How to Forge A Knife?

You might face such situations in which there is a need for making your knife and forge it. Hence, for doing so, the basic thing you need is to have a piece of metal and for creating the shape of the blade, the heating process is required.

Does this process sound difficult to you? I guess it shouldn’t. Here I have come up with a few simple steps that will help you forge a knife step by step. Hence, before discussing them, you should take some safety precautions because, in this process, safety is a must.

Therefore, to forge a knife, you have to deal with hot steel, heat, iron, and many more things. However, whatever you do, you should always be cautious. And, for completing this process safely, you will need a pair of gloves and goggles so that you could be protected from the sparks of fire.

Step by Step Guide to Forge A Knife:

Before starting the process, let me warn you again that you are using hot metal in this procedure and without taking precautions, you can cause third-degree burns to yourself. So, be careful during the whole procedure.

Now let me tell you about the complete process of forging a knife:

1. Heat Your Steel Piece:

First of all, you have to light up the forge. Make sure there is an orange area inside the forge and it is the hottest. Since you have to keep the steel in that area, so it should be heated up faster.

Now, you need a piece of steel because you are about to create a effective fighting knife. Hence, if you luckily get a straight piece of steel, it will become really easy for you to complete the whole forging process.

But, if you possess a spring shaped piece of steel, before doing anything, you have to make that piece straight. Thus, you have to place the steel piece in the forge now and heat the forge up to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the color changes from yellow to orange, you can take it out and put it on the anvil.

2. Shape It Straight:

Once the piece of steel is completely hot, you can use a hammer to shape it. If you observe that the color of the steel has changed in red or it has become cool, you have to reheat the steel and continue hammering until you obtain your required shape.

Well, when your desired shape is attained, you can move forward to the next step. Be aware that this is a long procedure, and you can’t do it all once as it demands both time and patience.

3. Prepare the Handle:

The important thing to remember is that you have to create a space of about 2 to 3 inches or even more for the handle. For this, you need to decide which side is for the blade and which side is for the handle.

The flat portion of the blade should be the blade edge, while the curved part should be the spine. Thus, it should be careful while forging your blade.

After this, you need to keep the steel inside the forge for heating and take it out when it is prepared for the process of hammering.

Keep in mind that the handle should be placed on the edge of the anvil. Then, you have to hit that area using the hammer half on and off the part of the anvil. Once you have created the shape of the handle, it will start to look like a knife.

4. Cut off the Extra Part:

Now, it’s about time to take out your hacksaw and angle grinder and use them for cutting the excess part of the steel. Nevertheless, the edge of the anvil can also be used for cutting the extended part and dent it.

Accordingly, you have to use a piece of sharp and flat shaped spring and hold it in a vice. After that, you should mark the border that you want to cut and hit that part using your hammer. This way, the excess steel will be removed.

5. Harden And Shape the Knife:

Once you have completed the procedure of making the handle, you can put your entire focus on the blade. Bevels are to be created and for this, hammering is needed. An important thing to notice is that the blade should bend on its spine while hammering.

The next step is to go for hardening, in which the whole blade is needed to be orange. You can even test whether the blade is ready for hardening or not. If the blade is non-magnetic, it confirms that the blade is ready for hardening.

Once the blade is cool, you have to file the blade. Filing your blade will remove uneven spots and it will give shape to your blade. Later, it should be passed to the grinder for creating the edge.

You need to carefully dip the steel vertically in the mixture of oil and water as it will create a hard and reliable edge. However, if other angles of the blade are also dipped in that mixture, bubbles will be created on the blade and you will have to reforge it.

6. Temper And Finish:

The last step is to temper steel. Place the steel at a temperature of 250-350 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it will reduce the hardness in return, the flexibility of the blade will be ensured.

Now, your knife is ready. You can use a sharpener to increase the sharpness of the blade.

Forge Your Knives & Enrich Your Arsenal:

So, follow the above procedure step by step and forge as many knives as you can. How about forging some cool knives and fill your collection with them?

Time to get underway! Get the required materials and tools to forge your knife. If you are keen to get some quality and sturdy knives, explore our collection to find some masterpieces!