "buy a karambit knife", "buy a switchblade", "buy a Damascus knife", "buy a hand knife", "buy inexpensive knives", "buy an inexpensive knife", “buy Japanese knives”, “buy survival knives”.

Ready ideas for your business

Table 3 The most popular Internet queries with the word “knife” according to Yandex

	Request	Number of requests
	buy a knife
	folding knives
	folding knife
	knives price
	hunting knives
	knife store
	knives reviews
	kitchen knives
	knife set
	best knives
	online knife store
	knives in Moscow
	buy a knife in Moscow
	buy a folding knife
	buy folding knives
	steel for knives
	buy butterfly knife
	Damascus knives
	knife shop buy
	combat knives
	buy knives online
	switchblade
	buy a hunting knife
	knives on the Internet
	buy bayonet knife
	where to buy a knife
	buy knives in the online store
	Damascus steel knives
	buy a knife in St. Petersburg
	buy knife sharpening
	buy kitchen knives
	survival knives
	knife blades
	buy throwing knives
	buy a set of knives
	sale of knives
	buy a kizlyar knife
	buy a karambit knife
	buy knife sharpener
	buy knife price
	buy a knife for a meat grinder
	buy a switchblade
	buy knife blades
	buy knives for the machine
	buy a Damascus knife
	buy a hand knife
	buy cheap knives
	buy a knife inexpensively
	buy japanese knives
	buy survival knives

It is planned to use the Internet as the main channel for market promotion. The store will have its own website, which will present a product catalog with the main characteristics of the product. Customers will be able to order online and receive free delivery within the city. Orders to other cities will be sent by mail or transport companies. The service will be based on a customer-oriented approach. The store will be represented on popular social networks, where information about new arrivals, promotions and discounts will be published, and consultations will be provided to customers in the form of questions and answers. To expand the sales market, the store management plans to actively cooperate with city hunting societies, clubs of fishermen, tourists, etc.

5.Production plan

The knife store will be opened in the central area of the city, in a room with a separate entrance in a multi-story building. Store opening hours: daily, from 9:00 to 19:00.

To open a store, an area of 30 square meters will be rented. meters. The rent will be 1 thousand rubles. per sq. meter. The premises will need to be repaired at the rate of 10 thousand rubles. per sq. m. You will also need the necessary commercial equipment (for more details, see Table 4).

Table 4. Equipment costs

	Name	Price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Cost, rub.


	Lighting equipment

	Cash register
	Cashless payment terminal
	Grinding equipment
	Computer and office equipment

Total:				290 000

The store will require two sales assistants working in shifts. At the initial stage, the entrepreneur himself will work as one of the sellers. The main requirements for sellers are the ability to have a good understanding of knives, a good knowledge of theory, distinguish between types of steel, and a good understanding of domestic and foreign brands (payroll - see Table 5).

Table 5. Staffing table and wage fund

Approximate calculations of store revenue and profit are given in Appendix 1. Expense items, in addition to wages and contributions to the Pension Fund, will include rent, expenses associated with the purchase of goods from suppliers, fees for website maintenance and accounting, public utilities, security services and more.

6.Organizational plan

The preparation stage for the start of sales will take 3 months, which will be needed for real estate transactions (concluding a lease agreement, repairs and equipment), forming an assortment, hiring staff, developing and launching a website, etc. Responsibilities for managing staff and freelancers will be taken over by the entrepreneur. He will be responsible for establishing contacts with suppliers, strategic planning, marketing activities, as well as the duties of a sales consultant during the initial period of work. Sales consultants will be responsible for receiving, displaying, selling goods, maintaining sales records and advising clients. Responsibilities not related to profit-making, such as accounting and website maintenance, will be transferred to third parties.

7.Financial plan

The size of the initial investment will be 1,785,000 rubles. Investment cost items are presented in Table. 6. Indicators for planned revenue, net profit and costs are given in Appendix 1.

Table 6. Investment costs

	Cost item	Amount, rub.
Investments in real estate
	Room renovation
Room equipment
	Equipment purchase
Intangible assets
	Website creation
	Other expenses (transport costs, registration, telephone calls)
Working capital
	Working capital
	Starting product content	900 000
Total:		1 785 000

8.Evaluation of project effectiveness

The calculations made allow us to confirm the profitability of the project. In Table. Figure 7 shows the store's performance indicators.

Table 7. Project performance indicators

9.Risks and guarantees

The project to open a specialized knife store has intermediate level risk. The main danger of this type of business is associated with the narrowness of the target audience, and therefore, in order to be profitable, the store needs to work closely with customers, offering them not only high-quality products, but also further services (knife sharpening). In addition, instability of demand can be directly related to the product itself: a high-quality knife can serve the owner for years, until he comes for a second purchase. In this regard, the store management will be constantly interested in expanding product sales channels.

Table 8. Assessment of project risks and measures to prevent their occurrence or their consequences

	Risk	Probability of occurrence	Severity of consequences	Prevention measures
	Demand instability	average

Attachments: from 290,000 rubles

Payback: from 4 months

A knife is the oldest cutting tool. Despite its centuries-old history, its appearance has remained almost unchanged. The basis is still the blade and the handle. At the same time, the scope of application of the tools is varied: housekeeping, hunting, fishing. Therefore, the business related to the production of knives will always be relevant.

Business concept

The business idea is related to the opening of an enterprise for the production of knives of various shapes and purposes. The main buyers will be individuals purchasing household appliances, as well as fishing, hunting and other stores.

Production always starts with a blank. You can make it yourself or buy it ready-made. After the type of future knife is determined, steel is selected, and a pattern is made from a piece of metal.

But first, the raw material is put under a roller weighing 80 tons. The result is a flattened plate on which the contours of the workpiece are traced. Steel for production is sold in sheet form.

After this, the workpiece goes through the stages of drilling, a hole is cut in it to attach the handle. The blade is then heat treated. The resulting shape is ground and pre-turned. At the final stage of blade manufacturing, polishing is carried out.

In addition to the blade, the knife also consists of a handle. The cheapest material used to make handles is plastic. But wood is considered traditional, although more expensive. Which specific material to choose depends on the quality of the finished product. For example, wood goes well with metal. But this does not mean that a plastic handle can only be found on cheap items.

At the last stage, the knife undergoes final processing, is packaged, transferred to a warehouse for storage or directly to the point of sale.

The quality of the final product depends entirely on compliance with the technological process.

What will be required for implementation?

First of all, you need to decide on the type of knives that will be manufactured at the enterprises. For example, it makes no sense to master the technology for producing collectible knives at the initial stage of business development, since it will take a long time to find buyers for such products. But kitchen knives and hunting cleavers will find use among consumers and will be purchased.

grinder with discs;
drill or screwdriver;
grinding machine;
engraver with different attachments;
grinder (grinding machine);
electric jigsaw;
band saw.

