FAQ

The art of making mokumegane comes from the Japanese and is mainly used to artistically enhance gold for jewelry. We at KohlerKnives use this technique. The time required to prepare and forge the steel is enormously expensive. Since copper and brass have a massively lower melting point than Damascus steel, it is important to reach a precise temperature point at which the non-ferrous metals do not melt or have a temperature that is too low. If you don't hit this temperature slot exactly, no forgewelding can take place and the damask becomes unusable.

A very high number of layers of damascus does not define whether a knife is sharper than one with fewer layers. For example, a mosaic damascus knife often has only a few layers (20 to 80 layers) and is just as sharp as one with several hundred or even several thousand layers. The mixture of steels (carbon steel + nickel steel) defines the sharpness of a damascus blade.

The only oil that is absolutely acid-free and food-safe is called Camelia oil. This oil is finely applied after cleaning the blade. The knife is stored with this fine layer of oil. Since camellia oil is 100% food safe and tasteless, the oil does not have to be removed before use.

Next to carbon- and nickel steel we use copper, brass and pure nickel to refine the blades. For the knive guards (protection located between the blade and the handle) we use different ferrous or mainly non-ferrous metals like nickel silver, copper, bronze, brass, stainless or damascus steel. Handle materials are mainly manufactured from noble or high-grade woods from all over the world. We also use native woods, which we stabilize by our own with a special procedure, some of them combined with pigments. All of them are protected against environmental influences. Further used materials are carbon fibers with inlets of copper or brass, polyurethane in several colors, horn, epoxy resin combined with wood or other organic material. All hoster were made by our own out of Kydex or leather.

The damascus layers of a real damascus blade are revealed by etching in ferric chloride or coffee, in which the layers of carbon are etched away more than the layers containing nickel. With a "fake" damascus blade, the damascus drawings are either lasered or milled. These mechanically applied lines are deceptively real and very difficult to see for the untrained eye. Contact us if you see a blade that you are not sure is genuine.

On no account should a conventional knife sharpener be used to sharpen a damascus knife (pulling the blade through two whetstones). The sharpening angle of a damascus knife is much smaller than that of a conventional, machine-made kitchen knife. When you buy a KohlerKnives, you get a lifetime sharpening service at KohlerKnives headquarters. By cutting acidic (citrus fruits, tomatoes, etc.) or very hot foods, a patina can form on the blade surface. This shows normal use and will not damage the knife. If desired, this patina can also be removed when sanding.

Be careful not to leave a damascus knife in water or wash it in the dishwasher. Higher temperatures can affect the hardness of the blade. Always wash the blade with lukewarm water and washing-up liquid immediately after use. So that the sharpness of the knife can be maintained for as long as possible and the blade does not start to rust, it should be dried after each use and rubbed with the supplied camellia oil. This special oil is tasteless, 100% free of acids and is 100% food safe. It does not need to be washed off before cutting food.

Yes, KohlerKnives also makes damascus knives based on drawings. Please contact us using the contact form on the website.

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The forging workshop takes place over two days in the area of Dübendorf (ZH) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The course is a private course with a maximum of 3 participants. The dates will be determined after consultation with the participants. Mostly on Saturdays or Sundays. Meals and drinks are included.

You will forge your own damascus knife, which you can then take home. You can choose whether you want to forge a kitchen- or a hunting knife. The Damascus knife consists of approx. 100 - 150 layers of Damascus steel with a wooden handle depending on your wishes and the availability of the handle materials.

The knife smith course lasts two days.