Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions people ask most about Bladesmiths Network, the free community for knife makers, bladesmiths, suppliers and collectors. Can’t find yours? Email [email protected] and we will help.
About Bladesmiths Network
What is Bladesmiths Network?
Bladesmiths Network is a free online community for knife makers, bladesmiths, suppliers and collectors. Members share work in progress and finished knives, ask and answer questions about forging, steel, heat treatment, handles and tools, follow makers they like, chat in the Hangout and find knife-making events. It is made by bladesmiths, for bladesmiths.
Who is it for?
Everyone who makes, collects or supplies knives, from first-time hobbyists to full-time professionals. You do not have to be a bladesmith to join: collectors, suppliers and businesses are welcome too. You must be 13 or over.
Is Bladesmiths Network free?
Yes. It is free to join and to use, and nothing on the site is locked behind a payment. If you would like to help with the running costs you can give a small amount through Ko-fi. That is entirely optional.
Who runs it, and where?
Bladesmiths Network is run from the United Kingdom by bladesmiths, so UK law applies to the site and to everything posted on it. You can reach us at [email protected].
Joining and your account
How do I join?
Choose Sign Up and fill in your email address, a password, your birth month and year, a username and the kind of account you want (or continue with Google). Then confirm your email address with the link we send you, and add as much or as little to your profile as you like. There is no access code or waiting list.
Which account type should I choose: Maker, Collector or Business?
Choose Maker if you make knives, handles, sheaths or other parts of the craft, Collector if you collect and love well-made knives, and Business if you are a shop, supplier, school or maker trading as a business. A Business account is checked by our team before it can post events.
Can I change my account type later?
Not yourself, because a maker badge, a verified tick and event hosting all depend on the type. Email [email protected] and an administrator can change it for you.
Why do I have to be 13 or over, and what is the 18+ badge?
Anyone aged 13 or over can join and take part: in the UK anyone can learn to make knives. The law on age comes in when a knife is sold, because it is an offence to sell a knife to anyone under 18, so the Marketplace we are planning will be for members aged 18 or over. To show you are an adult, press Confirm Age on your own profile: Agemin, an age checking company, estimates your age from a short face scan, and a red 18+ badge then shows on your profile. Your picture goes to Agemin and we never see or keep it.
I forgot my password. What do I do?
On the log-in screen choose Forgot your password and enter your email address. We send you a link to choose a new one, and signing in with it signs out any other devices.
Can I add a second lock to my account?
Yes. Switch on two-step sign-in in Settings and we email you a 6 digit code each time you log in with your password, a second lock if someone learns it. Signing in with Google does not need a code.
Posting and using the site
What can I post?
Pictures and short videos of your knives and your work: forging, grinding, heat treatment, handles, sheaths, kitchen knives, bushcraft knives, tools and workshop shots. A post can hold up to 10 pictures, or videos of up to three minutes, with a caption of up to 2,200 characters. Everything must stay within UK law and the Rules.
What do WIP and FOTB mean?
WIP is Work in Progress and FOTB is Fresh Off The Bench. When you post you can mark it Finished, Work in Progress, Fresh Off The Bench, For Sale or Sold, and the Work in Progress and Fresh Off The Bench pages gather everyone’s posts of those kinds.
Who can see my posts?
Posts, comments and builds are for signed-in members only. Visitors who are not members can see a member’s profile page, but not their posts.
What is the difference between the Messageboard and the Hangout?
The Messageboard is for lasting conversations: threads on topics such as steel, handles, abrasives, grinders and tools, where answers can be marked as helpful or as the solution. The Hangout is a live chat room for quick conversation, and its messages are deleted automatically after 30 days.
How do events work?
Approved Business accounts can post knife-making events with a date, time, address, map and picture. Members can say they are interested or going, share an event and talk about it in its discussion, and events appear in everyone’s Feed.
Can I buy and sell knives on Bladesmiths Network?
You can mark a post For Sale or Sold, and the Marketplace in the menu (with the red 18+ badge) is where makers and businesses list knives for sale, with pictures from their own posts, for their own country or worldwide. Anyone can look at a listing, even without an account, and share it, but to contact the seller you must be old enough to buy a knife in the seller's country and in yours (18 in the UK and several other countries, 16 in Denmark and Austria), and to sell you must be 18 or over and have confirmed your age. Knives must be sold lawfully: the Rules explain which knives are banned or restricted in the UK and why.
Can I use it as an app on my phone?
Yes. Add Bladesmiths Network to your home screen from your browser’s menu and it opens like an app. In the installed app you can also switch on notifications to hear about replies and new activity.
How do I follow makers?
Press Follow on a member’s profile. Your Feed then brings together what the makers you follow have posted, while Latest and Discover show what is new across the whole community. Tag pages, such as #damascus, list every post that uses a tag.
Privacy, safety and the rules
Which knives and posts are not allowed?
Nothing that shows or promotes a banned or restricted knife, such as zombie knives, flick knives, switchblades, gravity knives, butterfly knives or disguised knives, and never a knife presented as suitable for combat or self-defence. Craft, trade and culinary knives are welcome. The Rules in short explain this in plain words, and the Terms of Service give the detail.
How do I report something?
Every post, comment, thread, reply, Hangout message, direct message and member has a Report button. A serious report is hidden from everyone except its author and our moderators until a moderator decides. We aim to decide every report within 48 hours, and a person, not software, makes the decision.
What if I disagree with a moderation decision?
You can appeal within 7 days, using the Appeal link in the notice we send you, or on the appeal page if you cannot sign in.
Who can see how many people viewed my post?
Only you. View counts on your posts and events are private to you and are never shown to other members.
Can I hide that I am online?
Yes. Members see a small green dot on your picture while you are using the site. Switch off Show when I’m online in your profile settings and other members will not see it. Site administrators can still see who is online, to look after the site.
Are direct messages private?
Direct messages are private but not encrypted. Our moderators can read one only if a member reports it, and then only that message and up to five before it. Deleted messages are kept for 12 months in a restricted archive used only to investigate abuse and handle legal claims.
Can I download or delete my data?
Yes. In Settings you can download a copy of your data and delete your account at any time. Deleting is permanent: your profile, posts, pictures, comments, likes, follows and builds are removed straight away.
Help and contact
How do I contact Bladesmiths Network?
Email [email protected] with questions, problems or ideas. We read every message.
My account has been suspended or banned. What can I do?
If you cannot sign in because of a suspension or a ban, you can appeal on the appeal page. Tell us what happened and why you think the decision was wrong, and a person will look at it again.
How can I help the site grow?
Post your work, answer questions on the Messageboard, tell other makers and collectors about Bladesmiths Network, and share your posts to other apps with Share Copy. If you would like to help with the running costs, there is an optional Support Us button on the About page.