I'm not sure I'm reading you post correctly, but I will give it a shot. It appears to me that you are talking about a situation in which you cannot go the the store and buy one. I am an amateur blacksmith. Its sort of an extension of what I do professionally. At about 1400 degrees F (when it goes red) steel will become workable with a hammer. At 2850 F. it melts. That seems like a lot, but I have a small homeade forge that will hit 2850 F. with nothing but charcoal and a cheap hair dryer. Steel can be shaped, cut and sharpened with nothing but a hammer and a working surface. A piece of railroad track works wonders. <br>If you are interested in such things then the best book I have run across is called "Practical Blacksmithing and Metalworking" by Percy W. Blanford. It does not deal with history or artwork. Its a real hands on, "this is how you do it" type book.