2025-07-21 – Early-Style Laminated Knife Blade (In-Person)
Schedule:
July 21-23 (9:00 am-5:00 pm CT)
Instructor:
Tom Latané
Location:
This is an in-person class held at Vesterheim Folk Art School in the new forging classroom.
Students will forge material for two laminated knife blades using wrought iron and steel with a method described by Håvard Bergland in his book, The Art of Traditional Blacksmithing, Page 112 - The Chisel Method.
The center of a bar of salvaged wrought iron will be chiseled open, and high carbon steel will be forge-welded into the cleft. When cut in half, the bar will yield two blanks with steel exposed on one edge and one end for the blade, and wrought iron at the other end for the through tang.
Students may file or grind their blades before heat treating and final grinding. Pickling will expose the grain in the wrought iron.
Please Note: If you would like to take this knife blade and add a handle to finish the full knife, you will be able to do so in the July 28-30 class Introduction to Knifemaking: Bruk Kniv. This knifemaking class will be open to all levels and Jon will be able to help students with the finer details of knifemaking, whether they bring their own blades made in this knife blade class or purchase one from Jon.
Level of Instruction:
Forge welding experience would be necessary.
Supplies:
Student tools
Safety gear: Eye protection, ear protection, glove for tool holding hand (light leather glove, not a welder’s glove), natural fiber clothing (synthetics melt to skin or burn rapidly), ratty long sleeve covering for when forge welding, leather apron (if desired) for forge welding, closed toe shoes (no flip flops)
Hammers: Favorite forging hammer, hammer to strike tooling
Tongs: tongs to hold 3/4” square, 1/4” square, 1/8” square, knife maker’s tongs or swiveling jaw tongs if you have them (these adjust to whatever taper the forging is), tongs for 1/4” flat, 3/16” flat, 1/8” flat, pick-up tongs (slim tongs to reach into the forge and draw out metal so it can be firmly gripped by forging tongs)
Magnet for judging hardening temperature
Files: 8" or 10” flat bastard file, 8" or 10” mill file
Slim chisel for hot work
Preferred welding flux if other than what Vesterheim has on hand
Materials fee $20 paid directly to the instructor for salvaged wrought iron and 1075 tool steel
Enrollment Deadline:
Click here to learn more about instructor Tom Latané.
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