Hit 500th blade I forged today and had to stop and think

I count every project I finish in my shop journal. Hit number 500 this afternoon on a simple kitchen knife. That number surprised me because I never thought I'd stick with this trade that long. Any of you guys keep a running count of what you make?

3 comments

3 Comments

taraross1mo ago

@jana881 got a good point about the count being a mess. Half those 500 probably didn't even get a proper heat treat. Numbers sound impressive but really just mean you spent a lot of time making mistakes. I've got a buddy who brags about his 300 blades but half of them are wall hangers that'll snap if you look at them wrong. Sticky notes on a grinder sound about as serious as this whole post honestly. Counts don't matter if the edge geometry is trash.

jana8811mo ago

Geez Louise, 500 blades! That's INCREDIBLE. I keep a rough count on a sticky note next to my grinder but I stopped around 150 because I kept losing the note and having to start over. Honestly, I probably lost count of more knives than I've actually finished. My shop journal looks more like a crime scene of half-started projects and failed heat treats. You've got my total RESPECT for sticking with it that long.

nancyjones1mo ago

My shop journal looks like a murder board from a bad detective show, honestly. I've got scribbles, coffee stains, and one page where I just wrote "NOPE" and drew a frowny face. I think @jana881 is onto something with that sticky note system - at least you had a system, even if it ran away from you. I'm probably sitting around 200-ish blades total, but like half of them are hidden in a box under my bench because I'm too embarrassed to admit they exist. The ones that actually made it to heat treat? Maybe 80 at most, and I'm being generous with that number. It's a humbling hobby, you know?