Basic bladesmithing 2 with Ed Caffrey

B

Brad Lilly

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I wanted to be a kinifemaker some day, so I decided to try and get a little education. I started forging knives in November 2010 and have built a few knives and knife like objects. About six months ago I thought I should try and take a course on bladesmithing from Ed Caffrey. After many e-mails and the odd call everything was lined up for me to take Ed`s basic bladesmithing 2 course in mid February.

I will admit I was concerned; $1450 in addition to travel and staying in Great Falls is a lot of money to me. Talking to Ed on the phone gave me some peace of mind, he seamed like a good guy.

Once I walked in to Ed`s shop I got a warm welcome from Ed, Hammer and Boomer (the dogs). We talked knives and soon got down to work. Ed has put a lot of thought into his course and clearly presents each step in a logical fashion. I soon realised how little I knew about knifemaking and how far I needed to go. Ed covers everything from forging to finished knife. I learned about the nuts and bolts of knifemaking and lots of good advice on how to sell knives effectively. Ed tells you what works and what to avoid (like most of my tools). To anyone thinking about one of Ed`s courses I highly recommend them you wont be disappointed. I got every pennys worth out of Ed and then some!
This is the first REAL knife I have ever made, with much help from Ed. Thanks again Ed, I had a ball

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Exceptional , great job. Eds doing something right if thats your first, or your a prodigy lol.
 
thats a beautiful knife!!!

when i get moved into a location that would allow me to have a forge i really look forward to starting to forge knives, i think i may need to head up to MT for one of his courses at that time!!!

how did you do that hamon on your blade? was it with clay ? i have been trying to get that same shape of hamon with those straight soft edges but mine always end up more ragged, i use satanite clay and 1095 steel

thats a great knife, good job and it looks like Ed classes are where its at!!!

steve
 
Without a doubt from the readings I have done Ed Caffery is an excellent teacher as well as maker. I'm positive anyone who went to him could learn many things about knife making no matter what aspect you wanted to investigate. Wish I could manage a teaching visit with him. Frank
 
I have also taken a course with Ed and was the best money I spent on knife making. I also now have a great friend as well.
Jim Clow
 
I'd agree with Brad and Jim here that Ed's class and the whole experience are well worth it. It took me a pretty good bit of effort to get out to Ed's place. The doubts were erased in a minute and I wondered why I hadn't done it earlier. On my visit, we were winding down on the first day, Ed glanced over at me and said 'wanna go fishing'. I know, off topic, but not too bad an idea, couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Had a great few days, and turned out to have a white out spring snow storm the next day, but lots to do in the shop.

Take care, Craig

ps. Lerch/Steve, just a guess, but I think the blade was a bit deeper hardening than your 1095. Maybe something like 1080/84, and edge quenched to show the line after etching.
 
Thanks for the kind words Brad!

I have to count myself Blessed in the type of people who always seem to come here for classes. With very few exceptions, they have all been people of outstanding character, and just great individuals. I've always said that this whole thing really isn't about knives......it's about people. Again, I've been Blessed to meet some truly outstanding human beings, and made some of the best friends a person could ever hope for.


I also have to admit that teaching is one of my favorite areas of being a Bladesmith/Knifemaker. Nothing gives me more personal satisfaction than when I'm helping someone, and all of a sudden, I see "the light come on." Call me weird, but that's something that just thrills me. :)
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Thanks for the kind words Brad!

I have to count myself Blessed in the type of people who always seem to come here for classes. With very few exceptions, they have all been people of outstanding character, and just great individuals. I've always said that this whole thing really isn't about knives......it's about people. Again, I've been Blessed to meet some truly outstanding human beings, and made some of the best friends a person could ever hope for.


I also have to admit that teaching is one of my favorite areas of being a Bladesmith/Knifemaker. Nothing gives me more personal satisfaction than when I'm helping someone, and all of a sudden, I see "the light come on." Call me weird, but that's something that just thrills me. :)
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Thats a sweet knife love it... Btw ed how much are you classes and what state are you in?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm located in Great Fall, Montana. It's about 90 miles east of the continental divide, and about 2 hours south of the Canadian border. For info on all the classes, I'll direct you over to the "Classes" page on my webiste:
http://www.caffreyknives.net/classes.html

As of today (8 July 2016) the next available dates I have for a class are AFTER 11 Sept 2016. Everything is done "one-on-one", so basically it's just a matter of the individual deciding on dates, sending them to me, and then I match them up against my calendar. If there are no conflicts, I will schedule the dates. If there happens to be some conflict, I'd just let you know, and we look at other dates. The only days I don't teach are Sundays....those are reserved for Church and family time.
 
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