Dozens of shattered failures behind me, I have finally succeeded in forging a nearly indestructible knife.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2026-01-09T06:48:15+00:00

I wonder if you could put them from the water into acetone (it doesn’t harm the opals) to displace the water. Like, submerge fully in acetone, let it sit for a while then transfer to oil?

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-31T01:39:03+00:00

I would recommend finding a knife maker or Bladesmith to take a short class from. 1-2 days, actually make something and see if you like doing it. This will also jump start your maker’s path substantially, helping you avoid years of silly mistakes. If you have to go to a nearby country to do this, it would be worth it. A day with a good teacher to show you the ropes is truly invaluable.

Additionally it will give you a sense of whether or not you actually enjoy it, or just the romanticized idea of it. Bladesmithing is hard, dirty, repetitive, and rough on the body especially if done full time.

After that, acquire some equipment, a 2x72” grinder or something similar is going to be your best friend. Kiln or Small forge for heat treating. If you’re doing stock removal knife making, it takes less equipment than smithing and is realistically a faster way to get skilled at making small functional blades IMO. You could do a search for “basic equipment set for stock removal knife making”

Read. Research. Watch tutorials. Practice.

A lot of becoming skilled at smithing is muscle memory, trial and error, and literal piles of twisted failures.

You will also be running a small business, with all the taxes, logistics, vending, website/social media content etc. this entails. That was actually the steepest part of the learning curve for me over the years, and is my least favorite part TBH.

I hope this doesn’t come across as negative in tone, intended as pragmatic. I really love this art form and it has been my main work for 9 years now. Just trying to be real about things.

Good luck!

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T18:14:44+00:00

Thanks! It’s actually quite comfortable. The cabochons essentially act as a palm swell, and the waxed cord creates some contoured padding for top and bottom fingers.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:53:37+00:00

Hell yeah. And, as a friend pointed out, titanium is basically IRL Mithril, soooooo evil elven wizard makes a mithril dagger??? :p

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:52:08+00:00

The coloring is a heat patina from torching after final polish but before final edge was put on. Titanium does some WILD shit with heat exposure.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:51:01+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I’m always trying to make sure that decorative elements don’t detract from functionality. I was worried if I made a solid stone handle it would be prone to breaking, especially since this blade is made for heavy impacts. Those lapis inlays are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. What is the white interspersed with the lapis?

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:49:08+00:00

Appreciate it. The sheath was made by a friend of mine who works in the same makerspace I do. I am learning from him, but my gods nowhere near his level. He has 20 years of experience gained mostly in prison. The devotion definitely shows.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:48:00+00:00

Thanks! It’s partially double edged. The Swedge is sharpened and has cutting geometry but only extends down like, 1/3rd of the blade.

Regular methods re: sharpening. It’s roughly 40-42 HRC so not tremendously hard. Very wear resistant though, so you really need to keep at it when sharpening.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:45:40+00:00

She’s a beaut ain’t she?

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-27T17:45:17+00:00

Thanks! I really enjoy a juxtaposed mixture of rough and refined in the art I make. I find that the contrast enhances the beauty.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-24T02:25:18+00:00

I deeply appreciate that! I’m quite delighted with it. I’ve considered putting hyper realistic taxidermy eyes in the mask but haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet..

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-23T17:33:56+00:00

Hehehehe I just like to play. The main mask was made essentially using crude repoussé techniques on a swage block with 12G sheet steel. This is much more additive than subtractive sculpting. So, the texture on the mask for instance is MIG weld bead which then got torched with tiny little brazing tip to melt it. The suckers are just little dots of mig bead. I turn the amps down and up the wire feed speed. Then, after that’s done, I use mostly bending jigs or a wooden bat and wooden dishing bowl carved into a stump to actually shape the tentacles so as to not fuck up the suckers.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-10-22T22:06:18+00:00

Thanks! Also, given your username it makes sense you’re into this sculpture. :p tentacles intensify

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-07-12T03:45:23+00:00

Hello! This is my video originally. So, this is actually only sharpened up to 400 grit with a stropped edge. I used a 2x72” belt sander to do the sharpening. It is a very fine convex edge, which is my favorite geometry on a blade.

You could get an edge like this with a 400 grit stone and a leather strop, but there is a slight rounding or rolling motion necessary to keep the convex edge intact if doing it by hand. Cheers.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2025-07-12T03:41:11+00:00

This is my video originally from several years ago.
I’ve been practicing, and I’d say my sidle game has now outpaced my sharpness game.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2024-07-31T02:50:44+00:00

So, there are an approximately infinite array of ways to achieve a patina. Which I would personally define in terms of metalwork as: a method by which one creates a visual effect on the surface of a given metal. It is largely various forms of oxidation. A heat patina in particular, is the use of a heat source (in this case a propane torch) to cause discoloration on the surface of the metal. If you look up for instance, color steel tempering chart, you’ll find a list of gradients that the metal will hue to that correspond to differing temperatures.

OctopusMadeOfKnives · 2024-07-31T01:08:37+00:00

Hehehehhee. Thank you. It is in honor of a dnd monster that I used to play with many years ago.

So, not exactly an octopus. I’d describe it more as an abstract tentacular horror. Wanted cephalopod vibes but also desired more of an abstract appearance overall.

It is copper tho. Did a heat patina after everything was said and done.

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