File Hunting Knife

This knife was ground from an abused Nicholson file that I picked up locally on Facebook Marketplace. After annealing the file, I noticed it had a nasty warp that I suspect was there beforehand and amplified as a result. The file was pretty beaten up and I'm surprised there were no fractures. 

I did manage to nudge the steel straight using a vice and dowels.  

I wanted something a bit more rugged, especially when paired with the upcycled steel. Therefore, I selected a piece of African mahogany along with brass pins. 

The results of the shaping exceeded my expectations, especially the crispness of the spear lines.

The story isn't all positive though. A few months later, this knife was sitting on a shelf in the garage and was knocked onto the concrete floor. Upon impact, the tip broke clean off.  This was a good indicator that my temper cycle was not hot enough. As result, the knife was too hard and too brittle. This is one of the many risks of using unknown steels in knifemaking.