Telling People What they WANT - 'Making a (kitchen) Knife

I am wondering if you would run a session or private session on how to make a kitchen knife for 1-2 people.  I would like to make a knife that I could use daily.

I am getting requests like this a couple of times a week. So I freely admit that I have developed 'a bit of an attitude' about this...

'Forged in Fire' is completely fake, or at minimum extremely inaccurate and grossly misleading. (1)

Attempting to make something that vaguely looks like a knife is not at all the same as making a truly functional knife.

Forging a blade requires considerable hammer control. Control is only possible to achieve through practice.
Working with actual blade effective alloys requires good control of temperatures. Again equals experience (practice).
This means basically the results for a first time effort are likely to be poor.

After forging, shaping and polishing both takes considerable time - and considerable equipment. (2)

Two large blades, forged and ready for grinding & polishing.

You can switch one for the other (very expensive long belt sander instead of hours with a hand file).
I am not equipped with multiple polishing work stations. (3)

Remember there are three (or four) individual, separate skill sets and equipment requirements to actually make a finished knife :
Forge
Polish
Handle
(Scabbard)

'Gut Ripper' - 1979 (one of my first knives). All hand polished = 50 + hours

Kitchen knives, especially, are more complex shapes, and the demands of use require far better levels of skill. Often the use of more difficult to control specialised metal alloys.


I do not just 'market' courses.
Others do not share this opinion, and so are willing to merely give people 'what they want' - NOT 'what is true'.
(See a recent commentary here about 'axe making courses'.)

My concern is for actual learning.
To that end I offer a selection of programs that I know I can instruct effectively, have invested considerable to equip correctly, and outline what any individual should be able to achieve inside the time limit. 
I bring over 35 years teaching experience in a workshop setting to these assessments.

Consider how the 'Build a Zombie Killer' program is described...
- This program intentionally described as for 'fun' / not a 'technical' instruction
Against the description for 'Basic Bladesmithing'...
- A blade forging program, with 'basic forge skills' as a minimum requirement

In actual fact I would consider 'Making a Kitchen Knife' a third level program.
I will strongly advise you to only have limited expectations on the results you should expect. This will vary considerably depending on what hand skills you bring. 


I know Jeff Helms offers a one week long program via Haliburton College 'make a knife', offered over the summer.
Jeff is an excellent artisan, and a very good teacher. Expect considerable hand polishing work (the College is well equipped with forges, but has virtually no polishing equipment).

I know that David Robertson will sometimes undertake a two day 'make a blade' program for untrained students. You would have to contact him for details and availability. 
I do recommend David as an excellent teacher. (I have worked with David for about 35 years, and have taught programs together in the past.)







1) I have made several commentaries about 'Forged in Fire'. It has become the bane of all ethical metalworking instructors, as there is little Truth in 'Reality Television'.
'Forged in Fire ?' : October 2015
'Forged in Fire'- not this professional! : March 2017


2) I have made a few knives, but I don't consider myself a full time bladesmith. 
- For me to forge out the basic shape for a knife size will take me roughly 30 - 60 minutes, depending on profile and size.
- The annealing step takes overnight.
- Surface grinding, profiling, polishing typically takes me 2 - 4 hours. (see below)
- Hardening, surface polish, Tempering, final polishing, typically adds another hour.
- Hilting is extremely variable, depending on what fittings are added, the materials selected, what shapes and size is involved. Expect multiple hours at minimum.
- Scabbard? (I personally am not much of a leather worker, and typically do not provide scabbards - just simple leather 'keepers'.)


Note that I differentiate between :
Bladesmiths : those who forge bars into the blade blanks first. This allows for considerable freedom of design.
Knifemakers : those who grind out blade blanks from simple rectangular bars. Often don't undertake their own heat treating. This results in simple (often standardised) shapes.
(Watch 'Forged in Fire' - you can always tell the difference.)


3) What they are using for grinding and polishing on 'Forged In Fire' ??

This is a currently available 'knife grinder' - actually a long belt, high speed sander:
- 2 HP motor
- electronic variable speed control
- 2 x 72 inch belts
- front vertical plate
- large contact wheel (note the FiF units have a larger rubber wheel, additional cost)
Rough cost = $ 2000+ US

3) As I do not normally offer any 'knifemaking' programs (ie - bar to finished knife), I only have my own personal equipment:
- angle grinders with grinding disk (possible use of flap sanding disk)
- one bench grinder, 1/2 HP (I have a second 1/3 HP I could set up)
- one 6 x 48 sander, retrofitted with a 2 x speed 3/4 HP motor
- one 2 x 72 sander, 2 HP motor (which I do not provide to students)