The Making of a Collectible

The Making of a Collectible

Throughout our site, we talk a lot about how every blade is hand-forged by a master bladesmith in Japan, and how many of our designs, like our Charybdis Collectibles, are designed exclusively by and for Salter Fine Cutlery. Today, we want to share a behind-the-scenes peek at what that really means.

The collaboration between Salter Fine Cutlery and our master bladesmiths starts in person. Every year, we travel to Japan to meet one-on-one with our bladesmiths, tour their workshops, and sit down to conceptualize new designs the old fashioned way--with pen and paper.

 

Above: Gregg and our bladesmith work through the design for a new custom hunting knife.

Unlike other production blademakers, our bladesmiths do all the work themselves, following age-old smithing traditions, many of which are the same processes used by ancient samurai sword makers. This is why their blades -- and the knives we are able to provide for your kitchen or table -- are so incredibly sharp and deliver unparalleled precision.

At one stop, we had the extreme honor of receiving a demonstration from the father of the maker of our exclusive Charybdis Collectibles--a renowned bladesmith and swordsmith who passed down the unique forging technique that gives these blades their remarkable whirlpool pattern. These 7th and 8th generation father and son bladesmiths are the only bladesmiths in Japan who can make this pattern, which combined with our Salter Fine Cutlery shape designs and handcrafted handles, makes these knives truly one-of-a-kind for the most elite collections.

 

Above: 7th generation Japanese master bladesmith makes steel billets for our exclusive Salter Fine Cutlery blades.

Our annual visits with our bladesmiths are always so enjoyable. Not only do we get to build personal relationships with our Japanese partners over wonderful traditional meals and see their workshops in action, but we also head back to our home and workshop in Hawaii with several exciting new blades and designs on order for the coming year. If you'd like to be the first to reserve our exclusive 2019 designs, please give us a call at 808-883-0128.

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