Beer Neck Knives

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I made my first one of these Beer Knives for the 2021 Beer Swap on another site.  I had Duckmilk's name and made him the one in the first 2 pics with the Maple burl cast in Acrylic.  The second 2 pics are one I made for my son and has Olivewood scales with brass pins.  The final one was made for Pottz in last year's beer swap and has some dyed Birch scales.

The blades are made from 1095 high carbon steel that I hardened and tempered after cutting out of flat stock and grinding to shape.  The bottle openers were filed in and tested thoroughly for assured functionality ;-)  I etched my mark into the sides of the blades and made a sheath for each from Kydex.  I put a chain on my son's so it could be worn as a neck knife because I think they're cool.  

Thanks for looking!  Comments welcome as always 😊

78 Comments

now we're talking turkey!!

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - https://timetestedtools.net and https://diy.timetestedtools.net

cool little knives kenny, i love the one you made me.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Great looking knife Kenny.

Main Street to the Mountains

Those were great projects Kenny. Well done. 

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

i just love these knifes but i love kirdashian more I KNOW THATS NOT SPELLED RIGHT 

GR8 JOB 😍😎👍

*TONY ** Reinholds* ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN

That's awesome, Kenny!  How did you do the etching?

Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

Thanks again Kenny! It's really sharp too!

"Duck and Bob would be out doin some farming with funny hats on." chrisstef

Thanks all!


Rich



That's awesome, Kenny!  How did you do the etching?

I built an etcher a couple of years ago.  It’s not exactly like this one but functionally it’s the same.  I use an adhesive vinyl mask and salt water.


Kenny, what metals does that work on? I’ve done it on stainless, but nothing else. 

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

Most any metal Ryan.  Should work for ferrous and nonferrous as well.  Anything that can conduct electricity and is subject to galvanic corrosion.
Awesome 👍🏼 I’ve got a vinyl cutter that I used when I was etching some stainless…reminds me to use it more often! Mine wasn’t as fancy, just a 9v battery and two wires with one wrapped around a q-tip. 

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

That works the same Ryan.  Mine just adds the ability to use an AC current to darken the etched area afterwards.
So how’s it work? What’s the process?

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

I apply the mask and then I have contact that's covered in felt.  I soak the felt in salt water then apply it with DC current with the positive lead clamped to the knife blade and the negative lead going to the felt-covered contact.  I do this until the etch is the depth I want.  For me it's about 25 seconds but it will depend on the actual current and voltage you are using.  Then I have a switch that changes the output leads to AC.  I apply in the same manner for about 30 seconds to darken the etch.  That's it.  You have to experiment with contact times depending on the type of metal you're etching and your actual AC and DC voltages and currents.
If you were asking about the physical process taking place, the DC causes a galvanic reaction that erodes the top layer of the metal away.  The AC current causes oxides to be deposited on the top layer.

Also I should point out that only the knife in the last 2 pics has the etch darkened with AC.  The transformer I had in my etcher crapped out on me and I hadn't repaired it for the first two knives so they were only etched with DC.
Awesome info Kenny. I’ve only ever done the DC side (not that I knew the difference in what it would do). I’m assuming you seal the etching afterwards to help the oxidation so it doesn’t turn color or no?

Do you have a link for the AC/DC wart you’re using?

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

Never seen one just like that....it is very cool...well done.

Mike

I like the style and the heaviness of the blades, and the selection of wood used for the handles, really catches the eye. Excellent job.  Mike 
I bought discreet components and rolled my own Ryan.  My original setup was a 12VDC/1500mA wall wart I got at Goodwill.  But when it died, I wanted something more reliable.  I do not seal the etch at all.