A retired soldier, university professor, scientist, strategic analyst, novelist, and a bunch of other things. I’ve been a woodworker and a general handyman all my life, but apart from some limited welding and brazing in school in the 1970s, and one very disappointing attempt to make a ninja sword out of mild steel in the early 1980s, I’d never done any real metalworking.

Then came the internet, and down the rabbit-hole I went. Alec Steele, Torbjorn Ahman, Nils Ogren, Will Stelter, Fire Creek Forge, Old Hickory Forge, FZ-Making Knives, Jimmy Diresta, Koss, Tyrell Knifeworks, Walter Sorrels, and so many others, all inspiring. I had to give it a shot.

Last year I began working on basic blacksmithing skills, helped along by a father-in-law who’d trained as a smith and welder in his youth in Europe. I wanted to learn how to make knives. I just finished my 30th, learning as I go, and I’ve been improving my process and technique along the way. My goal is to try not to make the same mistake twice.

I’m an amateur, but amateurs can still be professional. I try to do good work, like my dad - who’s built everything from china cabinets to speedboats - taught me. I’m aiming for quality, reliability, utility, and a little bit of artistry. I’m sticking to simple materials - 1084C steel, which is forgiving for an amateur - and basic power and hand tools, and trying to ‘git gud’ before attempting more challenging materials and designs. So no swords yet.

But one day…