workhorse
High-carbon steel
The blade steel. Hardenable, forgiving, everywhere.
1095 · 1075
The craft, step by step.
From your first fire to a finished edge — the whole craft, taught in five heats.
Setting up
Light your first fire without burning the shed down.
the startReading the heat
Learn the heat colors so you always know when to strike.
colour scaleHammer work
Swing true, move metal, leave no cold shuts.
techniqueThe quench
Harden the edge, temper the spring, don't crack it.
heat-treatFinishing
Grind, sharpen, handle — the last 20% is the craft.
final pass06
Four metals
The stock decides the blade.
layers
Damascus
Two steels welded, folded, and etched into a pattern.
200+ layers
warm
Copper & bronze
Soft, ancient, and the reason the craft exists at all.
non-ferrous
old
Wrought iron
Fibrous and forgiving, the metal of the last thousand years.
low carbon