How Do You Forge A Knife From Rebar?
Rebar is the metal used to reinforce concrete. Rebar is, as it’s name implies, reinforcement bar stock. Rebar is great for forging for a number of reasons; chiefly, it is inexpensive, easy to come by, and strong. First, cut the rebar to the desired length. Keep in mind that as you forge the blade portion especially, you will draw out the metal, so cut on the conservative side. Drawing out the metal is done by hammering on all four sides of the metal in order to lengthen it out and thin it down. Get the forge burning and apply an air source. You will need to make sure that the metal is getting hot enough to go past “cherry red” and starting to be bright yellow. This may be slightly hotter than you are used to with forging, but there is a method to my madness. Rebar is a great medium for forging, but when they make it, they don’t really regulate the carbon and other elements that go into it. As a result, you want to heat it up enough to loosen the bonds between theses elements. When you
