WAR DRUM FORGE

It takes a while to learn a new skill, and there aren’t a ton of resources out there on what you need, where to buy it, or who to buy it from (and most importantly,  do you really need it).  There are recommendations made on facebook groups, insta, youtube or other social media sites, but no general repository.  I am going to attempt to build one, half out of a selfish urge to remind myself where to find things, half to help out those that are interested in learning more.

I will provide links to sites, guides, and stores along with any downloads that I deem valuable – there will also be a contact page on the bottom here, please feel free to send me anything you think should be listed here.

I am no expert, my advice is purely from a person who learned from my own mistakes, worked with and learned from some great people, and read all I could.  The only advice I have is do what works for you, do it safely, learn all you can and have fun.

Places to buy bar stock.

• Alpha Knife Supply  https://alphaknifesupply.com/
• Jantz  https://knifemaking.com
• New Jersey Steel Baron  https://newjerseysteelbaron.com/
• Pops  https://popsknife.supplies/

Where to buy custom steels

• Baker Forge  https://www.bakerforge.com
• Alabama Damascus  https://www.alabamadamascussteel.com/
• Damasteel  https://shop.damasteel.com/shop#/
• Damaworks  https://www.damaworks.com
• Vegas Forge  https://vegasforge.com/collections

Water Jet Services

• New Jersey Steel Baron https://newjerseysteelbaron.com/water-jet-cutting-services/
• WaterJet Knives  https://waterjetknives.com/

Grinders

• Ameribrade  https://www.ameribrade.com/
• Brodbeck  https://brodbeckironworks.com
• Origin https://originblademaker.com/
• Housemade  https://housemade.us/collections/grinder-kits
• Pheer  https://www.2x72beltgrinder.com/

Presses

• Coal Iron Works  https://coaliron.com/
• Big Blu  https://bigbluhammer.com
• Clark Taplin (instagram) https://www.instagram.com/clark.iron.forge

Power Hammers

• Big Blu  https://bigbluhammer.com
• Coal Iron https://coaliron.com/products/power-hammer
• Fiery Furnace forge Tire hammer  https://www.ffforge.com/tire-hammers
• Raymond Head Tire hammer https://www.instagram.com/emerald_mountain_forge

Anvils and Swage Blocks

(more to come here)

• Holland Anvil https://www.hollandanvil.com/
• Atlas Knife and tool https://atlasknife.com/product-category/anvils/

Hammers & Tongs

There are a ton of hammer makers that I like, I will list a few, but there will also be links to making your own further down.

• Blacksmith Depot: https://blacksmithsdepot.com/  (obviously much more than hammers and tongs)
• Gnome Hammer Forge: https://gnomehammerforge.org/
• Mosler Forge: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoslerForge  (I have a few of these, love them)
• Hand and Hammer: https://handandhammer.us

Forges

I am particular to my apollo forge from housemade but there are a ton of makers.  Please visit housemade.us link above for that reference.

• Darkstar Forge: https://www.instagram.com/darkstarforge/
• Majestic: https://www.majesticforge.com/
• NC Tool: https://www.nctoolco.com
• Mr. Volcano: See amazon (I don’t have affiliate links)

Coal Forge

• Centaur forge https://www.centaurforge.com

Knifemaking tools

• K.H. Daily:  https://khdailyknives.com/  Knifemaking tools of all sorts
• T R maker: https://tr-maker.com/

Heat treat ovens

• Paragon https://www.paragonkilns.com
• Evenheat https://www.evenheat-kiln.com/
• Jen-Ken https://jenkenkilns.com/

I personally have purchase mine from KilnFrog.com as I felt they had really good pricing and delivery speed.

I will only be adding links for tradition heat treat styles, molten salt seems wildly dangerous to me and I definitely won’t put it in the DIY area.

Jantz, Pops, Alpha all carry knifemaking supplies.  Any of the large knifemaking steel distributors likely carry handle materials as well, but let me share some of my preferred places to get handle material.

• Kaotic Artworks: https://kaoticartworks.com/
• Arizona Ironwood: https://arizonaironwood.com/
• Real eyez wood:https://www.realeyezwoodz.com/
• Rock Solid Scales: https://rocksolidscales.com/
• Maker Material Supply:https://www.makermaterialsupply.com
• J. Hue Customs: https://jhuecustoms.com/
• Valley Composites: https://valleycomposites.com/
• Flying Shark Knives: https://www.flyingsharkknives.com/
• NY Shed Antlers: https://www.instagram.com/ny_shedantlers/
• G.L. Hansen & Sons: https://g-carta.com/

This is under construction – there are a lot of good guides out there, but some are in forum posts or other more challenging formats to read.  I will attempt to create and aggregate PDF’s where and when I can.

If you want to just get metal hot, and hit it – go for it, its quite therapeutic and a lot of fun.  If you want to make ornamental blacksmith stuff, I can’t really steer you any specific direction, but if you want to make knives/tools I have some recommendations.

The 2 most important things in a knife (in my opinion) are edge geometry and heat treat.  Aesthetics be damned, if the knife isn’t sharp, or if its gonna snap – its not worth much.  When you talk about proper heat treat, Doc Larrin Thomas is the reference guide I go to.  https://knifesteelnerds.com   and “knife engineering” is the book I reference.