[danjmath]

No forging in the shed. Check
HF iron is a waste. Check

Current plan is to do a portable forge ala dtec1's suggestion, and keep scrounging for an anvil-like piece of metal.

My uncle's-friends-brother is a bladesmith who works mostly with D2, and I will pay him to do the heat-treatment for a D2 kitchen knife I am making for my parents for Christmas, but currently I am just making knives for my own use, and honestly doing the heat-treat has been one of the more enjoyable parts of the creation process for me.

I am sure they are not the highest quality, but they skate a file, and my edges have held up better than the $30 gerber/buck knives I own, though maybe not as nice as my $40 kershaw.

My current WIP is a 200mm Yangiba on which I am going to attempt to make a Hamon. Probably a little beyond my skill level, but again, its for personal use, I enjoy the work, and whatever the outcome, I consider it a learning experience.

Thanks again for the input. This is why I asked before I even built the shed.

Also-I will update my profile. I have looked at blacksmithing classes locally, but what I have found is either prohibitively expensive, or focused on using coal-forges doing decorative iron-work, which I am sure I would learn a lot from, but making knives is what interests me most.