CS 1075 Kiridashi

In February 2023, I started to rethink my knifemaking journey and what this hobby, lifestyle, whatever you may call it, truly means to me. I didn't fall into knifemaking, rather I tripped and dove in headfirst. I never came up for air. I pushed hard and fast and burned myself completely out. 

Within six short months, I went from having a cheap propane torch forge and a fifty-dollar belt sander to a full-on 2x72 belt grinder, heat treatment oven, drill press, and surface grinder. For those keeping score at home, that's about $5,000 and doesn't include the assortments of abrasives and other tools. I'd probably lift that total to about $8,000. Not what you would call "pocket change". After two very fast-paced years, everything screeched to a halt. 

I went from 1-2 knives a week to one every few month then nothing. In late 2022, I took a careful look at knifemaking and asked myself "why continue?". I came to the conclusion that I moved too fast. I obsessed with fancy tools and forgot all about that primal connection between the maker and the knife. 

With all that in mind, I made a decision. 2023 would be the year I decide what knife-making means to me and I would begin that journey from the start and do what I should have in the first place and kept it simple. I challenged myself to a simple task: build ten knives without my 2x72 and without austentizing in my fancy oven. Once those ten knives are complete, I have earned the privilege to move on.