Craft
here you will see the craft of making knifes and the work that goes into it from start to finish although to bare in mind this is very condensed as each process has many smaller tasks involved.
if you wish to experience the craft for yourself and create your own Kitchen knife, consider going on a Taylor Forged Knives Knife making course
Billet
Each knife starts with a billet of steel
The size of the billet determines the maximum size a knife can be forged.
The main steel I use is 80CrV2 made in Sheffield rich in history of steelmaking, metal work and British cutlery, 80CrV2 is a great steel as it's high carbon, chromium and vanadium content make it very tough resilient steel that can hold a sharp edge for much longer than typical stainless steel knives.
rough forging
The rough forging of my knifes transforms the previous billet to close to the final shape and dimensions through heat and pressure.
The billet is heated up till it reaches a glowing orange/yellow heat this allows the steel structure to be quite malleable under the hammer.
In the first photo the tang is drawn out this distinguishes the blade from the tang
In the second photo the billet is drawn to a point and tapered down to establish the blade and it's rough profile geometry
In the third photo the blade thinned out in its thickness while simultaneously drawn out it's length and width, this is carefully balanced between each dimension making the knife the correct thickness and width all down the length of the blade.
refinement
Much that meets the eye hasn't changed since the last photo but it has, since then the profile has been ground to its final dimensions, the rough hammer blows have been planished out while making sure all the tapers of the geometry even and smooth, after this the blade it checked for bends and twists in the geometry and is straightened before moving onto the next step, stay tuned.
Makers mark
At this point the knife is checked for quality for the markers available, being shape, geometry, straightness. if they meet requirements they will be stamped with my makers mark signifying mark of approval by the me the maker although this does not mean it's out of the woods just yet
heat treatment
High carbon steel has a multitude of crystalline states it can be in that can affect its physical properties
My knifes go through many states but at this point It will go through 3 more.
Normalising the steel which is the process of heating the steel up and cooling the steel down to room temperature, this anneals the steel and takes out stress from the forging stage by undergoing a crystalline structure change.
Quenching is the hardening of the steel which makes the knife suitable for its job
This requires again heating of the steel to it's "critical temperature" as which point it creates a austenite crystalline structure
And it is rapidly cooled in Oil that causes a martensitic transformation.
Tempering is needed as this martensite crystalline structure causes the steel to have a excess of brittleness which is a side effect of hardness, so this prevents a super thin edge from chipping when subject to chopping or pressed into the chopping board, this process can vary in temperature and time based on the amount of hardness required.
Grind
From the heat treatment it goes onto the belt grinder this removes most of the mass that is kept on to prevent decarburization effecting the cutting edge and stabilize it during the quenching process
It is then taken to a diamond abrasive plate to meticulously create the convex grind along the side of the knife, then when the geometry has been established it's the hand sanded up to a fine grit to create the appealling finish you see in my knives.
The knife is then sharpened at a fairy acute angle and taken up the grits till it reaches very fine diamond strop that makes it beyond razor sharp.
These are the main parts of the craft that distinguishes my knives from mass produced knives as the convex geometry, hand sanded finish and sharpness cannot be replicated with automated machinery*
(*disclaimer it could be replicated pretty closely l but it would be so impractical they would have to charge alot more)
Handle
The process of my handles start with the selection of natural hardwoods which is a artistic choice, one that complements the rest of the knife.
the handle is then cut into blanks that are as close to final dimensions to reduce
waste and time.
Unlike other makers I approach shaping my western style handle like a carver would, my process is very experimental and attentive as I've found small changes in geometry can be the difference between weather a knife is comfortable to use or not, so I will be constantly back and forth between holding the knife and adjusting the handle geometry until it's comfortable and forms to the hand.
fit & finish
So this is the finalising process
The fit and finish is where all parts are married together and secured and last touched are added.
The fitting process is making two or more parts coalesce by removing material from both parts until the fit together without gaps or play to create almost one piece, once the fit up is complete these are glued together and secured with a pin.
The knife handle is the oiled to prevent the surface drying out and is the polished to create a high polish sheen look.
