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No idea whether or not this is the proper place to put this but I was wanting an more in depth explanation as to whether or not the transition between the edge bevel and the secondary bevel will effect a blades cutting ability. I'm not talking about a ridiculous 20° edge and a 40° secondary. I'm talking about a much closer transition but one that's not quite as smooth as it could be. I suppose the better phrasing would be "is it possible for the secondary bevel to create drag or hinder the cut in any way"

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'd like to jump in straight away with an issue I've been having for the last few weeks, and I'd like to request your feedback accordingly. I've started forging knives in my backyard since about a year now. I've been able to make about a dozen knives. I had to throw away a few, as they were mainly for practice in order to improve my skills. I Own a small propane forge (big enough for knives, too small for hammers), have a small anvil (15kg), and thoroughly enjoy the whack whack bit and the wood work finish for the handle. I do not own a proper belt grinder. I use files, a disc grinder and a small 300 rpm 910x100 mm belt grinder for the wood work. It's the finishing that I struggle with. Obviously I am not looking for a perfect shine, or a rediculously detailed finish (since I do not own a fancy belt grinder), though I'd like to be able to at least deliver a knife of which I can be happy with and cut things properly with. Until know, only one of my knives " sorta" fits here. While creating my most recent knife (see attachment) I was able to create proper bevels, and with it made my first hidden tang knife. Though achieving those bevels with lots of effort, sweat, and profanity, its achievement only feels minor compared to my thrive to improve. The biggest struggle is the sharpening. none of my knives cut properly (which is kinda their purpose), no matter what I do. I've been trying a converted bench grinder (MDF sharpening disc setup I found on youtube somewhere), sharpening stones, a kitchen knife sharpening rod, a buffing wheel, bench grinder stones, and in a whiff of dispair even one of those grindy things people use to sharpen their scizzors with. My hours of research browsing through forums have led to unsatisfying results. I am kind of lost here. Finishing my knives towards a final product loses its charm quite quickly, especially now I ruined my most recent knife (see att) desperately trying to sharpen the thing. the corresponding failures keep me from buying a proper belt grinder or expensive sharpening equipment, since I am honestly afraid to lose interest once the failures keep outweighing the achievements. Additionally, forging and finishing equipment is hard to come by in my country, whereas the investment is considerable when I'm going to up my game, and I'm not even sure if buying better equipment will do the trick in the first place. Am I being too ambitious, impatient, unskilled? I don't know. I can only find videos online of either very basic "how to use a hammer and coal" kinda videos or horribly complicating projects of people with years of experience which I one day hope to even come close to. I cannot seem to find anything that can help me proceed. This is where I'd like to ask for your expertise. Did you reach a point where I am now? How did you deal with it? any tips and tricks? let me know. thanks in advance!

I've started putting bevels on some knives I've forged with a file jig. I went online on Amazon and saw a lot of people unhappy with the current made-in-mexico Nicholson files, so I'm wondering if this group of wise bladesmiths have any recommendations for double-cut bastard files? Brand names and where do you buy them, please.

I have forged and heat treated a few knifes (1084 and/or 1095 steel) and now want to step up to an eight or ten inch chef's knife or maybe a Gyuto style. knife. Consider three factors (a) the profile, (b) the distal taper and (c) the bevel, Forging any one of these factors has an effect on the other two, The question is , how to I balance the forging process ? The stock removal process of knife making does not appeal to me, I prefer to work at the anvil as much as possible and minimize the amount of grinding. Thanks for any advice.