Can a heat treat oven forge or should a forge heat treat?

[rmdmooch]

I am an aspiring knife maker on a budget and with little knowledge. I already own many tools for basic mechanical needs: oxy/acetelene? torch, chop saws, grinders, sander, bandsaws, welders, presses, all kinds of hand tools. I need a direction. To forge or not. Maybe I should let someone else heat treat for me. What do you guys think?

 

[Joss]

I think that until you can heat treat yourself, you should stick to stainless and have it heat treated by a pro like Mr. Bos.

 

[Kyle Royer]

I think you should build a forge, because you can heat treat in it and forge your blades to shape. I would recommend getting some forge plans from Ed Caffrey, I think they are $14 and the materials to build it cost under $100. I built one from Ed Caffrey's plans and it is great, it reaches about 1500 Degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use a oxy/acatelene torch if your blades are under 8 inches long with good results. I now have a heat treating oven and I love it but I went without one for a long time and did just fine, you just have to be careful not to over heat the blade in a forge.