On March 25-26, PMA Southern New England members cut into the basics of forging, grinding and heat treating a hidden tang knife at Dragon’s Breath Forge in Wolcott, CT. This two-day, “knife making 101” class was led by 2015 Forge in Fire champion, Matthew Parkinson.
Students started on Saturday, March 25 by hand forging a steel blade, including heat control, hammer control and basic forging theory. The forged blade was further refined by hand grinding to prepare it for heat treating. After heat treating, the blades were finished, ground and prepared for handles.
On Sunday, wooden handles were shaped and attached to the blade, with final finishing and sharpening.
About Matthew Parkinson
Matt is the first episode winner from the show “Forged in Fire” (2015) and returned to the show to place 2nd in the Champions round in 2016. He graduated from the Manufacturing Engineering Program at Vinal R.V.T.S and started his own business, MP Ironworks, in 1998 making ironwork, swords and knives. In 2005 he joined his business partners in opening Falling Hammer Productions LLC, now known as Dragon’s Breath Forge. Matt is a Journeyman Smith with the American Bladesmith Society and is the Vice President of the Connecticut Blacksmiths Guild.