My name is Dylan Bettis. I am a brand new member of the ABS as of earlier today.

I am a senior at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I am an art major specializing in Glassblowing, but if I were able to declare a second specialization, it would be metal. I have two years experience with the "small" metals (copper, brass, nickel-silver, silver, gold) and about 5 months of experience with the "large" metals (steels of many types), not to mention my 5-6 years of experience with chainmaille of various types and metals. In the Fall of 2011, I enrolled in the Beginning Blacksmithing class taught by another member of the ABS, currently seeking Journeyman status (name withheld). Normally, the final project of that class is a decorative window grille, or a large sculpture, but due to the fact that the graduate student teaching the class specializes in bladesmithing, we were given an option that no class had been given before: we were allowed to choose to make a kitchen knife.

My first knife was what I like to call a French-ified Santoku Chef's knife. Full-Tang, W-1 sandwiched between two pieces of etched wrought iron, padauk teardrop handle with brass pins. It was a decent knife, and I gave it to my significant other for Christmas.

I currently have access to the entire L. Brent Kington Smithy, and I just ordered more W-1, as well as my own files and waterstones. I may soon order some 5160, but am hesitant to as I have never used it before...

(If anyone has a link to a site where I might be able to buy small amounts of wrought iron, that would be wonderful, as I would like to finish a set...)

Well, I suppose this has been a rather long introduction, but I would like to say that I look forward to conversing with many of you in the future. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />