Beginner's Metallurgy Book

[Chris C]

(wasteful idiots) I've never understood public libraries. They claim to want to preserve literature for the masses and yet their actions don't match their rhetoric.

[TexasJack]

Wayne Goddard's books are worth the $$. See if you can find the "$50 Knife Shop". Simple and yet very very helpful.

Goddard's point - and it's a good one - is that the fundamental part of making a knife is simply the desire to do so. Yes, you can buy all sorts of fancy equipment and exotic steels and heat treatments, but you can also take a piece of steel and use hand tools to make a knife that will do the job it's intended to do. (I should say, not just any steel, but one that has the right chemistry.) Power tools allow you to screw up faster than hand tools.

[flatblackcapo]

Originally Posted by Chris C

I'm fully aware that as a newbie to knife making, I should read every single metallurgy book/DVD I can find. I wouldn't even begin to argue that point. Only problem with that is my "Banker" won't let me spend that much money all at once. There are enough titles on the subject to fill a 3-ring binder.

Can anyone give me a suggestion as to the first book I should read/invest in on the subject of metallurgy? I'm going to have to read them as my pocket book allows.

Here is a good link for you.
http://www.cashenblades.com/info.html

A few tips
Keep notes of all your heat treat protocols
When trying out a new HT make a tester knife and beat it to death.
See for yourself what works
When you get a new batch of steel, test your HT before you put a bunch of time into making a knife. One batch of ( just for example W2....could be any steel ) could be a little different and require a different HT.

Most of all, have fun!

[Chris C]

Thanks, I've printed out all of Kevin's heat treating pages already and have them on file. Thanks for the suggestions also.

[duiliojr]

Hi!
Can somebody tell me if there is free books in web about cutlery knife making?
Thank yours!