This very informative 70 minute color production features bladesmith William “Cousin Willie” White of Woodbury, Kentucky, as he demonstrates how to make a knife in a forge. White explains in every day terms the steps he uses as he forges a knife from a piece of flat stock, steel, in this instance a piece of automobile leaf spring. Using mostly hand tools, an ordinary bench grinder and a hand held electric drill are his only ‘machines,’ he shows exactly how to heat and shape the blade with a forge, hammer and anvil. The next steps involve the use of files and sandpaper to final finish and polish the blade to a mirror finish. This is followed by instruction on tempering the knife using a kitchen stove as a heat source and determining the degree of temperature in the blade by observing the changing colors of the steel. White ends by showing how the handle is fitted and how peter bolsters and butt are poured and shaped. This video will save the aspiring knifemaker many hours of trial and error. William White reveals some trade “secrets” it has taken many professional knifemakers years to learn.
