DIY scuba knife

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Sbiriguda

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I am making a scuba knife from a cheap beef steak knife
Following the suggestions of others, I used the type of knife with metal pins in the plast handle. It seems the ones without pins can break because the metal blade separates from the plastic handle

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Now I have to mill the tip of the knife after I cut off a piece and to make a sheath
 
Fold some webbing a few times, fastening loops, top flap stitch sideways first and then the sides
 
I just had the pins in a kitchen knife snap and the blade flip out of the handle. This happened because of one to many trips thru the dishwasher. Would likely have happened alot sooner with salt water exposure. Make sure it's full tang with high grade stainless steel blade and bronze pins.
 
Drill.jpg Tools.jpg

I used a drill with a kind of grinder drill bit to blunt the cut tip of the knife. I am not 100% happy of the result but it's ok
 
I also made a hole in the plastic handle to put a line if necessary
I am not sure I am using the right tools or I am using them in the right way, the result doesn't look professional but it does the job. The tip is blunt and it doesn't cut
Now I have to find some webbing to make the sheath
 
A feedback I got on this tipe of DIY knives is that it's better to use knives made of AISI316 or AISI316L steel knives if available, while AISI304 steel is less resistant to saltwater
Also, if possible some water should be used to cool down the blade while cutting it. If the metal gets overheated it looses its hardness properties. In my case I didn't cool the blade down I just cut the tip
For the webbing for sure I can find it in scuba diving shops, but I am searching if it is sold elsewhere maybe in haberdashery shops or similar
 
The best thing to do is buy one of the cheap holiday titanium knives more or less made for diving. For travel where you don’t want to check a bag, go to a store once there buy a cheap steak knife use it for the trip and throw it away.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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