HOW THEY ARE MADE

All of my knives are made from hand-forged Damascus steel. Modern Damascus steel is defined as "a steel forged from two different types of steel." I use high-carbon steels 1095 and 15N20 to create my knives. Chef's knives are traditionally made from high-carbon steel because they are easy to maintain and sharpen.

It all starts with a bar of steel, a "billet". Imagine a stack of two different kinds of steel (1095 and 15N20) with a high carbon content: eight pieces, each the size of a 50-dollar bill, are welded together to prevent the stack from falling apart. Then, the stack is heated to a white-hot temperature, placed under the power hammer, and hammered and folded. This process is repeated several times, heating, hammering, and folding the steel until it becomes a block of hand-forged heat-welded steel with multiplied steel layers: 8-16-32-64-128-256. The block is then twisted in a machine and hammered flat again, creating "Wild Twist Damascus" steel. After being cut to size, the steel is hardened, tempered, and etched so that the Damascus pattern can be seen, and the raw billet is ready for the knifemaker.

The knifemaker drafts a design and cuts the pattern from the billet. Then, the real work begins: grinding, sanding, and polishing by machine and by hand, a process that takes a long time. Hardening and tempering follow, followed by more grinding, sanding, and polishing by machine and by hand.

For the handle, the knifemaker has a vast stock of precious woods, sourced from all over the world. Some woods may need to be stabilized, which involves placing the wood in a vacuum chamber, removing the air, and replacing it with resin before baking it until it is rock-hard.

Once the handle is fixed to the blade, the knifemaker may also make a matching blade guard, using wood cut from the same log as the handle.

After a process requiring skill and precision, the knife is finally sharpened and honed. Once complete, one can enjoy the satisfaction of using it for their daily kitchen work and marvel at the intricate pattern of the Wild Twist Damascus steel.