Quit telling new guys to start with mild steel, it teaches you bad habits you pay for later

Gavin Hall · 2026-10-02T05:30:03.823651+00:00

I keep hearing guys say start on mild steel because it's cheap and forgiving, and I get it, but after 6 months of watching a buddy of mine fight every piece of high carbon he touched I figured out why. He learned to hammer on mild, so he never had to watch his heat colors or move fast, and the first time he tried a simple 1084 blade in my garage in Boise he burned the tip off twice in one afternoon. Mild steel lets you work slow and sloppy, and those habits follow you right into the steel that actually matters. It cost him $80 in ruined bar stock before he stopped and relearned his whole hammer rhythm. Am I wrong here, or do you all teach new folks on high carbon from day one too?

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Quit telling new guys to start with mild steel, it teaches you bad habits you pay for later | Blacksmiths - Guest Forum