Hand Forging a Chef Knife

[@kevinreilly3369]

Hooray! Someone sticking to their word being hand forged👍🏼. Nothing sexier than a forged to finish knife, especially a hand forged bevel! Someone asked “Do we get to see the finished product”. In my opinion…..you could drag that beauty behind your car for 10mins, wrap that handle in twine, and I’d push 3 people over to buy that!!!. Keep it up, and keep it in my friend👏🏼

[@nietztsuki]

I see you managed to overcome what routinely haunts me in such projects . . . the ubiquitous "fish-lips." Good job!!! Forrest

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you! 😁 I'm still trying to nail my technique down. It is a bit challenging for me to forge a point on a thinner piece of steel like this without it wanting to bend on me. I guess I need to work on a bit more hammer control so I can get it done in less heats. Also while editing I realized I need to hang the tip a little further off of the anvil. Always room for growth! 😁

[@the_real_toji]

Hi, little late to the party but what works for me is that I let it fish lip, and then do a tip just over the edge of the anvil and basically pinch off the fish lip and it leaves me with a nice tip.

[@canaanbailie569]

I really liked watching you forge this blade. You tackled many of the same issues that drive me nuts.

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you Canaan! I really appreciate the comment! I'm definitely still learning and there are a ton of things that I need to improve on. So the best we can do is keep practicing right? 😁

[@martindonald7613]

So great to watch your hammer work artistry.

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you so much! It's definitely a learning experience everytime I fire up the forge but I truly do love the process. I appreciate the comment!

[@richardbryant7972]

Very nice start, looking forward to finished product

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you Richard! I really appreciate that :)

[@Babymoonblades]

I was pulling for you. I didn’t know if it was going to work out for a minute there. 😂

[@daveg8700]

Very nice work!

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you very much!

[@Shorty-dd1be]

Nice work on the knife, but next time you do the tip please try using a wooden mallet to hit is down or shaping before putting in the bevels

[@WayneTwaddell]

Awesome work. Do we get to see the finished product?

[@ic7846]

I reccomend checking out the That Works series: Your edge. Illya gives a lot of useful tips on forging techniques. You ended up with a great shape though. Especially for a blade that thin

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you for the tip! Funny enough I actually just watched that the other day! Definitely need to work on my techniques, I have a lot to learn. I appreciate you taking the time to comment 😊

[@ic7846]

@@postskriptcustoms Oh hahaha that's awesome! Keep up the good work! I haven't even started yet but I know a guy who has a shop so hopefully I can start practicing soon!

[@postskriptcustoms]

That's awesome! It's a ton of fun I think you will love it!

[@abicol6010]

I'm a new blacksmith and I want to make some kitchen knifes. I'm wondering what are the benefits of forging in the bevel with the edge straight and putting in the curve after?

[@postskriptcustoms]

I am quite new myself and to answer you question, there isn't a benefit. This was actually a mistake on my part. When I did the preform before doing the bevel, I bent the knife forward way too much. This resulted in an edge that was straight as opposed to upward swept by the time I finished forging the bevels. Going forward I will put a much less aggressive downward curve on stock this thin. Forge on!

[@abicol6010]

@@postskriptcustoms well the profile turned out awesome so it seemed to have worked out!

[@Shorty-dd1be]

That steel looks really hard to move? What type of steel is it?

[@McGowanForge]

Chef knives are a big scare for me, I've made 2 already but the fear of grinding so thin and forging so thin always makes me weary, good luck, awesome blade shape!

[@postskriptcustoms]

Yeah it's definitely a delicate process. I'm still trying to figure out the best forging/ grinding combo to avoid warps. This particular one took a bit of a warp in heat treat but I was able to straighten it with a shimmed temper. Cheffys are definitely a bit of a challenge

[@tobesmith7632]

Nice video and nice knife. However it has always been my understanding that you cut your tip in the metal to allow the grain structure to go the same direction.

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you! As far as my understanding, with mono steel there is no issue forging the tip in. By the time this blade has been forged, the residual grain structure from rolling the steel will have been moved about by the forging process. Most beneficial grain structure isn't formed until after heat treat. Normalizing the blade before heat treating also helps with this. Cutting is much more common in pattern welded blades because we don't want to disturb the pattern itself so therefore we cut the tip in to avoid smashing the pattern together. With all that being said, this is just my understanding. I am by no means a metallurgist, just a hobbiest having fun so take it for what you will 😁. Thank you again for watching the video 😊

[@coalsauce4457]

pls dont grip the hammer with your thumb pressing down thats how you get elbow problems later in life :)

[@postskriptcustoms]

Thank you for the tip! I have heard that before, I guess I just need to practice more. I have tried the other grip but I feel like the hammer bounces around and turns in my hand which makes me grip harder. Do you have any tips for avoiding this? Or is it just practice? Thank you!