Publications

   

 "Making a Narrow Tang Knife" by Kevin and Heather Harvey

    Finally, after more than 2 years, our COVID lockdown project book is ready! "How to Make a Narrow Tang Knife" American Bladesmith Society Master Bladesmiths Kevin and Heather Harvey will guide you through every step while creating a narrow tang knife. From selecting the correct steel to explaining the intricacies of heat treatment. Everything will be covered, from grinding and polishing blades to fitting the guard and handle and eventually finishing it off with a sturdy sheath.  270 pages with 880 clear color photos with detailed descriptions make it easy to follow the process.  Foreword by Daniel O’Malley, president of BladeGallery.com. This book covers four knife manufacturing methods, including a section on making a knife without many power tools. Even if you have never made a knife before, you should be able to successfully complete a narrow tang knife using the information from this book. If you are a seasoned knifemaker, you will still gain valuable tips and hints shared by these two excellent Master Bladesmiths. After teaching more than 2 000 students over the past 20+ years, Kevin and Heather know only too well what students struggle with. In this book, they line you up for success during every step of the process. Kevin and Heather Harvey have dedicated their lives to sharing their knowledge of the forged blade. This is the first book in the “Heavin Knows” series of workshop manuals. Kevin and Heather are both authorized instructors in Bladesmithing with the American Bladesmith Society. Regular classes are presented at their Heavin Forge Bladesmithing Studio and School in South Africa. They have also taught at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in the U.S.A. Heavin Forge, their bladesmithing school, is one of nine ABS- recognized schools globally, with seven of them being in the U.S.A, and one in Belgium. Thank you to ABS Mastersmith, Neels van den Berg for creating a scale drawing of the "Veld Knife".  Please feel free to download these drawings. Veld Knife - Drawing Neels van den Berg Final Veld Knife - Draft Neels 2 Final

How to buy a copy of our book.

If you live in South Africa, you can buy a softcover book directly from us.  Please email us at heavin@heavinforge.co.za and let us know if you want the book personalized. The book costs R600 plus R150 for the courier.  We will need your full physical address and cell number for the courier. If you would like a softcover copy of the book in South Africa, They are available from: This book costs R600 each plus courier fees (which is about the same price as a nice piece of handle material!) Internationally you can buy our book as a “print-on-demand” book from the following suppliers who normally ship within a couple of days and some even don’t charge for postage!  The prices vary by country. The United States & Canada BladeGallery.com  https://www.bladegallery.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1007&cat=Books%3A+Knifemaking Pops Knife Supply, https://popsknife.supplies/collections/miscellaneous/products/book-how-to-make-a-narrow-tang-knife-by-kevin-and-heather-harvey Via Ingram Book Group, IngramSpark titles are automatically made available to tens of thousands of:
  • Retailers
  • Libraries
  • Schools
  • E-commerce companies
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Independent bookstores
  • Walmart.com
  • Target.com
  • Chapters / Indigo (Canada)
and other well-known book retailers and wholesalers across North America. The United Kingdom & Europe
  • Adlibris
  • Agapea
  • Amazon.co.uk
  • Aphrohead
  • Blackwell
  • Book Depository Ltd
  • Books Express
  • Coutts Information Services Ltd
  • Designarta Books
  • Eden Interactive Ltd
  • Foyles
  • Gardners
  • Trust Media Distribution (formerly STL)
  • Mallory International
  • Paperback Shop Ltd
  • Superbookdeals
  • The Book Community Ltd
  • Waterstones
  • Wrap Distribution
Australia & New Zealand
  • Amazon AU
  • Booktopia
  • Fishpond
  • The Nile
  • James Bennett
  • ALS
  • Peter Pal
We would love to see any knives you make from the information in this book.  Please email the photos to heavin@heavinforge.co.za. If you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you. Stay sharp! Heavin  

FEEDBACK ON OUR BOOK

Thank you to everyone who has given us feedback on our book. We appreciate all your kind words. Tim Cumming We’ll done Kevin - and thanks to both of you for your book. It’s a fantastic reference piece. Best I’ve ever seen as a detailed guide on all aspects. It should be sold all around the world! Best wishes Tim Charles Lessing Hi Heavin, I managed to get one of your books. What a fantastic read! It feels like I'm back on course. Thank you very much. Di Mohr We have just skimmed through a copy of this book. It is phenomenal!! What a wonderful reference work written in such an easy to understand style and with excellent photos every step of the way. Bravo!!!! Francois Coetzee All the tricks in the book by the Master! Vincent French Got one!!! Awesome work!!! I have shared this post to my page to encourage more knife makers! Well done Kevin & Heather! Gold!  I cannot reiterate what an investment this book is! Gold!!! Malcolm Tiley Got my book yesterday, all I can say is wow! Incredible detail, well done Heather and Kevin on putting your passion into words and pictures. Mellies Victor Vir iemand wat begin met messe maak en niks weet nie, wow dit help baie en die leerwerk in die boek om n skeede te maak help soveel meer ek kan net sé koop die boek en kyk self. garnersavory Reading my copy.... nicely done, detailed with an informative, informal, quirky twist.   I want to thank you for the book. I am enjoying reading it and trying to follow along by making my own knife based on the text. It is an awesome book. I have scoured the internet and bought every text I could on plunge grinding for example. Your explanations are by far the best I have seen. I truly appreciate it! I just wish the pages were more fireproof 😊   Kind regards Hennie   Dear Heather and Kevin, Thank you so much for sending a copy of "How to Make a Narrow Tang Knife". I found it very well written and comprehensive, and the photographs were terrific. I look forward to your future efforts. Warm Regards, B.R. Hughes (Founding member of the ABS and author of many knife and gun-related books and articles)   Dear Heather and Kevin, BR and I were very honored to be asked to review your book and thank you for the opportunity. Not being a Bladesmith, I relied on the few computer software textbooks I was asked to review while an instructor at Texarkana College. So, I used that method and took your book, went through step by step using text and pictures. You covered every possibility I could imagine went into making a knife and more. Each step was clearly explained and well-illustrated. I found no room for improvement. We are anxious to see the next one! More Warm Regards Carolyn Hughes (Editor of the ABS Journal)      

Baselard dagger by Kevin Harvey

Grinding a dagger - Kevin Harvey Filmed at Black Dragon Forge at the Southern African Bladesmith Association Hammer-In, 24 August 2019.  Thanks to Neels van den Berg for the footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0lGopCZIMg&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR01BjV-vtv3R7fErpb7yzyehWIyZNSKFIL05a-0PO_WL-Af9bJTSzgGBsE                 
 

Kevin's Bowie.

Bowie Forging, Grinding and Heat Treatment Video. Kevin Harvey M.S. at the Goldfields Knifemakers Club Hammer-In demonstrates the forging, grinding, and heat treatment of a Bowie knife.  He talks about the history, types, uses, and steel selection as well as basic carbon steel heat treatment.  Livestreamed from Seppie's Forge in Odendaalsrus, just outside Welkom in the Free State, South Africa on 11 September 2021.  https://youtu.be/OymVcAk_kN8  There is a slideshow for the first 8 minutes and the video runs for just under 8 hours.