As for the raw materials, for example, to make traditional kitchen knives, you need steel with a hardness of 48-50 HRC. If hunting is done, then this figure should be higher. During operation, the knife should not lose its original shape and should not rust from detergents or other household products, sharpens well, etc. The strongest and most frequently used steel grades are CPM, S30V, 154 CM.

As for handles, you can buy a special line for their production or order ready-made handles from other manufacturers. When starting a business, it is more profitable to purchase ready-made equipment. And the technology for independent production of handles can be mastered a little later, when the company begins to achieve self-sufficiency and make a profit.

Step-by-step launch instructions

Registration. Before starting a business, register with the tax authorities and obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur. OKVED code 28.6 “Production of cutlery and cutlery.”
Room. Despite the fact that a knife is a fairly compact tool, its manufacture requires a large number of different machines and devices. To place all the equipment, you will need to rent a room with an area of at least 60 m². The work involved in knife making is very noisy, so don't try to rent a room in the basement of a multi-story building. Better look for a place on the outskirts settlement. Rent is cheaper there too.
Equipment and materials. Equipment costs will be about 82,000 rubles. Of these: Bulgarian – 10,000 rubles; drill – 5,000 rub.; sharpening machine - 20,000 rubles; engraver – 12,000 rubles; grinder – 18,000 rub.; jigsaw – 7,000 rub.; band saw – 10,000 rub. It is better to purchase steel from the manufacturer in bulk. It's much more profitable this way. First, decide on the grades of steel that are needed for production. After that, find several suppliers, compare prices, conditions and product quality. Only make a choice based on all these criteria. The same applies to the materials that will be used in the manufacture of handles. To purchase raw materials, you will need about 50,000 rubles in the first month of work (the cheapest workpiece will cost about 500 rubles, the expensive one - from 5,000 or more; handles - from 300 to 2,500 rubles). Purchase material with a supply of 2-3 months.
Staff. To work in a small workshop, it is enough to hire two craftsmen who have skills in working with all of the above tools. The manager can conduct accounting independently, or use the services of a visiting accountant, concluding agreements for the provision of professional services by a specialist at the end of the reporting period.
Advertising. Before starting a knife manufacturing enterprise, you need to know exactly who the end consumer of the goods will be: housewives, professional chefs, hunters, fishermen, etc. The best source of attracting customers and sales will be an online store. Firstly, you won’t have to spend money on renting additional premises or furnishing them. Secondly, you will not need to look for large wholesale buyers, running around the city and without getting off your phone. You can even organize advertising via the Internet. Pay attention to various thematic communities on cooking, hunting and other topics where knives can be discussed.

Financial calculations

Starting capital

Monthly expenses

How much can you earn?

In a month, the company can produce up to 100 pieces of products. The average cost of one knife ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles. At the same time, its cost will not exceed 800-900 rubles. Consequently, from one unit of goods you can earn up to 600 - 1,500 rubles (net profit about 80,000 rubles).

Payback period

The profitability of such production will actually be high (about 45%), and the return on the initial investment will not exceed 4-5 months.

Business Features

The main risk this business faces is related to fairly high competition. Today, many craftsmen are engaged in similar activities at home. They don't pay taxes, but they make a good income selling homemade knives. Companies engaged in mass production of cutlasses for the kitchen, hunting, etc. also compete.

Conclusion

To bring an enterprise to a decent level, you will need to produce only high-quality products. Every customer must be satisfied.

Despite possible difficulties, the production of knives is profitable business, which will quickly pay for itself and begin to generate stable profits. After the return on investment, it is worth thinking about expanding the workshop, scaling up production, and making it serial.

Magazine Reconomica brings to your attention the rare but interesting profession of a blacksmith-gunsmith. Knife maker Andrey will talk about his work. Blacksmithing is not yet his main job, but he started from scratch, turned his hobby into a source of profit and quickly achieved a good income. You will learn how to turn your blacksmithing hobby into a small business, how to sell finished goods and how much you can earn from it, while combining a hobby with your main job. According to the author, this is a very good extra income, especially if you live in a region with a low average salary.

The economic situation in the country is such that almost all people are forced to look for opportunities to earn additional income. Pensioners work to help their children and grandchildren, car enthusiasts drive taxis or deliver pizza, students hand out leaflets or post advertisements. It is unlikely that all these activities bring positive emotions to people. As well as our main job, which most of us can hardly call our favorite. And how can you call a favorite process in which you are just a small cog, and if necessary, you can be replaced by another cog like yourself.

It's just a matter of hobby. This is something that everyone treats with trepidation and does with pleasure. Doing what you love and making a profit from it is the dream of millions of people, but only a few are able to achieve it. This happened to me too, although a couple of years ago I had no idea what I was doing now.

How I mastered blacksmithing, or where it all began

It all started with an ordinary conversation in a spiritual gathering with my brother, who is obsessed with all sorts of knives, brass knuckles and pistols. He started telling me about videos he had seen on the Internet about making beautiful designer knives with his own hands from scrap materials.

Imbued with his enthusiastic exclamations, I also decided to see what kind of masters there were. It turned out that it’s true that making a cool designer knife with a minimal set of tools is not so difficult, so I decided to give it a try. I was also lucky in that I work as a thermal operator in a machine-building industry, so I have a good understanding of steel grades, and there were no problems with materials for the knife - I have a professional thermals Having it at hand is a huge plus in this case.

How to make a knife with your own hands at home

I watched a bunch of videos on the Internet on this topic, I liked one of them, which I took as a guide. I used what was on hand to make my first blade. You could say he worked at home using improvised means.

The material for my first knife was an ordinary old Soviet file. The steel for a knife is not the most suitable, but it is affordable and easy to process.

I set up my workshop in the garage. My tools for the job were a file, sandpaper and a clamp. To make the descents, I made a special device out of plywood and got to work. Grinding off a large layer of metal by hand turned out to be quite difficult. My hands were constantly tired, I sharpened them for a minute and then rested for five. But, oddly enough, I had no desire to quit the whole business.

Having completed the work with a file, I began to grind the workpiece sandpaper . A few hours of work - and now my blade is almost ready! All that remains is to take it to work and harden it.

Here I must say that due to inexperience I made a big mistake with the dimensions, the blade turned out to be very thick and massive, but I still decided to complete the work to the end, because my main task was not to make a good knife, but to understand the principle and subtleties of the process.

Next, I needed to make a handle for my “monster”. I went to the birch grove to collect dry branches and birch bark. Back in the garage I started making the handle. Working with wood is much easier and more pleasant than working with metal, so there were no problems here. The handle turned out to be comfortable and beautiful. And I decided not to stop there.

