just a thought... how'd you get started

In 2009 I worked for a shim manufacturing company and we had a request to cut some D2 steel with the laser. So I did a search for D2 knife steel and found Bladeforums so I read a few posts and found out that there was a market for custom knives. At the time my hours at work were being cut because of the economy and we needed extra money for my sons autism therapy. After work that night, I went out in the garage and made a knife by draw filing. Polished it up a little and took in to show the wife and told her that I could do this and sell them and that was the start. Went out and bought a Craftsman 2X42 and sold the second knife I made. I used that Craftsman for two years then saved some money and got a KMG. Working towards being debt free then retiring in the next ten years and going full time. I have made knives for customer all over the world and it gives me great satisfaction that I can take a pile of materials and make something that people would like to own, use, and admire.
 
Rookie25 said:
Hey Stacy, you don't happen to remember what part of SC the gentleman was from do you? Just curious.
Click to expand...

The gent was Charles Beck. He came from SC, that is all I know. He talked so heavily accented I couldn't understand a lot of what he said...and that was after he had lived here for over thirty years. I remember another word he used that threw me until I found out what he was saying..."Wore"..... It was "wire".





Fast forward to the millennium.
After a long break from knifemaking, I got back into it about 16 years ago. I ran into a fellow at my buddies BBQ shop who made knives, He was telling my friend about a problem he was having. I suggested a few ideas, and before long we were siting in the corner discussing mokume, quench oils, etc. I went home, got all the old stuff out of storage at my dad's, and set up the forge again. 15 years and tens of thousands of dollars later...I can now make a pretty good $100 knife :)
 
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"15 years and tens of thousands of dollars later...I can now make a pretty good $100 knife "

Haha! Not for the get rich quick bunch!

It also takes me so long to make them that sometimes it is a wrench giving them away :)
 
Great stories!
I'd been a working blacksmith for about ten years when the knifemaking virus began to infect our local smithing group. Fellows who had been normal crusty blacksmiths began to get a green light in their eyes when the subject of knives came up, and they'd show up at conferences with tables of purty but impractical looking long knives and damascus acting like they'd tapped into some kind of primal mystery.
I didn't think much of it at the time- it seemed like a kind of dead end, work wise, but a few (Dave Lisch comes to mind) were really making spectacular stuff, and THEY were smart guys....
One spring I watched Ray Rantanen make a layered hunting knife start to finish.
When Ray said it wasn't rocket science, my ears perked up- Ray actually IS a bonafide rocket scientist, so I was inclined to pay attention. It occurred to me that it was just blacksmithing, not majick, and something I could do for fun.
Started out making pretty fancy things, and the more I made, the more I just wanted to make tools that people would use rather than ones they'd ooh and aah over and then stick in a case or a safe.
The metallurgy is mostly what really turns me on- all that mojo magic associated with Damascus seemed (and still does) like hokum, but the actual transformations that are taking place during forging and heat treating....THAT is worth knowing and doing!
 
Thanks everyone for posting your stories. Like I said it was just a thought I had and was curious how everyone came across making knives
 
I bought a Moritaka Gyuto with a Blue #2 core and was shocked at how much better it was than my other box store kitchen knives. A friend of mine has made a few knives in the past so I knew it wasn't *that* hard to do. All of the elements aligned when I went to ask the metal shop teacher in the school I work at what it would take to make a knife and if I could use some equipment from time to time - as he was teaching a class knife making at the time! I worked a bit with the kids during my prep block and then took it home and finished it off and now I'm hooked. Only 3 knives in, but I know I'm making at least a few more for friends and relatives.
 
I was bored one day and decided to try and make a sheath for a hatchet I had. While searching the inter-web for inspiration I came across a knife maker's website. I started out by ordering blades and making handles for them. Then I decided to go full on and grind a blade. I went to Harbor Freight and got some tools. Then I waited for the steel I had ordered to arrive. Then I went back to Harbor Freight and got more tools...and more, and more. Now I am 4 blades in and I am loving this hobby. Thanks for this post, it has been interesting reading all these stories! Oh yeah, I still haven't made the hatchet sheath.
 
I made wooden swords for my son as he was growing up. When he hit 16 his interest changed to the real thing. I didn't start with swords but my first knives were forged hunters. Its fascinating how people progress into knife making.

