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My shop buddy scoffs when I grab mild steel for knife practice
Most smiths in my area swear by high carbon steel for any blade making. I think that sets new people up for failure with tricky heat control. Using mild steel lets you hammer out shapes and practice grinds without fear of ruining pricey metal. It builds solid skills before you move on to the good stuff.
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keithp617mo ago
Why do we rush beginners to use the good stuff before they learn basics?
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baker.willow7mo ago
Totally feel this. I bought a full-frame camera before I could tell you what aperture did. Keithp61 nails it. We see shiny reviews and think the gear will do the work for us. Ended up with a fancy paperweight until I learned the basics on an old point-and-shoot. Now I tell newbies to start cheap and learn what they actually need.
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drew8055mo ago
...and my buddy did the same thing with me about 5 years ago when I was starting. I was all excited to try making a chef knife from 1095 and he just handed me a piece of mild steel and said "ruin this first". I thought he was being a jerk but after three failed attempts I got it. The heat treat on mild is forgiving, you won't ruin a good edge by overheating it. Once you can make a clean shape and get a decent grind going on that cheap stuff, the high carbon stuff feels way less intimidating. Your friend might laugh now but you'll be saving money and learning faster than him in the long run.
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