In this project we build a miniature kitchen knife. The idea with this isn’t just to make it miniature, but to make it as close to perfect as possible. That for me means in scale, looks, quality, grind and sharpness. Look at the thumbnail, look at the knife, then remember this is just over an inch in size.
Miniature Kitchen Knife Build
The first thing we need for this build is the steel. For cheap good quality blade steel a box cutter or utility knife blade is hard to beat (what we would call a Stanley knife blade in the UK), these come in all sorts of quality. The best I could find was Tungsten Carbide blades, not because the whole blade it tungsten (it’s only tipped or it would be too brittle), but because the blade itself was extremely hard and flexible.
It goes without saying that when cutting out sharpened steel with a Dremel type tool protect your eyes and use a mask. You can find a free template at the bottom of the page if you want it.
Drilling holes in hardened steel
In the video I cut holes into the handle so I can fit the scales securely. Hardened steel is damn near impossible to drill with a conventional drill bit even if using Titanium or Cobalt bits. I used diamond Dremel bits from Amazon at a low RPM in a cordless drill. I made sure the bit was kept cool to avoid burning it out with a water reservoir made from Blu Tack. I found the quality of the diamond bits to vary a lot, with the cheap ones being next to useless.
To stop the diamond bit wandering around a small divot was created by repeatedly hitting the same spot multiple times with a centre punch. I didn’t make much progress into the hardened steel, but just enough, is enough.
Grinding the knife blade
- My initial grind was made with the wooden block, some good quality P120 and a lot of patience. The grind was done on both sides from nothing on the spine, to a fine point on both sides. Take care to make the grind as good and flat as possible at this stage, it sets the quality for the finished knife later on.
- A secondary grind was made with the stones from a KKmoon knife sharpening kit. Just follow the angle you have already created and progress up the stones until the rough surface has gone. I managed to get a near mirror finish to the blade with some P1500 and P3000 wet and dry afterwards.
- The final grind was set to a shallow fixed angle on the KKmoon kit. Obviously this kit is meant for full sized knives, but a strong magnet and a light touch allowed me to get an accurate final cutting edge.
Stropping a knife with Diamond spray
Lastly I used a strop and diamond spray to hone the blade to insane levels. This was purchased from Dutch Bushcraft Knives (also a YouTube channel check them out). While the spray and strop is not cheap, it is very good quality. Very little spray is required to hone a knife as long as you have it somewhere near first, so it will last a long time.
The end result, let me tell you, was the sharpest I have ever gotten a knife blade. Hairs literally ‘pop’ when shaved afterwards.
Fridge magnet blade holder
Finally in the video I slide the knife into a magnetic blade holder. I dont show you how to make this, but you can see this made in a similar build I made for a mini meat cleaver if you want to make one.
Mini knife template
Here is the free miniature knife template, print to scale, enjoy.
The above project is aimed at adults for education and entertainment purposes only, not to replicate. Anyone doing so takes full responsibility for their own actions.