I watch Forged in Fire all the time. Great show. I applied to be on it but, they tape it in the fall and winter. Hunting season trumps everything else. Plus that year I had 12 week a job line up in mid January for some serious money. Wouldn't take me with time constraints.

I don't know how I would do. I am 68 now and my ability tto hit it hard for 33 solid hours wouldn't be the greatest. Part of it would also depend on the challenge. I don't know squat about cola forges. Salvaged metal I would do OK. Same with Damascus. I am really good at planning and time management when I have to be. When I work its a huge issue. One thing I don't get though. Canister Damascus. Forget the white out fill up the can, weld it shut, get it bright yellow al the way and weld it up good with the squaring dies. Then flatten it out to about 1/2", use a disk grinder to bevel the edge your plan to cut with to about a 1/4" and then shape the blade. The only place you need the tool steel exposed is the edge. Why spend time fighting the can of. You only need a small area of it gone. Having a lot of the side and spine coated with mild steel is a toughness plus. Once your grinding you will know when your grinding high carbon by the sparks thrown off.

Another thing that puzzles me is when some of them forge the bevels. They pound on the edge to thin it and as it stretches it arcs the back. Then they fiddle around taking that arc out. I was taught to start out by forging the tip angled to a point on one side. Then, curve the bar down with point down. Now, start forging the bevels on the side with the point. As you do this the future cutting edge will stretch, straighten out the arc you installed in the bar and also move the point, that was on the bottom, up and as you thin things up that point that was on the bottom will curve up to where you want it.

I used to do a lot of drop point and sharp finger style blades out of quality D2. That is mostly just a grinding show. I start with 5 blanks and work them through the process. When, I go to make a Damascus blade its a whole different story. I have an idea in my head. Or someone wants some style of knife and we come to an agreement on it, I will do that if I like the design. I make Damascus in batches and usually have 5 or 6 bars laying around. in batches. So I select a bar of Damascus and a piece of handle material that matches it and fits my idea. Then I go to work. I have a stash of stabilized wood burls, some exotic wood, hippo ivory , fossil walrus ivory, things like chunks of cape buffalo horn, muskox horn etc. Chunks of stainless, aluminum bronze, brass, nickle silver etc.

I have fell off from making knives, but , need to get back. I could make great money doing short term refinery jobs, but, I am starting to hate that. Not the work so much, butt being away, living in some motel somewhere, sucks. Making knives was my plan for extra retirement income. If I committed my self to making 50 really nice knives a year, I would have all the play money I need. I already have more Smiths than anyone needs.