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Create yourself the perfect knife with step-by-step guidance from survivalist and Naked and Afraid star Laura Zerra.
From her vast experience in the wild, Zerra has learned about what works and what doesn’t, what steel will hold an edge, and what nuances in blade design will make or break a knife. In this concise and affordable edition of
A Modern Guide to Knifemaking, she shares essential knifemaking tips and tricks, including detailed instructions for both forging and stock removal.
From design to sharpening,
Modern Knifemaking for Beginners covers every step in the knifemaking process, all with beginners in mind:
- Knife Design – Consider what you want your knife to accomplish, develop a design, and make a prototype.
- Choosing and Sourcing Materials – Learn how to choose and buy steel for your knife.
- Forging Techniques – Build your own forge, then learn forging basics.
- Developing a Blade Shape – Forge the shape of your knife and make the blade tip.
- Cutting and Finishing the Blade – Cut the blade profile, grind in bevels to make the edge of the knife, heat treat and temper your blade, and grind and polish it.
- Making a Handle and Sheath – Create a handle and sheath for your new knife.
- Maintaining the Edge – Learn sharpening techniques to maintain the knife’s edge.
Throughout, Zerra includes Pro-Tips from some of the leading knifemakers working today, including Ken Onion, Kaila Cumings, and Mike Jones.
Modern Knifemaking for Beginners covers every detail of knifemaking so you can create your knife with confidence.
List of contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1: TOOLS OF THE TRADE
setting up a shop
safety equipment
tools
forging vs. stock removal
blacksmithing tools
building a two-brick forge
CHAPTER 2: DESIGNING A KNIFE
knife anatomy
tang
blade profiles
designing your knife
making a template
CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING STEEL
what is steel?
heat and steel
selecting steel
cutting out a blank
CHAPTER 4: BLACKSMITHING
heating the steel
making a game plan
hammering
making a hot cut
knife forging 101
moving steel
normalizing
annealing
CHAPTER 5: GRINDING
blade profiling
grinds
blade geometry
learning to grind
CHAPTER 6: HEAT-TREATING AND FINISHING
final tooling of the steel
hardening
quenching
hardening in a pit fire
tempering
tempering 1080 steel
grinding the surface
polishing
CHAPTER 7: MAKING A HANDLE
scale materials
pins
handle ergonomics
making a wooden handle
CHAPTER 8: MAKING A SHEATH
sheath styles
sheath materials
leatherworking tools
making a leather sheath
CHAPTER 9: SHARPENING AND KNIFE CARE
sharpening tools
mechanics of sharpening
sharpening a blade
keeping an edge
Glossary
Resources
About the Author
Index
About the author
Laura Zerra is a primitive survival expert who has been practicing her craft in different ecosystems around the world for the past fifteen years. She is perhaps best known for her appearance on Discovery Channel’s
Naked and Afraid and
Naked and Afraid XL, completing survival challenges in Panama, the Peruvian Amazon, and Colombia. She spent a combined total of eighty-two days in the wilderness, relying on her knife as her sole survival tool.
Through her extensive time spent in these and countless other survival situations, Laura gained a deep appreciation for a good knife and an understanding of what elements truly work out in the field. She chose to master the art of knifemaking to not only create her own perfect knife, but also to experience surviving in the wild with a blade made by her own hand.
In addition to her survival experience, Laura has worked as a butcher, a taxidermist, and a farrier. Learning these crafts has further added to her knowledge, understanding, and love of knives.
Her belief that life is a continuous learning process drives her to constantly seek new experiences and push the edges of her comfort zone. A self-proclaimed nomad, Laura shares her experiences through speaking appearances and teaching. When not practicing the art of primitive survival or working in the shop, her hobbies include hunting, spearfishing, freediving, bow building, shed antler hunting, and learning new skills.
You can follow her adventures by visiting laurazerra.com.
