Guiltyspark

when i say bad surface i mean its pockmarked with hammer blows badly , and im not sure if its heat treated. It just doesnt feel right when shaping steel. Maybe its the hammer im using. How flat should the face be of the hammer?

The past two knives i have made have turned out really great. But im afraid that im not doing enough "forging". The first knives i tried making were of railroad spike just to mess around and learn beveling and stuff. But the next two were flat peices of 5160 and 440c. On the first one i spent a few days trying to forge a sharp point on the 5160 , but just ended up having this rounded point that looked like the point of a sword or something. And the tip was upset around all the edges. So i just took a grinder out and ground my point with that. I guess im having a hard time 1. forging a point and 2. Forging a full tang. So what i end up doing is grinding both profiles out with a grinder. Is this "cheating"? Or is sometimes grinding the only way to achieve a certain shape? I can never manage to make anything "sharp" to a point or get square edges by hammer use alone. Is this because im using a railroad anvil with a bad surface? Is my metal not hot enough?

how are they damaged if I may ask?

I have been running my forge with both ends open , is this bad practice ? i have seen people block the back with firebrick before , is this a good thing to do and why? Also is there a prefered regulator for propane that everyone likes? because the one that came with the forge isnt working and i dont know why

It seems like with flat stock, most of the "work" that makes a forged knife "better" than a stock removal knife isn't there since it roughly already flat shaped and sometimes the point has to be cut out. Am I correct in saying the grain structure in a round stock hammered flat would be better than a already flat piece?

440c from NJSB

Is this possible in one go? normally i get a nice solid bevel from the heel up to a certian point and the tip is not beveled and i have to do a new bevel for the tip. Especially if the blade is slightly curved. Is there a way to do this in one single grinding? Also how can i get my stainless steel soft enough to work with , i tried annealing it in vermiculite and it didnt work i think.

no a "hollow forged" blade from my understanding is a very wide fuller (from edge to spine) that is forged in by hammer instead of ground by the profile of the grinder. think of it like the face of the blade being concave.

its hollow forged with grinding to remove some imperfections. I think i need a mushroom hardy because every time i would attempt to hollow it out it would flatten one side .

new pic

What does "dressed hammer" mean? Also i have more pictures coming , the steel was 5160. I ordered some micarta scales too.

The length is around 15 inches the thickness is around a 1/4 inch . The steel is 5160

What do you think ? my first thing i forged

I have a cousing who is getting into cooking and i was wondering what the best type/size knife would be the most useful to her. Also what steel would be the most appropriate.

I heard that leaf springs for trucks are a good source. does anyone know where i can find these online for cheap? All of the specialty forging stock is really expensive. what about other alternatives?

Im using charcoal and there is little to no smoke and im still getting black stuff. I think im just going to switch to a gas forge for safety reasons

I have been smithing for a week or two with charcoal and i have noticed that my spit/phlem is turning black. (and nose crust) I every time i "spit a loogie" its dark black and im pretty sure its because of the work im doing. What i dont understand is how this is possible so soon? Im doing my work outside and there is plenty of ventilation.... I think im going to get a gas forge if this keeps up

bmore county

its a multistage blow dryer , unfortunately only high and low and no in-between. The problem i am having is the fact that the coals are falling into the tube and i have nothing to really block it without blocking the airflow. As for the grill itself , i managed to coat the bottom and walls with "fireproof" concrete (2part portland , 2 part sand , 1 part pearlite , 1 part clay) I have no idea if this is going to last me long . I would make my own real forge but i dont have any welding supplies or training. Would a small cheap gas forge be better?

a blow dryer connected to pipe assembly

1. not briquettes , the lump stuff. 2. Not really fire brick i will post my setup

I have a barbecue forge and it seems really difficult to get the metal to get hot enough to glow orange hot. Rarely i even get red hot. Is there a particular way to stack the charcoal? becuase it usually just falls in the hole (i tried to put a stake though the middle but i guess smaller peices get by. I will try to get pics of my setup but if there are any guides on this it would really help me out

its not so much money as it is the fact i ordered 25 railroad spikes and need something to do with them. I want to make a kukri but i guess i will buy steel for that. Now i just need projects to use the railroad spikes on , any ideas? i have a hardy hole on my avil but no hardy's would that be a good steel for that kind of stuff