How to learn to make really good knives

I took the next knife more seriously. I selected a workpiece from a more suitable steel and correctly calculated all the dimensions. The second knife came out much more attractive than the first. My brother, seeing the result of my work, praised me and asked me to give this knife to him. I fulfilled the request without hesitation, because it was at his suggestion that I started doing this.

My handmade knife

Then things got more fun. Having mastered some of the subtleties of the process, I improved with each new knife, and some acquaintances, having seen the results of my work, were already ready to pay money for me to make a knife to order. But my activities have not yet gone beyond the scope of a hobby. After all, even though I spent almost all my free time in the garage, productivity was extremely low - only 1-2 knives per month. You won't make money from this. And then I decided to take a serious step, since the manufacturing process itself gave me pleasure.

Automation of blade production

To take my small production to a serious level, I needed to purchase a belt sanding machine. The difficulty was that the most unpretentious grindercosts about 15-20 thousand rubles. I had money, so I, enlisting the help of virtual colleagues in the workshop, the same handicraftsmen as me, began to choose a machine for myself, which cost me 17 thousand rubles including delivery.

After I installed grinder in my garage, I realized that making knives by hand and on a machine is like heaven and earth.If earlier it was necessary to make one blade using a file and sandpaper it took me several days, but now in one day of work I could easily fix 5-10 blades, saving a lot of effort.

In addition, blades made on a machine turned out to be much more accurate and of high quality. And there were no problems with the handles, because on grinder Wood can also be sanded.

This is what my workshop looks like today

In a word, the matter became a mess. In the first month of working with grinder I made 6 full-fledged knives. Having presented them to my friends, I instantly received several orders from them ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand rubles. The next month I earned 10 thousand rubles this way. Using a grinding machine, I solved the issue of metalworking, but then I was faced with another problem. I had to carry all the workpieces to work for heat treatment or some kind of forging operations. To solve this problem, I decided to make a forge.

How to make a forge with your own hands

Even a schoolchild can make the simplest blacksmith's forge. I didn’t complicate my life and went exactly this way. After collecting clay, I made a small gutter right next to the garage. The basis of any forge is blowing . I decided to use an old vacuum cleaner with a reverse function for this. I ran a metal tube with holes along the bottom of the clay trench, connected a vacuum cleaner hose to it, and that’s it - the forge is ready. Add coals and light it. And although I still took blades to work to heat, because the quality of the blade directly depends on the quality of hardening and tempering, simpler operations, in particular forging and annealing. I made it right in the garage.

Where does a blacksmith get orders?

After I fulfilled all the wishes of my friends, a problem arose with new orders. This is where social networks came to my aid. I created a group where I posted photographs of my work, as well as some tips on production, and quickly gained a small audience, since such things attract the attention of the stronger sex very well.

Examples of my work

Now under each photograph of my work there are several requests for sale at once. I do not inflate the prices of my knives, knowing full well that I am far from the most skilled craftsman in their manufacture. The average price of one knife is 2 thousand rubles; usually about ten pieces can be produced and sold per month. I have already perfected the process of their production to the point of automation, only now I put my own author’s mark on each knife.

Payback of a knife manufacturing business

The profitability turned out to be good. Thus, your costs for grinder and I collected the materials in two months of work. Moreover, now I can afford not to wander around the workshop looking for normal steel, but to order it from suppliers. As well as other necessary materials: leather for the sheath, special oil for impregnating the handles, tapes for grinder and much more. And the most important thing is that the process of making knives itself brings me pleasure and no matter how much I earn from it.

Although during vacation, when there is a lot of free time, my monthly income exceeds my basic salary and is approximately 30-35 thousand rubles, but when I have to combine my hobby with work, my income is approximately half that.

Youtube is the best source of client flow for a private master

Now my plans are to create a channel on youtube , where I want to post videos about making knives and share my experience with novice craftsmen. In order for your videos to be of high quality, you need to purchase a good camera and a tripod. All this pleasure is not cheap, but it is worth it. After all, the channel is on youtube - this is a large number of potential customers plus another opportunity to earn extra money through the affiliate program.

How to turn your hobby into a profitable business

I talked about my experience of how you can convert your own hobby into real serious income. After all, things handmade to order have always had a special value. As an example, we can take consumer goods produced by prisoners in places not so remote. Zonovsky backgammon, rosaries, cards, pens and much more are very expensive, not only because it is all incredibly beautiful, but also because it is exclusive handmade.The master puts his soul into it, so such things are highly valued.

Product worth 2000 rubles

My experience with knives in no way encourages you to grab a file and run to the garage. This is just an example of the fact that with the right approach and perseverance, you can easily make your hobby bring not only positive emotions, but also income. And you can do anything.

For those who like to work with wood, making chess and backgammon would be a good option; for girls, various options handicrafts: embroidery, knitting, beading . For each. There is a demand for a seemingly useless but beautiful trinket, you just need to be able to present it correctly. And if you really like what you do, then nothing and no one can stop you from repeating my experience.

IN Soviet era making knives was punishable by law, and it didn’t matter for what purpose you were making a knife. And yet, at every enterprise where there was a sharpening machine, there were those who liked to make a knife for themselves or their friend. Knives were made from anything: from a hacksaw blade for metal, from a circular saw, etc. It is important that the material for the knife be hardened; not all enterprises had heat treatment.

Nowadays, making a knife is not punishable by law, unless, of course, your knife is a bladed weapon.

I was interested in the topic “Making a knife at home”

There is a lot of information about the belt sander or grinder.

The machine is undoubtedly good, but expensive. Buying a good grinder is unrealistic for me, and it’s simple and stupid. It’s stupid, in my version, I worked all my life at machine-building enterprises and making any machine is not a problem for me.

I like the concave triggers with a clear sharpening edge.

Therefore, when making a belt sanding machine, I made a driving drum with a diameter of 165 mm as the main working one. There is a polished steel platform measuring 250x180 for direct descents from the butt. I didn’t set out to make a cheap machine, and I won’t be able to do that. To make inexpensive products, you had to be born in China.

My machine has a lot of expensive parts. The weight of my machine is 36 kg.

Unfortunately, the grinder does not solve the main problem - to make high-quality descents with a clear sharpening edge. Need a lot of experience. At enterprises specializing in the production of knives, experience is not needed; machines decide everything there.

Craftsmen who make custom goods, by the way, are very high quality, use all kinds of devices to remove descents.

I also developed and manufactured my own version of a device for removing triggers, so far only for concave ones. Let me remind you that I like knives with concave slopes and a clear sharpening edge.

