[Crex]

I do a lot of small users, bird/trout, hunters, capers, and skinners always have. Same as you, I like for people to be able to buy and use my knives without mortgaging the outhouse. Guess if I was in it for the money I'd be making only high $ stuff, but never figured to get rich. Life is rich enough for me. Most of the smaller, general users are from recycled steels because I have so much of it available and enjoy the challenge. I'd probably give them away if I didn't need fuel and materials from time to time.
Still making a lot of miniatures - got a niche market for them so they don't sit long.
I do make the larger knives on request - bowies, dirks, daggers, etc., but with the slow down in shows and events right now, they are backburner stuff.

Forging in the heat never bothered me much. Once I'm hot I'm hot, just keep hydrated as much as possible. Like forging during a good rain the most. Traded for a 430#PW a few years back (bit of a beast) and when I get her warmed up the metal moves like butter most the time. And....there's something about going out late in the evening to make sure everything is secure for the night, leaning up against her and still feeling the heat - kinda like a good dog.

Yeah, practicing all the safety things, Moma's in the same boat so got to be careful. Me, just want to be left alone. Didn't realize I was so antisocial until all this came along and I didn't see any appreciable change.

Until all this flared up, I was working with single parent kids from the church that had interest in tools and making things. FIF - gets a lot of them fired up to try, one out of every three or four actually takes to it pretty well and learns a little. I start them off reconditioning old tools - you know dirty, rusty hands on work. Then learn to rehandle hammers and face them. Found that if they have to work at getting a tool back to useful they take better care of them when being used. The promise/deal is if they follow my instructions and do well they get to forge some metal. If that goes well then they get to forge a blade and learn some simple heat treating. If that goes well, they learn handle work. Upon completion of the "course" (very loose term with these kids) they get to keep the tools they fixed plus their knife(s). It's a pretty fun thing most the time and I've had a few make it to the forge welding stage (1 girl and 2 boys). These three show up often to help with the new recruits, mobetta! Really miss getting to do this right now, but got to stay safe.