Hello from Denver
Aug 18, 2023 19:53:36 GMT
Post by aurik on Aug 18, 2023 19:53:36 GMT
Hello everyone. My name is Ken, and I live in Denver. I've been a fan of swords ever since I discovered Dungeons and Dragons in grade/middle school. I bought my first sword (a katana) on my senior trip to Europe, in Toledo, Spain. Since then I've added a few more to my collection -- a matched katana/wakizashi set (show pieces, aluminum alloy) and a replica of Aragorn's "Anduril" from the Return of the King movie.
About 2-3 years ago, my (now 11-year old) son and I discovered "Forged in Fire", and I thought to myself, "Wow, people actually still MAKE this stuff"? I mean I knew you could buy a sword in the store, but I assumed it was pretty much a mass-produced thing. I didn't know that you could actually MAKE them yourself. Since then, my son and I have embarked on the journey of the bladesmith. I discovered Kilroy's Workshop in Colorado Springs, where they teach ALL sorts of classes. I started with a 3-hour intro class, where I forged a viking hairpin knife out of mild steel. I've made a few 3.5 inch EDC knives in their one-day "mini-knife" class, I did a San Mai kukri, an integral chopper, and a warhammer. Last summer I did a one-week dagger-making class with Kevin Cashen (VERY hard class, and I learned quite a bit), where I started learning about the difficulties involved with making a sword. And earlier this summer, I did a one-week katana making class -- in that class I not only learned the basics of forging, heat-treating, and finishing a katana, but I also learned a lot about "Here's what happens when something goes wrong". I still have a lot of grinding, polishing, and sharpening to do on that -- I'll post a separate thread on it when it is finished.
Beyond the realm of swords, I'm a software engineer by trade. My other hobbies include D&D (still), and Okinawan Karate (I am currently working towards my second degree black belt). I hope to learn a lot from you, and I hope to be able to contribue back as my skills and knowledge increase.
Thank you for having me here!
About 2-3 years ago, my (now 11-year old) son and I discovered "Forged in Fire", and I thought to myself, "Wow, people actually still MAKE this stuff"? I mean I knew you could buy a sword in the store, but I assumed it was pretty much a mass-produced thing. I didn't know that you could actually MAKE them yourself. Since then, my son and I have embarked on the journey of the bladesmith. I discovered Kilroy's Workshop in Colorado Springs, where they teach ALL sorts of classes. I started with a 3-hour intro class, where I forged a viking hairpin knife out of mild steel. I've made a few 3.5 inch EDC knives in their one-day "mini-knife" class, I did a San Mai kukri, an integral chopper, and a warhammer. Last summer I did a one-week dagger-making class with Kevin Cashen (VERY hard class, and I learned quite a bit), where I started learning about the difficulties involved with making a sword. And earlier this summer, I did a one-week katana making class -- in that class I not only learned the basics of forging, heat-treating, and finishing a katana, but I also learned a lot about "Here's what happens when something goes wrong". I still have a lot of grinding, polishing, and sharpening to do on that -- I'll post a separate thread on it when it is finished.
Beyond the realm of swords, I'm a software engineer by trade. My other hobbies include D&D (still), and Okinawan Karate (I am currently working towards my second degree black belt). I hope to learn a lot from you, and I hope to be able to contribue back as my skills and knowledge increase.
Thank you for having me here!