Handmade flat alder knife

Knives come in different shapes and sizes, with different steels, blades and grinds, with rather solid or more decorative handles. They can be hard and firm or elastic and fine, they are used in everything from shaving to splitting wood. The knives themselves are as varied as the purposes for which they are used; there are different designs from flat-earth to full integral knives. The fully handcrafted product of an expert immediately reveals itself when you take it in your hand: Everything is perfectly coordinated, you don't feel any unevenness, the harmony of the execution is immediately recognizable, and such a product holds within itself the concentration of its design and the liveliness of its manufacture. Richard Kappeller from Salzburg has succeeded in doing something that does not automatically come naturally to many others, even after many years of professional experience: to penetrate an object beyond all doctrinal knowledge in such a way that one gets to the bottom of its essence is not at all self-evident today. While still a student, he was actually looking for a proper knife for himself, but found none that met his requirements. He read up on the subject and began experimenting. Even as a student, he remained true to his hobby, which gradually developed into a small trade in handle materials for others interested in knives. These woods and horns were cheaper in larger quantities, and what he didn't need himself, he passed on to others interested in knives. (He still does this today, by the way.) Kappeller quickly found a bustling scene of private knifemakers spread throughout the German-speaking world and established himself there, initially as a supplier of interesting materials. Meanwhile, he continued to improve his knife-making skills and finally took the plunge into self-employment in 2003. In the meantime, he had been studying knives, their materials, their design and manufacture so long and intensively that his reputation as one of the most competent knifemakers was solidified. Kappeller has worked his craft from scratch, as was customary in pre-industrial times: from planning to execution, his workpiece is created entirely under his own hands; it is always his own creation and usually a one-off. Up to 500 knives are made in this way each year, most of them one-offs or small series. For the production of a copy are about twelve working hours to spend, with special designs or refinements, it can be significantly more.

Many users are not even aware of how multi-layered a good knife is (even if it has no Damascus blade). Steel grade and handle material, knife construction and balance must always be matched to the intended use - and blade geometry depends on that. Using the example of our flat-Erl knife, which Richard Kappeller developed in close cooperation with Manufactum, we can show what is behind it:

- The grind only goes over half the blade width, which keeps the knife so robust that you can, for example, hit the back of the knife with a block when splitting wood;
- At the very front of the blade, a fine, so-called secondary phase is ground in: This is the only place where you sharpen or pull off the knife, thus only a little material is removed and the knife is quickly sharp again;
- the all-round steel used is versatile, very good for cutting, easy to sharpen and, above all, resilient.

The construction consists of a continuous blade piece with attached handle jaws made of desert ironwood, secured against lateral shearing forces with sturdy rivets (made of brass and nickel silver). The possible uses are really suitable for everyday use: the knife must withstand something, so attention was paid to stability. At 3.7 mm, the blade is not too strong, but its special scalloped grind makes it tough all the way to the tip. The blade has a Scandinavian shape and remains under the limit of 12 cm valid in Germany, but it is large enough for most jobs from trimming firewood to slicing the snack. The back of the blade has a sharp edge, making it ideal for starting a fire with a flint. A grooved area allows for firmer cutting by resting the thumb, should that ever be necessary. When the steel was rolled, a layer of scale formed which was not removed, but only sandblasted and lightly abraded. In the area of the blade grind, this surface has been removed, which is why the bare material is visible there. The steel used is stainless, but of impressive sharpness and edge retention. The sheath of the knife is made of vegetable tanned cowhide, which was dyed only after assembly and finally treated with leather grease. To protect the seam, a leather strip is incorporated with, to which the blade can bump without reaching the seam.