Fred
 
When I was 5yrs old my grandfather gave me my first pocket knife, I still have it. I have had a fascination with sharp objects for as long as I can remember since.

I started regrinding and re-handling my mother's kitchen knives by the time I was 8. When I was 16 I took my parents to a local knife show to show them that I was not going to become a serial killer. I showed them a whole room of people buying, selling and other makers. After that I received some power tools for Christmas and have been at it ever since.

I am self taught with a background as a machinist which I didn't receive till I was 25. I have made just about everything and continue working towards making a split-back whittler.
 
My Dad was a metalworker by trade and did some metal sculptures in the 70s-80s as a side job. Guess that's where I got the metal working bug. When I finally had the space and means to try it myself I started with “medieval” type armor. I really liked it but there was not much room for creativity if you wanted to stay within historical boundaries. Decided to give knifemaking a try about 6 years ago and found the perfect fit for me. Never looked back since.
 
My Father was a machinist by trade, before everything was made overseas and everyone sued for any reason, he would take me to his shop and let me watch and even run some of the equipment. I got the bug for making stuff and the fact I'd had a knife in my pocket since 10 ish years old, it wasn't long before I was modifying production knives (ruined most of them) and now I'm at a place in my life where I can try to do this full time. I miss my Father.
 
I got into it a bit differently. I was laid up in bed for 7 weeks w/a broken femur and was on the I-net looking for a new pocket knife since my old one was clapped out and I wanted something a bit nicer than it. I've always loved knives but never collected them or really got into them, I just loved them! Well, I ended up on this forum to look at various knife reviews and saw the makers forums. What? People make knives? After much studying and a lot of questions, I bought my first Pc of 1084 from Aldo and went to town and made a sharp turd. All with files and sandpaper. Now I have worked in a sheet metal/Structural Fab shop almost all of my life, so I had some basic skills that transferred over to knife making. But more importantly, I had access to scrap material for making tools, fixtures, a gas forge and a 2x72 belt grinder! 3 years later, I have made a couple dozen knives that have been gifts for friends and relatives. I am still not ready to sell because my expectations have not been met yet for what I consider a "sales" worthy knife. Soon! Very rewarding hobby! If I can make enough $$ to pay for my hobby and mountain bike parts, I'll be golden!
 
Wanted to try for years. Finally bought an anvil, couple of hammers and a 2 x 42 Craftsman grinder., some PG O1 and after a few tries in ATF, some Brownells Tough Quench. I used the one brick forge initially. The rest, as they say, was VERY expensive history. :D
 
My dad gave me my first knife when I was about 8 years old. He was (and still is) obsessed with knives.

Then a few years ago, a friend of mine said that we should all make our own hunting knife for our next trip. I went out and bought a book, and read it from front to back a few times. Then I discovered this site... New obsession!
 
The short answer is; I was inspired by bladeforums.com to start making knives. I have always loved good knives, and have used them all my life. I have been damn slow getting going, spent too much time replying on the forums!

My first knifemakers membership was gifted, it felt more like a chalenge than a gift at the time. It might still, in all honesty.

Regards,
Ron
 
I am very new to knife making. I've always been a fan of working with my hands and the artwork of others. I'm a flyfishing RN...never worked steel, no one in my family ever forged, but I admire the handiwork of others. I figured if I'm gonna do this I'm going all out. Read everything, watched every youtube video, and went and bought an Esteem grinder. I buy all my supplies from Jantz, made a little forge, and got to goin'. I have offers to buy but don't feel comfortable selling yet. Hopefully someday I'll be turning out the work someone may want to pay for...
 
It's something my uncle dabbled in over the years (he was a huge collector that tried his hand at it) and when he passed away end of 2012 I found his books and started to read. It was a book by Loveless, "How to Make Knives." Ran into a A friend of mine a few weeks later and learned he had been making knives for a few years now. Imagine that... So, he showed me a few things, kinda walked me through my first stock removal, then I was off. Not long after that I met Shiva who lives just a few minutes away and started to help me out with anything I needed. 2 years into it in March...
 
I decided I was going to make a sword when I was about 10, so I broke out the hibachi, a chunk of old railroad rail, a curved chunk of steel bracket and a foot pump and set about beating the tar out of moderately heated (read kinda red) mild steel. Miserable failure, but I sure had fun doing it! Here I am, 26 years later and still haven't made that sword! Lol! I'm getting there though, slowly, ever so slowly!
 
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