Who can call himself a knife maker ?

"You bloody well can’t call yourself a knife maker, as long as you don’t forge the blades you use !"

That was the message from one of the knife makers colleagues. Loud and clear.
An opinion the good man of course is perfectly entitled to have.

At the time I first heard this remark, I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I think I was almost indifferent to it.
I worked with knives, and felt good doing that. So for my sake they could call it knife making - or anything else for that matter.

But over the years I have come across the same discussion several times. Sometimes in a friendly and teasing form together with friends who have "invented the sliced bread": they have forged a blade ! And have been caught up by the magic of smithing.
I think it gives you a good feeling to meet people who have been caught up by an new experience. They try, experiment, discuss, investigate, read, learn and have a wonderful time with the new thing they have started doing. Often I find it very enriching to spend time with these "types".
They relate to smithing the same way I do, to this impossible task to create the perfect knife.

But personally I definitely don’t feel like beating up a peace of iron. wops ! I think it’s called forging a blade. To me it doesn’t seem attractive or challenging.

I am so lucky to know several people who are very good at it. And I feel fine buying the result of their work.

I have also meet people who have expressed their indignation that a "non-smith" have dared to use the title knife maker on his card.
With big surprise I have listened to elaborate explanations why it is only a smith who is entitled to use the word knife maker on his card.
It is obviously a very serious subject.
Or at least a subject, that some people take very seriously.

So I decided I also had to take it very seriously.
I had to make up my mind: Am I a knife maker ?

For a period of time I swayed back and forth. Yes, of course I am a knife maker. Just to realize a little later that maybe I’m not after all. For a while I didn’t care, and forgot the question. Until I was once again reminded of it.

Now I have made up my mind.

I am a knife maker.

It has been fun to reach that decision.
I have sometimes followed rather curly tracks to answer some of the claims and postulates I have meet on the way.
I have reached my decision by posing and answering a number of questions to myself.

For instance:

Were the famous painters from Skagen really painters?
Somewhere I read that they didn’t produce their own paint. And not all of them wowed their canvas.

Can someone call himself a hurdle-racer if he doesn’t make his own hurdles ?

Can you call yourself a teacher if you don’t write the books you use for your teaching ?

Can you be a pole jumper if you don’t make your own poles ?

Can you call yourself a blacksmith when you don’t win your iron ? Or when you haven’t built the spring hammer you use in the process ? 

I’m sure you can come up with more cunning questions in the same line.
And you probably also have guessed where I’m heading.

I buy my blades from the blacksmith, because he is capable of making a handsome, functional and durable blade.
I buy the handle material from the "wood man", because he knows how to dry the wood and keep it under the correct conditions. And because he is well connected, and can supply me with good-looking and suitable pieces of wood.
I buy buffalo horn because the buffalo grow horn in a more suitable dimension than I am capable of myself.
I buy the leather for the sheath because the ox has a thicker and more suitable skin than me.

But in my opinion it is neither the blacksmith, the "wood man", the buffalo or the ox that makes a knife out of it all.
It’s me.

Therefore I am a "knife maker".

Birger Dahl Jepsen November 1998