C-1ToolSteel

Nice score!

MDN, My favorite method of bevelling without a belt grinder... Hammer your rough bevel. Then, normalize, anneal, and all that good stuff... Then, use the angle grinder with a regular grinding wheel to rough grind. Then, use files to get it how you want it. Finally, switch to sand paper, and don't stair step up until you have completely removed the previous marks. With this method, you can make 'em look as nice as any.

Beautiful and inspiring as always.

People have done that, but it is easy to make inserts if they are still rough.

That's a really nice second knife. I've been waitin' for this day for a while. Glad that you bit the bullet.

Trenton or Arm and Hammer. Very nice anvil!

Oh, I didn't realize that you haven't beveled it yet. What I was talking about is how when you hammer a bevel, a straight blade naturally curves to more of a skinner shape. To make a drop point, you make a template that looks like more of a sheep's foot shape. If you hammer a bevel on the knife that you are working on, it should turn into a pretty good drop point shape.

The thing about charcoal is it has the same yeild per lb as coal but is WAY lighter so.... Yeah. It's tricky to forge weld with charcoal because it burns down so quickly, which adds more to your plate when the steel wants your undivided attention. You don't have to find someone 5 minutes away that has coal. Find some GOOD QUALITY coal, then stock up. I got a couple tons of great coal for free. Sometimes coal even comes up on Craigslist when you least expect it. Be safe, and have fun! C-1

How'd you do that? Most people's first forged blades are the exact opposite shape, because they didn't compensate for the natural curve that the bevel creates.

Lookin' good.

I guess, if you get lost, Legos would be better entertainment than a couple feet of paracord.

The first twists I ever made were just like that. Rebar was all I had, so I was "forced" to be creative. I like the look of it too, but there are certain people who just can't stand to see anything made with rebar. I think the technical term is the "make Steve Sells cringe" twist...

Those will definitely be going to the "try someday until I'm convinced I can't make 'em look as good" folder.

Do you plan to USE all of them?

Shouldn't you make sure you have enough anvils first???

Heavily rusted wrought iron shows the grain running along the length of the steel when wire brushed. It also splits up if you try to taper it below a bright yellow heat.

Not bad, BMV, but I would question the carbon content of those modern blades. All they need is something to braze the carbide to.

Hay Buddens are top quality anvils, but nobody here is gonna tell you what it's worth. It just doesn't work that way. There are people here from every continent, so whithout telling us where you are from, we can't even give you a ball park value. If it is in good shape, you have a stinkin' nice anvil. That's all that matters! Your Hay Budden was made in 1911.

When I don't need a square face, I just like to use a round face because I can hold the hammer at any position on the steel and not worry about corners where it is dressed differently.

What Arkie said. I, actually, am in the minority that prefers a round face hammer for my go-to. No reason not to buy more than one...

If your forge is going to catch on fire, you need a better design.

Nice Stormcrow! That guy is somethin' else. I've actually made a couple of his contraptions.(one of which, I haven't shot since the time it backfired, knocking my safety glasses off) He's smart enough to invent something really useful if he wants to. Some people just stay 12...

Probably a dumb question, but you can't just wear disposible gloves when doing your doctor's work?

Made a door latch for the hay barn to keep the cows from getting in once and for all. Response: moo.

The first one is a Vulcan. Vulcans are about as cheap as you get for a tool steel faced anvil, but they ARE tool steel faced. Just very thin. The second one is a farrier's anvil, which (because of the narrow waist) isn't really designed for blacksmithing, but will work. That all depends, of course,on the steel type. That, I don't know.