Koala Forge: a new makers learning curve :)

[Salvatore Moretto]

Hey there everyone! I'm Salvatore, but most people call me Sal' Still new to forging, still under 30 knives made total One day hope to be a regular here and be able to support a family doing this, but until then I have to stick to my 9-5 recruiting haha

The first picture shows my first forged knife below a nihonto i was making a habaki for before it gets polished, this tanto is actually the first thing i ever forged period, no experience, just sheer will power! No plan either, i was just so excited to have my forge and anvil set up that I just took a piece of 1075 and started swinging my hobby lobby bought hammer lol ( not a fair beginning to judge from because I have done lots of restoration and customization work on Japanese swords and koshirae in the past)

Better equipment now, more patience, and a plan to just keep swinging and getting better with each one.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

here is my best non knife maker opinion, take it with a grain of salt. I think the best thing a new maker could do is buy a well loved high performance knife, I would recommend a Yoshikane SKD Tsuchime as an example. Test every knife you make against it before sending it out. In my limited experience, there is a vast difference from someone like Dan Bidinger, who tests everything compared to a lot of makers that make a cool product but it doesnt perform as well. I have purchased from a pretty good amount of new makers off of Instagram. I am surprised how many have steering, wedging, edge retention issues. Many knives have low spots when contacting the board that should have been caught. Also as much as 1 or 2 points dont matter I think having an HRC tester is important compared to just an estimate.

 

[Gshep91]

here is my best non knife maker opinion, take it with a grain of salt. I think the best thing a new maker could do is buy a well loved high performance knife, I would recommend a Yoshikane SKD Tsuchime as an example. Test every knife you make against it before sending it out. In my limited experience, there is a vast difference from someone like Dan Bidinger, who tests everything compared to a lot of makers that make a cool product but it doesnt perform as well. I have purchased from a pretty good amount of new makers off of Instagram. I am surprised how many have steering, wedging, edge retention issues. Many knives have low spots when contacting the board that should have been caught. Also as much as 1 or 2 points dont matter I think having an HRC tester is important compared to just an estimate.

This is great advice. Have a baseline for what you’re trying to achieve and make subtle changes that you think make your work better than the baseline

 

[ChefSeb]

Welcome Sal! I echo Matt's sentiments here. I myself have purchased some western maker knives that look unbelievable to the eye, but lack in performance. Not saying that is the case here, but I think the best thing you can do is put your knives to work before sending them out. Also from a non-knifemaker, but the best makers (in my opinion) are typically their own harshest critics. Like in any profession, to truly improve, you have to be willing to take constructive criticism. Apologies if I'm preaching to the choir.

In any case, these look great! Good luck and again, welcome aboard!

Cheers,
Seb

 

[Salvatore Moretto]

Thanks everyone!
I can point out a lot wrong with every knife i make, but on the next one i do it better each time I'm ALWAYS open to criticism, as long as its constructive lol lol My work will never be perfect, but it will always improve.
Still using my first kitchen knife i made (who knows what to call its shape, its like a gyuto made love to a whale and then went on a diet lol) I've reshaped her a bunch, but she holds a sharp edge for a long time, but holds a lot of food too haha. She survived my mother in law cutting through bone with it and my father in law using it to cut apart frozen fish.
Already started looking for a Yoshikane SKD Tsuchime now

Cheers,
Sal'

 

[Matt Jacobs]

Great attitude. I look forward to trying your stuff at some point