OP, you need to jump on that forge from Josh. That's awesome of him to do, and it sounds like you may also score some material. More valuable than any of that, you would probably have a minute to pick the brain of someone who knows what they're doing. I instruct and guide rock climbing, and it always blows peoples' minds how much they learn when they go out on a guided trip. That's not what Josh offered, but just talking to someone in person and having someone close that could answer questions would be invaluable.
However, if you're crazy, or you just can't go do that, as others have said, you can get a file, soften it up with heat (do lots of reading on how much heat) and grind it to shape. Or, you can start like I did. I bought a piece of steel from Alpha Knife Supply, ground it to shape, sent it to Peters' Heat Treat, then made handles and a sheath. It turned out great. You can get a piece of steel for less than $10 if you go with simple high carbon. I used CPM 10V, which I'm certain MOST people would say I was over-ambitious and maybe stupid to use first time out, and it was only $21 for a 12" x 1.5" x ~1/8". Honestly, in MY opinion, even the super crazy alloys like CPM 10V are not too out of the question for a newbie (IMPORTANT EDIT: as long as you're not heat treating it). You would learn a lot more buying 1084 and using Josh's forge to heat treat it, but the reality is you could buy some crazy alloy, grind it, and let Peters' sort out the trouble of heat treat. They will heat treat a single blade for around $30 (maybe $45 with shipping both ways). The crazy alloys will be tougher to grind/drill, but not impossible. I got a piece of B&W ebony from Woodcraft for the handle for like $5 out of their blocks by the pound box. So I spent about $70 total for a large fixed blade that was exactly what I wanted in an exotic steel that I'd been craving to try. It was the best $70 I've ever spent. I got a functional knife that I love, I learned a TON, and I had fun.
My point is that if you're willing to spend $55-75, you can just order some steel, get it heat treated, and make handles. But, you would have a MUCH richer experience, for many reasons, if you'd take Josh up on his offer.
By the way, Josh, that is awesome of you to offer that. That is exactly what forums should be about.