Not all knife makers have a grinder; knives are made on a sharpening machine or, in other words, a sharpener. By the way, some people do it very well.

I tested my device on two sharpeners, one sharpened with a speed of 2800 rpm, the other with 800 rpm. On the first descent I completed it in 12 minutes, on the second in 35 minutes.

My task was to make high-quality descents.

And I think I coped with my task; let me remind you that I have no experience.

The picture shows a device for concave slopes. As you can see, the device is very simple. If you wish, and most importantly, if you have the necessary tools, you can do this for yourself. Dimensions do not matter here; adjustment is made using the groove on the top part. The radius of the blade is 250mm. What did I mean when I titled my page “Do-It-Yourself Knife”? Anyone with a little experience can do what a knife can do with this device.

It’s better not to bother with making the device, but to buy it from me, especially since my prices are low.

The picture shows a device for concave slopes.
The price of the device today is 1370 rubles.

You will learn how to work with this device by watching these two films:

In Russia today the price of the device is 1,370 rubles.

This amount includes postage.

You can receive a package with the device from me as follows.

You send a money order in my name with your address. Having received the transfer and your address, I send you the parcel on the same day.

My address: 460024 Orenburg city, Kiseleva lane 71

Gladyshev Alexander Ivanovich.

Welcome to the website of the St. Petersburg tool plant "STANKODETAL"

On our website You will find information about knife tools. We hope it will help you make the right choice.

Factory products- a reliable, high-quality tool.

Metal cutting knives

Metal cutting knives are used in metallurgical, procurement and processing industries. We produce knives for cutting sheet, round, square rolled products, as well as strips, angles, channels, corrugated sheets, corrugated sheets, for the production of mesh, bent and rolled profiles.

Guillotine knives

Guillotine knives are used on sheet guillotine shears for cutting black and non-ferrous sheet metal. We produce knives for domestic and imported guillotines of all brands for cutting metal with a thickness from 0.1 to 40 mm. We produce both solid and composite knives.

Disc knives

Circular knives for cutting sheet metal are used on longitudinal cutting lines for rolled steel, expanded metal cutting presses, cutting tables and other equipment. We produce knives with straight and angled cutting edges.

Rebar cutting knives

Knives for cutting reinforcement are used for cutting reinforcing steel, incl. heat-strengthened in production for the reinforcement of reinforced concrete products, the production of metal structures, construction, installation and other enterprises. We produce knives for domestic and imported equipment.

Knives for crushers

Knives for crushers are used on crushing equipment - crushers for processing wood, plastic and other materials, including waste.

Chip knives

Chipper knives are used on chippers for wood processing, etc.

Homemade sharpening of knives with your own hands - creating a knife using drawings

materials. We produce knives for domestic and imported equipment.

Combination knives

We also produce: knives for press shears, combination knives, knives for cutting reinforcement, knives for corners, knives for strips, sheet knives, profile knives, knives for scrap metal.

Making knives for guillotines

Making knives for guillotines. Production capabilities allow us to produce one-piece knives up to 2000mm long. For imported equipment with solid knives over 3000 mm, we have developed a technology for producing them from component parts without reducing the quality of the cut and the convenience of setting gaps; this is not only a significant saving on the knives themselves, but also ease of maintenance - sharpening the knives.

Knives for press shears COMPACT.

Check availability...

Roller knives for spiral winding machines SPIRO

Knives SMZh-175

Sharpening flat knives

Sharpening flat knives. Our production capabilities allow us to sharpen knives for domestic and imported equipment with a length of more than 3000 mm.

Sharpening disc knives

Sharpening disc knives. We will quickly and efficiently sharpen circular knives for longitudinal cutting lines for rolled steel, as well as other equipment.

Manufacturing of industrial knives

Production of industrial knives of non-standard sizes, according to the Customer’s drawings for cutting sheet or long products according to individual production needs. Design of knife tools.

Manufacturing of circular knives

We accept orders for the production of circular knives according to the Customer’s drawings for cutting rolled steel, expanded metal cutting and other machines, and we can also sharpen circular knives

Making knives for shear presses

Production of knives for press shears, including: knives for combined press shears, knives for cutting reinforcement, NG5222 knives, NB5222 knives, NV5222 knives, C 229 knives, SMZh-172 knives, SMZh-322 knives, SMZh 652 knives

Knives for shears in the warehouse

For the convenience of our Customers, common knives for press shears and guillotines are available in stock: H3121 knives, H3222 knives, H478 knives, NA3225 knives, NG-13 knives, NG-16 knives, ND 3314 knives, NK3418 knives, STD-9A knives, N knives 3118, knives NA 3222, knives NA3225, knives N 3222, knives STD9A, knives NA 3121, knives ERFURT, etc.

Metal cutting knives

For knives for cutting metal, crushing wood waste and other materials, where, along with high hardness, high viscosity is also required, to prevent chipping and breaking of the knife under sudden and impact loads, the choice of steel grade plays a vital role. The purposes of some common knife steels can be found in the reference section.

Vibration mounts

The plant offers the following spare parts for machines: vibration mount OV-70, vibration mount OV-31M - designed for vibration isolation of industrial equipment and small and medium-sized machines with rigid frames of normal and high precision.

We will be glad to see you among our Customers!

Tool plant St. Petersburg 2010

General overview, models, equipment

I have been making knives for quite a long time, but professionals are so rare among consumers that almost every person has to explain how they should be sharpened, why a properly made knife does not need to be sharpened, how a knife should be made so that the term “self-sharpening” can be applied to it "that some stains on the blade are not a steel defect at all, but even the opposite... All material was prepared by me for accessible reading and does not in any way pretend to be scientific or “academic.” On the contrary, I tried to tell about everything in the form of tales and small tips. It was not so difficult for me to tell you about this; I passed it all through my own hands, since there is no literature on such topics for sale. There are, of course, various articles, books, but so that right away, in one place, about some unexplained problems for knife makers, about some subtleties, tips... Everything is scattered on separate islands... Having gained a little experience, I want to help those who, for any reason, wants to make himself a cutting knife or some other knife, but, for the same reasons, is forced to communicate with amateurs from “knife making”.
I myself began to consider myself a “professional” about seven years ago, since “knife making” became my profession, and I get bread for my family from what I do and how. Life and practice, only they can give a true assessment of your work. Someone talks about the advantages of a knife and judges it by its “external appearance”. But his reasoning is also “external”. To me, for example, the brightness of the shine of polished steel does not say anything at all about the quality of the steel itself, but speaks about the attitude of the master to his work. How much he respects what he did. And, at the same time, the matte transverse stroke of fine grinding tells me about the professionalism of the one who put his hand to the blade. Ninety percent people will pass past a knife with a nondescript, diamond-shaped handle and a twelve-centimeter blade and will not stop. Ten, just looking at it, will say: “Good knife!” Among these ten will be myself and those for whom a knife is a tool first and foremost. I hope you will be among these ten. The butcher and the butcher, the amateur hunter and the commercial hunter, do not care what technology the blade was made of, medieval, primitive, or ultra-modern. He needs the knife to cut for as long as possible and be comfortable to use. This is where he is always right. In my discussions and conversations with people, I quite often use the phrase “knife making,” and many agree with me. As a rule, these are people who have already tried to make some effort in manufacturing and already have some experience in creating knife products. I will try to explain to you how to make a good knife yourself, since training is not prohibited by our law. For “speedy” learning you need to read this page and good luck.

