I started with a blacksmith course, and found it very helpful. Learning how to hold the hammer and swing it to move the steel is the first step. I then took the into to bladesmithing course. Money well spent for someone just starting out. Visit several shops before you set yours up. It's helpful to use different grinders before deciding on a major purchase. Seek out a Master Smith for private lessons if you really want to improve your work. And, attend many hammer-ins, and don't be afraid to show your work. It's all about learning and getting better!

Best of Luck to anyone getting ready to take the plunge!

Bob

I took a weekend trip to a very generous guy's house and he showed me some of the basics. I slowly started putting together the components to build a forge, find an anvil, etc. I got to know a few more people that forged knives and got to do some shop visits to see how they did stuff. I started banging on metal in my garage on my own and the first results were...well...interesting. I had no belt grinder, so I used some various tools to get the shape what I wanted and then used a file to draw file the blade. I can't express how much that step by itself taught me about forging. When you're draw filing, every errant hammer blow and subsequent "ding" in the metal left me a lot of work to get out. For any beginner, understand that you don't need an expensive belt grinder to make a good knife.

I saved up money and drove to Montana where I took a week long course with Ed Caffrey, MS. We forged out some knives the first day and spent the rest of the week getting one finished and the others fairly close. It was immensely helpful to get one on one help and instruction from beginning to end. I can't recommend it enough for someone wondering how to best tackle the "process" of making a knife. Each step does something that will effect the next step, and so on. Take LOTS of pictures and notes to refer to later. A class like that is a LOT of info and good luck on retaining every bit of advice and instruction.

I was fortunate enough to be around when the formation of the Idaho Knife Association took place. Going to meetings where various techniques are taught/discussed and hammer-ins are taking place are very valuable. It gives you more information to put in your "toolbox". Shop visits give you ideas on how to situate things in your own shop to best help you. I drove up to Montana again later on and went to Steve Kelly's, JS hammer-in. There were people there from the stock removal world, folder makers, guys forging, the whole spectrum. I met some really impressive makers and good all around guys and learned some really neat stuff at the demos. I met Bruce Bingenheimer, JS and feel fortunate to be able to call him my friend. I travelled to his place and spent a weekend learning and having a great time seeing how he did things in his shop. And while there, I just happened to get to learn some stuff from Mike Quessenberry, MS who was going through town.

Looking back, I guess I'd suggest putting in the effort to get to know some different makers. Those already mentioned, others like John Doyle at a knife show, then there are the various forums where you "meet" and people can help you along. The relationships that have come out of that effort has probably been one of the more valuable things for me. I have resources now that I can call up or email and ask for help and advice. There are absolutely fantastic people out there completely willing to help you not make the mistakes they did. The key is to "get involved" so to speak.

Looking forward, I think I'd like to get better at my forging. I have to move some things around in order to get the forge up and going and so I can tend to not do it very often. Skills once learned, but not practiced often tend to go away... If I had all kinds of time and money, I'd fly around the country and visit a guy like Lin Rhea, MS for some black smithing lessons. Then go to the NESM and do some more there. The ability to forge different tools and have great hammer control while understanding the techniques would translate into more capabilities when forging a blade, fittings, etc.

I'll conclude my rambling post now....

Jeremy

I attended the fall hammer at Haywood back in 2011. Followed by the Intro class the Monday after. Never forge a thing in my life, much less a knife. I've taken a couple more ABS classes and attended several more hammer ins. In 2014 I took the Intro class again. This time I knew what questions to ask. Both Bill Wiggins and Daniel Warren have helped me immensely. Bill has invited me to his shop several times, his and Daniel's instructions have improved my methods greatly.

I started on my back porch and summer of 2014 finished setting up my shop. The best advise I can give someone starting is to learn a bit about blacksmithing. What little I know on the subject I can Thank David Burnette. David is the Blacksmithing instructor at Haywood Community College and a great teacher.

