Lumen Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Welcome! I strongly suggest you carefully label the D2 and put it away for "later". It is difficult to forge and really requires a high tech heat treat to get the best from it; so not a "learner alloy". What I do suggest for my students is a automotive coil spring, heavy duty if you can find one at the scrapyard or mechanic's place. Then cut it along a diameter to get a bunch of (((((( pieces, all the same alloy, that you can learn the forging requirements on it and then the heat treat requirements with a bunch of fairly fast smaller blades. Don't use one that broke in use as it may have other cracks in it. Places that lift and lower cars and pickups often have springs with very low miles on them. (I once got a set with 19 miles---the distance from the RR depot where they unloaded it to the dealers to the lift shop!) Recently I got one at my local scrapyard that still had the paper tag on it in good readable shape. Generally it's around 5160 an alloy easy to work and heat treat and makes a decent hard use blade. What is your Degree in? I'm currently working doing IT for an Earth and Environmental Sciences dept here in New Mexico. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumen Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 (edited) 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! Edited March 4, 2020 by Mod30 excessive quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Have you read Steve Sells "Introduction to Knifemaking"? One of the handy things is that the author participates here if you have any questions on what you are reading...(Followed by Knifemaking 2.0 by the same author.) My first degree was in Geology and I worked in the oil patch till the crash in the early 1980's, My second was CIS and I worked for Bell Labs till the dot com crash, then at NRAO till the downsizing after the ALMA project went from construction to Operations, then worked at the factory in Mexico for Dell Technologies until border issues downsized us and now doing IT for a Geology department. Perhaps your MBA career will be more stable! On the other hand I can grab a geologist walking down the hall and ask about local iron ore deposits for smelting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Welcome aboard. There's some classes in Louisville at caviar forge I think. I'm not too far up the highway from Louisville. I'm in Dry Ridge in Grant county. If you Google Blacksmithing classes in Louisville you'll find one. Glad to have you, be safe and remember it's supposed to be fun. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumen Posted March 3, 2020 Author Share Posted March 3, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Have you read Steve Sells "Introduction to Knifemaking"? 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. Edited March 4, 2020 by Mod30 excessive quoting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Welcome aboard... you will find some of us have a weird/warped sense of humor. Like blacksmithing the forum is supposed to be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 I have found that cataloging the scars on my hands/wrists to be a good task when at meetings I have to attend but are covering stuff I am not involved in. (Bow saw, veiner chisel, dog bite, molten zinc, stone grinder bite, pipe forging burn, crushed finger, license plate---it's an oldie, my sister threw at me when we were kids... IDF&C; four out of seven voices in my head disagree with your weird/warped humour comment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.