Perfecting Your Bladesmithing Process

Eight hundred years ago, you’d have to leave home at 12 or 13 years old and spend a 7-year apprenticeship to learn the art of bladesmithing. Luckily, today, with the internet and modern heat treat ovens, becoming a bladesmith is a lot more accessible!

In fact, there’s nothing to stop you from mastering the art of bladesmithing from the comfort of your own home or workshop.

Today, our goal is to help you slice through the learning curve and learn the ins and outs of bladesmithing – as well as explore options for learning the craft.

A Quick History of Bladesmithing

When you take up bladesmithing, you’re carrying on a time-honored tradition. The very first knives and blades date back millions of years. Even before metallurgy, early humans were fashioning blades from sharpened flint and obsidian.

Over the millennia, advancements in technology and materials led to the art of swordsmithing as we know it today. From short copper blades in 7500 BC, to bronze daggers in 3300 BC, to the iron swords of ancient Romans and Greece, the bladesmithing arms race decided battles and shaped the course of history.

Improved materials and processes supported the creation of longer, stronger, sharper blades. Then, a little over 2100 years ago, one alloy would change the future of bladesmithing forever….

Between 300 and 100 BC, metallurgists in India and Sri Lanka began mixing iron and carbon. The result was steel – which spread to the rest of the world by way of Damascus. Centuries later, steel alloys are still the preferred material for swordsmiths.

Today’s bladesmiths take their cues from medieval Europe and Feudal Japan, when steel became prevalent, before artisan bladesmiths were replaced by the mass production (and later firearms) of the Industrial Revolution.

Equipment You’ll Need to Become a Bladesmith

Some bladesmiths opt for more traditional methods, but evolution in material composition and heat treating technology gives today’s bladesmiths an edge – no pun intended.

With that in mind, we’re not going to decide your path. Whether you opt for artisanal or more modern methods, below is the equipment you’ll need to start bladesmithing:

Swordsmithing Essentials

• Heat Source: The biggest difference between traditional and modern methods is whether you opt for a forge or a heat treat oven (or a combination of both!). Either way, you’ll need a source of heat capable of reaching the critical temperature of the alloy you’re using– typically, between 1500°F and 2200°F.
• Steel: For most bladesmiths, you’ll need steel stock (also known as a bar, sheet, or billet) that’s long enough to craft your blade. Different alloys have different characteristics you might want for your blade, so choose carefully!
• Protective Gear: Any time you’re working with high temperatures, safety is key. You’ll need protective gloves, an apron, eye protection, ear plugs, a dust mask, a reliable fire extinguisher, and possibly a face shield. Additionally, synthetic fiber is often flammable, so opt for fabrics like natural cotton or, better yet, leather instead.
• Hammer: If artists have their paintbrushes, bladesmiths have their hammer. Once your sword is heated, you’ll use your hammer to shape the blade, define the edges, and create the bevel (a process known as forging).
• Anvil: While forging your blade, you’ll need an anvil to provide stability. Heavier anvils allow more of the power from your anvil to be transferred to the blade. We recommend shooting for an anvil weight at least 100-125 lbs. Steel is preferable, though also more expensive. Sometimes you have to work with what you got!
• Vise: You’ll need a vise to hold the blade at a stable angle while shaping, grinding, filing, and finishing your blade.
• Tongs: For forging and quenching, you’ll need tongs to safely handle (and control) your blade.
• Chisel: A chisel is a useful tool for making more precise adjustments to your blade, creating indentions for the handle, and cutting off unused stock.
• Punch or Drill: To attach a handle to your blade, you’ll need to punch or drill holes through its hilt.
• Quenching Container: You’ll need a fireproof quenching container that’s big enough to accommodate the full length of your blade.
• Quenching Medium: You’ll also need a quenching medium in which to cool your blade. Oil is the preferred medium, but you can also use a salt-water solution or sand. The important thing is to select a medium that allows the knife to cool down fast enough to have the right hardness, but not so fast that it loses its structural integrity.
• Belt Sander, Grinder, and/or Knife File: While your hammer does the heavy lifting, you’ll need to put on the finishing touches with a sander, grinder, or knife file (or some combination of the three).
• Handle Material: Finally, what’s a blade without a handle? Whether you use stainless steel, wood, aluminum, carbon fiber, or synthetic materials, you’ll need material from which to craft the handle of your blade.

