I have been a teacher of woodwork and other crafts for the last twenty years but it was only in March 2016 that I decided to further my skill set by enrolling on a knife making course where I forged my first blade. Although it was the most basic of objects, it was my first step into the vast and wonderful craft of bladesmithing and the beginning of Red Five Forge…. For me, making knives has become an absolute passion and has sent me on a thoroughly enjoyable journey the end of which I am in no hurry to reach. I’ve been focusing mainly on kitchen knives for the past couple of years, in particular, pattern-welded Damascus steel blades. This involves working all kinds of high carbon steel into some beautiful, ‘fluid’ patterns that you only truly get to appreciate once the blade has had its final etch.
I use only the finest steels available and all of my knives are forged out of my own pattern-welded steel so no two are the same and I can guarantee my blades with confidence…
I am a focused and driven knife maker who strives to produce well-balanced, one-of-a-kind knives that are as beautiful as they are functional.
Chasing shadows…
Today, we use modern heat treating equipment that allows us to accurately measure the temperature of our steel before the blade is hardened. However, the old-time bladesmiths would rely purely on their experience and the colour of their blades to gauge the temperature of their steel. They would slowly move their knife or sword over the hot coals, watching carefully for the dark, colder patches of steel, or ‘shadows’, to slowly turn a soft cherry-red before quenching it in oil or water.
I have heard that the term used for this ancient practice is “chasing the shadows” and I have been doing it ever since…