About Knife Making
Knives were one of the first tools that our ancient ancestors made. We use knives every day--we cut our food with knives at dinner, painters use certain types of paint to create art and wood carvers shape with knives. The ability to cleanly and efficiently cut material is crucial. Knife making technology has also led to less invasive surgical procedures.
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History
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Knife making began with stone tools. The earliest found examples date back to around 100,000 years ago. Evidence has shown that homo habilis worked with much cruder stone tools around 2.5 million years ago. Around 6,000 years ago, the first metal knives were made in the Bronze Age. The Iron Age brought stronger knives and a higher level of craftsmanship. The use of steel further advanced the technology of knife making, which continues to this day. Today, thanks to the industrial revolution and advances in technology, knives are made in factories and affordable for everyday use.
Techniques
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There are many different techniques for making knives. Some are traditional while others are only possible through today's technology. The classic method is to be made in a forge where the metal is heated and then pounded into shape. Another method is called "grinding." This is performed by taking knife-sized, flat pieces of steel, drawing a pattern on the blade and cutting the blade out of the steel with a powerful saw. The knife shape is then literally ground into the final shape of the blade by grinding the excess metal away with a large steel grinder.
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Materials
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A lot of materials are needed to create or "forge" a knife. The most common elements include:
Forge:
A forge is absolutely essential to working and shaping metal tools. The metal must be heated to a very high temperature to make the material flexible enough to bend and shape. Today, forgers are fueled with gases like propane and have temperature controls. In the Middle Ages, forges were enormous and required many pounds of wood to burn as well as a billow to blow air into the furnace and increase the temperature.
Anvil:
An anvil is a metal object that the knife can be placed on and hammered into shape.
Blacksmith Hammer:
Blacksmith hammers can range in size based on the needs of the project, but they must be sturdy enough to strike metal for long periods of time.
Blacksmith Tongs:
Blacksmith tongs allow the smith to pick up heated metal and manipulate it without the risk of burns and injury.
Quenching Bucket:
A quenching bucket is a receptacle filled with water that the smith uses to temper or quench the steel of the blade. Rapidly cooling the blade can create a harder and sharper surface. This can make the blade brittle, however, and must be taken into account during forging.
Evolution
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The knife has undergone a great deal of change over the years, starting as rock or bone and eventually evolving into steel blades. Today, knives can be made from lightweight titanium and do not break or rust. However, the need for knives is changing. Scientists are learning how to focus beams of infrared light to make the most delicate and small cuts for surgery. Lasers are slowly replacing the scalpel.
Cost
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Knife making is an art form that requires a great investment of time. Handmade knives can cost more than 10 times the amount that a factory knife costs, due to the intense personal labor that the knife maker undergoes to construct each knife. More than just finishing the blade goes into knife making. True artisans spend many hours carving and polishing handles, selecting the right hilt and pommel as well as oiling and buffing the blade. Higher-quality materials are used in handmade knives. While many factory-made knives use plastic handles, most handmade knives use a sturdy wood like oak or a hardy antler bone. For example, a famous knife maker in the United States, Hibben Knives, has many handmade knives for sale that are over $600 a piece.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Andrew DeWitt
