How to Learn Knifemaking

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
1,398
Doing a bit of musing here this morning.

As I dabble in learning knife making and struggle with various aspects of it, yet somehow have managed to produce a couple of "pretty good knives for a beginner" I have decided that the ideal way to learn this skill would be to apprentice one's self to a skillful pro. At age 76 I won't be doing that but instead I will consider myself "apprenticed" to Blade Forums and learn by Q&A, videos, trial and error with my own mistakes etc. It is being a fun journey and already I have had two feelers on guys interested in (maybe) buying one of my knives or having me make one for them. (Wouldn't that be something!)

The biggest single lesson I have learned to this point (and it's at issue today) is DO NOT MOVE TO STEP 3 (or whatever) UNTIL STEP 2 IS PERFECTLY DONE. That is not an easy principle for me because it is my nature to move on to finish stuff but it is reiterated all over this forum and is so true.

OK I'm done for now.

How did you learn knife making?
 
I can't agree with getting every step PERFECT before moving on. In that model you risk never finishing a blade and learning from the complete process. By the time you get to blade #2 you've forgotten much about the earlier steps. Repetition builds understanding and skills. If you take forever to complete a step only once, you can only learn so quickly. That's MY experience, anyway.

On the other hand, you must be honestly critical about your own work, and realize that EVERY step has the potential for nearly infinite refinement, and should not proceed to the next step merely out of impatience.
 
I learned the most by using/breaking/dulling/modifying every cheap knife I could wrap my little paws around, starting at 5 years old and.. well, I haven't stopped learning yet. "Hmmm... this might could be better,,,"

I continued learning more from books and magazines in the 80's. Bill Bagwell's columns in SOF were a HUGE influence on me.

I learned a lot more by just using knives, and I continue in that regard.
 
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