This is for you few guys who make your own knives, and straights. Do you buy the metal, then cut and grind them to make your own. Or do you have a forge, and make them from scratch? I have seen some chandler, and ellis blades, and its just a beautiful art! Spill the beans!
Joe and I make razors using what is called "stock removal". It's considered the "easy way out" by a certified Guild member. A master forger is hard to beat. Stock removal is where we buy the steel of our choice in whatever thickness we choose, then grind away everything that doesn't look like a razor. We both use just about the best heat treater in the business... Paul Bos. He is as good at making steel work as good as Joe and I make it look after he's done with it. After it comes back from heat treat, we have to finish the grind because we would have warped blades if they were too thin when we sent them to Paul. R Williams forges his own, but don't know what he uses for steel, or how he tests for hardness when they are done. Heating to "straw yellow" and quenching in water or oil is a hit and miss proposition at best, so I can't imagine him just doing that. You'd have to ask him, though, what he does for quality control. If he is a certified Guild member, his steel has to be tops.
I'm confused Isaac. I'm not a Guild member, and I don't forge. Here is their web site if you want to know what they are all about. I think I was just trying to point out that master bladesmiths must pass tests and get certification to be considered at the top of the heap.
NOOOOOOO.... Im not talking about you, im talking about your metal worker. Just interesting that there are still guilds and what not in existence today.
