Forging versus Forging.

Mark Barone

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
I know that sounds confusing but It’s the only way I could think of asking. When I see a block of steel Heated hammered to the shape of a knife, I get that’s forging. But when is it not forging? If I take a bar of stock steel and hammer the clip point of the blade and then Maybe hammer the curve of the handle grip, then grind it down for a better profile. Is that forging also? How many times to I have to hit it with the hammer to consider it forging?
 
I think if you take a random shaped piece of metal heat it up and pound it into a flat knife shaped bar, then that's definitely forging. Taking a bar shaped chunk and heating it and pounding one edge into thinner stock and a point on one end might be... In junior high shop class (1973?) we took a steel rod and heated it up and hammered it flat on one end to make a screwdriver. They told us we were forging. Hmmm...

When am I Knifemaker? I buy premade/presharpened blade blanks and add handles to them. Am I a Knife Handler? Hybrid Knifemaker? I don't feel comfortable calling myself a Knifemaker.
 
Mark Barone said:
If I take a bar of stock steel and hammer the clip point of the blade and then Maybe hammer the curve of the handle grip, then grind it down for a better profile. Is that forging also?
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Yes, I'd say so.
Mark Barone said:
How many times to I have to hit it with the hammer to consider it forging?
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The last conversation I remember overhearing about this at one of our NWBA conferences basically came to the conclusion that if you modify the shape by heating up the steel and hitting it with a hammer, you've done some forging, no matter how much.
diverdale said:
when can one call themselves a knifemaker?
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I'd say if you modify the shape of the steel (and I'm including grinding bevels here), you are a knifemaker.
 
billyO said:
Yes, I'd say so.

The last conversation I remember overhearing about this at one of our NWBA conferences basically came to the conclusion that if you modify the shape by heating up the steel and hitting it with a hammer, you've done some forging, no matter how much.

I'd say if you modify the shape of the steel (and I'm including grinding bevels here), you are a knifemaker.
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Holy crap .... I’m a knifemaker ... lol
 
Knife makers are very similar to being a butcher. When I was an apprentice , I learned how to breakdown quarters, boning , down to slicing the steaks. Today most of that happens in a huge meat facility and the stores get everything broken down already and ready to slice. So the newer breed of butchers get very little experience with learning the actual anatomy and breakdown of cattle. They are still called butchers or meat cutters.
 
Mark Barone said:
Knife makers are very similar to being a butcher. When I was an apprentice , I learned how to breakdown quarters, boning , down to slicing the steaks. Today most of that happens in a huge meat facility and the stores get everything broken down already and ready to slice. So the newer breed of butchers get very little experience with learning the actual anatomy and breakdown of cattle. They are still called butchers or meat cutters.
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Yeah ... a buddy of mine has been a butcher at food lion since we graduated high school in 1987 ... he says that nowadays they can’t do any “custom” cuts ... it all comes ready to wrap. Very sad indeed
 
If you make knives, you are a knifemaker, if you forge blades you are a bladesmith. I think folks underestimate the impact that damascus steel had on modern knifemaking. There are many damascus patterns that will tell you immediately if they were forged to shape in a blade, rather than ground out of bar. I believe that in the 1970’s, 1980’s and even the 90’s bladesmiths let their mouths write a lot of checks that their butts couldn’t cash but damascus steel saved those same butts. If it weren’t for pattern welding in a forge, the stock removers should have called the forgers out and exposed their nonsense, but you can’t make damascus on a grinder. As for how many hammer blows it takes to make it “forged” I submit this illustration that I have used before:
1607822385601.png
 
Isn't a profiled shape technically "forged." Then maybe don't stop there but learn to forge bevels.

Also, definitely hidden tangs need to be drawn out and finger choils should be forged.

Just thoughts...
 
Hmmm - I do not even claim to know anything - but my assumption was in order to forge - you had to forge weld, enough heat and pressure to cause those two pieces of steel to merge as one. Is my assumption incorrect?? I heave heat and beat a blade - but I did not consider that any more forging than when I sand my handle doo I consider that whittling... But that is just me and all I have are a couple of bricks and a propane canister torch just hoping to get 1084 too 'non-magnetic'...
 
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