Two Day Damascus Chefs Knife Making Course

Description

Dates: 5-6th, 22-23rd and 26-27th of June What to expect - The course kicks off at 9am both consecutive mornings, with the fee including lunch (let me know if you have any dietary requirements), materials to complete your knife from start to finish, and two full days teaching at the forge. The forge is fully equipped with power hammers (yes, plural!), four belt sanders, multiple pieces of heat treating equipment, a MIG welding station, metal cutting and wood working tools, not to mention at least one hand hammer and anvil at any given time! The workshop has all the necessary (and sometimes frivolous) kit required to make sure you have a memorable experience crafting your quality, refined chefs knife You can also bring your own wood/materials if you would like to include something special for your handle, but no random bits of metal please! If you don't know what it is, and I don't know what it is, chances are it won't make for a good chefs knife! It's more than making a knife - using a combination of modern and traditional blacksmithing skills, Jack will take you through the entire process across two days. You will be taught the practical skills required, but also experience the artistry and satisfaction of making your own handcrafted knife. We spend the morning of day one fire welding your billet under our biggest power hammer (known on the streets as Bertha the big green beast). Once your pattern welded billet is forged to a suitable layer count, the process of fashioning your steel into a knife begins. Once your blade is forged out, the next step is stock removal. We profile and shape the blades, we then begin the heat treatment process, we use a fluidised sand bed (a super cool bit of kit) which is how your blade gets its hardness. This will be the end of day one (you will be tired!), we have a great food scene in Hereford and we can offer advice on where to go/what there is to do with the the rest of your evening. You can also explore some of the countryside and wild gardens around the forge, Ros the resident landlady offers guided tours in the summer, and there are plenty of great walking spots nearby. Day two will start with a grinding demo and then you'll get to grind in the geometry of the blades. After that you will be shown the polishing and acid etching process. This is the exciting bit where the pattern weld which you made on day one will become visible. The next and last major step is shaping/attaching your handle. This is the part of the process where your blade really (literally) starts to come together. This is the point where we also refine all the minute details to make sure your knife is not only personal to you, but perfect for you too. After a final wax, oil and sharpen you're all done, your knife is now yours to keep! ​ For more info, please contact Jack directly via the 'message the tutor' button.

Cancellation policy

Medium - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 4 weeks before the course starts

Maker

Jack Clarke at No Joke Knives

with Craft Courses since 2024

Message the tutor

Jack -  Training  for 6 years before turning professional,  jack achieved  a 1st in his artist blacksmithing BA(hons), before becoming one of a handful of smiths in the UK to receive a distinction at Masters level in Contemporary craft. Some might say he trained to the point where he is completely overqualified when it comes to smashing stuff with a hammer. Not that that's ever stopped him spouting off about it... Having found out you could still be a blacksmith back in 2012,  he relentlessly pursued the craft, initially training with an emphasis on traditional blacksmithing skills. as his understanding of the material and processes involved with forging steel progressed, jack refined his practise to focus specifically on the creation and manipulation of tools, eventually specialising even further by concentrating on the production of chefs knives and the craftmanship involved in their creation. Prior to becoming a blacksmith and while he studied, Jack worked in catering, having once dreamt of owning his own restaurant. This passion for food eventually manifested itself as hassling the kitchen staff for whatever leftovers they had. Jack always considers, lunch, dinner and especially breakfast non-negotiable, so the faster the kitchen could get their covers out, the faster he could get to those leftovers. Having a good chefs knife was crucial to that cause. Having a refined chefs knife was even better. It was the perfect amalgamation of a love of food and blacksmithing, so the pursuit of an exceptionally crafted knife (and a quick meal) is something that drives him to this day.