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Hello all it has been a busy few months since I last posted and I thought I would make a post to show what I've been up to over the summer months. Most of my time was taken up with teaching summer programs and opening the blacksmithing school, but in between the sixty hour weeks I found some time to make things and even injure myself :/ Unfortunately earlier this summer while working on a carving my chisel slipped and went through (yes as in all the way through) my left index finger severing some nerves, but thankfully it wasn't too serious and I have been able to get back to work making things. But onto the projects... This summer I received my first railing commission from the church my sister belongs to...Overall it was a fun and interesting project that I'd like to do more of in the future. It was all hand forged for both railings each one measuring 5 3/4 feet long and each structural upright is 1 inch square. I also found time to make this medium sized forester's axe. Mild steel body with a 1084 bit. The head is 8.5 inches long and the edge is 4 3/4 wide, the handle is 24 inches long. And last but not least I was able to finish up this pattern welded puukko today with birch bark handle. The blade is 1084, 1095, and 15N20 at about 500 layers and 1 inch wide and 4 1/2 inches long. Unfortunately when I took the picture I didn't notice the smudge of grease but it has since been cleaned off. Thank you all for looking...I'm looking forward to getting back to actually making some neat projects; I have a couple of ideas that have been gestating for the past four months...I'll keep you all posted.

Hello, i am a 17 year old that has been looking into beginning bladesmithing as a hobby after my history teacher told me about it and explained to me a bit of the basics after school one day. and he showed me this forum and told me it is great for questions and such. so far i have studied the steps of bladesmithing, and gotten a small piece of railroad track for an anvil and a hammer, i am looking into building a gas forge with a fire brick and a propane torch, as suggested by my teacher. and i was wondering if it would be ok to use railroad spikes that you can find in the rocks around railroad tracks. my question is that most of them are rusty, some much rustier than others, how would i go about using the spikes to at least start getting some experience in hammering, should i get something like steel wool to take off as much rust as possible before i heat the spikes in the forge? or would it be ok to just forge them with the rust on them? Thank you for your time and effort to read this and help me out if you can, again thank you. -Brandon St.Laurent