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The Differential Hardening Gamble
Most makers clay-coat the spine and call it done. But the real variable is your quench medium temperature. At 130°F, Parks 50 will give you a hamon that looks painted on. At 95°F, you'll see activity you didn't know was possible — and you'll also crack two blades before you figure out why.
The Grind
Hollow grind geometry on a 3" contact wheel. The line between polished and overground is about 0.003".
Preferred Handle Material
"Forge is the only newsletter I read the same day it lands. Issue #71 on distal taper math saved my first chef's knife commission — the client noticed before I mentioned it."
Why Hobbyists Underprice and How to Stop
You spent 40 hours on that bowie. You priced it at $280. A customer in a gallery paid $1,400 for something worse. The gap isn't craft — it's framing. Makers who price correctly don't apologize for the number. They explain the steel, the grind, the heat treat. They make the customer feel the hours.
Price the story, not the steel.
1095 vs. 80CrV2
Both simple, both forgiving. 80CrV2 wins on toughness and edge stability. 1095 wins on hamon drama.
Steel Popularity Shift
↑ 80CrV2 overtook 1095 for the first time in three years of surveying.
"Issue #68 on fit-and-finish standards changed how I inspect my own work. I failed three blades I would have shipped. The fourth one sold for $850."
On Normalizing Before Hardening
Three cycles minimum. Most beginners skip the second. The grain refinement you get from that third cycle at 1475°F — before you ever touch the quench — is doing more work than your clay coat. Don't skip it.
Handle Fit
The gap between bolster and wood should close under finger pressure alone. If you need epoxy to hide it, start over.
"I've been making knives for 11 years. Forge still teaches me something new every week. The issue on convex grinds by hand-and-file alone was worth two years of subscriptions."
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