Over time, through experience and experimentation, your choices in equipment will evolve. But it’s important to have the equipment you need to get started. Bladesmiths tend to be crafty, and many a fine blade has been made under less-than-ideal circumstances – so don’t be afraid to explore makeshift or DIY solutions. Just make sure you never skimp on safety!

Forges vs Heat Treat Ovens

The biggest difference between modern swordsmiths and ones who prefer traditional methods comes down to how they choose to heat their blade. There are two main options:

• Forges: An open-air furnace used for heating a blade – often fueled by coal or charcoal but sometimes by gas or electricity.
• Heat Treat Ovens: A closed device that uses electricity or gas to heat the chamber to specified temperatures.

Both methods have their pros and cons – so which one is right for you? Well, that depends:

• Bragging Rights: Some swordsmiths feel a greater sense of accomplishment using a forge, since it’s closer to traditional bladesmithing methods.
• Size & Space: Typically, forges take up significantly more space. However, for heat treat ovens, you’ll need a specialized oven with a chamber that’s long enough to accommodate a sword. There are other space-related considerations as well: You can build a forge outdoors, but you’ll need to keep your heat treat oven indoors.
• Cost: You can build your own forge or purchase one premade for a fraction of the cost of a heat treat oven. If you’re on a budget, a forge is often the more cost-effective option.
• Precision & Consistency: Heat treat ovens can be programmed for a far higher degree of temperature precision and consistency, resulting in higher quality, higher performance blades with less variance or room for user error.
• Temperature Control: With forges, it’s up to you to manually adjust airflow, fuel, and other variables to achieve the right firing temperature. With heat treat ovens or electric furnaces, you just use a temperature controller to program the exact temperature you need.
• Convenience: For most bladesmiths, heat treat ovens offer a higher degree of convenience, flexibility, and peace of mind, empowering more consistent output, more effective multitasking, and more informed diagnostics.

Some swordsmiths use a combination of forges for heating and shaping their blades and then a heat treat oven for tempering or annealing – but, ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which heating method works best for you.

9 Steps for Bladesmithing

Once you have your workspace stocked with the right equipment and materials, it’s time to get started forging your knife or sword.

Below is a general framework you can follow – though specific details will change depending on what you’re looking to achieve.

Step #1: Designing Your Blade

Before starting your blade, it’s important to have a plan. Take the time to define the size and shape of your blade, the qualities you want it to have, and the type of finish and handle you’ll be using.

Now’s the time to choose a format for your blade. Whether you want to make a knife, a katana, a rapier, a longsword – or anything in-between! – will have a major impact on the materials and techniques you need to use.

The more detailed you are in preparation, the more equipped you’ll be to craft a blade that matches your vision!

Step #2: Selecting the Right Alloy

While today’s bladesmiths work mostly in steel, there’s a wide variety of alloys to choose from. Different carbon content dictates the physical properties of your blade. Higher carbon content leads to harder, more durable blades that hold an edge better but are more brittle and difficult to work with. Lower carbon content lends more flexibility, malleability, and toughness at the expense of hardness.

Popular alloys for bladesmithing include high-carbon steels like 1095 and 80CRV2 or plain-carbon steels like 1080 and 5160. Depending on your application, you may opt for the legendary hardness and pedigree of Damascus steel, the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, the flexibility of spring steel, or the durability of tool steel.

As a newer bladesmith, we recommend searching online, consulting with other bladesmiths, and some plain old trial-and-error to start shaping your preferences in material.

Step #3: Heating Your Blade

After cutting your steel stock into the approximate length and shape of your blade, you’ll need to heat your blade to critical temperature in your forge or heat treat oven. Once the steel is yellowish-orange (usually around 2100°F – 2200°F, depending on your alloy), remove it with your tongs and place it on your anvil.

Step #4: Shaping & Flattening Your Blade

Use your hammer to shape the edges of your blade, starting by defining the point. Then, methodically define the bevel and flatten your blade, alternating sides of your blades at equal intervals. Keep in mind the desired length and width of your blade – so that you don’t remove too much material and jeopardize your build!

If your blade cools beyond the point of workability, reheat it to critical temp and then resume forging.

Repeat this process to knock in and taper your “tang” – or the part of the blade that extends into the handle. Then, taper your steel close to finished thickness, leaving adequate room to make adjustments later with your grinder.