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Category: featured knife

A lovely blue patina on a high carbon chef’s knife

December 21, 2025December 21, 2025 Michael Manto Leave a comment

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 […]

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Japanese style Chef’s knife with Wa handle

December 21, 2025December 21, 2025 Michael Manto Leave a comment

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 […]

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Elbows Up! Canada

September 24, 2025November 4, 2025 Michael Manto Leave a comment

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 […]

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Japanese paring knives with ‘Wa’ handles

December 12, 2024December 13, 2024 Blue Moose Leave a comment

The Japanese have a knife and sword making tradition that goes back thousands of years, and they’ve developed several very distinctive styles that have become traditional over the centuries. One of those traditional styles is the petty knife, comparable to the western ‘paring’ knife – a small slim blade that’s standard in every kitchen around […]

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Forged Damascus kitchen knife with deer antler handle

July 24, 2024July 25, 2024 Blue Moose Leave a comment

For today’s blog I’m going to talk about another one of my favorite projects, a nice little kitchen paring knife I forged from a chunk of steel cable (of the type used for elevators). I folded the steel over several times to create a layered ‘Damascus’ tear-drop effect. It’s hard to see in some of […]

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Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a handmade kitchen knife

January 25, 2024July 25, 2024 Michael Manto 2 Comments

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 […]

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Japanese Wa style-handle kitchen knives

November 9, 2023December 11, 2024 Blue Moose Leave a comment

Recently I’ve been having fun making knives with Wa handles. Wa handles are a traditional Japanese style knife handle, characterized by a very simple cylindrical shape that does not use pins or bolsters. This results in an overall lighter feel with a blade-forward balance. Wa handles are secured to the knife tang entirely by glue, […]

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A Hand Forged Kitchen Paring Knife

October 5, 2023October 17, 2023 Michael Manto Leave a comment

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, […]

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The best Father’s Day gift for the BBQ Dad

June 12, 2023February 5, 2024 Blue Moose Leave a comment

Are you looking for a great gift idea for Father’s Day, or something special for your BBQ dad? 100% handmade in Canada from heavy duty, high-carbon stainless steel, our custom handcrafted brisket knives make a great gift for the BBQ dad in your life on Father’s Day. Made from heavy duty, high-carbon stainless steel, these […]

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Handmade BBQ Knives, a Canadian Tradition

March 21, 2023October 17, 2023 Blue Moose Leave a comment

It’s spring! And in Canada there is no more sure sign of spring’s arrival than Canadians cleaning their outdoor grills and firing them up. It’s a more certain sign of spring in Canada than the arrival of robins! Spring is here! Canadians love their outdoor grills. After sitting inside during our long dark winters, once […]

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Blogs

  • A lovely blue patina on a high carbon chef’s knife
  • Japanese style Chef’s knife with Wa handle
  • Repairing cracked Henckels knife handles
  • Turning old steel into new knives
  • Repairing Cracked Knife Handles – It Can be Done
Boycott USA and Buy Canadian
10 Reasons Why You Should Buy Handmade
Knife Care and Cleaning
Charities supporting Ukraine
Useful Links & Other Stuff

You can contact me by email or on my Instagram, or use my 'Contact' page.

mike@michaelmanto.com
Brantford, Ontario
Canada

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