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Hey guys I've been working on this for a little and now I'm stumped for what I should do for the blade. I don't know if I should make a chopper, a slicer or a cutter. Any suggestions? Mind the unhammerd portion is going to be the blade not the filed portion.

So as of late while gallivanting around the site, I stumbled upon the concept of "Aristotle's Furnace", so I got to thinking; I'm an amateur with some free time coming up due to fall break, I have an excess of clay that I processed, and I have a passion to make some good steel. So the thought occurred to me that rebar could perhaps be a cheap alternative that is readily available and can be cut into bits and melted down in the furnace. I am even thinking of making my own charcoal for this project. Does anyone have any other suggestions for cheap, readily available iron or steel sources? Also your thoughts on the process of purifying rebar into good steel would be greatly appreciated. I've read that the steel content varies greatly in rebar, so perhaps after a go or two through the furnace I could sort out the soft steel from the brittle steel much like Japanese smiths do. If there are any experienced folks that would be willing to weigh in on multi use clay bloomery/furnace designs that may prove to be more fruitful, then I'd highly appreciate it. Side note: it is preferable to keep the furnace reasonably sized and transportable.

Well I've finally finished the Rebar blade I've been working on. I'm not exactly sure which design I when't with. If you can tell me what kind of blade I made please do. I just made what came naturally to me. (I haven't cleaned the oil off yet or sharpened)