Lumen

I haven't read it yet but I've seen it mentioned on this site. I'll definitely add that to the reading list! It sounds like you've had a very exciting career path. I spend most of my day hammering through excel spreadsheets and sitting in meetings that don't really apply to me haha! Variety is a good thing and it sounds like you've had lots of that! Thanks for the book recommendation. Thanks Pnut, good to be here! I'll check out Caviar Forge - I'm in Bullitt County right now (Shepherdsville) so that would be an easy enough commute. Thanks for the recommendations. Thanks JHCC! I actually did read that before posting.

Hi Thomas! Thank you so much for your advice! I’ll store that D2 and find an easier alloy to work with. I love the idea of coil springs - I’ll definitely take a look around at local scrap yards and see what I can dig up. You just saved me a ton of inevitable headache! Ah IT - I often wish I had gone that route. My degree is just a standard MBA with a focus in healthcare administration. I work for a large healthcare system here in Kentucky handling their pharmaceutical purchasing. I’m really eager to get started learning some basic knife making but I tend to get obsessed with my hobbies and figured I should wait until school is official done with. I might look around locally and see if there’s any decent classes or a current knife maker willing to let me watch/learn in exchange for beer and help around the shop haha!

Hey all, I hope you guys don’t mind absolute beginners joining the site. I plan to mostly lurk, read, and research before asking the same questions you guys have likely heard 1000 times before. Quick bit of background info; I was born and raised in the PNW (Portland, Oregon) and recently moved to Louisville, Kentucky for work. Married, two young kids, and I’ve always wanted to learn to make my own knives. I did search and rescue in Oregon and learned the value of having a quality knife that I could rely on for a variety of applications. I’ve been given an old coal/coke forge, anvil, and some basic tools. I’m planning on buying a decent 2x72 grinder, kiln, and other basic essentials soon. My uncle is an engineer and has generously offered to give me about 5000# of scrap D2 steel to play around with. I’ll be completing my graduate degree this August and hope to start learning how to make my own knives as soon as I’ve graduated this summer. Thanks for having me!