Thunter124
Well-Known Member
I'm about to get all of my parts and pieces together and finish up my blacksmithing shop. I want to go about making and treating blades in a more traditional manner: hammering em out, draw filing to sharp and shape, aneal the steel for a couple of nights(long soak in the forge, let cool in vermiculite overnight). Then using a heat resistant clay impregnated with activated carbon, bring the steel to a nice cherry red and quench in some plain old room temperature water. Does anyone still practice the old arts like this anymore, most all I see is people baking knives to X heat for X long and then letting cool for X long, and I can see why people do that, I can appreciate the virtues of that method. I personally don't want to just bake a blade, I want the dynamic, organic, artistic and original look that you get from it. So I've got to ask: who all is still treating knives in this manner, and how do you personally go about it?