Wes Sander - Bladesmithing: A Definitive Guide Towards Bladesmithing Mastery

BLADESMITHING

A DEFINITIVE GUIDE TOWARDS BLADESMITHING MASTERY

Copyright 2018 by Wes Sander

All Rights Reserved

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INTRODUCTION

T he art of bladesmithing has a legacy which outlasts any civilization, with its roots in the Stone Age, where blades were made out of stone and flint, by banging them against each other. This tool was pivotal in the success of humans against other species during the Stone Age. With the advent of the Iron Age came the first metal knives and swords. Bladesmithing took off and the armies with the sharpest swords ruled the lands. Around the time of the invasion of Syria, Damascus was found, sharp and hard to such a degree that it cut through the Spanish invaders swords! Thus throughout history there have existed blades and bladesmiths, and you are about to be a part of that legacy.

If you are reading this then you are probably interested in making knives, and you are ready to invest time and money into it. Bladesmithing: A Definitive Guide Towards Bladesmithing Mastery has been designed to fulfill your desire to learn bladesmithing.

This book has been made to avoid as much of the complicated jargon related to bladesmithing as possible, and the whole idea is to keep the book simple.

Something that I recommend is to make products that you can actually sell. So you can actually MAKE MONEY while following this book!

Here are the answers to some questions you might have about this book:

What is this book about?: This book is a guide on how to start bladesmithing with the barest of tools.

Who should read this book?: If you are interested in making knives and swords of any kind, you would want to read this book. Anyone looking for a hobby should also buy this book!

Do I need to have tools before I read this book?: Only the barest minimum are required. The rest you can make or acquire along your journey.

What am I going to learn in this book?: I teach how to start bladesmithing from scratch and how to make knives and even add detail to them.

The first chapter deals with the basic progression into forging your first knife. The second and third chapters discuss actually making the knife, while the fourth chapter discusses heat treating and tempering the knife, as well as adding the handle. The goal of this book is to make sure that you spend as less time reading, while applying the knowledge in this book, i.e. I want you to get through this book quickly and start making knives.

Be sure to check out the BONUS section where you can learn to make even the tools for yourself, at the end of this book.

Bladesmithing is a hobby that you will cherish for a lifetime and never get tired of. I hope you enjoy and take full advantage of this book.

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED AS A BLADESMITH

S o now that you have decided that you want to bladesmith, whats next? Smithing is a process that takes time, and you need to learn throughout your smithing journey. The main focus of this book is to teach how to make your own knife, and this chapter is about how we are going to go about it.

Before we start let us go through the body of a knife, and go through the certain distinctions that you have to make to turn a piece of metal into a knife.

These are:

Blade: This is the cutting part of the knife. But sometimes the whole knife is also referred to as the blade.

Handle: The part of the knife that you hold. It is generally made out of wood.

Spine: The back of the knife.

Choil: A small indent in front of the edge, which marks the end of the edge.

Tang: The part of the blade inside the handle.

Cheek: The flat part of the blade.

Bevel: The slope towards the edge in a knife.

Pay special attention to these terms, as they are essential to the instructions given in the next chapters.

Now that we know the parts of a blade, let us move to the preparation for bladesmithing. The first step would be to get the tools. If you want to make the tools on your own (besides a hammer and an anvil) go to the bonus section at the end.

The type of material you work with is important too. Wood and plastic can be the starting point for most hobbyists as they can be given shape easily, as handles and such. High carbon steel is required for building a knife. Avoid more advanced materials like Damascus and titanium as they are harder to machine.

Set up a vice, anvil, sandpaper, hammer, center punch, file, saw and a drill. The steps given below mention the use of other tools, but they all can be substituted with the ones given above. As mentioned earlier you can also sell the knives that you make and buy more tools as you progress!

You dont need a lot of space to get started either. However be sure that you dont have the risk of a fire hazard wherever youre setting your workshop!