Knife Making Challenge: Make a REAL Knife in 2 Hours?

In this video knife maker Walter Sorrells throws down the gauntlet. To himself! Is it possible to forge, grind, and heat treat a fully functional knife, start to finish, in only two hours? Check out this video to find out.
More at:
Tactix Armory: www.tactixarmor...
Sword making videos: www.waltersorre...
Walter's Instagram: walterstactix
Tactix Armory Instagram: tactixarmory
Twitter: @WalterSorrells
Facebook: / waltersorrellsblades
Patreon: / waltersorrells

[@josephrector8735]

His 2 hours is better than my 2 months..goes to show what 20 yrs experience nets you..

[@fxpestoperator5527]

Man you just made me crack up joseph! :)

[@TristanDare]

This is better than forged in fire! Great video as always Wlater, good job!

[@jackbolen5001]

Actually, Walter was on Forged in Fire. He made a BEAUTIFUL blade. I watch his shows and was really hoping he was going to win and after seeing the blade he made I knew he had it in the bag. Then in the durability test....TING...all over. I hope he gets invited back. I mean, other than the heat treat, he made a show quality blade in 6 hours, that is bad ass.

[@pjhalchemy]

Interesting Walter brought up the point on this video that the knife maker on FIF Does Not get to do the tempering...and also interestingly his went TinG...Hmmm¿ @¿@ As much as I like FIF for the historical weapons, the contest and challenges are pretty brutal and wonder greatly about the testing methodologies and consistency. Particularly after someone has taken 20 big wacks on a chopping test at something typically not Chopped...the last 10 can't be pretty. Although Doug knows his weapons and how to use them. Really Nice build Walter! Thank you for showing it can be done and sharing it with us. ~PJ

[@TristanDare]

Yeah, it really bums me out that he lost so easily. but it is what it is, if the blade cracked it can't be tested!

[@Silentsea117]

even the champion build was ment for him

[@dominickeen6091]

I bet they rig it to get a certain person to win

[@charlierw123]

A forged in fire episode with him, Ilya from Man at Arms, Alec Steele, and Liam Hoffman would be sweet

[@tiffanyashby1793]

Ah telling yuh but they could do it on KZbin in they separate workshops. Like a challenge

[@Max_Arjona]

I’d really like to see those guys come to the show as judges at some point.

[@romantressler4480]

Ilya was on forged in fire as well. I believe he won.

[@romantressler4480]

Also Alec turned down being on forged in fire. He gave some reason why. But he was accepted then he said no thanks.

[@Felipera_]

@@romantressler4480 he didn't win, he completely dominated!

[@louisciamillo8690]

Forge a spear! I'd love to see the sorrels touch on that project for sure.

[@NOVAM1A]

to get a knife like that in 3 hours shows the skill you have . Ive been making blades no for 3 years and gaining bits of knowledge from you and others willing to give it. not everyone knows the difficulty it is to make a nice blade. hats off to you and thank you for what you do for us.

[@TheSchwaehn]

I like how the subtitles say [music] during the forging

[@fiddykooro3541]

Schwaehn It is music xD

[@tellket]

I always wondered why tempering was never shown on forged in fire. Thanks for the insight into that. It explains a lot. Thank you for the post.

[@philochristos]

Did you say D2? That's a pretty hard steel to forge, isn't it? That makes it even more impressive.

[@frankwoods135]

he is practicing for his next forged in fire competition lol

[@PetesCreativeRecycling]

I hope he comes back and this time they don't give him inferior materials! When it bends AND breaks the way it did, it was the material, not the smith. Walter made the most beautiful 1st knife ever seen on that show and did it with sheer toilet trash. 1095 metal dust + Unhardenable ball bearings in a canister... and it was a damn work of art! I bet he knew, right away when he saw the bearings, that he was screwed. He would have been better off making 2 canisters - 1 of the 1095 dust, and another out of the shitty bearings, then doing a hotdog-in-a-bun knife. It would have etched beautifully too!

[@SaitoGray]

Yeah, that was bullshit. The lottery was really not fair.

[@NKG416]

which episode??

[@SaitoGray]

It's the S03E14 - The Naginata

[@itsawonderfulknife7031]

I always wondered about the tempering in Forged in Fire.

[@silentshadow7625]

Do you have a video on how to put brass guards on knives or bolsters if you don't please make a video on this

[@futuresonex]

Check out the hunting knife series. He puts stainless steel bolsters on that one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3W2eIqYhK2aoMU

[@actingcrazy7227]

How do you treat the blade to prevent rusting?

[@VTdarkangel]

I didnt know that D2 was able to be hand-forged. I thought the higher chrome levels would cause serious oxidation problems and destroy the metallurgy.

[@roadhandviking2741]

Sir I have learned approximately three tons of information about knife making and forging from you. I appreciate every video you make and will support your channel as soon as I can afford to. My deepest thanks for all you do

[@billburr1347]

Walter sorrells you are a master craftsman, thanks for uploading, maybe one day I will actually make one and not just watch

[@PetesCreativeRecycling]

He got me to start over 3 years ago. Once you start, it's an addiction!

[@anond2015]

Am I the only one that enjoys that kinda enjoys that rough steel?

[@danielmatheson7535]

Did you say D2? I've always heard that was an air-hardening steel that needed special treatment to heat treat. Impressive feat though, I probably could do one similar with 2 weeks.

[@glassroboto]

I also wonder that too, I've never been able to get a useable harden on D2 using liquid quenching, but maybe I'm doing something wrong on the upper temperature end?

[@connorstevens3750]

just one question, I've used D2 a bunch of times and ive always treated it as an air quenched steel, yet you quenched in some kind of parks50 /houghtons K paraffin oil. Can you explain?

[@tristanphillips8937]

am i correct in saying that D2 usually isnt a forging steel because the heating and cooling causes a lot of grain growth? and if that is true hes using D2 because he can do a hobbyists 3 days worth of forging in like AN HOUR. therefore not as much grain growth so D2 is still viable.

[@tristanphillips8937]

also because D2 is an air hardening steel

[@Bravo21]

Thanks for this. for those of us not used to seeing how long it takes to heat and forge a blade. It was very informative to see it done in real time.

[@robgooch6367]

Bottom line: I can tell you from years and thousands of dollars spent in the craft of knifemaking that Walter Sorrels is in the top ten of makers who actually understand the physics of their processes. His Forged in Fire appearance was TOTALLY bogus. I had always wondered about the tempering of blades on that show. It is a testament to the character of Mr. Sorrels in that he has been silent and we have heard NO excuses for his performance. I will be the one who says it because he has too much class to. A BLADE POORLY HEAT TREATED IS AS WORTHLESS AS A BLADE WITH NO HEAT TREAT. When you change phases of steel and transform the make-up from austenite and (quench) force it into martensite you have a good amount of energy released in that state change. (this is why you will see the blades actually brighten up when normalizing as they pass the martensitic conversion limit when cooling) When trying to harden canister Damascus you run into somewhat of a guessing game when trying to reach the proper temp past critical. If you miss it (or you have crap steel like Walter got) you can end up with any steel with very little carbon in it having it burned away as you try to convert the hardening steel to martensite. This usually produces a very brittle blade. THE TEMPERING PROCESS IS CRITICAL WITH THIS APPROACH. My guess is they have a set way they temper blades on the show. My guess is they have hired help to put them into the ovens and set the timers. My guess is they have no adjustment as to the unique characteristics of each blade and have NO way to account for those variances. Running that can Damascus through a 300-400F 60min tempering cycle aint gonna cut it. You will end up with a blade too brittle to function and will break easily. (Sound familiar??) WALTER SORRELS IS NOT TO BLAME FOR THAT. THAT IS A FUNDEMENTAL FLAW IN THE SHOW'S DESIGN. You did a great job Walter andare without doubt a true gentleman. I, however am not so much and Forged in Fire can kiss my ass. Thanks

[@robgooch6367]

Ha! Nope I am an idiot. I just hate it that Walter didn't get to show out on that episode. There is more to the story than what was presented. I feel like the audience got short changed. I am certainly NO expert. This is just my opinion.

[@DragonsinGenesisPodcast]

The format of that show doesn't favor meticulous craftsmen but troubleshooters accustomed to working with mystery steel. It's a fun show to watch but should not be used as a guide for bladesmithing or as a demonstration of the competitor's actual skill.

[@turns-jt7te]

Rob Gooch the master Smith judge does the tempering. The forge is so incredibly bright and you're so out of your element that so much can go so wrong so quick. He did a nEat lil video on his FIF experience. It's tough to get a good heat treat in that lighting and the time situation looming overhead. One critical issue I feel he ran into was his liquid paper did not appear to fully dry before he started adding the materials.

[@UkSapyy]

Honestly guys just read upon the properties of ferrous metal and you'll find the best ways to alter properties to your preferred design. A knife maker and can work like an old blacksmith by tried and tested methods but in todays world there no accuses for not committing to the engineering and science.

[@tiffanyashby1793]

Lol I loved the last part.

[@filmfreak988]

I would love to see the full two hours of footage. It'd be cool to see every step you take, even the small ones.

[@frankwoods135]

So it took him 20 years and 3 hours to make lol thanks again Walter I really appreciate the time and money you spend to film all your work it's inspired me to make knives

[@johnt4060]

11:16 "Beans"

[@graemeoakham]

Whilst I’ve admired your work and was always aware of your prowess as a smith, I will admit to having been critical of late of your videos focussing mainly on the grind. I’d be ecstatic to turn something this good out in a day, never mind two hours, and I’m happy to eat my words. Nicely done.

[@jbfthree1]

Unless you are "better" than the person without a doubt and (CAN PROVE IT) then don't talk shit! ..just sayin.. ..Ohh! ☝️😮...can you (Consistently) produce a better grind than Sorrells?...show us a uncut video homie! I'd love to see it!

[@lordgrim582]

@@jbfthree1 You should probably go back and reread my comment 🙄

[@johndukes6323]

See Dee

[@hotdog99100]

So, we can oil quench D2 steel? Thought that had to be air quenched. Great work. It you would like to sell it, let me know.

[@austinhatcher4969]

So, how does he keep his shirt so clean?? All I have to do is think about my shop and my shirt gets dirty! :-)

[@Ihorecek195]

Are you going back in time or what? :D 2:05 - 1:55:00 and then you came back in time 2:42- 1:57:25. Well i dont really get where you have got those numbers from.

[@lokidjb]

Yup ... Working so fast he's even warping back in time 😂 ... One more lesson to be learned is: hasty jobs do not stick well with grinding. ... if you look closely after heat treating .... nice job and fun Video anywho. 👍

[@ImAndrewMarr]

Ihor Hudyma give him a break

[@cycomikey78]

Thanks for making your videos. You have helped me a lot.

[@xmaswitguns]

The videos you've made all this time are way more helpful and interesting than that overly dramatic show.

[@SaitoGray]

it's REALLy not that overly dramatic for a reality show. It's one of the most sober actually. No force drama, just craftsmans doing work

[@philippennington5415]

I finally found and watched your forged in fire episode! My heart broke when my MS hero's blade broke. You handled it like a Master Smith with class! The final round blade would have been right up your alley, could you make one you channel for us?

[@wyattsmith4134]

Awesome job Walter! I've found that it takes me about 7 hours to make a knife from start to finish, so seeing you do it in 2 hours is inspiring! I have to ask though, as a beginning bladesmith, what tool/machine do you feel is worth investing in first to speed up the building process without compromising the quality? I have been tossing around the idea of getting a sandblaster, a new 1.5 grinder and perhaps getting my knives laser/water jet cut out (I would have a professional do it), but I want to get the most cost effective item first. Any tips?

[@castledomeknives9395]

Deep voice..." NEXT WEEK ON FORGED AT WALTER'S .......MR. SORRELLS COMPLETES A KNIFE IN 30 MINUTES!! " I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR VIDEOS.....YOUR THE BEST!!

[@TheHappyGardener]

Forged in fire must make you wear the same clothes for 2 days, To have video continuity (That sucks)😖

[@johnc7642]

I had always wondered about if they tempered for forged in fire. They never show it or discuss tempering and from what I could tell all the knifes would be brittle and shatter in test if they did not temper them. Thanks for clearing that up.

[@carsongoodman5581]

John C of the knives didn’t fail...they think no one would watch it

[@LionAstrology]

That's insane that the tempering isn't highly controlled and done by the Smith on forged in fire...you must of been disappointed in the tempering done to your knife.😕

[@oneshotme]

What a small knife?? Why not one as large as Forged In Fire since that's what your playing on??

[@EZ_shop]

Kewl!

[@karlgustav5490]

hahaha, excellent vid! the knife is realy ugly and of course it is: now maybe people and customers can understand better, why a well made and beautiful knife, cant cost the same price than a knife made in two hours :). It show also than we can make a useful knife in few hours for ourself, if we dont intent to sell it, or having a real finish, fine details, perfect polishing, etc, all things which make a knifemaking process very long ( and the price too) very cool video. i'm knifemaker for 20years now, enjoy your vids and still learn things from them. you are a very good and fine knifemaker. honnestly, there is not a lot of youtube channel which can propose that. ( and your voice is really easy to understand for those who doesnt speak english well like me :).

[@davidketch6406]

I’m surprised you are not wearing a industrial type mask when grinding.Metal particles will get into your sinuses and lungs, I have been making knives for 20 years and sometimes I would not wear a mask ,now I’m paying for it ,my nose constantly drips.

[@ThatOneOddGuy]

I'm a beginner but I like to work extra fast Maybe after ri fix my angle grinder I'll try this Also is 1975 steel less tough than 5160 Over learnt that 5160 is as annoying as stainless to drill

[@youngknifemaker283]

Wait, so you can't control the temper of your blade on fif? The heck? That means they could just manipulate the blades and you won't know...

[@jmarth523]

In the amount of time it took me to watch thie video I was able to wash all my dishes by hand. As you probably guessed I had no special preperation and my sink wasnt even full of water. Of course if youve watched any timed cooking show you'll know the clock isnt going during the washing of the counter tops, so I didnt include it in the time of watching this video. The dishes are fully functional, they can be eaten off of as is, but fit and finish of course isnt perfect, but hey, if they werent used in 100 years they would still be able to be eaten off of. What I am trying to say is that you too can have clean dishes in 17 minutes as well.

[@tinsoldier5621]

Nice. Have you seen the video where an old man a full Damascus knife with handles from scratch in two hours starting from a cold forge? It was razor sharp. I like your choice of steel.

[@christurley391]

Interesting set of custom tongs. Kind of modified duck bill tongs? I like the utilitarian I don't own any wall hangers. Lol

[@jimihenrik11]

I loved this video, because many other knife makers on KZbin are making a 5 part series making one knife, with most of the time spent on unnecessary designs and decorations.

[@_BLANK_BLANK]

That's kind of messed up, if the knife maker isn't overseeing the tempering, how are they going to blame them when the knife doesn't perform well doing all the unreasonable stuff they do with the knives?

[@3npitsu992]

I would pay 120€ for that, that means he could potentially make 60€ in just an hour!

[@tedtalour6414]

Good work, but damn... the fact the contestants can't temper their own work makes me skeptical of forged in fire.

[@mrinalmaduganguly506]

Your videos are awesome Sir. Very much info. And great work too. Cheers 👍🏽

[@GetUrPhil]

You have your times mixed up, 1:55 then 1:57 then 1:53. 1::30 to 1:37, then 1:33??? That's just the first 5.5 min of the video. 1:20 to 1:27 then 1:19??

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

You should have tempered by eye. So it could be a legit 2 hour knife

[@redlinebo]

a little slow trimming the scales with band saw would have saved 15 minutes, ha great job

[@drivethelightning]

Itd be uber badass to watch this live. Or if youtube knife makers did a live challenge or something

[@dr.mecham8314]

Why tung oil for the handle? advantages/disadvantages? vs Linseed oil or other oils? Beeswax?

[@berzerkrobot]

The mark of a great craftsman: you make everything look simple and effortless! Great video!

[@hmingthanacolney2974]

I am used to forging 5160. How hard is forging D2 compared to it.

[@MacomberArtProjects]

could imaging being the neighbor of a black smith in the olden days? haha... bang bang bang bang

[@ShaminMike]

okay I have always wondered about the tempering on forged in fire. its BS that they never mention it..

[@HeyCurtis]

This has to be my favorite knife you've made! What happened to it? Is it for sale somewhere?

[@denniswillis4291]

How much for that knife? It is probably the only Sorrel knife I will ever be able to afford.

[@405-OK]

How come no one ever shows peening the pin in the handle. I just assumed it was ground down with the scales and held in place by friction and epoxy. Is this pin peening in the handle supposed to be done all the time?

[@405-OK]

How come no one ever shows peening the pin in the handle. I just assumed it was ground down with the scales and held in place by friction and epoxy. Is this pin peening in the handle supposed to be done all the time?

[@yungwells6549]

1 month later and im subbed to like 12 knife making channels. why? Well why not

[@dickgrayson6039]

Last time I was this early, 440c was a super steel

[@atomedgesharpening]

Loh Jia En for all intents and purposes it is still a fantastic steel that has gotten a bad rap from poor qualities of varying manufacturers as well as poor heat treatments. It can still make a hell of a knife though.