Let's look at the drawing. This is how you will have to “remove” the excess metal to get the simplest blade design. The black outline is the outline of the workpiece in the cut. The red outline is the finished outline. The pink fill is the “body of the blade.” The gray fill is something that is not needed. Thus, you can make any knife product with limited properties, be it a kitchen or utility knife. To create a functional product, you will have to read at least everything that will be discussed below and spend more than one day sanding... And this is the MINIMUM!!! But don't be scared!!! Even if you don’t want to create knives, I will try to make it interesting for you, and maybe you will learn something new for yourself...

EQUIPMENT. First of all, I would like to warn you that it is not at all necessary to collect all the equipment. You can choose any model and calmly do all the work with a minimum of equipment. Believe me, I started with one 2.2 kW motor. But we’ll talk about the minimum later, but for now... In the picture you see an abrasive wheel with a diameter of 300mm and a thickness of 40mm; seat with a diameter of 76mm. The speed should be low: 1200-1400 rpm. Before work, for safety reasons, the circle must be idle for 15 minutes, then leveled with a diamond pencil or corundum to a minimum runout. All restrictions must be removed. Access to the circle should be as free as possible. You need to be able to press the workpiece at any angle to remove metal where you want it, and not where the sander “wants” it. For a particular type of work, your own circle must be selected. For wood - softer, for steel - harder. I mainly use the following wheel parameters: dimensions 300x40x76, hardness - CM1/CM2, grain - 25A40P. The average cost is $10, depending on where you buy and from whom... I mainly buy circles from the Luga plant. The Moscow Abrasive Plant also produces good wheels, but somehow the soul does not lie, although in the absence of “Luga” I use it occasionally... You will also need felt circles. When making knives, you need to have a lot of them and different diameters. I bought them a long time ago, in the Do-It-Yourself store, for 55 rubles (stagnant) apiece. You need to have approximately 5 large circles, with a diameter from 250mm to 400mm, the optimal option is 300mm. And, preferably, many small different diameters, thicknesses and configurations. Felt wheels were made at felting plants (there was some kind of label on the wheel), and you only have to buy them once. They are practically not consumed. Now all this stuff is being purchased at the Moscow poultry market. I am giving this information so that if you want to do something, you don’t have to run around a lot looking for what you need... A separate issue is preparing felt circles for work. The most unpleasant thing is the “centering”. In the picture you see the shaft of the polishing wheel with a felt wheel.
1. The shaft itself.
2. A mandrel with a conical thread (hereinafter we will call it a carrot).
3. Nozzle thread.
4. Polishing felt wheel.
So, the main task is to make a seat in the center of the circle. But no matter how you define it precisely, the circle will still “beat” on the shaft when rotating. To eliminate runout as much as possible, I do this:
1. Using a red-hot steel bar (in a forge or at a welder), I burn out a conical hole with an outer diameter of 10 mm and an inner diameter of about 30-35 mm. Then I coat it with wood glue, and when the glue dries, I screw it tightly onto the one greased with Vaseline or vegetable oil"carrot". The seat thread appears. Next, the glue dries and the circle is ready for “holding”.
2. I make a cutter from a file, although you can use any hardened plate.
3. I twist the circle onto the “carrot”, but not tightly, but lightly, so that it just fits into place. Then, when you press the circle with the cutter, it will spin itself to the required limiting torque.
4.Like a turner, I begin to grind the circle to a minimum runout. This applies to polishing wheels. Because apart from applying polishing paste to them, there is no more preliminary work. Another thing is grinding and finishing wheels. Several more operations will be required to prepare them. Let's continue...
5.After holding on the carrot, coat the working surface of the circle with wood glue, let it dry and hold on the carrot again. After applying glue, it is necessary to support the circle for one simple reason - the circle “leads”. No matter how hard you try, the glue will do its “job”, and after smearing and drying the circle, as if nothing had happened, will “knock” again.
6.Last operation. Apply wood glue and roll on the required abrasive grain. The circle is ready. Now, during finishing operations, your hands will not “fall off” when changing circles frequently. One twisting motion is enough, and the circle itself will “fly” off the “carrot”. Throw on another one, and during operation it will spin to its maximum value.

ATTENTION!!! Do not plant circles with a diameter of more than 200 mm on carrots - they will BREAK!!! Only on the seat of the emery wheel!!! Take care of yourself!

ABOUT STEEL 95Х18Ш. It is believed that the main criterion in approaching a knife is steel. Let me express a “seditious” thought that this is not entirely true. It seems to me that after all, the design comes first. There are some models in which steel grade 95Х18Ш is used in manufacturing - the steel is very powerful, but at the same time very “capricious”. It is used in the manufacture of stainless bearings (bearings made of this grade of steel are marked “U” after the number). For some reason, everyone who wants to have a good knife begins to “push away” from this grade of steel. But ignorance of the correct heat treatment technology or lack of technical equipment leads to the opposite result. I know few thermal specialists who are capable of performing a high-quality heat treatment of “95” and obtaining a workpiece with the required hardness in advance. With a small cross-section of the cutting edge, “crumbling” occurs, which entails certain inconveniences, including the loss of the specimen. It is necessary to increase the cross-section at the cutting edge, and this leads to a decrease in the “dressing” ability. Naturally, it is much more difficult to sharpen such a knife, and the “manufacturer” reduces the Rockwell hardness to 48-50 units. No comments needed...

