I would ask this - when you say, "I have been forging for about 6 years now, and been making blades for maybe half that."

What do you mean when you say, ".............making blades"?

Do you mean making blades or making knives? Do you have any experience making finished knives?

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I would ask this - when you say, "I have been forging for about 6 years now, and been making blades for maybe half that."

What do you mean when you say, ".............making blades"?

Do you mean making blades or making knives? Do you have any experience making finished knives?

Sorry, I should have been more clear with that.Yes, I have been making completed knives. Forging the blade, fitting handles, etc. I understand the basic fundamentals of forging a blade to shape; hammering the tip to avoid fish lipping, trying to maintain even bevels, normalizing cycles, thermoocyling cycles, etc. I also understand the basic concepts of making a secure handle; getting everything flat, using epoxy as sealer rather than to hold things together, cleaning parts with acetone or similar to ensure proper bonding, limiting the amount of sharp corners that could cause stress points.

I am not saying that I can make a perfectly dialed knife. I would definitely love some tips and advice on all areas of the bladesmithing process. But I feel what I really need work on is the overall fit/finish of my knives.

Thanks for any comments and advice

It is worth noting, as per the title of the thread, that only one of the courses mentioned is an ABS course. I only mention this because there is a lot of confusion about the ABS Schools out there. There are ABS approved schools, and there are ABS approved classes, but they are not always the same. An ABS approved school is a facility that is approved by the ABS to teach ABS approved classes. Those facilities can, however, have any number of bladesmithing classes that are not ABS approved. In order to be an ABS approved class, it must be taught by an ABS approved instructor and use the ABS class syllabus, just being an ABS Master smith does not mean that you are an ABS approved instructor, our instructors are carefully selected among the most experienced of our Masters and know the syllabus. In this way we can assure we are endorsing quality information.

On the flip side of this, is that you can have an ABS approved instructor, but he must teach at an ABS approved facility for it to be recognized as an ABS approved class. For example, I teach private classes, here at my shop, but my shop is not an approved ABS facility, so none of the classes I teach here can be ABS classes. And, to add to the confusion, there can be schools that teach classes with the same name as the ABS classes, such as "Intro To Bladesmithing" or "Handles and Guards", that may be taught by an ABS approved instructor, but if it is not at an ABS approved facility, it is not an ABS class. In this way we can assure the facility is up to ABS expectations.

The New England School of Metalwork is indeed and ABS approved facility, and that is why you will see the ABS approved classes listed as "ABS", such as the ABS Handles and Guards you see here.

Ok, I understand what you are saying with that. I am not entirely concerned about the class being ABS approved, but rather that it is taught by good and comprehensive instructor (doesn't necessarily have to be an ABS smith)

Hey Matt!

Nick Rossi here! I’m the resident Bladesmith and instructor at NESM. I can’t stress enough how the repetition of an ABS Intro class can build your skills. That being said, what are your goals? If you want to make kitchen knives, my laminated chef class is great. If you want to be a Journeyman, I’d consider waiting for Burke’s Intro class in September or picking up another Intro class at another school. I can assure you that any class we run will be valuable and will be well instructed. Text or call at 207 713 4203 if you have any questions.

Matt, I feel your dilemma. Even after more than 10 years years of knife making, and 15 years of forging steel, I went through the same discussion with myself when contemplating taking a class a couple years ago. I took that class, something that "seemed" like a beginner focused class, and I realized that there is a big difference between "understanding the concepts" of how to do something and "being competent" at the techniques of doing it.

For example, the class I took was a chef knife class with Matt Parkinson. It seemed simple enough. Forge a blade out of 1095 flat stock and put a solid piece of walnut handle on it. During the class discussion period, there was a lot of discussion about forging techniques. When I started forging, Matt came over to my anvil and made a few suggestions about how I moved or held my body while working. Not how I swung the hammer. Not what hammer to use. Not anything fundamental to the act of forging the steel. It was all about how to move my body to achieve a desired effect from the hammer blow. This totally changed my results for the better. This minor change in technique was a game changer for me.

Over time you will find that you no longer do things the way you initially learned. We all change how we do things. These rarely come from sudden inspiration. They typically come from the interactions with other smiths doing the same thing. I have a saying I tell new knife makers.

"Ask two knife makers how to do something and you will get three answers. Each one of them will have their own way and when they talk to each other about it, they will blend their answers into a third method."

|quoted:

Matt, I feel your dilemma. Even after more than 10 years years of knife making, and 15 years of forging steel, I went through the same discussion with myself when contemplating taking a class a couple years ago. I took that class, something that "seemed" like a beginner focused class, and I realized that there is a big difference between "understanding the concepts" of how to do something and "being competent" at the techniques of doing it.

For example, the class I took was a chef knife class with Matt Parkinson. It seemed simple enough. Forge a blade out of 1095 flat stock and put a solid piece of walnut handle on it. During the class discussion period, there was a lot of discussion about forging techniques. When I started forging, Matt came over to my anvil and made a few suggestions about how I moved or held my body while working. Not how I swung the hammer. Not what hammer to use. Not anything fundamental to the act of forging the steel. It was all about how to move my body to achieve a desired effect from the hammer blow. This totally changed my results for the better. This minor change in technique was a game changer for me.

Over time you will find that you no longer do things the way you initially learned. We all change how we do things. These rarely come from sudden inspiration. They typically come from the interactions with other smiths doing the same thing. I have a saying I tell new knife makers.

"Ask two knife makers how to do something and you will get three answers. Each one of them will have their own way and when they talk to each other about it, they will blend their answers into a third method."

Great insight, thank you!

|quoted:

Hey Matt!

Nick Rossi here! I’m the resident Bladesmith and instructor at NESM. I can’t stress enough how the repetition of an ABS Intro class can build your skills. That being said, what are your goals? If you want to make kitchen knives, my laminated chef class is great. If you want to be a Journeyman, I’d consider waiting for Burke’s Intro class in September or picking up another Intro class at another school. I can assure you that any class we run will be valuable and will be well instructed. Text or call at 207 713 4203 if you have any questions.

Hi Nick, thanks for reaching out. I enjoy making knives for fun, but am really considering doing it as a source of income, at least on a part time basis. I really enjoy making more everyday use type knives, such as hunters, and would like to get into kitchen blades and folders. Larger knives like bowies and such would be cool to make on occassion, but I don't ever see myself making them as my go to style.

I am leaning more towards one of the 5 day classes, as I feel that they will help me get an overall tuneup on all aspects of the knife making process, and then I can see what I want to improve on and what classes I may want to take from there.

Also, more of a specialized question for you Nick. I am looking at getting some kitchen knife steel to play around with on my next order. What thickness do you generally use? The thinnest I have forged is 1/8 for hunters, so I was thinking the same with chefs. Not sure if 1/8 was too thin and would cause twisting and warping.

Thanks!