This is the second blade of Ricardo’s 2024 special collection of knives. The Chef Knife features a diamond integral bolster which is forged using our largest hammer and a closed-die forging technique to create a unique, crisp transition between the blade and handle.
This unusual detail offers a comfortable pinch grip and serves as the focal point in the design. From the bolster, the blades are forged out using a fullering or rounded die to create a subtle, natural texture across the blade. This texture provides excellent food release, as the uneven surface reduces contact with food, allowing it to fall away from the blade effortlessly. The blackened finish of the blade is achieved through careful management of temperature and atmospheric conditions during the heat treatment process. This stealthy look offers a durable finish that provides brilliant corrosion resistance and easy maintenance.
The handles are made from 5000-year-old Bog Oak and are shaped with a hexagonal cross-section, following the contours of the blade and bolster. The seamless transition between the timber and steel completes the design, offering a comfortable and positive grip.
The blade is laminated in-house using a traditional Japanese three-layer construction: soft iron cladding with a thin layer of nickel protecting the Blenheim Black core, providing the cutting edge. Blenheim Black is a special alloy made specifically for us, with a composition similar to the legendary Aogami super, allowing easy sharpening to a razor edge with great edge retention and wear resistance.
Dimensions
*Blade length – 220mm
*Overall length – 350mm
*Blade thickness at the spine – 3.5mm
*Blade Depth – 55mm
Materials
*Blade – Blenheim Black clad with Mild Steel
*Handle – Bog Oak
Price
*Chef Knife – £650
The whole team has been working on this limited run, with our various specialists taking on their own areas of the work.
These versatile vegetable choppers are made from the same combination of materials as our Classic Range knives: Folded Iron-clad Japanese Blue Paper Steel for the blades and English Walnut and Solid copper for the handles.
This steel combination is a blend we have been working with since very early on in our bladesmithing careers. The Blue Paper Steel core is an alloy that is well-suited to traditional hand-forging techniques, and once finished, offers a very hard, fine edge, which is still incredibly easy to sharpen. The cladding is a tougher, more flexible combination of two low-carbon steels, which supports the core steel and has an intricate rippling grain running through it.
The profiles are somewhat unusual- falling somewhere between a very large, very deep Nakiri and a small Chinese Cleaver. The depth and thin grind make it ideal for veg prep, with the flat edge lending itself well to downward chopping through hard vegetables or shredding large cabbages etc. The broad blade area also acts as a great scoop for transferring ingredients from board to pan.
The current batch of Walnut is from a 200-year-old tree that fell during a storm in the grounds of the house where Guy Fawkes plotted his infamous Gunpowder Plot. It was milled and seasoned by a local charity, Goldfinch Furniture, who train local young people who have fallen out of conventional education to mill timber and build furniture. Not only does it have an unusual provenance, but it is also some of the most well-figured and dark-grained walnut we have ever come across.
Dimensions
*Blade length – 180mm
*Overall length -320mm
*Blade thickness at the spine – 4mm tapers quickly to 2-1.5mm
*Blade Depth – 70mm
Materials
*Blade – Folded Iron clad, Japanese Blue Paper Steel
*Handle – English Walnut, solid copper ferrule
Price
*XL Nakiri – £310
*XL Nakiri Sheath – £60
Arch 228-229, Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL
