Building on the foundation you gained from making your first knife from rebar, this intermediate workshop immerses you deeper into the craft of knifesmithing. Through traditional American folk art techniques, you'll learn the art and science of using intense heat, hammers, and specialized tools to shape steel. This course expands your skills as you convert a historic railroad spike into a truly unique knife of your own design.
During the first phase of the workshop, you'll focus on heating and shaping your spike using a hammer and an anvil. Your steel will be heated in a propane forge until glowing red-hot, then shaped using hammer and anvil strikes to establish your blade's profile. This process repeats until your rough blade shape matches your vision. Next, you'll heat and twist the steel handle using a vise and specialized hand-twisting tool, providing both a challenging and rewarding physical experience.
Once you've developed your blade's basic form, a grinder becomes your tool for refining the profile and creating the bevel, which forms the cutting edge itself.
In the final heating stage, you'll heat the knife once more and quench it in oil to harden the blade. This dramatic step involves red-hot metal and creates spectacular flames as the knife enters the oil. It delivers the ultimate shareable moment, similar to what you'd see on the popular television show "Forged in Fire."
After quenching, you'll have a break while your knife cools. During this pause, feel free to grab food from the nearby pizza restaurant (Table 87). The lounge area is available for relaxation with your meal, refreshments, and fellow workshop participants. Use this time to unwind and extend your evening outside of the workshop space.
When the class resumes, you'll complete the final details of your creation: wire buffing the handle and sharpening the blade to a razor-sharp edge. You'll depart with an impressive piece of American Folk art, some satisfying muscle soreness, and genuine pride in your craftsmanship.
What You'll Create: A custom forged knife designed entirely by you
Skill Level: Intermediate. This workshop is exclusively available to participants who have successfully completed the Forge a Survival Knife workshop.
Tools and Techniques: You'll shape your blade through extensive heat and hammer work, refined with a grinder, and you'll twist hot steel for the handle using specialized hand tools.
Other class versions available:
Click here for the buddy up version.
- You and a friend design and make one knife together. At least one person must be 18 years old or older.
Click here for the date night version.
- You and your guest design and make one knife together and receive pizza and a shared bottle of wine during the workshop. At least one person must be 18 years old or older.
