I had a name stamp made up for marking my knives some time ago, but hadn't worked out a way to cleanly mark the blade. If you hold the stamp and hit it with a hammer, you often get a double mark or shadow, or one side deeper than the other. I tried a deadblow hammer, but it wan't strong enough to mark it.
I spend a lot of time re-handling knives that have not been looked after. The most common form of abuse is the dishwasher. The harsh chemicals, hot water and steam will crack a plastic or wooden handle over time. It also corrodes the rivets used in fixing the handle slabs on. So the time comes to re-handle. Some modern knives are not worth re-handling, but older carbon steel blades (that are difficult to find now) are always worth the effort. Expecially if they have some sentimental value. So in the following gallery are some step by step instructions on how to re-handle a full tang knife.
To look after you new handles - please no dishwashers, keep the handled oiled after use and when cleaning the blade do a "bachelor wash" by holding the blade under hot water, a quick wipe to clean, they dry the blade and handle and put straight away in your knife block or magnet. It should last another few generations if looked after.
Here's a tutorial on how to make a propane gas forge out of bits and pieces. It's not too hard, it just takes some time and some scrap steel. There are lots of ways to make a forge, this one suits my needs. It can be made with a single opening or a double opening for long pieces. The parts can be improvised, but note the bigger the forge cavity - the harder it will be to heat.
This is a tutorial on how to build a simple LPG venturi burner. The parts cost around $60 AUD without the regulator (which can be another $100). The forge's atmosphere can be adjusted by twisting the upright pipe, which varies the amout of air sucked in.
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