Making your own tools

[Aina]

I have a friend who is making everything. All of her tools. She's already made an alter cloth/bag, a element necklace, and her BoS (which is bought..but hey). She's working on making an alter cloth/"purse" for me, and I think she's going to make her wand and stuff. We were in a query on how to make an athame....I've thought of some ways...but some of them seem a bit...crazy.
She's an awesome semstress and very VERY creative. But the athame just stumped us. lol.
Ah, btw, it is Galaxia here on MW...we know eachother IRL, actually she's my best friend...>.>
I was making a wand for her, but as I was letting the stain dry I think my dog ended up grabbing it, because when I went back outside....the napkin and the wand were no where to be found. :(

Any tips on making an athame?

[Teresa]

Sorry, I have made many things but not an athame. I did use a kitchen knife as one for a while though.

[Kmartin60]

I know I have taken old silverware bought a 2nd hand stores, and took the butter knives and made diff. things like chimes and such. Might could take one and either mold a new handle out of a variety of options! Or remove old one!

Examples:
The home-made modeling clay (Flour.salt, water stuff) or wrap in cords, yarn, ribbons, or leather, could add the extra's to either of these! I.E. Feathers, stones, etc. depending on what you prefer. Just a thought.
(The modeling clay easist to add stones to! and Symbols)

hmmm...where's my flour? :yayah: Bright Blessings, Kim

[Astara Seague]

either that or hire a blacksmith :)
I know a few who have made them with firplace pokers before they just have to be shaped right
Athames are hard to make

[Windsmith]

Unless her tradition requires it, the athame doesn't have to be a specific kind of knife. A letter opener, a butter knife, a sharp piece of glass or obsidian, a seashell with a pointy end - let your imagination soar. As long as you look at it and think, "Yup, ritual knife," you'll be fine.

[Brightshores]

You could always model one out of Sculpey clay... silver for the blade, and black or another color for the handle. It wouldn't actually "cut" anything, but would be fine for directing energy. You could then embed crystals and things in it if you like, or carve symbols that are meaningful to you. Alternatively, if you really feel like pushing the boat out, you could use art silver clay, but it would probably cost a fortune.

[Amelserru_halqu]

I was thinking about making one but I haven't had time yet. Here is what I was going to do. I was going to take a piece of steel plate, cut it with an acetylene torch and then use a grinder to shape the blade. It would be rough and not be a good knife for anything else, but for a ritual knife it should be fine, granted you'll probably have to borrow the tools to make it but if you can find them that's the easiest way I can think of. You could also create a mold, melt the metal and pour yourself a knife (maybe you could look into some form of amorphous metal, but I imagine it would be rather expensive). Otherwise you'll have to shape it the old fashioned way, at least if you want a metal athame. Alternatively you could create a ceramic or stone athame which would probably be much easier.

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

I've made one with a blade of shale or some other rock of that type (i'm having a huge rock name brain fart atm ^^;;) ya know, the thin flakey stuff. Then made the hilt out of skulpty with a little indentation where the end of the blade could fit in. Then painted the hilt, cause i only had some random colored skulpty. Put the blade into the hilt and off you go :) Of course you could glue the blade into the hilt if you wanted, i didn't, but having a detachable blade made it very easy to keep it in a small box. You could also paing designs or symbols on it, or carve them in, decorate it anyway you like!. I just happened to find the piece of rock lying around and think "this looks like a blade" did a little shaping of it, but not much. I know you can also make athames out of wood, if you have any skill in wood working. I don't know anything about that tho...

[Rainbow]

That reminds me that I know how to flintknap, so I can make one that way. If she has access to that sort of knowledge (I took a class), she could make a blade out of stone and wrap the handle. That takes a lot of practice, though.

Windsmith has an excellent point with the whole not-needing-a-"real"-knife thing. If you look at online stores, for example, you can find athames that are really nothing but a triangular piece of horn. Also, I know that in some prisons they use wooden athames.

[Sage Rainsong]

You could always just buy the athame that you like,cleanse, and focus your energy into it as a substitute.

[morningstar2651]

Here is information on making a sword (http://people.howstuffworks.com/sword-making.htm). A lot of the same information applies to making a dagger, though on a smaller scale.

If you're feeling particularly crafty, try to make the hilt copper and the blade steel.

[Tanya]

i've made most of my stuff, but not being much on metal work, i found my atheme...i knew it was mine as soon as I saw it.. it was in an abandoned hunting camp... its a skinning knife with a deer horn handle.

not evething has to be made... somethings, the Goddess can give you if you are looking.

my husband made me a leather sheath for it with our family symbols on it (Oaks Leaves and acorns) ("Noakes"... means 'from the oaks"

[BFD_Zayl]

I'm going to get one carved from bone, at the moment i use a sharp dagger i bought for $20 at a flea market, athames dont need to be metal, wood, crystal, antler, etc. will work

[RubyRose]

My athame is a letter opener. Works very well.

[Demeter]

Knives are tricky. If you insist on metal, you could use a bought knife and customize the handle. If you're skilled in metal work, you could buy a steel file, cut it down to the shape of the blade you want, temper and sharpen it, then fit a handle to it (I have several of these, but I didn't make them; a professional did). Or find an old silver serving knife and shape the blade and customize the handle.

Almost any metal, stone or wood will work. My husband has a wooden athame that he whittled from a length of aged hickory. I know someone who tried to use a plastic sword once, and it didn't work very well at all!

This is all for an athame, which you're not using for anything practical. For practical work, a bolline should be a real, professionally made knife.

[RavenStars]

In some traditions a wand can be substituted for an athame.

I use my wand for most everything. But sometimes the "cutting edge" is needed, in these cases I prefer non-lethal blades such as a metal letter opener. I am now making payment on a stone athame that I can't wait to add to my tool kit. I do own a real, live cutting blade, handmade and fairly sharp, but the only thing I've used it for in 20 years was during my self-initiation---the challenge had to be for real, for sure!

I know they have powered stone for casting. Making a mold isn't a big deal. Finding the powered stone mix (you add water) might be more of a problem. I saw it demonstrated in a sculpture class once and it wasn't hard to do. I think this would be a great option!

[Libris]

Any tips on making an athame?

Mine is from an old homemade dagger my husband found in an abandoned house, but I have made them for friends before. This is what I did:

Buy a throwing knife, I don't know where you are in IN, but there is a great store south of south bend called "Deals" that sells 3 for 5$ (at least last time I was there thats how much they were) You can also try eBay or the BudK catalog. They have a great blade but practically no handle so they're perfect because you can make your own handle for it. I'll post a pic later today so you can see what I mean.

Then make a handle from black Sculpey, wood or antler (if you have it and the tools required to work with it). You can add gems or whatever to the handle to make it personal if you want

If you used sculpey for the handle, bake as needed (be careful the metal will get really hot) and then consecrate as you would any other ritual tool.


If you have any other q's don't hesitate to pm me :D