Had an older smith in Kentucky tell me I was wasting time power hammering damascus billets at 1300 grit for a smooth finish

He picked up a rough 60 grit billet I had set aside for scrap, forged it into a perfect chefs knife in 20 minutes, and said 'you polish your steel before it's even steel yet' and now I keep a rough billet on my bench just to remind myself to stop overthinking.

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.vera11d agoMost Upvoted

40 grit?? That's basically gravel with metal in it...

keithbennett12d ago

Man that hit me right in the gut. I used to be the same way, spending hours sanding billets up to 800 or 1000 grit before even thinking about forging. Then I watched a guy at a hammer-in grab a rough 40 grit piece I was about to toss, heat it up, and smash out a little hunting knife in like 15 minutes. Rough finish and all. It still cut like a beast. Made me realize I was polishing away my soul before the steel even knew what it wanted to be.

nina_lane165d ago

Polishing away my soul before the steel even knew what it wanted to be" - did you ever go back and try making a knife like that, rough and fast, and if so, did it change how you worked for good?