Salt Spring Island Blacksmith forges one-of-a-kind Damascus metal kitchen knives

A maze of flowing waves creating distinctive fingerprints, Seth Cosmo Burton spends his days forging Damasus metal and turning it into lovely, one-of-a-kind kitchen knives.

For individuals like Burton, creativity runs in his blood. His mom was a painter and sculptor, and his father was an architect. Burton, born in England and raised in Canada, adopted his mom to Salt Spring Island across the age of 10.

“I used to be at all times working with my palms. I acquired into mechanics and acquired an previous truck, began engaged on it, and my neighbour gave me his previous coal forge after I was 18 or 19 on the time. He mentioned in commerce he puzzled if I may make him some chisels. In order that’s type of the place it began, I assume, however even earlier than that, I used to be whittling knives,” mentioned Burton.

A lot of Burton’s cooks, pairing and foraging knives are fabricated from chrome steel, stopping the steel from oxidation and rust (frequent in carbon metal kitchen knives). The Damascus chrome steel, together with its distinctive magnificence, is tougher than common chrome steel, making the blades stronger and higher permitting them to take care of their sharpness.

They do require explicit care, together with utilizing gentle garments for cleansing, avoiding steel surfaces from touching the blades and the occasional wax polish on the picket handles, which Burton additionally makes.

“You do need to watch out with having company over they usually throw them within the dishwasher or one thing, not realizing.”

Making Damascus metal is a fancy course of. First, differing steels are layered on high of each other after which subjected to intense warmth. Subsequent, they’re repeatedly hammered to forge a cohesive piece. Throughout this course of, the warmth helps get rid of impurities and removes oxygen, permitting the metals to fuse collectively seamlessly whereas additionally creating the gorgeous visible impact of swirling patterns.

In 1994, George Brewer (a fellow blacksmith who has since handed on) was renting an area in Burton’s workshop, and the 2 started taking part in with forge welding, permitting Burton to make his first knife.

Then, in 1998, Burton and his pal Paul Linton drove all the way down to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to select up a few of his mom’s paintings for her. Linton launched him to Jay Fisher, “who turned out to be among the best knife makers on the market,” mentioned Burton.

The journey was instrumental: “I didn’t even know there was a knife world. I didn’t notice individuals even made knives for a dwelling, or it was even a factor. So it was fairly the chance to satisfy [Fisher].”

In 2000, Burton began his firm, COSMO. Linton lent Burton the cash to buy a grinder, and that very same 12 months, Burton made his first Damascus metal knife, the fiftieth knife he made.

Since then, the blacksmith has made round 3,644 knives. Burton additionally makes Damascus metal marriage ceremony rings and instruments, amongst different issues.

“I’m at all times into studying and pushing my abilities. Once I got here again from Japan, I began smelting my very own rocks … I grew to become a free miner,” Burton laughed, “it was fairly enjoyable.”

Burton travelled to Japan in 2007, the place he discovered about Mokume, much like Damascus metal however utilizing non-ferrous metals similar to brass, copper, silver and gold.

When requested about his personal kitchen knives, Burton laughed.

“All my kitchen knives are seconds. I do have Damascus ones, however I promote the premium ones.”

You’ll be able to study extra about Burton and his knives by visiting his web site cosmoknives.com.

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@kimakimberlin
kim.kimberlin@blackpress.ca
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