Looking for a teacher....

J

jack43011

Joined
Jul 24, 2015
Messages
5
I live in upstate/central NY (Syracuse, Rochester area) and have wanted to get into knife making as well as general metal work for years. Long story short, I am looking for a teacher. Obviously, nothing is free, and this isn't a skill someone can pick up over a weekend, and that is OK. I need some suggestions. is there anyone around here who would take on a student? In addition to wanting to learn, I am also a very experienced salesman, and would be more than happy to help in that regard, in addition to payment for instruction.

Thanks in advance!
 
There is a bladesmith school in Texarkana TX at the community college there. This was started by Bill Moran.

You can certainly get a taste for blade making at one of the Grind in's that are periodically held. There seems to be one in Knoxville TN yearly. I believe Bark River is having one of their grind ins in September. They are in northern MI.

Added: Like mentioned below, you can probably learn a lot simply by looking for knife makers in your area and talking to them. But you of course can travel. Ethan Becker is having one of his gatherings in the next month or so in the Knoxville TN area. Frequently there are a number of makers there and sometimes they make blades.
 
Last edited:
Google,
knife maker and blade smith societies etc in your area, I was shown most all I know of the basics of grinding by those that were before me. I was privileged to learn from the late RW Loveless at his shop and it didn't cost me a dime and I gladly pass it on to any newer makers in my area.

Hammer-ins and monthly maker meetings are a great way to get started and you may find a maker right near you that would be glad to have you stop by his shop for some hands on knife making.
 
Check out the late Ron Hood's Woodsmaster video, volume 9. A thorough guide to low-cost forging of a blade, and the video itself is ridiculously cheap for the information you're getting.
 
You should ask this in the Workshop forum.

If you get a copy of the Knives annual it has a very good directory in the back. The 2010 issue also had a DVD on knifemaking.
 
Buy a grinder, get some good steel, ask lots of questions in the knife makers forum, and get to work. You don't need a teacher. Good to have of course, but knife making is a doing kind of thing. Read tutorials, books, watch video's on you tube and other places, and ask questions, over and over until you get it. But above all, get busy. You will make a ton of mistakes, and every one will be valuable, they are learning opportunities. If a teacher comes along, so much the better. In the meantime, I recommend you go to the knife makers forum, introduce yourself, and start your long, and enjoyable road towards making the knife of your dreams.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top