Hi all, just signed up to the forum and saying hi to all. I am a completely green to the black smithing world but I am fascinated by it. I am a HVAC service tech/ fitter by trade for 25years. 46 years old. I love wood working and would love to start making some of my own knives. Lol sounds like a dating web site bio or something. Haha. Anyways good to be here. Cheers all! I am hoping to learn a lot about just starting out by researching the forum. 

Knives are a fine target to aim for, but they are not a good place to start. 

If you can take a handful of steel wool and convert into a knife that looks li came from the Henkels factory, then you are a natural.  

Otherwise start with something more manageable, like drawing out (making a bar longer) or forging tapers (making a point on the end of a bar) or S hooks , etc etc, 

Fewer disappointments and frustration on this road. 

 

put where you're @ in you're profile there mite be a smith down the road from you you never know !

Welcome aboard . . . both of you. Glad to have you. yes, if you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how may of the IfI gang live within visiting distance. You will learn more in an afternoon with an experiences smith than days even weeks figuring it out yourself.

If you want to forge blades, learn to forge, then learn tool steel, heat treating. If you just must learn both skills sets at once buy knife blanks and make stock removal knives. This will teach you how to profile, grind, heat treat, polish, dress, etc. while you focus on learning how to make hot steel dance to your tune on the anvil. They're two different skills sets they just marry so wonderfully.

Frosty The Lucky.