you can begin with nothing, just scrap- pieces that by themselves are nothing, they need you to bring them togther, to fold, forge, refine, shape, harden, temper, polish, etch, sharpen. through your hand and your imagination they become beautiful, they become useful.
it is the skill of the cutler to bring wood, steel and silver together to form one thing.
Knife making has always fascinated me as a marriage of jewellery and blacksmithing- the two traditions that my parents have raised me in. The duality of the knife as both decorative and functional is also very exciting to me.
this knife has come together over a few weeks made from hundred year old Wrought iron, some antique rasps, drive shafts and an axle, a piece of ancient english walnut given to me by my grandfather, beeswax, Pine Pitch resin and silver.
the rather unatractive billet on the right is how we began this knife.
this billet was folded and forge welded 8 times to homogenise the carbon content as the billet was comprised of high and low carbon alloys.
Same billet after some refinement (folding), divided into three and welded again.
forged blank now with high carbon middle welded in.
first polish
test etch
wax model- to be cast in silver
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