About
Weekends spent in the woodland of Mid Wales and summers spent in the South African bush sparked the interest in man's most basic of tools. Roll on a decade or so and work began to craft my own tools that could be put through their paces, whatever the task.
A continuous journey of exploration from my little Cardiff workshop. An open minded collaboration with every customer to create bespoke products made to last, with a focus on form, function, fit and finish.
Each knife comes with a guarantee and free sharpening. For life*.
*Subject to conditions and proper care as detailed in the 'care + maintenance' guide.
Care + MAINTENANCE
The materials you select for your knife will depend on the look and purpose of the knife. Some materials will be more hard wearing, whilst others more decorative. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.
All my knives come with a free service any time. Like an MOT but for your knife. Resharpen, tidy up, and send back. You just pay the postage.
All knives are HANDWASH ONLY. Any knife put in the dishwasher will immediately lose its lifetime guarantee, and make this bladesmith very unhappy.
The lifetime guarantee does not cover defects due to normal wear and tear, incorrect resharpening, damage due to misuse, lack of normal or necessary maintenance, alteration or disassembly of the knife by any third party, or negligence. Do not use your blade as a screwdriver, prybar, chisel or punch. Do not throw your blade or use it for any other purpose other than cutting. Do not use your knife on a power grinding wheel. Any of these acts will void your warranty.
Basics of a custom made knife
Long story, short
All steel arrives in my workshop as blank annealed stock. I largely use two types of steel, Sandvik 14C28N Stainless Steel and 52100 Carbon Steel. From there it goes through a process of profiling, drilling, heat-treatment, grinding and finishing.
I use various finishes on my knives. My favourite being an acid-etched and stonewashed finish (pictured below right). For heavy duty use knives, this is the finish I recommend. Wear and tear simply adds to the patina and pattern already established on the knife, and the etch gives some stain resistance too. I love how it looks straight from the shop door.
For kitchen knives, it is almost always a hand-rubbed satin finish (pictured below left).
Once you have the blade finished, we then put on the handle scales, adhered with marine-grade epoxy and Corby bolts (a mechanical fastening that finishes smooth). I use all manners of hardwoods and synthetic materials. All belt knives come with a leather belt sheath (or kydex on request).
