One of the things I love doing is forging knives and other items out of known goods rather than flats. Most knife makers primarily if not exclusively focus on stock removal. This is where one starts with a flat of steel which is approximately the same size and thickness as the finished knife will be. From there, they grind away what isn’t he knife. Most knife makers who claim their knives are hand forged do about he same only the rough shaping is with a hammer.

What a few of us do is start with stock which does not resemble a knife at all. In some cases this is round or square stock which we forge into billets resembling that flat stock that most folk begin with. But what I really love doing is taking something a patron knows, like a rail road spite, and completely transforming it into a knife or other item.

Generally speaking, rail road spikes do not have enough carbon to make what I would call a truly quality knife. However, using a very special quenchant and the higher carbon (modern) variety of rail road spikes it is possible to achieve properties which are as good if not better than the stainless steel most mass production knives are made of. Still not what I would call a quality knife but as good or better than most commercial blades.

Here are a few photos of the initial heat treating process. After the heat treating, I laid them out for the final photo next to their sheaths. This is NOT the final finish. This batch sold before I got around to photographing them in their finished state.