Blacksmithing

Today, I went to the Firebird Forge for the day and (under the excellent tuition of Mort, the Blacksmith) learnt a small part of what it means to do blacksmithing. Apart from a couple of blisters on my hammer-wielding hand, I also walked away with the above 2 knives I made.

The bottom one is a "viking" style knife made in mild steel. It is a project for beginners as it teaches a few different techniques. The mild steel also makes it easier to manipulate.

The top knife is a "nakiri" Japanese-style kitchen knife made with high carbon steel. A much more difficult metal to work with and some different techniques needed. I also got to use a power hammer which hit with the weight of 40kg. I now need to go on a wood-working course to learn how to properly make a handle for the knife.

Both of the knifes need to be heat treated (put in a oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours then left to cool slowly). They also clearly need cleaned up and given an edge. I do intend to actually use the kitchen knife for cooking activities at some point.