ABOUT 65G STEEL. Good knives are made from 65G steel... unfortunately it rusts a lot. Its cutting properties are excellent. But cases of complaints about knives from this brand have become more frequent. Sometimes it happens - he forged it and pulled it back, but “it” doesn’t cut or, having been welded onto a butcher’s block, doesn’t chop. I started looking for the reason and found one.
For artisans and various “craftsmen” the 65G is available in the form of a spring. All products are made mainly from what is mined... in the endless expanses of our strange (from the word "country" - author's note) dump of scrap metal and substandard equipment. For some time I worked as a blacksmith at a car depot, and I had unlimited access to this material. Every morning at the “intermediate” warehouse for my needs there were 1-2 springs with broken leaves. My job was to bring them to the forge and disassemble them. After sorting, add new sheets received from the warehouse, properly straighten the whole thing, assemble and send back to the “intermediate” for further circulation. It will seem to some that I am describing the entire procedure for repairing springs for a very long time and tediously, but believe me, it is necessary. Maybe you will avoid a lot of unpleasant moments. Over the 10-15 years of operation of the car, all the units are practically not original, and the springs even more so. Moreover, the spring itself has leaves, like a historical review. One says hello from the 60s, another from the 80s, and so on... What happened? Either science has moved forward and they began to install frail substitutes, or the water was wetter then, but the fact remains that it is better not to use sheets from springs manufactured after the 70s. For example, I completely switched to carriage springs - the guarantee is almost 100%. But to be on the safe side, you can use a standard sheet with all the markings and paraphernalia. And there is no need to forge it. True, without forging one “zest” is missing, but that’s what we’re talking about , Maybe, let's talk further...

MODEL. I can offer beginners a simple, but already well-proven model for production. The first time I saw her was at an Italian exhibition. It struck me with its simplicity and modesty and distracted me from other research for a long time. The Italian company "KAYMANO" has created a truly amazing example. Nothing could be simpler: a handle and a blade. I admit, I fell in love with this model. And after some thought, I decided to repeat it. The lack of such a model among our cooks and sellers depressed me morally. But how to solve the hardware problem? After all, to manufacture a blade with a step, a precision (especially accurate) surface grinding machine is required. Even two. One machine processes the blade only from the right plane, the other one is on the left... I don’t have that kind of money not only for the machine, but for the documentation for it (and even now I don’t have it)!!! But there is nothing to do, hunt is worse than captivity, as they say. I tried with a large “gutter” - it was useless. This cannot be achieved on wide (large chef's) blades. The diameter of the abrasive wheel is not enough to immediately capture 50mm along the plane in one pass. And the chute for a professional knife is a disadvantageous element. A chef's blade requires weight and sufficient rigidity. With the design we need, the gutter will remove all the metal necessary for weight and rigidity. And this will mean that the goal has not been achieved. Then it dawned on me - you can remove the excess mass carefully using a mandrel, i.e. special device or device. This device must bear the duty of a limiter. And keep the rotating sanding wheel away from the polished step. As soon as I thought of this... half an hour later I made the first adjustment. It consisted of two plates with precisely calculated holes (as on the shank of the blade) for rivets. Plus I also added 20mm from the “heel” of the blade onto the step. The effect was joyful for me. He immediately began making half a dozen knives. However, the technology was still far from being fully developed. It caused a lot of trouble to align the holes for the rivet, firstly, and secondly, I had to drill the holes themselves in a shank with a diameter of 4mm. The plates were fastened to the blade with two bolts and M4 nuts.

Making a knife with your own hands: from start to finish

And with a rivet with a diameter of 3.5 mm, this is somewhat inconvenient. You have to “strain” when riveting - so as not to split the handle, so as not to wobble at the joint. In short, I sacrificed time for the sake of quality - I began to rivet a mandrel of two plates to the shank, and then grind off the rivets to remove the mandrel. "Madhouse" of course, but at that stage this was already an achievement. The technology is low-productivity, but this is enough for the artisan. Later, the management of the Moscow STIZ plant asked me to refine this technology for production. That's when I solved this mandrel problem. I simply bent a 1.5mm thick plate in half, and, having drilled a 6.5mm hole, began to fasten the mandrel with a bolt and an M6 nut under the shank. The problem with the mandrel in this model has been solved. Later, I began to use this device in the manufacture of other structures, slightly changing the mandrel.

In the pictures above there is a blank of a cutting knife in a holder, below there is a chef's knife for meat.

SPECIAL KNIVES. Perhaps the most difficult to manufacture, in my opinion, are special knives.

Well, there are so many conditions imposed on them that sometimes you end up ruining one or two pieces before you start to get what you want. Among these knives are boning knives. I know several models in this group. They differ both in manufacturing methods and in appearance. The requirements for cutting properties and shapes in this category are so high that sometimes you begin to suspect butchers and deboners of being boring and capricious. But all suspicions crumble to smithereens when you take a closer look at the specifics of this wonderful profession. Sometimes a knife is at work for 12 hours... And if the master maker did not try, they remember him for nothing... However, not for very long. Such items are usually disposed of quickly. I regret to admit that I am no exception. And I had to listen to unflattering things... But I missed most of the vocabulary I had saved for this case. The reason is that, wanting to understand what the secret of the boning lies, I used a simple technique. Before I made my first “boner” for sale, I hired three “experts”. Two of them worked in a nearby store, the third was the husband of my classmate, who bears the wonderful surname Maksichka (now, by the way, in Moscow you can find semi-finished products produced by him on sale). Several knives were made and distributed free of charge with the secret hope of praise... It was not to be. A complete failure... Even for free. But I won’t bore you with a description of my experiments and alterations (and there were several of them over the course of six months), but will immediately give advice to those who will follow the path of creating boning knives. Look for the golden mean in the design of the blade... Don’t skimp on purchasing the best raw materials... Make a pair of knives for the deboner to choose from... Give them to him to work for 2 hours and take a walk. If your knives are returned to you, don't worry. None of those who use this practice escaped this. If you have been prepared the agreed amount for one knife, feel free to start making knives and sell almost everything. If you get money for both knives... You are GENNADY KONSTANTINOVICH (JOKE)!!!

One of the secrets or one of the tricks . A material that can carburize well is required. You can use 40X steel. You make the product to a pre-grinding state. Cementation by 0.1-0.2 mm. Heat treatment. Grinding. The result: a viscous core in a carburized shell with a hardness of up to 60 Rockwell units. The deboners are very grateful. When in contact with bone, the two hard, load-bearing layers behave amazingly. Almost PERFECT.

I have made only 7 good ones, but very expensive ones (including Damascus) in my entire career. I know where they are, who has them, and in what condition. I just didn’t follow the expensive and simple ones (to my regret now). . . . . .

HOBBIES. Free time is especially important. I try to translate almost all the unused ideas and fantasies that come to mind into exotic products, or into products that are sold as “gifts”. Although it always happens that it is after a flight of fantasy that something appears that brings me inexplicable joy and a feeling of deep satisfaction. This happened with a knife that one of my friends ordered from me as a souvenir for a certain gourmet... Initially, the knife was intended as a cute joke, although somewhat “blackish”. The product had the original name "Souvenir kitchen knife for hara-kiri, reusable." And in the end, “TANTIC” appeared. Japanese style game and fish cutting knife.
By order of one travel agency, several “fishing profile” knife products were made from Damascus steel for an exhibition in France. Very high demands were placed on one of the knives. Firstly, buoyancy (the knife should not sink). Secondly, very quickly restore their cutting properties (a requirement for commercial knives). Thirdly, the design features must allow the knife to withstand short-term bending of the blade up to 80°. And it so happened that this order was placed in three places. I made the blade, and in another place a high-class craftsman made the handle and connection (fasteners). In the third, a leather case was made - precisely adjusted to the shape of the knife.

