This year has been one for the history books, as the entire world has been in lockdown and millions of people around the planet are in some form of self-isolation.
I haven’t seen friends or family in weeks. My wife and I don’t have any kids at home – they’ve all grown and left the nest. But three of them live only 10 minutes away across town (we have six all together) and we haven’t been able to visit them in weeks. Covid is no joke, and we are taking this seriously. So we are going to tough it out through the isolation until it is safe once again.
One of the ways I’ve been coping with the stress of self-isolation is to spend a lot of time hammering on hot steel. It is amazingly therapeutic, and you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a shrink over Zoom.
My wife expressed some concern that during these times of elevated stress, I’ve turned to making sharp objects for fun. But I told her not to worry…really… I’m reasonably certain I’m not going to snap…I think…
All kidding aside, knife making can be a fun and rewarding hobby. One of its positive points is that it has a very low cost entry point. You don’t have to spend much, if any, money to get started. It does not require specialized tools or expensive equipment unless you want to go pro. You can get by with basic tools – which is all you need to do this as a hobby. If you are even a moderately handy person you likely already have most of what you need in your shop. A low cost entry point means no harm done if you want to try it and then decide it’s not for you.
Someone gave me a rack of deer antlers they found in the woods a couple of weeks ago and I used it to make this knife. The blade is cable Damascus I forged a while back from a piece of steel cable. The bolster is brass and leather.
The best way to get through this pandemic is to take up a hobby. Don’t just sit around watching the news or obsessing on social media. Learn to make something with your hands. Take up cooking, baking bread, wood working, painting, pottery…anything you think you’ll enjoy that other people can enjoy as well. It will keep you sane.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay sane!