Raggedstaff

Smallest knife I ever made was about three inches long including the tang. Was well received and still gets used. So I'd make two! :D

Working with unknown steel is always a gamble. Whatever people tell you about what it might be doesn't change the fact that you don't actually know. Normalise it thoroughly, quench it in oil and run a file over the edge. If it is hard then temper it and you're good to go. If it isn't then make sure it isn't simply decarb and then redo the quench in warm water. If you use clay in the quench then I'd recommend normalising again (I always normalise three times). There are two ways to find out what you've got. One is to send it away for chemical analysis, the other is to experiment until you know how the steel reacts. Once you know how to HT it you know as much as you need to until you want to start with the tricky things like martempering and such like.

He's a genius. It is always wonderful to see one of my blades given the Pennillion treatment.

This was recently finished by a friend of mine. He has a fantastic eye for knives and never ceases to amaze me. I sent him a blade I forged and this is what he came up with. He has taken an average looking blade and turned it into a simply stunning knife. 1055 forged, triple normalised, clay coated and quenched in cold water. Tempered twice at 185C Those are his hands, not mine :D

If you can get W2 then opting for a potential unknown in leafsprings is really stupid. Though like I said earlier it depends on what you are planning on making. If you want hard wearing campknives then you may be better with O1, if you want japanese style blades W2 is the one for you. Either way, pick one, work with it and get to know how the steel reacts. Make blades, HT them, and then try and destroy them. See how they hold up. Then ask questions about what you have seen. Learn how to improve what you do. That way you will not only understand more about what you are asking of the steel, but you will have blades that are worth having.

I've been saying that for years...

Hi Blackflame, I forged my first knife by blowing on charcoal in an old bbq to get it to temp. I used a sledge hammer head as an anvil and a claw hammer to hit it. It was a horrible looking piece of crap, but it was a blade and it was made by me. I learned a lot by simply trying, but more importantly I found out where the gaps in my knowledge and skills were. A place like this is full of people with a huge amount of knowledge and an admirable willingness to help others. All they want in return is a hint that you are willing to give it a go. If you say "I tried to do 'a' and this is what happened, how do I do it better?" you will be amazed at how many people fall over themselves to help you out. If you simply say "How do I do 'a'?" then people will assume you aren't serious. Successful blacksmiths are the sort of people who not only want to understand, but that want to do. I have tried some pretty silly stuff just to see what happens. The simple answer is that I come away knowing more than I did at the start. Have a play with some of the steel you have. Heat some to red and let it cool, see if it gets softer. Do it again and quench it, what is it like then. Snap a bit in a vice and look at the broken ends, can you see the grain? Then when you know a little about what you have give us a shout and we'll answer any questions you might have. The most important thing is to simply have fun. That is why we all do this.

Thanks for the kind comments, hopefully I'll have some new pics to show soon...

What are you making? What characteristics do you want the finished piece to have?

Picked this up yesterday, needs a bit of love, but has some great potential.

Thought I should introduce myself. I'm Oz, I used to be a professional bladesmith before ill health stopped me. I'm just starting to get back into it. Here's a few of the things I made in the past.