OK I promised earlier that I was done doing knives for awhile...but the clinic was slow and my young veterinarians were eager to see as many clients as possible. Therefore I just spent the afternoon at home
After doing some paper work and no real time to go fishing, I fired up the forge again...oh the luxury of a propane forge! As I was pounding on another scrap piece of file, it occurred to me how much fun can be had in even less than a hour of working hot steel.
Not to quibble about the pros & cons of forging verses stock removal verses cutting up saw blades, I'm just amazed every time I hammer on steel. It is so relaxing to make all the shapes without cutting or grinding...just let the hammer & anvil sing.
This progression from scrap to rough tapered blade was less than an hours work and only the hammer was used. Except to use my hand grinder to cut the file tang off...you can cut it hot with a hardy chisel but then it requires a little more hammering to straighten the blade.
For those of you who haven't tried forging, I think you will find it quite satisfying and mesmerizing...Doc