3 Great Things About Hand-Forged Knives

Heat, hammer, hands... is there anything as old-school as a hand-forged knife?

Here at KnivesShipFree, we absolutely love blades born of the forge. Here are our three favorite things about hand-forged knives.

1. They're strong. When a bladesmith forges a knife into its rough form, whether with hammer and anvil or by using a power hammer, the labor-intensive process creates a very strong result.

As steel is hammered, its internal "grain" changes to follow the shape of the blade. The grain essentially becomes continuous, which is why forged blades are so wonderfully strong.

2. They're unique. The process of hand-forging is the opposite of mass-production -- it's virtually impossible for a bladesmith to craft two knives that are exactly alike. The 'smith creates pieces that are consistent, matching up to general specifications, and refinements can be made during grinding.

Still, each knife has its own unique character. And the benefit for you, the knife lover, is that when you own a blade that's hand-forged, you can be certain that it's the only one like it in all the world.

3. They're truly handmade. The archetype of the village blacksmith all but vanished along with the horse and buggy. While the craft may no longer be essential to modern life, a few artisans carry on the tradition. We're fortunate that some of them are making knives.

With all due respect to knifemakers who produce spectacular handcrafted blades via stock-removal or other methods, the bladesmith's art deserves special admiration. Forged knives are, from beginning to end, handmade.

It's the way it used to be done -- old-school. We like that.

We spent time recently visiting the shop of one of our favorite bladesmiths -- check out "Knifemaker profile: A visit with Lon Humphrey."