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The Self-Taught Knife Makers of Blenheim Forge

It's amazing where YouTube (and process porn) can take you

By Kat Bauman - May 6, 2016

in DIY | Homeware

In today's news: your how-to video binges can pay off. (At least if you also put the IRL time in and get a nice camera.) For the founders of London's Blenheim Forge, an interest in traditional Japanese metalworking didn't need a travel budget, a traditional guild, or a craftsman's guidance. They just went to YouTube.

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Reading about their new film by Carlos Carneiro on Nowness, my eyebrows lifted at the slightly boastful claim that they turn out fine knives "without ever having enrolled in a steelmaking class." But DIY knife making is a tried and true field. It's not an overstatement that anyone with a hot enough furnace and a bangable surface can make a functional knife. The difference in quality isn't simply in depth of metallurgical knowledge, it also comes down to awareness of pragmatic application and attention to detail.

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And in that regard, it looks like the three Blenheim workers have done their googling well. Their Japanese style kitchen knives use several time-tested metal types, known for a blend of hardness and ability to hold a fine edge, and intended for serious kitchen use. Between Blue Paper steel and modern Damascus, their blades follow conventional wisdom for what chefs need in a tool and like to look at.

But as straightforward as they seem, and as lovely as their videos are, would you trust a knife made by guys who started in 2012?

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As a resident of one of the nation's hottest hotspots for young self-described artisans, I can get inured to their slow-crafted earnestness and under-35 charm. But stories of self-taught traditional skills remain intriguing, in part because they remind us of finished objects we take for granted.

Have you taught yourself any skilled crafts using YouTube?

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Keith Peters

8 years ago

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People get hung up on "classes" and "courses" as if these were something magical. A course is just an organized way of one person imparting information and some experience to another person or persons. But there is very little information on any subject in any course that is not already available elsewhere. Youtube, books, blogs, forums, etc. You're paying for 1. the organized format, 2. some direct access to the instructor and largely, 3. a piece of paper saying you took the course. No matter what you study, the course is only the launch pad. It's the experience and continuous improvement and dedication to learning more that results in a true craftsman.

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- Joshua Terrell
  
  Keith Peters
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Doing stuff always beats reading about stuff.
  
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Chris Dowling

8 years ago

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I have been to the workshop and met these guys to buy their knives as gifts. They're really friendly guys who are living their dream of being able to make a living off making stuff. They also have a great confidence in their product, and made it clear that when the time came to sharpen the knives, I could go back and they would be happy to show me how.

Youtube may have been their jumping-off point but it's hours of trial and error and refining their skills that have enabled them to make knives to the level of quality that they produce.

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Jason Pokines

8 years ago

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To add to what Keith said, and to answer your question directly: I haven't picked up any skills from YouTube videos. Rather, I've gained the confidence to try various things out myself after watching how it's done. The skill comes from the experience of doing it yourself. Yes, that's a bit of a semantical argument, but I want to emphasize that it's a great launch pad for some homespun education.

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