/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1203790
expect it to look shit? trust me, my first was crap too.

watch vids of professionals for how they move tools around etc.
my personal advice would be stock removal for as much as you can for the first few, use heat only for quench/temper. that way you're not worrying about warping and burning the steel in shaping, and ensure your steel is unchanged, while you learn heat-treat. one less uncertainty, eliminating variables.

once you're there, start using cheap mild steel from any hardware store, and practice a few shaping jobs, learn how the steel will curl as you bevel one edge, practice straightening it. also practice hammering flat. hammer out a strip of mild, then use an angle-grinder or belt sander to take off the scale. if you're getting ) ) ) ) ) shapes, you're not hitting square-on. you need to learn to control the hammer. Use scrap and the likes for your practice work, and don't be afraid to spend a day literally just practising how to draw out or swage down etc - I'm mostly a historical maker, and really, I probably spend 1/2 my time just looking at work, studying the details of how I made something, how the originals were done, or practising methods on an offcut or a spare bit.

aim for clean surfaces, use files to get everything flat and even after forge work, then sand. invest in loads of paper, using one worn-out scrap of paper is a waste of your time, for saving a few pennies.

oh, personal advice, your mileage may vary - draw out your designs 1:1 on stiff card, cut it out as a template to aim for. invest in a set of French Curves and a ruler, for making blades. french curves will let you do really nice, clean lines that curl and arc in very good looking ways.

anyhow, have a tiny little whittling/pen-knife in O1, sterling silver and bog oak.