I'm taking a class later this month

I've enrolled in a 2-day beginner Blacksmithing/Bladesmithing class later this month, and am pretty excited about it. I don't know if I'll go any further than taking the class, but it's something I've wanted to try for a while

Comments

[PresentPerfect]

well that's cool :O

[anotheraccount]

5589898
That class was a lot of fun! We made two small knives using two different techniques. One was stock removal, which is basically cutting bar steel to the shape of the blade and refining it on the grinder/etc. The other way was forging, which is what everyone thinks about for blacksmithing - heating up the metal and hammering it into shape before refining it. I gave one of my projects to my mom as a kitchen knife (which works really well), and the other one is in the style of a hunting knife that I'm not going to sharpen (just keeping it for display). Something that was pretty interesting was that the sound of hammering the steel changes with the temperature of the steel. When it's hot, it's not quite as loud and is a bit muffled...as it cools it gets louder and more "clang-y" sounding.

We used 1095 steel, which is different than stainless steel. Both have pros and cons. Stainless steel has some rust resistance, which makes use and maintaining pretty easy. 1095 steel doesn't have the rust resistance that stainless does, so you have to make sure it's dry after you clean it and maybe put some mineral oil on it for protection...similar to how you maintain cast iron skillets. High-carbon steels like 1095 can have a better edge, though (sharper, more fine edge).

No major injuries that weekend, just a couple minor things (no worse than needing a small band-aid)

[PresentPerfect]

5614313
awesome :D glad you learned stuff and had fun!