[@NKG416]

440c is good

[@BernieFromTheInternet]

Loh Jia En weeeelllll technically it has one of the highest hardness and toughness ratings if any stainless steels (not to mention it's the easiest stainless to heat treat).

[@henrysscrollsawworks6367]

what about old files for knife making and heating the spine to be alittlie softer? or would this hard for a begainer ? because thats i can get my hands on at this time.

[@stevesyncox9893]

Best I’ve done is 5 hrs to complete knife. Sheath was extra....

[@TufStockdogs]

How much would you sell that knife for or most of these knives you forge

[@georgecuyler7563]

You didn't meet the requirements, and that is it wasn't 12-15 inches on the blade.

[@gabehartman6832]

Mr. Sorrells was jipped in "Forged IN Fire" I quit watching the program after he was eliminated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@col.strayga1389]

I was pissed!

[@CenturionGMU]

Do you have to declare sponsorship from your own company now? Is that the state of youtube?

[@michaelvaughn2287]

Lesson learned dont film while making a knife against the clock and it will be nicer looking not that that one was unacceptable.

[@Beanpapac15]

Funny I like the look of this way more than his production knives he advertises

[@trynsurviven2440]

I would definitely use this knife any day of the week.

[@evansaw293]

I thought D2 was supposed to be heated in an oxygen free enviroment

[@BecksArmory]

"or maybe you could included the 20 years I've spent making knives" Hahahahaha! Love it!

[@randallhackworth421]

That’s actually a pretty good looking knife in my opinion

[@82delta]

OK, since no one has offered to buy it... how much for the knife?

[@shurikviro5521]

Thank you!thats great!!!)) thank for your lessons! realy helps a lot!!!

[@larrysayre824]

Would love to have a workshop set up like his, still in two hours a beautiful knife that is better then anything you can buy

[@shawnmatthewpyper]

man I need a real belt grinder it takes me 6-8 hours to grind the blade and a month to polish

[@simonjones394]

Always amusing seeing metalwork guys run a wood chisel

[@nickmeijer88]

You are a woodwork guy laughing his ass off? :p

[@Midnightrider1177]

Fast does not always equate to good. Unless you're Walter Sorrells!

[@oathkeeper926]

did anybody else ears go thump...thump..thump...every time he struck the anvil?

[@oathkeeper926]

They don't let you oversea them tempering process? that's some bullshit......that would be like eating cereal with a fork....or getting surgery without the oversight of a doctor? That would not fly with me...I guess I would fail FIF

[@TeddyBear651946]

Whatis your opinion of 01 tool steel for making a knife?

[@robertbradshaw9367]

Too much talking. Just get on with it and stay quiet.

[@neilyakuza6595]

I like that raw look on a hand forged knife than a fully mirrored knife.

[@duesing6]

I dont know who that guy is but the shirts name is Walter.

[@Wheelinhunter1776]

Love it man, how about trying this with stock removal for us guys who are just starting up instead of forging?

[@eternalknives9829]

Should be even faster :) I want to try, but im insanely slow and I cant seem to help it :D Shouldnt take 40 minutes to cut a blank from a plate and grind a rough bevel, but id probably use 4 days

[@emmengel]

I just want to know how much how much would you want for the knife

[@Finn-McCool]

Walter, I just finished my first forge burner. Please check it out!? This was a great study in time management. Thanks for the video.

[@jamesmoore5603]

Nice video. Why no maker's mark?

[@thomasarussellsr]

That is one hell if a forge. Heat up and banging in just a couple of minutes? Awesome. Do you have a link to the build of the forge?

[@kanecrowell9519]

Huge fan. Love your work. Truly appreciate the fact you hand out all your years of knowledge for free. I know it take a lot of time and effort to bring this to us. Much love.

[@stevesyncox9893]

It ain’t really “free”. You tube pays pretty good.

[@kanecrowell9519]

@@stevesyncox9893 whoa! I didn't know KZbin monetized!! wow. thanks for the insight!

[@matiaspena6710]

how do you get that finish on the knife that you showed at the begining

[@lbank4526]

What is the top of your work bench made out of?

[@BAAMRanch]

It takes me 2 hours to flatten the bar

[@patriciusvunkempen102]

interresting you are not faster than me at forgin a raw blade .

[@richthelen6135]

Very impressive. You are the man.

[@jeremys8360]

As a follow up, you should make a knife as fast as you can