Why Forge?

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
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I was planing to post this while I was out in the shop and then when I came in my wife told me there was a major train wreck in Japan. Our daughter has been living in Japan for a number of years now and was planing on taking a trip by train on this day. My wife and I are both bummed from the news and so far we haven't been able to reach our daughter. If you could shoot up some prayers they would be greatly appreciated......

As a number of you know I like to forge, infact I love to forge. The first picture has the two blades along with the pieces of steel that they started out as. The second picture shows 3 blades. The clip point was forged from the larger piece of steel in the first picture. All three were forged from a more modern piece of saw steel that Wayne Goddard gave me. I can't remember what size the steel was for the first blade but the 2 larger ones each started out from an 8 X 1 X 5/16" piece. The middle blade is 11" and the bottom one is 10" and thats not counting a 6" tang. When I forge I like to see a total transformation and I believe thats what I ended up with. All the shaping and hammering was done by hand. The top blade I did about 30 seconds of grinding. I hope this makes sense......
 

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I forge so I can pack those edges!!! :rolleyes: :p :D

It is a good question Ray!

I used to think that guys that forged were a totally different breed. That it took someone far different than the stock removal guys and that there was some sort of huge divergence between the two "camps."

Low and behold we're all the same... some of us just get a chance to try heating steel up and hammering on it.

I have met very few people that tried it and didn't like it.

It's just another extension of our abilities. One more "tool" in our "arsenal" for making blades.

I am not convinced of it making a better blade, as I can make a whicked cutter with stock removal. But it does greatly add to one's skill set, and opens a GICANTIC door to more possiblities.

-Nick-
 
I can honestly say that one of the reasons I forge is that I truly enjoy the forging aspect of knife making. I can start forging and get lost in the process and suddenly realize that I have been forging knife blades for hours.
 
Prayers made for your kin. I haven't made a knife yet, but IMHO, forging takes more mastery, but it looks like you become more in tune with the knife you're making, if you guys can understand that.
 
Everything will be fine Ray. Keep positive. No news is good news they say. Prayers sent anyway.
 
This is why I forge, first picture shows the beginning, second shows the ending. It also is a great stress reliever. SOMETIMES.

Prayers sent Ray.

Bill
 
prayers sent ray. hope all is well
:) yeah forging is what got me started, funny i havent forged a real blade yet :confused:
maybe i should do that sometime. well damascus counts though right?
 
While most of the focus is on the difference between performance of a forged blade and a stock removal one, I think the main reason for forging is for the nostalgia of it, for making a knife the way they have for centuries, and people want to buy a knife that has had that much work put in to it, making it seem more "hand-made." As for actual performance differences, I don't want to get in to that. :)
 
to me, the thought of starting out with piece of steel bar, or an old file, what ever, and heating it up, and beating it into the shape you want, and the end result of beauty, that I made. and knowing from what it came.
call me crazy, but the idea of a piece of steel cable being turned into a fine blade is exciting to me. :rolleyes: :barf: :D

anyone can do it. not many do. i'm yet to forge, in fact, i hesitate to even say forge, as i've only as of yet, used my o/a torch to do my heating, a 'real' blade. just learning how to beat the metal into submission. i'm not to the beauty stage yet.

that star pattern damascus, that is the reason people forge.
absolutely awesome. :cool:
 
Prayers sent Ray.
I have alot of respect for you guys that do forge. I finally tried it and I think it would take alot more getting use to then stock removal. I would love to do both but I have nethier the money or the right set up yet to forge. It's in my future plans.
Scott
 
Sigh of relief....... My daughter is fine. Its not till next week she takes her trip. Having a kid halfway around the world makes somethings difficult to say the least. Thanks for the prayer's!
 
Prayers sent. I'm sure things will turn out OK.

Forging relieves stresses, or there would be a few less people in the world right now.....if you know what I mean. Really though, being able to come up with a blade profile and then watching the process of getting it out of the steel is rewarding. I don't want to get into which is a better blade but forgers have to be stock removers to get that fit and finish :D
 
I forge because I like waving red hot bits of metal around and who doesn't like bashing things with hammers? Seriously, it is a lot of fun and opens up a whole new area in materials manipulation since you aren't limited to any particular size stock. Forgers do end up at the grinder (or files) sooner or later too but it can really cut down on the time at the grinder a LOT, and if you are using sens and files, having a blade close to shape is a big plus if not a necessity. Heck, building and operating forges is nearly as interesting as forging!
 
I'm glad your Daughter is okay. I am an amatuer knife artist , working on my 3rd and 4th knives , already have ideas for 5,6,7,8,9,10 etc lol... But you forgers are the Masters ! Honestly speaking , I dont think stock removal is difficult if you have the tools , getting that grind right sure is difficult lol , for me anyways , I cant imagine the skill it takes to flat out forge a blade , I'm not sure if I have what it takes to do that , time will tell I guess :)
 
Now that I've had sometime to get my daughter off my mind here's some of my thoughts.

Both stock removal and forging require a great deal of patients. Some do both and others are better at one or the other or just prefer to do it one way. I started making when I was 47 and forging was what I was wanting to do. After making a coal fired forge I gave it a try. Well the first thing that went threw my mind was this will never work. I went pretty much went directly into stock removal useing many makeshift methods. I used the forge mainly to aneal my leaf springs and to straighten them out but I still kept at the forging and little by little I got better at it. This is now the start of my 12th year and I can pretty much pick up a piece of steel and turn it into a knife in a short period of time. The thing I like the most about forging is the freedom. With stock removal you need a bar big enough that you can cut and then grind you blade to shape. With a forged blade I can start with a piece of steel thats ruffly 2/3rds smaller than the blade I'm wanting to make. I just wish I had started 20 or 30 years sooner but things are as they are. If you guys have a chance to try it and if there's a person thats willing to show you don't pass it up.
 
Glad to hear your daughter is OK.

Mark are you going to show me how to "edge pack" at TrackRock in May? :D I am hoping to stay a little longer this time so i can learn a little about forging. :)
 
We're all breathing a sign of relief Ray, it's hard to try and not worry, I'm thankful she's ok.

Bill, what's in the stacK? 1084/15n20? Is it a short stack, about 4 or 5 inches long? I don't put that many pieces in my stacks, but maybe I better!
 
It's been a few years since I forged anything and I'm just now getting back into it, I'd have to say my #1 reason is pattern-welding. There's nothing cooler than seeing those patterns etch. Can't weld without heat!
#2... I know its been proven or at least scientifically argued that forging doesn't impart any unique qualities to steel, and I probably sound like an idiot by saying it, but I could swear those blades I used to forge were literally HEAVIER than a piece of stock steel the same size. I've never compared them under a microscope but the forge sure SEEMED to compress the metal. Maybe that all goes away as soon as its hardened, I wouldn't know. So maybe that part's all in my head, but I feel much better about showing or giving away a knife thats been forged, if for no other reason that I know that steel like it was part of myself. I've heated and hammered and folded- you know, blood, sweat, tears and all that!
Maybe its just because when I start slinging red hot metal around and throwing sparks people tend to leave me alone ; )
 
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