These guys should not only be involved in tourist trips, but would unite us all, scattered across Russia, at least in products... “We would also look at which side has the sharpest knife.”
RESULT: Fishing fillet knife - "PUTINA - 1"; "PUTINA - 2"; "PUTINA - 3".
in the picture: a fishing couple (PUTINA-3", "SKINER-S").

Throughout his existence, a person cannot do without a tool, and it is impossible to do without such a device as a knife to this day. Not long ago I visited a friend of mine who is a master in creating cutting objects and a member of artists' unions. What struck me was the varied number of axes, which, as it turned out, are used in hunting for a variety of needs. To your attention, I would like to introduce a new type of business based on the production of handmade axes and knives.

Safety

This business plan can be divided into two categories. In the first, the entrepreneur himself acts as the creator of knives and axes, and in the second, he is only an intermediary. It’s the second option that we’ll be talking about. If someone asks why this type of business is profitable and what advantages it has, then I can answer without hesitation - security. Now we are talking about hunting knives and axes that are not cold. Are there such hunting tools? Of course, there are, but you need to know some subtleties so that you don’t have problems with laws and sales of goods later. Firstly, maximum length the blade should be 91 mm, and the thickness of the blade itself should be more than 2.6 mm, secondly, the deflection of the blade itself should exceed 5 mm, and preferably all 6, and this also includes representatives that do not have a sharpened blade or with a large convergence angle. Based on these signs, you should place orders and pay attention.

Peculiarity

When ordering a hunting knife and ax, you should pay attention to its versatility and lightness. No one will want to buy a cutting tool if it can only prick or cut the skin. All knives are usually sharpened for one specific purpose and are not particularly distinguished by any of their features, but, for example, a hunting knife is made exclusively for sanding at the initial stage. But their appearance should scream: “Buy me!” The knife you choose for sale should be lightweight and work even at sub-zero temperatures. Each knife comes with its own strap that protects a person from being cut. There are six types of knives. They differ in blade length. The length is 35 mm for the smallest representative and ends at 60 mm for the longest. Distinctive feature A good knife will always have high strength and reliability in operation.

Axes, on the other hand, are more functional and varied, and their appearance should captivate the eye. Exists different quantity material from which the handle is made, but of the entire range presented, I liked the handles made from Canadian walnut and Korelian birch the most. Every good hunting ax should be equipped with a skinner and should be capable of skinning, gutting, deboning meat, and then dividing into rations. If earlier the trend was for rough, heavy and bulky axes, now they have been replaced by miniature and unique axes. Good ax should weigh about 400–500 grams, and its thickness should be 3–4 mm. As with a knife, the ax must withstand negative temperature, and should also be decorated with a beautiful clasp that protects both it and the owner.

Sale

Many people are probably now asking questions like: “How and why will people place orders from me?” Everything is so simple that it’s hard to believe. Nowadays it is gaining popularity to personalize everything. This also applies to household items. Many people are willing to overpay for items of the same quality only if they are different in some way. This is equivalent to knives and axes. You can simply start creating your own models of handles and assemble a solid knife from them. The style of the blade and handle must match each other and the composition must be completely unique. You can find talented artists who will be ready to make unique projects for knives or buy excellent steel, but with poor design and remake it, in general, there are a lot of options.

DIY knife sharpening device, drawings

So this business plan is not straight forward and contains many possibilities and implementations. The sale itself can be carried out both online and using an online store. Since these knives and axes are not considered edged weapons and are free for distribution, such a business can be run on a machine gun.

If you are looking for a business idea for your garage, then read my article Business in your own garage or another one: How to come up with an idea for your business.

Sincerely, Mikhail Yakovlev.

Materials and technologies for making knives

The quality of a knife blade is influenced by two factors: chemical composition steel (its grade) and its heat treatment (hardening). And the second one is perhaps even more important. Errors in heat treatment (hardening) can seriously degrade the stainless steel properties or make it brittle.

Hardening quality- this is undoubtedly a significant factor, depending on it the blade can be soft, quickly dull and bend excessively (under-heated) or become brittle and brittle (over-heated). Unfortunately, the quality of heat treatment cannot be assessed with a glance and, therefore, one has to take into account not only the grade of steel on a particular knife, but also the level of technological equipment and the production culture of the manufacturer. In this regard, when purchasing knife products produced in a garage or by a small individual entrepreneur in a small forge without professional equipment, you rely on chance and they can guarantee you quality only in words.

One of the main qualities of steel is its hardness. The main element that determines the hardness of steel is carbon. Steels with a carbon content above 0.6% are considered “high carbon”.
Many knife manufacturers indicate the hardness of the blade. As a rule, throughout the world this indicator is measured in Rockwell units (HRC). Its value for most steels varies from 24 (the indicator of “raw” non-hardened steel) to 64 units. (this is an indicator of steels like Kh12MF subjected to proper hardening with low holiday). Harder materials are no longer classified as steels; they can be ceramics and various carbides. For example, our knife sharpeners are equipped with carbide inserts made of silicon carbide with a hardness of 88-90 HRC.

Other important quality— corrosion resistance. There is no absolute stainless steel, but steels containing more than 13% chromium are considered “stainless” because they can resist corrosion for a long time. In the process of hardening steel, alloying elements play an important role - molybdenum, manganese, vanadium, etc., which are designated by the corresponding letters in the marking. For example, X12MF steel contains chromium, manganese and tungsten.

Of the domestic steels, the most common for knives is steel 65X13. From the marking it is clear that it contains 0.65% carbon, and the letter “X” means chromium and indicates that the steel is stainless, since it has 13% chromium. Medical scalpels and other instruments are most often made from this grade of steel, and therefore this steel is often called “medical” or “surgical”. This is a very good steel, a knife made from it can be sharpened without difficulty, but with aggressive use it quickly becomes dull. One of the very good advantages of this steel is that when properly processed, it almost never rusts. This steel is the material for the blade of a good kitchen, fishing or camping knife. Simple and easy to sharpen even in field situations “on a pebble”. A good heat treater can achieve very good results with this grade of steel.

