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Brand new courses are online! Bookings available from Sunday 29th June
A Knife of 3 virtues - the san mai sandwitch
build and polish a blade, clad in wrought iron, with a high carbon core steel, in either one, or two days! Who says we don't spoil you for choice??
Book in advance, with new dates available each month - or subscribe to the mailing list if you missed out on dates first time round
there are currently two versions of this course available: A 1 day build a bunka course, and a 2 day knife making course with a greater focus on whetstone work. Both courses, of course, are san Mai sandwiches
both these courses are very much in their infancy - if you fancy coming along to be guinea pigs, we'd love to have you in the workshop (you're still guaranteed to walk away with a knife, no spoons here!)
Build a Bunka - what to expect
Done in a day, this course is our most basic entry level experience. you'll get to address the core knife making principles of fire welding, forging, grinding and handle making, as well as a bit of acid etching. however, there are aspects of this course that are more restricted when compared to our other courses - no prizes for assuming that everyone might be making a bunka! elements of the handle making will be done for you, as well as elements of the grinding when it comes to setting the bevels down. this is mainly just to help speed things a long a bit, and to help guarantee that everyone in the class achieves the same result. outside of that though, you'll be in control and will get to use all the toys and tools involved in making a san mai wrought iron clad bunka - we want to maintain an authentic chefs knife making experience after all!
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The course kicks off at 9am, and we'll aim to finish for 5pm - put the post code of the workshop into any sat nav, and it'll take you directly to the door. if you end up turning down a very windy off road track, you're in the right place. We'll provide the relevant PPE, lunch (let us know if you have any dietary requirements), and all the materials you need to complete your knife from start to finish. Just bring some sturdy work boots, steel toe caps are ideal, and some clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
We wanted to offer people the opportunity to make something versatile, while also being a little bit different to what you might already own, so the bunka seemed the perfect fit. The bunka itself (pictured above) is a pretty utilitarian knife, although slightly less "all purpose" compared to your standard chefs knife or gyuto. The major difference is the tip of the knife - a bunka has a sharp drop point, otherwise known as a K-tip. this straightens the edge out, and gives of a very fine tip; excellent for some of the more agile jobs required in your kitchen. horizontal cuts through onions, we're looking at you...
Two day san mai chefs knife making experience - what to expect
Much like our other courses, this one also kicks off at 9am both mornings, with the fee including lunch (let us know if you have any dietary requirements), materials to complete your knife from start to finish, and two full days teaching at the forge. You have more creative freedom on this course to choose the sort of chefs knife you'd like to produce, within reason of course. we are still limited by time, as well as the amount of material in our starting billet; if you'd like 40 inches of katana, we miiiiiggght need more than a couple of days. The damascus pattern welding course offers the most flexibility in regards to the knife shapes we can produce.
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.
Day 1 of the course involves choosing your preferred knife shape, fire welding your billet together, grinding your knife to shape before forging tapers and bevels onto your chefs knife, and finally heat treating the bad boy. There will be a decent mix of power hammer and hand hammer work, so bringing a bit of hand eye coordination with you goes a long way. Fear not though, we've got plenty tucked away in a draw somewhere if you dont have any!
After the knives have been heat treated, the bevels will be refined via grinding and then flattened for you, so that when you turn up on day two, we can get straight into the juicy meat of the course which is the whetstone work. expect to spend the vast majority of the second day rubbing your chefs knife against various different bricks to really bring out that contrast between the wrought iron cladding and the high carbon core. this is the point where you really get to put into practise the skills you've learnt if you've come see us before on the knife sharpening and maintenance course.
We'll make sure that your knife is polished to 1000 grit at the bare minimum, and we'll likely go further up the grits depending on how effectively the group works, although we are restricted by time. You've only done enough whetstone polishing once you have no fingertips left after all! 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 even more detailed course information click here
