The 10 Cent Mini-Survival Knife...v.2.x.....

If any of you are not familiar with M4040, you should check out his site....he's a survival expert and a master bladesmith...

This instructible is based on his 10 cent survival knife design....with a little pinache thrown in for good looks and function...

First, pick up some hacksaw blades at the local hardware store, and a chunk of hardwood from the scrap pile or at the lumber store....

You're gonna at least need a bench grinder or belt sander, and a rotary tool for fine work, if you want to make this job relatively easy....a few fine grit sandpapers will help hone your edges, too.....I like my blades to mow hair...

I used my trusty old grinder that I rigged up from an industrial vent motor when I was about knee-high (yeah, it's still my favorite, and I can't seem to break it), and my new Dremel Stylus, which kicks a**, a couple of cutting wheels, and various attachments.

I also recommend Loctite Super Glue and Loctite 5min 2-part epoxy for just about all multi-material adhesion, simply because it works, is sandable, toolable, and I happen to always have some on hand.

I used a Stanley 24TPI hacksaw blade, which I snipped at 5 1/2" from the end to create my blank. I roughed the point w/the grinder and then chose a nice piece of golden oak from my scrap pile for the handle stock.

Next, I cut my handle blank down to 3 1/2" and slotted it length-wise, from end-to-end with the table saw in order to accommodate the blade, which sits flush into the slot.

Now I used one of my cutoff wheels to lay out the handle for finger contours....Like Grandpa always said..."Eyeballin's for rookies....the pros always have a map."

So I took the blade and the handle to the grinder and roughed-in the basic pattern that I wanted for my pieces. You'll also notice that I marked the blade at the point where I want it to sit in the handle, then held the blade outside of the handle and, using the line as a reference, was able to mark where I wanted to drill my stud hole in the handle later.

After drilling my stud hole, I grabbed a .22 shell, removed the slug and powder, used a torch to fire the primer, and proceeded to re-drill the hole with incrementally larger bits until my empty .22 casing fit very snugly through the assembly. Once I had a nice, tight fit, I removed the casing, applied some epoxy to the interior and rim of the hole in the handle, and reinserted the shell. Notice the opposite side has a bunch of extra shell....

I waited about ten minutes for my epoxy to cure well, then I ground off all but about 1/8" of the extra brass.

Now you need a flaring tool....I used an old quick-chuck that no longer holds bits, and ground the end of it to a slight taper. Then I laid the assembly down on a hard surface, making sure that the opposite side of my brass had good backing, so that I wouldn't pop it out, and tapped my flaring tool into the shell until it shouldered well and tight against the hole in the handle.

Next I filled the shell with epoxy, making sure to get it in the shell, not just on top and around it. Make sure you use a little too much...it'll sand off later, and it's better than not enough. Put it aside and take a little break.

Now I flat-sanded both sides of the handle w/the sanding wheel on my grinder - removing the excess epoxy from earlier....nice and smooth


After all was said-and-done, I polished the blade a bit, and gave the whole handle a good soak in some Minwax golden oak stain. Then I used some tool wax on the blade to preserve its surface from oxidation.

As you can see here, my knife measures out at exactly 6" long, the handle is 3/8" thick, and the profile is about 5/8" at its widest point. All-in-all, a fun build, and a useful blade......also pictured is another one I made, with a fixed blade, serrated back, and a lanyard...

But wait....there's more.....this blade ain't no ordinary pig-sticker....no, no, no.......
I thought it'd be a shame to waste all that good cutting length of a hacksaw blade, so I added a little something extra to this that you might not have caught..

Yep...that's right...a full 4 1/2" of hacksaw teeth when opened 180 degrees, and it's still pretty.

Since discovering M4040's 10 cent knife design, I've tinkered with it on and off for a few months, and seem to come up with a new variant every now and then...

I hope this, my third "instructible" inspires some more great ideas for this project....

As always, I must plug my website, www.htwtusa.com , and ask anyone who's interested to come check it out....it's free and friendly, so don't be shy....

Thanks again, 'Saw.