Bored Panda got in touch with knife-smith George Dirk Britz from Britz Knives to learn more about being a craftsperson and he was kind enough to share about his profession and experience.
“I'm an artist by nature, and also draw, paint, and sculpt. Always been a knife and weapons nerd, so it just sort of came naturally to want to make knives. Learning the craft of bladesmithing/knife making, YouTube videos, and trial and error. There was an old knife maker near me, so I worked out of his workshop for a while and learned a good few things from him as well.”
#3 I Carved A Kiwi, His Name Is Fred And He Dreams Of Flying (Walnut And Maple)
So we wanted to hear him talk about his process a bit. “What I found best for me is to figure out your own ways of doing things, as long as it's good practice and still produces great knives. I do research daily basically. It never stops. I'll get an idea of what I want to make, or in some cases the client wants, draw up the design, and then figure out ways to make it.”
#6 Baby Turtle Emerging From Its Egg. Hand Carved By Me, In Boxwood And Horn Eyes. Hope You Like It, Happy New Year To Everyone Particularly The Loyal Followers! Happy Carving!
#8 "The Squeeze" Oak, Me, 2020 The Piece That Doesn't Come To Life Till Its Squeezed
Many of the creations here and on George’s Instagram look deeply complicated, the culmination of years of learning, practice, and experimentation. Indeed, many of us hardly make anything physical anymore besides dinner, so the task seems daunting. So we wanted to know how one would even go about starting. “You can basically make a knife with a hand file, hammer, and fire, lol.”
#9 Black Walnut Joiners Mallet. I Had Been Getting Into Carving, And I Needed A Heavy Mallet For Carving And Mortises. And Then I Found Out About A Maker's Challenge. And I Had Recently Become Slightly Obsessed With Old English And Scottish Tools. This Guy Was Born
#10 Just Finished My Shakespeare Bench! The Client Is Deciding On The Titles To Go On The Book Spines
“The minimum to get started I would say is to have a 2 x 72 belt grinder (there are smaller ones but I don't think it's worth it), a bench drill, and then a way to heat treat your blade, like an electric kiln, gas forge or even a coal forge. Proper heat treatment is one of the most important things in this business. Each steel is a little different so a lot of research and also trial and error goes into it,” He shared with Bored Panda.
Lastly, he left us with some other tips about how to get into knifemaking, if that suits your fancy. “There are many bladesmiths that have open anvil/forge days where people can go there and try it out for the first time or, to keep learning more and improve their skills. Probably a good place to start.” You can find more of George’s creations on his Instagram page.
#15 From Cottonwood Bark Chunks To The Finished Carvings - My Latest Whimsical Houses
#17 Pls Rate C: First Time On Reddit. Carved This Deer A Couple Of Months Ago
Humans have been carving pieces of wood for over ten thousand years, as the oldest wooden sculpture that has been found is thought to have been made around twelve thousand years ago. Called the Shigir Idol or Shigir Sculpture, it depicts a face atop a long, wooden pole. Researchers believe that stone tools were used to fell the tree and carve out this ritual object.
#18 I Hand Carved This Ebony Gorilla With Amber Eyes And Boxwood Bananas
While the annual rings from the tree (a larch) are still visible on the Idol, those ancient humans did take the time to carve out “ribs” and facial features to designate that this represents a human or humanoid figure. Some anthropologists note that the arrangement of the idol is similar to Native American totem poles.