I recently signed up for a three day knife forging workshop at Two Smiths in Kitchener. Two Smiths is a blacksmith and coppersmith shop started by Sandra Dunn who has over 30 years experience in the trade. She offers a wide range of blacksmithing and copper smithing workshops that run for 1,2, or 3 days. […]
Author: Michael Manto
Another Henckels knife handle repair
A lot of customers bring me knives with broken handles to repair, and over the years I’ve repaired a lot of Henckels which tend to crack and lose entire chunks of material from the handle. Last November someone brought me 6 Henckels. All of them were badly cracked and in some places chunks of handle […]
My latest chef’s knife with Japanese style handle
I just finished this large chef’s knife. It’s a special custom order for a customer, so it won’t be going into my online inventory for sale. But I’m very happy with how it turned out and wanted to share some photos of it. The dark hardwood handle is made from Padauk wood. All Padauks are […]
A lovely blue patina on a high carbon chef’s knife
Non-stainless high carbon blades aren’t for everyone, but there are many aficionados who prefer them over stainless steel. High carbon steel can provide a harder blade which can be made much sharper and hold the edge longer than stainless steel. The draw back to non-stainless is, well, that it’s not stainless and will rust if […]
Japanese style Chef’s knife with Wa handle
In today’s post I’m sharing photos of my latest creation, a 7″ Chef’s knife with a Japanese style ‘Wa’ handle. Wa handles are partial tang, meaning there is less steel inside the handle, making it lighter. This is one of the desired features of this style of knife, as it gives the whole knife a […]
Elbows Up! Canada
In todays post I’m featuring a couple of my handmade BBQ knives and kitchen choppers that I’ve had engraved with Elbows Up! All my knives are entirely made in Canada. We think that’s important in our current political climate. Celebrate Canada, the True North, and keep your elbows up! Both of these big choppers are […]
Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a handmade kitchen knife
For Valentines Day, consider getting that special someone in your life a hand made knife, forged by hand in Canada from reclaimed steel. For today’s post, I want to show off one of my favorite projects that would make for a very unique gift – a small paring knife I hand hand forged from high […]
A Hand Forged Kitchen Paring Knife
Looking for a unique gift for someone special? Have you considered a paring knife, forged by hand? It doesn’t sound very sexy, I’ll admit, but think about it. The humble paring knife is one of the most frequently used and handiest tools we can have in the kitchen. Everyone who likes to cook needs one, […]
The Great Lakes Custom Knife Show for 2023 Is Coming!
*** I’m excited to announce that I will be an exhibitor at the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show coming next month, August 19. Come by and visit me at my table, and spend the day in beautiful Goderich Ontario. About 25 Canadian custom knife makers are participating. Link to the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show… […]
Fun Fridays – what makes for a happy marriage?
I like making up humorous posts when I’m up early with a coffee, when it’s still too early in the morning to start hammering on steel…at least, not if I don’t want to wake up the whole neighbourhood. And I like most of my neighbours, so I try to keep the peace. Here’s something I […]