Method

All of our products are fully handcrafted. We follow a traditional method of forging with hammer and anvil. Blades are ground by hand and eye and are hand polished, a process which achieves a lustrous finish and refined feel in use.

Materials

Steel and Iron

Our signature knives are all crafted from vintage and antique steel. Steel reclaimed from saw blades, wood rasps, machine files, carriage springs, and many other sources, having lived a life in the hands of craftsfolk of a former generation, is reforged, polished, and given life anew. Most modern knives are made from high alloy stainless steels, so as to survive with very little care from their owners. Wise cooks and professional chefs will opt for a knife forged from traditional carbon steel. They understand the value which is only found in the beauty and superior performance of this material.

The beauty of antique steel is another aspect not found in modern alloys. Materials produced by earlier techniques, such as early crucible steel, blister steel, shear steel, bloom steel, puddled iron, and true wrought iron, have a their own internal grain, much like the grain in wood. Through careful polishing and other techniques, this can be revealed on the surface of the metal.

We are also aware that to produce new steel is very resource intensive. By instead reusing material we save it from becoming just more waste, and practice in a small way the environmental ideal.

Handle materials

The outer beauty of forests and trees can often be reflected in the inner beauty of wood. Timber products are either stabilized (a resin setting process which increases durability) or simply given a natural oil and wax finish. We have a large collection of types of wood from Australia and around the world. These materials are often reclaimed from structures or acquired second-hand. When purchased new, we consider it essential that it is of an ethically derived origin. Natural animal products are also used, including leather, horn, and antler.

Woodlands Forge opposed to native timber logging, or the removal of material from habitat ecosystems.