Learning how to make knives from someone who has done it for over 60 years and written about it professionally for about 30 years is exactly what you get with Wayne Goddard’s The Wonder of Knifemaking.

Inducted into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© during the 2013 BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com), Goddard is an ABS master smith and BLADE® (www.blademag.com) field editor who has taught as many people how to make knives via his columns in BLADE, through the Internet, and his many seminars and demos at venues throughout the country as just about anyone.

In The Wonder of Knifemaking he takes you on a fascinating journey explaining most everything every knife fan wants to know about knives and how they are made. From imparting his wisdom on how you should approach knifemaking in general, to getting started, insider tips, developing your own unique style, the pitfalls each maker must beware of and much more, Goddard guides you through the process in his measured, forthright writing style.

He tells you what steel is and how each of its constituent elements affects it; working with such old-fashioned materials as files, saw steel and horseshoe rasps; what you should know about heat treating, quenching, and selective hardening and tempering techniques; the best hardnesses for blades; clay back hardening; handles, guards and tangs, including narrow tang vs. full tang; grinding and finishing; material for pins; logo etching; tools for the knife shop; and more.

A huge proponent of knife testing, Wayne explains exactly what a testing program should consist of and what it should gauge: slicing cuts vs. pull cuts; the differences in the types of ropes to cut; tests for chopping ability and edge strength; and more. He also covers sharpening comprehensively, including methods and hones. Sharpening is a subject he knows extremely well, having taught it at many seminars over the years at the BLADE Show, BLADE Show West and many other events.

For more on how to get your copy, visit www.shopblade.com/the-wonder-of-knifemaking?lid=ssfbbl072413