Make your own Chef Knife
My Beginner's Knife Making Course is an intensive two day workshop. Under my guidance you will be making a hand forged carbon mono steel knife to take home (valued at approximately $800). You do not need to have any prior experience, but a willingness to get your hands dirty on the tools. Both days will start at 9am and finish around 5pm. Sometimes, Day 1 can take a little longer depending on how long we will take for the forging part.
You need to be 18 years or older to book this course. For students 16 and 17 years of age parental consent is required.
Day 1: We start by discussing what kind of knife you would like to make. If you have any particular knife designs in mind, its best to discuss these first and I can let you know what designs are feasible within this course. Then, I will give you an introduction to the tools and machines that we will be using. Once inducted, we will go straight into swinging the hammer and forging your blade followed by profiling the blade on the grinder. After the lunch break we are going to heat treat the blade. Then it's time to chose your handle wood and prepare all the components that make up your handle block. We will finish the day by gluing up your handle block so that the epoxy can cure overnight.
Day 2: It's grinding day! We now have a hardened blade and a rough handle block. Both now need shaping. We will start by shaping the handle first. This will introduce you to working with the belt grinder. Then the blade needs grinding followed by hand-sanding. When we are satisfied with both handle and blade we will assemble the knife. I will then show you how to sharpen a knife on wet stones and how to put an edge on it that lasts. And with that you have made your own knife, ready to cook up a storm at home!
Course fee:
A one-on-one beginner's course costs $1500.
A 2 person beginner's course costs $950 per person. This option is great if you have a mate or a partner that you want to share the experience with.
Optional upgrade: For an additional $150, you can forge your blade from pre-made damascus stock (80 layers) instead of mono steel.
The course fee includes all materials needed to make a knife; an apron and a visor to use on the day for protection; a fun time in the workshop.
Not included in the fee: food, transport and accommodation. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any of these services. We may be able to help.
Safety
The health and safety of my students is of utmost importance. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is to be worn throughout the course when and where instructed. We will provide a visor and apron to wear for the duration of the course. You are required to bring your own safety glasses, hearing protection, dust mask and leather gloves (this is for hygiene reasons). Please get in touch if you have any question about this.
The practice of knife making bears some risk for injuries such as cuts, grazes or burns no matter how cautiously we work. While I do take responsibility for offering a safe work environment, Metal Monkey Knives does not take any responsibility should injuries occur. You will be asked to sign an indemnity form prior to commencing the course.
Advanced Courses
Prior experience in knife making required.
A: Damascus steel making workshop
This workshop is for you if you have prior experience and would like to learn more about how to make your own pattern-welded steel. We will spend one day making a 180 layer bar of Damascus (1084 and 15N20). You will learn how to prepare the steel (grind, stack and tack weld the layers), fuse the layers into a single piece of steel (forge weld), then draw it out into a bar and manipulate the pattern. You will leave this workshop with an approximately 40cm long bar of Damascus steel, enough to make 3-4 knife blades on your own.
Course fee: $1000
All materials will be provided by us.
See above for general inclusions and exclusions for our courses.
You will be asked to sign an indemnity form before commencing the course, releasing us from any responsibilities for injuries or damages occurring while doing the course.
To book a course like this, please contact us via email so that we can discuss the details and find a date that suits.
B: Mentoring workshop
This workshop is for you if you are a knife maker (hobbyist or professional) and would like to improve a specific part of your knife making process such as your grinding technique or your forging technique. The fee for these workshops depends on the time commitment and materials used. If you are interested, please contact us to discuss details and options.