MaxRV Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Hello, I am brand new to blacksmithing and knife making (about two months). To this point I have primarily been practicing making leaf keychains, bottle openers, and making punches and drifts to develop basic skills. I am currently working from a Coffee Can forge and a makeshift Viking anvil (20lb sledgehammer) cemented in a five gallon bucket with a 30 lb. weight to have a couple of angles to work from. I build everything myself with guidance from several folks here at iforgeiron.com (you know who you are, thank you!). Attached is my first attempt at a knife. The blade is all hand forged from a piece of 1/8 X 1 4062 hot rolled steel (didn't want to use tool steel on a trial run. I did not use a design and basically just hammered it out based on the style of knives I am familiar with. I beveled the blade with my hammer and then finished the blade with a full grind. Thank you in advance for your comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 More pics of the knife please Max. Steel takes much better pictures with the light from one side than an attached flash. Outdoors on an overcast day is good lighting without special lighting. From what little I can see it looks pretty good. I'm not a bladesmith guy but am willing to share my opinion anyway. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxRV Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Hello Frosty, Thank you for taking the time to look at my knife. You will notice notches in the top and bottom of the tang, these were originally for a paracord wrap, but since this was my fist knife, I decided to try doing a handle and pins as well. I also noticed I scratched the hell out of the spine when sharpening....guess I have to polish again. Take Care, Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 A little more grinding on the inside and some decorative file work on the spine will take care of those. I'm not a knife guy I let myself get talked into finishing one at least a year ago and am still a way from finishing. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxRV Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Thank you, I will do some more work on it and research decorative filing. I really enjoy the ornamental kind of stuff but figured I would give a knife a try. Once I can build a longer forge, I plan to build some tools like tongs. Attached is what I have making to learn and practice. Take care. Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Hey, the other work you did (aside from the knives) is darn well excellent for your experience. I’m thinking I need to go back to the basics and make some leaves....again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Your forgings look darned good, well done. The knife shows good skills all you need to know is how to employ them. Maybe direction is the word I'm looking for. The leaves are marketable and your bottle openers look nice a little style and they're sellers. You don't need a longer forge, you can only work about 6" at a time and heating more will degrade the steel for no good reason, even if you were making swords. Honest, take it from a guy who keeps making forges too large. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxRV Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Frosty, Thanksfor the comments. As for the forge, should I just make an opening on the back to feed the metal through, so I can heat longer pieces like tongs? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zrognak Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 That is great for a first knife, you are doing good specially impressed with the other forgings you made, really well made. You got a talent for forging, thank you for sharing your creations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Yes, pretty much every type of forge profits from being able to stick long pieces *through* it so you can heat the middle of a long bar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 11 hours ago, Lou L said: I’m thinking I need to go back to the basics and make some leaves....again.... I'm in the same boat. I never wanted to make knives until I stumbled across JPH's books about a year into blacksmithing as a hobby. Then I got sucked down the rabbit hole, and my general forging skills have stopped evolving. Sure, I can forge a point, or a long taper, but my artisanal forging skills are not as good as what Max is showing. Nice work Max, is your forge lined with something other than the wool? I can't tell from the pic of your forge, I've seen a lot of newer forges popping up on forums lately that just have the Kaowool with no other coating. Uncoated ceramic fiber insulation will start to release tiny fibers once it is fired. These fibers can get into your lungs, and cause serious health issues. There are a number of slurry coatings that people use for this, but I'm not a good source of info on which ones are best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Good point on the forge lining. Some kast-o-lite 30 is in order for sure. A LONG read of the two main threads in the gas forges section will explain all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxRV Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 rhitee93, My forge is lined with a single 1" layer of kaowool. I then coated it with ridgidizer and the sealed it with ITC 100-HT. I also added a cheaper refractory to the outside of the can but I am not sure it actually adds any value. Thank you for the kind remarks. Max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhitee93 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Good deal Max. I've seen a bunch of forges lately coming from eBay that have no rigidizer, and people have been firing them up not realizing the danger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxRV Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Yeah, it is very scary stuff. I see a lot of experienced blacksmiths (at least on the dreaded YouTube) using forges without ridgidizer or a refractory coating and no respirator. I am fortunate that I found iforgeiron.com before I got started and received a ton of guidance from a bunch of the members. It is nice to have a great resource of information and members who are helpful and interested in advancing the skill. It is valuable to me since I do not have any schools nearby and have been unable to find any other smiths to learn from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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