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I made a knife at a forge a few weeks ago. Hitting things with a hammer made a nice change from programming. Also makes you appreciate how skillful you would ha

I made a knife at a forge a few weeks ago. Hitting things with a hammer made a nice change from programming. Also makes you appreciate how skillful you would have to be to make a beautiful sword. If anyone is interested in medieval swords and armour I really recommend a visit to the Wallace Collection in London.

simonw 5y ago
+1 to that, the Wallace Collection is incredible - I think it's one of those things in London that not nearly enough people know about. It's also got an interesting history: "Bequeathed to the nation by the widow of the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford in 1897 on the condition that no object should ever leave the collection, even for loan exhibitions." - from my write-up on https://www.niche-museums.com/36 https://www.niche-museums.com/36
- hermitcrab 5y ago
  Love than Stone Henge is listed on https://www.niche-museums.com https://www.niche-museums.com !
_jal 5y ago
I haven't forged anything yet, looking forward to an opportunity to spend some quality time playing early next year. I've made a couple knives this year, though. Milling, and then grinding on absolutely the wrong kind of grinder for the job. So that was exhausting, but fun. > a nice change from programming I absolutely agree. I took up metalwork because I wanted to make something visible, that you could touch. Weaponry isn't really my thing, but I'll probably make more knives, I enjoy the esthetic constraints, history of the art and materials.
- blacksmith_tb 5y ago
  Knives aren't always weapons - I think the satisfaction comes from making a tool, it's easy to tell when you've done a decent job (and when you haven't...)
  - mellavora 5y ago
    A good knife is rarely a weapon. Even people who use weapons as part of their profession don't use the weapon very often. vs a woodworker who could conceivably use a carving knife multiple times per day. I'm good at fighting. Which is why I recognize it is a losing game. Tools win. Build something.
themodelplumber 5y ago
That's awesome. I used to make knives with my dad, as a kid. He was a dentist with his own lab, so he taught me how to use all the lab tools, and we used lost-wax to cast various ornaments to be attached for decoration. I admit I used to get pretty annoyed after spending hours on the various steps. And I don't really enjoy sharpening either. Years after he passed away, I found myself on a weekend campout, relating to some scouts the amount of work my dad used to put into making a quality knife. I told them I could baton with this knife he had made for me, no problem. So I gathered the wood, and with one whack knocked the blade clean off! Upon examination, he had used epoxy to fit a blade with no tang! Later after I returned home, I compared this to his own knives, and they all had tangs. I am still not sure why or how mine ended up that way--guessing he thought he could finish it up fast and a kid would not exactly expect to baton with this thing...

simonw 5y ago

+1 to that, the Wallace Collection is incredible - I think it's one of those things in London that not nearly enough people know about. It's also got an interesting history: "Bequeathed to the nation by the widow of the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford in 1897 on the condition that no object should ever leave the collection, even for loan exhibitions." - from my write-up on https://www.niche-museums.com/36 https://www.niche-museums.com/36

hermitcrab 5y ago
Love than Stone Henge is listed on https://www.niche-museums.com https://www.niche-museums.com !

_jal 5y ago

I haven't forged anything yet, looking forward to an opportunity to spend some quality time playing early next year. I've made a couple knives this year, though. Milling, and then grinding on absolutely the wrong kind of grinder for the job. So that was exhausting, but fun. > a nice change from programming I absolutely agree. I took up metalwork because I wanted to make something visible, that you could touch. Weaponry isn't really my thing, but I'll probably make more knives, I enjoy the esthetic constraints, history of the art and materials.

blacksmith_tb 5y ago
Knives aren't always weapons - I think the satisfaction comes from making a tool, it's easy to tell when you've done a decent job (and when you haven't...)
- mellavora 5y ago
  A good knife is rarely a weapon. Even people who use weapons as part of their profession don't use the weapon very often. vs a woodworker who could conceivably use a carving knife multiple times per day. I'm good at fighting. Which is why I recognize it is a losing game. Tools win. Build something.

themodelplumber 5y ago

That's awesome. I used to make knives with my dad, as a kid. He was a dentist with his own lab, so he taught me how to use all the lab tools, and we used lost-wax to cast various ornaments to be attached for decoration. I admit I used to get pretty annoyed after spending hours on the various steps. And I don't really enjoy sharpening either. Years after he passed away, I found myself on a weekend campout, relating to some scouts the amount of work my dad used to put into making a quality knife. I told them I could baton with this knife he had made for me, no problem. So I gathered the wood, and with one whack knocked the blade clean off! Upon examination, he had used epoxy to fit a blade with no tang! Later after I returned home, I compared this to his own knives, and they all had tangs. I am still not sure why or how mine ended up that way--guessing he thought he could finish it up fast and a kid would not exactly expect to baton with this thing...