The Chef's Knife

Forged, ground, handled.

A chef's knife in carbon steel, forged from one bar, ground wet on a stone wheel and handled in walnut. Made to order, one at a time.

£185Order a knife
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Three lengths, three handles.

The blade is the same steel and the same grind at every length. The handle is whatever you will be holding for the next thirty years.

Finish
Blade
Quantity
1
  • Six weeks, because the steel is forged and ground before the handle is fitted.
  • Carbon steel darkens with use. It is not stainless and it will not stay bright.
  • Free resharpening for as long as you own it. Post it back and we return it in a week.
At the wheel

Ground wet, by eye.

Every blade is ground on a wet stone wheel rather than a belt, which is slower and keeps the temper the forge put in.

The wheel
01The wheelA sandstone wheel running in water. It cuts cool, so the edge never blues and loses its hardness.
Blanks
02BlanksCut from bar stock and stacked in threes, waiting on the forge. Each one becomes a single knife.
The grind
03The grindA flat grind from the spine down, taken to a quarter of a millimetre before the edge goes on.
What it is made of

Steel, wood, one pin.

Nothing is glued that could be pinned, and nothing is coated to hide what is underneath.

Carbon steelForged from one bar, hardened to sixty one and tempered twice.
WalnutThe default handle. Oiled, not lacquered, so it can be oiled again.
Brass pinOne through the tang. Peened over, not glued in.
Linseed oilThree coats on the handle, a day apart. That is the whole finish.

How to keep it.

WashBy hand, dried straight away. A carbon blade left wet will rust in an afternoon.
StropTen passes on leather after a session keeps it off the stone for months.
SharpenWhen stropping stops working, a thousand grit stone and then a six thousand.
Send it backWhen you have taken too much off one side, post it to us and we regrind it.
Enquire

Order a knife.

Tell us the length and the handle. We reply with a date and a total, and take payment when it is finished.