Also dont be shy, if you need help call another member and ask questions. I've never met but, have talked to Bruce Bump, and J. Neilson. Ed Caffrey I have talk to several times and met at Blade.

The list of friendly folks from the ABS that will help you is long and I mentioned just a few that I have engaged (bothered).

I'm long winded when I get started. Just so many have helped me. Networking and fellowship here is great.

Check out and try to find a blacksmithing club. Most states have one. Here in Oklahoma we have the Saltfork Craftsman Artist-Blacksmith Association. They have monthly meetings throughout the state at a member's shop. If you do not have any forging experience this is the place to get it. A lot of the members have been forging/blacksmithing for years and will gladly help you with any problem you may have forging and will work with you hands on and answer any questions you might have. At all the meetings in our club they always have 2 to 3 forges and anvils set up hot and ready to help anyone with any questions or techniques you may need help with. You may have someone who lives close to you that can help you. This has been a excellent wealth of knowledge and experience for me. I think it would help anyone else.

Anthony

I'll agree that you can shorten the learning curve a lot with the tutorage of a skilled bladesmith. This can be done either at a hammer-in, an official bladesmithing course, private lessons or simply watching a skilled smith at work. Once you have received the coaching, put it to use and then have someone skilled critic your work. Ask them what is right with your work as well as what is wrong with it.

Being a skilled craftsman is accomplished with three things: 1) knowing how 2) having the right tools and 3) practicing with them enough to become proficient. Going beyond skilled is done by never being satisfied, continuing to learn and trying to make each one better than the last.

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> That's about as didactic as I've been for a long time.

Gary

I started forging blades first and blacksmithing second. Backwards from what I should have done but I did not know any better.

I saw a Bob Kramer piece about his chef's knives and he said "There's three T's; time, temperature, and technique. That is so true in smithing, whether blades or hardware. In my opinion, blade forgers are generally weak at forging skills. I say this because of my own experience the first few years of blade forging. Blacksmithing has taught me how to use temperature much better. How and why to work at different levels of heat. This has only made forging blades easier for me and has given me so many good ideas and the confidence to do much more difficult projects.

I have been making knives for a little over a year and a half. Not very long but, I've ramped up very quickly through many aligned stars. The biggest momentum builder for me has been taking classes with skilled makers. I started out, and made my first knife, in Johnny Stout's Beginner Knifemaker class last summer. I went home and started making stock removal fixed blades. In February (2015) I attended the Guadalupe Forge Hammer-In and stayed on for another week with Johnny for his Fine Folders class. The Hammer-in was a turning point for me. Harvey Dean gave a demonstration on how overheating steel causes excessive grain growth and then demonstrated how it could be fixed with thermal cycling; I was blown away. Then J.W. Randall started forging Damascus and explaining mosaics and I was hooked.

I decided I was going to take the Intro to Bladesmithing course in Old Washington, AR in November (as in this month). While I was at Blade, I introduced myself to J.R. Cook since he was slotted to be one of my instructors at the school. In the months since Blade I've become incredibly busy so it worked out really well when J.R. later offered me a slot in his apprentice program. I went to J.R.'s last month having never forged anything. With his instruction, I forged five blades. I ground the first one the first day and saw very quickly how important accuracy with the hammer was. I forged two the second day and on day three and four I took one of them to completion. Day five was a half day but I was still able to forge two blades in the morning. The information I was able to soak up in those five days would have taken me a year or more to figure out from books and the internet. You just can't beat hands on instruction with a highly skilled maker.

Currently, I'm not sure what should be next. I have a years worth of folder orders and three scheduled shows for next year so I have a full plate. I now have a forge, anvil and everything I need to make forged blades. I am dedicating myself to "Forging Fridays" for the next several months at least, and will work on honing my skills. I think it would be nice to bring at least one forged knife to Little Rock in February.

Bob

Bob, your folders are awesome. It's no wonder you are covered up.

