Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 37,919
When I made that knife there was no Bladeforums ... no internet .... no knifemaking books ... no "knife steel" suppliers ... no other bladesmiths to help you.
It was hammered out with a ball peen hammer from steel I found in grandpa's garage. I now know it wasn't good knife steel. I was proud as heck of that knife back then. It looked cool, had a sharp edge, and had a deer antler handle riveted on with old iron nails. I'm still proud of it and value the knife as a reminder of how much I have learned.
Fun story:
Back in the early 1960's, shortly after making that first knife, I read a book on "Machine Shop Practices" from 1890. Along with drilling, milling, cutting, bending, etc., it showed how to build a forge and how to forge steel. It showed how to make and harden tools and knives. I was hooked! I built a rustic forge out behind the house, used coal I picked up in my wagon along the train tracks from rattling off the coal cars, and rebar to forge on. The forge made a lot of smelly smoke. My forged objects roughly looked like knives and sword ... if you had a good imagination.
An old man in the neighborhood came to see who was burning coal out by the woods. He asked what I was doing, and I told him, "Making a sword". He watched me for a minute and left. He returned with a big bucket of blacksmith tools. He showed me how to use them and how to make the steel move. He left them with me to learn better forging. The next day he came back and I showed him a knife that wasn't too bad looking (not nearly as ugly as my first knife). He said it was nice, but it didn't have cobbin in it ... "You want to use cobbin stall". He had a really strong South Carolina backwoods accent and said his words strangely ... like wore (wire), and arn (iron). I could barely understand him sometimes. I thought he was saying "cobbing" steel. I asked where I could get cobbing steel, and he said "tarns". I asked what tarns were and he said, they were for changing the tars (tires) on cahs (cars). I suddenly realized that tarns were Tire Irons, and cobbin stall was carbon steel. There was a small auto junkyard 1/2 mile across the woods, so I grabbed the handle of my red Western Flyer wagon and headed through the woods to find some tire irons. I asked the fellow if he had any tire irons, and he asked what I wanted them for. I told him I was going to forge them into knives and swords. He laughed and said there was a barrel full of them out behind the shed, and I could help myself. I filled the wagon with probably 100 pounds of tire irons and almost killed myself dragging them home in the wagon down the dirt path through the woods. Made a lot of knives and swords from them. Years later, I learned that tire irons were high carbon steel similar to W2,
BTW, the old man ended up giving me his old blacksmith tools and I still have many of them.
It was hammered out with a ball peen hammer from steel I found in grandpa's garage. I now know it wasn't good knife steel. I was proud as heck of that knife back then. It looked cool, had a sharp edge, and had a deer antler handle riveted on with old iron nails. I'm still proud of it and value the knife as a reminder of how much I have learned.
Fun story:
Back in the early 1960's, shortly after making that first knife, I read a book on "Machine Shop Practices" from 1890. Along with drilling, milling, cutting, bending, etc., it showed how to build a forge and how to forge steel. It showed how to make and harden tools and knives. I was hooked! I built a rustic forge out behind the house, used coal I picked up in my wagon along the train tracks from rattling off the coal cars, and rebar to forge on. The forge made a lot of smelly smoke. My forged objects roughly looked like knives and sword ... if you had a good imagination.
An old man in the neighborhood came to see who was burning coal out by the woods. He asked what I was doing, and I told him, "Making a sword". He watched me for a minute and left. He returned with a big bucket of blacksmith tools. He showed me how to use them and how to make the steel move. He left them with me to learn better forging. The next day he came back and I showed him a knife that wasn't too bad looking (not nearly as ugly as my first knife). He said it was nice, but it didn't have cobbin in it ... "You want to use cobbin stall". He had a really strong South Carolina backwoods accent and said his words strangely ... like wore (wire), and arn (iron). I could barely understand him sometimes. I thought he was saying "cobbing" steel. I asked where I could get cobbing steel, and he said "tarns". I asked what tarns were and he said, they were for changing the tars (tires) on cahs (cars). I suddenly realized that tarns were Tire Irons, and cobbin stall was carbon steel. There was a small auto junkyard 1/2 mile across the woods, so I grabbed the handle of my red Western Flyer wagon and headed through the woods to find some tire irons. I asked the fellow if he had any tire irons, and he asked what I wanted them for. I told him I was going to forge them into knives and swords. He laughed and said there was a barrel full of them out behind the shed, and I could help myself. I filled the wagon with probably 100 pounds of tire irons and almost killed myself dragging them home in the wagon down the dirt path through the woods. Made a lot of knives and swords from them. Years later, I learned that tire irons were high carbon steel similar to W2,
BTW, the old man ended up giving me his old blacksmith tools and I still have many of them.
