{"id":20002,"date":"2024-10-22T10:42:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T08:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/?p=20002"},"modified":"2024-10-22T10:57:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T08:57:26","slug":"cutting-edge-craftsmanship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/blog\/2024\/10\/22\/cutting-edge-craftsmanship\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting-edge craftsmanship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philip has always enjoyed working with his hands, and after a chat with a guide colleague on survival skills, decided to put his love of handcrafting to good use. \u201cWe were debating the most essential items and where to get this or make that. There and then I decided to get creative! I started forging in my braai with a hairdryer as an added air source to get the fire hot enough to work the steel, and a four-pound hammer head as an anvil. I now have a decent gas forge and anvil that I work with,\u201d he smiles.<\/p>\n

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Philip works on his creations at home, making use of a gas forge that can heat the steel to over 1 100\u00b0C. The process starts with a piece of steel that has a carbon content of over 0.6% and sometimes up to 1%. \u201cThis is either in a flat or round bar shape. The steel gets heated and shaped using a hammer and anvil to the required knife style\/shape desired,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is then further worked on using a variety of tools, ranging from a belt grinder, which is specially designed for knifemakers, to the common hand file. The blade is not hardened at this stage. Once the blade is at about 60% completion, it is run through a variety of heating cycles to refine the grain structure of the steel, and then it is heated to between 800\u00b0C and 1 050\u00b0C (the temperature depends on the type of steel used) and quenched in oil to obtain full hardness. The blade is then tempered and final grinding and hand-finishing take place. Then the handle is added and the sheath made before the knife is finally sharpened. This process is between two to many days, or even weeks depending on the style and elaborate finishing of the item.\u201d<\/p>\n