When it comes to forging, I do not like forging trinkets. But...they are great practice with the hammer. So, I am all for anyone to start forging small projects, not related to knives if you want. Like Bob, I have set one day a week aside for forging practice. No power hammer. Blades, axes, tools, etc. Just shape them with heat and hammer. This has helped me to no end.

So glad some of you have posted up your thoughts and experiences. The forging days set aside sound like such a great idea. Lin, I was hoping I could get a suggestions or two from you (or anyone else, for that matter)? I've seen a fair bit of the stuff you've posted up and am curious what you'd suggest as good "tool practice" ideas to help build those forging skills you mentioned above. I've made a few things, like crude hooks to hang some things on in the shop and a semi-crude fire poker that is so so. I'd love to make more sets of tongs and have watched videos, made a couple sets with a friend well versed in doing so in his shop, but for some reason, they intimidate me somewhat significantly and I don't have a block to help round rivet heads... I think my all time favorite from you was that compass you forged-it still sticks in my mind. Are there some exercises you'd suggest for guys that are helpful and maybe even get a guy something useful when done? On my list for a while now has been a hold down to put in my hardy which shouldn't at all be difficult, just need to actually do it...

I must say, I like the emphasis on blade smiths becoming better at smithing. I know it's one of my weaker areas. It can get a little easier to tell myself I can stop short of trying anymore hammering and just grind from there; I know that doesn't help me get any better at forging.

Jeremy

Most of all the blacksmith instructors at the club will start you out with hammer techniques, taper, and drawing out, making S hooks, learning to use proper heats to do the job you are doing. Then moving on to making tools, simple tools like a chisel and punches, moving on to more intricate things like a leaf. One of the important things here is that making just one or two S hooks does not make you proficient at that. The old saying, "is after you have made 100 S hooks, then we will move on to some other things". Yes I know S hooks are pretty boring after about the 10th one. But if you will pay attention you will see progress in your technique. The problem with most new want to be knife makers here at the club is after they have made 2 or 3 S hooks, having never done anything else like this before, they now think they can make a sword. All I am saying is take time to learn and listen to your instructors. I have a long way to go myself in just being where I would like to be. But it does not happen over night.

Anthony Griggs

Repetition builds mastery if I was to offer advice to someone just starting out. It would be to build one simple knife over and over until you can do it well then move on to something more complex. To many of us rush to get to the "cooler" designs and without getting a good grounding first, pay for it later.

The emphasis on forging in this conversation is something I would also agree with. Traditional blacksmiths can generally forge us bladesmiths under a table but also really fall short in there understanding of heat treatment and in fit and finish.

|quoted:

Bob, your folders are awesome. It's no wonder you are covered up.

When it comes to forging, I do not like forging trinkets. But...they are great practice with the hammer. So, I am all for anyone to start forging small projects, not related to knives if you want. Like Bob, I have set one day a week aside for forging practice. No power hammer. Blades, axes, tools, etc. Just shape them with heat and hammer. This has helped me to no end.

Thank you Lin, you made my day! I am one of those people who endeavor to turn weaknesses into strengths. That philosophy has served me well most of my life. With forging, I find that I'm so new to it that everything is a weakness so it's somewhat difficult to sort out a course of action. I'm not really one for making trinkets either but, I do like the idea mentioned about picking a blade style and continuing to forge that knife until it becomes very consistent and easy to reproduce.

Bob

I want to echo what Lin said about forging tools. The more hammer swings you make, the better.

I find I am always at a shortage of tongs in the right size, and making those tongs is great practice for hammer control and technique. Also, chisels, fullers, hardies, and the like are all quite feasible for the beginning blacksmith to make.

Steel moves in pretty much the same way whether you are forging tongs or chisels or blades, so those skills developed forging tools will transfer into your blade forging

Anyway, that's my two cents.

Jordan

This is a related thread that is active this month about forging techniques for the choil area of the forged blade. Master Smith Lin Rhea has posted some very useful techniques combined with photos, click: Planning for the Choil.