The tools in this section are painstakingly hand made from start to finish and heavily inspired by Japanese cutlery. I start by forging high carbon steels, from either round stock, or bar stock (which is rectangular in nature) using traditional blacksmithing techniques along with some more modern tools. I draw out the length of the bar using a power hammer or a hydraulic press and forge out the tang to fit in a comfortable pair of tongs. I then forge the tip of the knife to shape, thin the steel out and draw out the heel. After the blade is the rough shape and thickness I’m looking for, I make sure the piece is straight and let it cool down for the next steps of the process.

After forging, the next step is the heat treatment process, which involves a lot of temperature cycling. The steel is first normalized, which is to bring it up to critical temperature for the given alloy, (1400-1900 degrees Fahrenheit) then allowed to cool until the steel is black, and returned to the kiln. This is done three times, which allows the steel to relax and return to its natural grain structure (steel is crystalline in structure). When forged, we alter that structure quite a bit, so this step is very important if you want to ensure you get a uniformly hardened blade. After normalizing, the knife is brought up to a quenching temperature for the given steel, and quickly quenched in oil or water. This process of heating and cooling quickly makes the steel very hard and brittle so now it must be tempered back so the knife isn’t prone to breaking or chipping. Tempering cycles are usually done twice between 300 and 450 degrees depending on the steel or the use of the knife.

Once the steel of the knife is hardened, the blade needs to be ground to profile, and the bevels are ground. This process begins with very course belts to rip down the metal until it is pretty close to shape and refined in a grit progression from usually 36-60-120-220. After the grinding is complete, the knife is sanded by hand using a wet dry sand paper. Once the knife is rounded and smooth, the blade is set aside.

The handle is the next item to build so I measure the tang of the knife and use a drill press to create multiple holes for the tang slot. The drilled holes are then joined and squared off using files and handle broach saws. After the hole is where I want it, the top of the handle is whittled down to fit a slip cast 3D modeled stoneware ceramic ferrule over the end to prevent cracking when the handle is hot fitted to the tang. Once the ferrule fits snugly on the end of the handle, a leather spacer is added. The handle is then shaped to the ferrule on a belt sander then hand sanded to get it very smooth. After the handle is shaped and smooth, it is ready to be attached to the knife, The tang is heated and inserted into the handle repeatedly until it fits. On the last heat, I fill the tang slot with a glue made of beeswax and pine resin. This glue melts quickly to fill any voids that exist inside the handle and secures the blade.

When the handle is attached, the knife needs a saya or scabbard to protect the blade and the user. I select a piece of wood and split it in half then sketch out the profile of the knife. I use my hand-forged chisels called “Saya Nomi” to hollow out the saya. I prefer to have a saya that is friction fitted, meaning a pin is not required to secure it. Once it fits, the saya is glued, shaped and thinned on a belt sander, then hand sanded. The handle of the knife and the saya are both treated with tung oil to seal the wood and prevent moisture from penetrating.

I include this detailed description of my process to explain my pricing. If you purchase one of my knives, you purchase a lot of my time and effort. Throughout my career as a sushi chef, I’ve learned what does and doesn’t work with these tools and I wanted to create knives that would address these issues. I see these as a culmination of my creative work, using all the mediums I really enjoy working with: clay, steel, wood, and leather.