Steel grade 65G- is good at cutting and elastic, throwing knives and Cossack sabers are often made from this steel, it can easily be oxidized (blued, blackened), the hardness of finished knives is up to 57 HRC, requires care, after use, blades made from this steel must be wiped dry and preferably lubricated to avoid corrosion. The 65G marking reminds us of the carbon content of steel of 0.65%. The surface of the finished blade is manually mirror polished by default if no coating is selected.

Steel 95Х18— is one of the best steels of domestic production, which is excellent for the manufacture of cutting tools, has high hardness (more than 60 HRC), with quite good impact strength with proper heat treatment, holds sharpening well, thanks to the increased chromium content (17-19%) is resistant to corrosion. The surface of the finished blade is manually mirror polished by default if no coating is selected.

Steel X12MF has high hardness, which is determined by the carbon content (1.45-1.65%), after hardening the knife blade has a hardness of 62-64 HRC, the main alloying element of this steel is chromium (11-12.5%), molybdenum (0. 4-0.6%) and vanadium (0.15-0.3%) - they increase cutting properties and wear resistance, increase strength and hardenability, and also provide stainless properties. A blade made of X12MF is not afraid of moisture, but after prolonged use it can still darken, unlike 95x18, which contains more chromium but less carbon. The surface of the finished blade is manually mirror polished by default if no coating is selected.

Steel 9ХС contains 0.9% carbon and up to 1.5% chromium and silicon, the knife blade has a hardness of up to 65 HRC. All bevels on blades are made by a blacksmith using a hammer by hand, and the geometry is such that the bevels have a cone-shaped shape in two planes (from the butt of the blade to the cutting edge and from the handle to the tip of the knife).

Diamond forged stainless steel (XB6) - alloy tool steel containing 1.25 - 1.45% carbon, 0.4 - 0.7% chromium and 4 - 5% tungsten. It is quite difficult to machine, but has a high hardness (62-65HRC) close to the hardness of diamond; therefore, knives made from it retain their sharpness for a very long time and allow cutting materials of considerable hardness. Our XB6 diamond steel is resistant to corrosion under normal use.

Damascus steel- a composite material produced by forge welding. In our Damascus steel we use high-carbon steels such as ShKh15, U10A and 65G. The knives have a very high hardness of 62-64 HRC and are distinguished by exceptional cutting properties due to the alternation of slightly softer and slightly harder layers of metal, which create a so-called micro-saw on the cutting edge. More hard layer Over time, it begins to protrude forward, forming a micro-saw tooth. Thus, excellent cutting quality is achieved, maintained even after long-term use.

We use “torn” damascus - the layers in it, unlike twisted damascus, are always located perpendicular to the cutting edge, due to which a greater number of alternations of harder and softer layers are achieved on the cutting edge, which is what forms the Damascus micro-saw.

End Damascus compared to the usual one, it has a more interesting layer pattern, and also more intersections of these layers in the part that forms the cutting edge. Due to the smaller and more expressive pattern, slightly better cut quality is obtained. And of course, the manufacturing technology is more complex.

Powder Uddeholm ElmaX– one of the generally recognized world leaders among steels for the manufacture primarily of weapons and elite cutting tools. Swedish stainless powder steel with alloying additives combines high wear resistance with corrosion resistance. Due to the high content of chromium (18%) and molybdenum (1%) in the alloy, ELMAX steel is very well suited for the manufacture of cutting parts of tools, which for their intended purpose can be constantly in contact with moisture. The main advantage of powder-type steel is its homogeneity - homogeneity of structure, as in a liquid, in contrast to ordinary steels, where the atoms are combined into crystal lattices and the bonds between the crystals are not so strong, and in the crystals themselves there are places with harder carbides and more soft elements. Powder steel is free from such disadvantages due to the uniformity of its structure. The hardness of knife blades is 60-65 HRC. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

V anadis-10 imported powder alloy steel, which has high strength and toughness (as it has a high carbon content of 2.9%, vanadium 9.8% and molybdenum 1.5%), and this steel is also corrosion-resistant (due to the chromium content of 7.8% ). Vanadis-10 steel is resistant to chipping and allows you to maintain the sharpness of the blade for a long time. The hardness of the knife blades is 62-65 HRC. This type of steel is manufactured in Sweden by the Udellholm company. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

Vanax– powdered high-nitrogen stainless steel with low carbon content, having a high metal hardness of 60 HRC. Has very high durability, providing excellent mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance (absolutely does not rust).

There are two varieties of this steel: Vanax 35 and Vanax 75

In fact, Vanax 35 is a high-nitrogen version of steels such as Elmax or M390 (with slightly increased molybdenum content), Vanax 75 is similar in composition to 35, differing mainly in the vanadium and nitrogen content (with slightly less molybdenum content).

How to make a knife with your own hands

We offer Vanax 35 for our models. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

PSF-27– one of the best steels in the world today for the production of cutting tools, made using spray forming technology, with a fairly high hardness (62 HRC), has good toughness and is relatively easy to sharpen. The sizes of carbides are 5-10 microns. It has the following chemical composition: Carbon - 1.5%, Chromium - 12%, Molybdenum - 0.7%, Nitrogen - 0.3%, Manganese - 0.4%, Silicon - 0.4%, Vanadium - 1%. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

Happy shopping!

Related information.

Law

Product card

Foreign

Selection of requests

Conclusion

1.Project summary

2.Description of the industry and company

3.Description of goods

4.Sales and marketing

5.Production plan

6.Organizational plan

7.Financial plan

8.Evaluation of project effectiveness

9.Risks and guarantees

Business concept

What will be required for implementation?

Step-by-step launch instructions

Financial calculations

Starting capital

Monthly expenses

How much can you earn?

Payback period

Business Features

Conclusion

How I mastered blacksmithing, or where it all began

How to make a knife with your own hands at home

How to learn to make really good knives

Automation of blade production

How to make a forge with your own hands

Where does a blacksmith get orders?

Payback of a knife manufacturing business

Youtube is the best source of client flow for a private master

How to turn your hobby into a profitable business

Welcome to the website of the St. Petersburg tool plant "STANKODETAL"

On our website You will find information about knife tools. We hope it will help you make the right choice.

Factory products- a reliable, high-quality tool.

Guillotine knives

Disc knives

Rebar cutting knives

Knives for crushers

Chip knives

Homemade sharpening of knives with your own hands - creating a knife using drawings

Combination knives

Making knives for guillotines

Sharpening flat knives

Sharpening disc knives

Manufacturing of industrial knives

Manufacturing of circular knives

Making knives for shear presses

Knives for shears in the warehouse

Metal cutting knives

Vibration mounts

Making a knife with your own hands: from start to finish

Safety

Peculiarity

Sale

DIY knife sharpening device, drawings

Materials and technologies for making knives

How to make a knife with your own hands

Related articles

Read also