The steel

Three categories of steel are primarily used when crafting knives..

• High Carbon Steel

  High carbon steel offers an amazing edge holding ablity, but can rust or grow a patina from the a dark oxide layer on the steel surface.

• Mild Steel

  Mild steel bends easily and absorbs shock but doesn’t have the ability to hold its edge.

• Stainless Steel

  Sainless steel resists rust or the patina of high carbon steel, but is stainless and not stainnever. While it is usually better than mild steel, stainless steel has poor edge retntion.

The profile

The knife’s profile detemins how it will be used. For example, the tall heel of a a large chef’s knife works well on a cutting board. The thin short blade of a paring knife makes it easier to wield when peeling or slicing food in the chef’s hand.

The use of a knife is also determined by the thickness of its blade. The thicker the blade, the harder the materials it can chop. The thinner the blade the thinner the slice it can make.

While rugged choppers like cleavers do not need a tip, a fine pointed tip on other knives can be helpful for stabing packages or doing fine detail work.

The handle

Because the handle connects the blade to the user, a comfortable handle is imperative for a working chef. Walker Hussey Knives are shaped to fit into the grip of an average hand. Custom orders can be designed with handles made specifically to fit into the purchaser or users hand measurements.

The steel portion of the knife which extends past the blade into the handle is called the tang. Some tangs are exposed and some are hidden.

• Hidden Tang

  A hidden tang, which cannot be seen, makes it possible for the handle design to incorporate components such as a bolster, guard (the a piece which separates the handle from the blade) and elaborate spacers between the knife and the handle or sections of the handle.

• Full Tang

  While a full tang which is exposed in the handle offers a more basic look and less detail options, it creates a stronger handle especially for cleavers or heavy choppers which need to distribute force evenly and dependably.

  Steel pins can be used to connect the handle material with the steel tang. Pins can be simple steel or have an embedded design, but are not necessary or appropriate for all knives or handle designs.

The Process

The knife making process begins by shaping the steel to form a blade. Unlike production blades which are cut from a steel bar and are only as durable as the steel from which they are cut, a Walker Hussey Knife was forged after heating the blade steel and pounding it into shape.

Heattreating the forged steel is what hardens the steel into a strong efficient tool.

The heat treated knife is ready to be sharpened. A belt grinder is used to cut in the bevel and define the knife’s edge.

Polishing finishes blade and is where the handmade touch of the knife maker can be most appreciated.

The handle is then fit onto the blade and shaped to meet the needs and style of its future user.

The process is completed after the handle has been applied and the final shape and sharpening is put on the blade.