Why not try out the sites that actually make them:
History:
http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/

Makers:
http://www.sheffieldknives.co.uk/
http://www.scorpionknives.com/index.htm

http://www.sheffieldcollectableknives.com/

Doesn't make one but has some interesting similar blades:
http://plowshareforge.com/

Probably the two finest makers:
http://www.macdonaldarms.com/armoury/index.php
http://nzknives.co.nz/home.htm

 

You will have to use steel (not steal).

 

ive handled a couple of MacDonalds Foils and Mien Gauche, scuse the spelling, superb work.

 

There's one steel that meets all your criteria, if I understand what you're saying. Springy, flexible, can take a good edge, doesn't need to hold it, easy to heat treat. 5160 spring steel is all of those.

 

Thank you, quiet confuseing all the different steals that are available today, I'll look into getting some 5160 spring steal.:thumb:

 

I second Dougfir's recommendation of 5160. Good easy to work/heat treat steel. Also not to expensive.
A little harder to find, L6 is another good material.

Being a thin double edge design, It's almost impossible to do a deferential heat treat. (hard edge, softer core)
Go for a softer final temper to prevent breakage.
But, just my opinion.

 

This might help:
http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml

 

That's a good article SeekHer, every novice knife nut should read that.

Any tips or tricks to heat treating, tempering 5160? with the understanding that A) My main concern on such a fine style of knife is it no break, and B) I have only got some fairly basic gear.

Is it better to heat it to cherry red or is it better to use a magnet ie till the steel becomes non magnetic? I got a big tub of sheep fat/driping I was planning to uses for quenching. Any thoughts on this, would it perform ok? Only other alternitves I have on hand is sump oil or water.

I was just planning to normalize the blade in the kitchen oven, is there a better way to do this?

Thanks people in advance. Unfortunatly I'm not real good with computers as I could add some pics when I adventually get started.

 

So my question is: if your going to make a long skinny knife, and you don't want it to break….

If your number one requirement is that it bends and does not break, why wouldn't you get a leaf spring and grind it in the shape of the knife you want without tempering it. Just go with the original tempering.

I guess the answer is; because you want it to hold an edge. Yet what is the purpose of this dagger? It not a bush knife, it's a fighting knife.

Can you have both? Can you temper a leaf spring to maintain its spring properties while holding an edge?

Or would you want to compromise on both?

 

I'd be starting with a coil spring
hammer, file & grind the shape then turn it firey red and quench it point first in oil...
Temper by placing it in a shallow pan with some oil and then burn off the black stuff.
The burning oil will heat it enough to give it a fine even spring temper.
You Mileage May Vary
:whip:

 

Yer I recon I might just try using a piece of scrap spring steel. I got plenty on hand. I thought there might be a better option than spring steel for such a fine narrow blade, but I guess they weren't using any thing to high tec in WW2.

 

Scrap spring steel or an old file, I hope to see the finished product when you're done or even a walk through thread on the making of it :thumb:

 

1084 from Aldo. He has it in stock.. Pictures of your past projects would be great

 

Unfortunatly post pics is a bit beyond this poor simple little old country boy. When my daughter comes home from Uni in a few weeks I'll see if she can help me out with posting some pics.

I have made a start on my Fairbourn Sykes inspired knife. I have a heap of split pins that the railway here uses along with railway spikes to fasten the steel plate that goes between the wooden sleeper/crosstie and the steel rail way line. (noy sure if that's the way they do it in other countrys but that's the way it was done here before the advent of concrete sleepers/crossties.

These split pins are about 5 to 6 inches long, about 1/2 inch wide by about 1/4 inch thick so when straightened give you a piece of what appears quality high carbon steal about 11" by1/2" by 1/4" . The first split pin I tried straightening it cold, got it opened to about 90 degrees when it broke. Not to worry I tested the quality of the metal by grinding it to a sharp chisel point on the bench grinder heating it up in the process and quenching it in water. It appears that by doing so I have made a serviceable wood chisel, that's quiet sharp and hasn't lost its edge, chipped or bent over evan after some hard ponding into some hard wood. I have know idear if all the other split pins will be as good steel, or if this steel will perform as a knife.

I am well into beating this steel into something that resembles a knife. This is my first real attempt at forgeing a blade, Im getting it a good cherry red in the wood heater in my living room and beating it out on a piece of cut of railway line. Takeing a bit longer than I expected, got the blade into a nice fine point, but its takeing more effort than I fought to slim down the blade and make ita bit wider than its original 1/2" width. I got it to about 3/4" wide but I was hopeing to get it to about 1" or there abouts to give me a little room to do some grinding.

I'm not going to go to to much trouble with this knife getting a good finish till I do some experimenting with hardening and tempering it. I'm making it plenty long so I can abuse the hell out of it till I break the tip of it just to see how it stands up and still have plenty of length to regrind a tip on it, well that's the plan at least.