American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

Fett first used a black marker to outline the approximate blade shape on the half of the circular saw blade, then picked up the angle grinder and, with a few "sizzling" sounds, cut off a rectangular steel plate.

The tongs gripped one end of the steel plate and fed it into the furnace.

Western kitchen knives are very different from Chinese kitchen knives.

Western-style knives are designed for specific purposes and are meticulously categorized.

The chef's knife has a long, slender blade with an elegant curve, perfect for guillotine-style cutting; the boning knife is long and flexible, specifically designed for tackling joint gaps; there are also serrated bread knives, small paring knives... a whole row of these in the kitchen is a must.

After cooking, I have to wash every single knife; it's exhausting.

In contrast, Chinese kitchen knives integrate all functions into one, with a square and wide blade that can chop, slice, and pound, and only one needs to be washed.

"What a pity, the Americans don't know its value."

"Forget it, when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Fett shook his head.

If someone actually forged a perfectly square Chinese kitchen knife and submitted it for registration, the judges would probably think he was being lazy, or even that he had simply put a handle on a steel plate, polished it, and that was it.

In no time, the steel plate was heated to an enticing orange-red color.

Fett placed the red-hot steel plate flat on the anvil, instead of swinging a sledgehammer around and smashing it like he would when making a Bowie knife.

He picked out a small two-pound hand hammer, and with a nimble wrist, he struck the hammer with dense, light taps.

"Ding, ding, ding."

With a crisp tapping sound, he first thinned the steel plate little by little from near the spine towards the blade, forging a continuous and natural wedge-shaped cross-section.

Only when the taper is properly hammered will the cutting feel be smoother and the knife won't stick.

Next comes shaping.

Using the edge of the anvil, Fetter skillfully taps the lower edge of the steel plate. As the steel stretches under the force, it naturally bends in the direction of the force, forming the classic curve of a French chef's knife.

Because the steel plate is very thin, it dissipates heat extremely quickly. After every dozen or so taps, the red-hot color darkens, and it has to be reheated in the furnace.

After five or six rounds of back and forth, and then rough grinding with a belt sander, the basic shape of a French chef's knife with smooth lines and a slender blade was finally formed.

The blade of a kitchen knife is very thin, so the step of cooking over high heat is the most crucial.

To eliminate the internal stress generated during forging, Fett reheated the blade to the critical temperature and then let it cool naturally in the air. He repeated this process three times to refine the grains inside the steel, making it more uniform and tough.

Finally, there is quenching.

Fett held his breath, gripped the knife handle firmly with both hands, and quickly and vertically inserted the blade into the preheated oil drum.

"Sizzle—"

Smoke and fumes rose up.

A moment later, he pulled out the still-smoking knife, quickly placed it on the anvil, clamped it with two straight angle irons, and pressed his whole body against it for a few seconds.

Remove the angle iron and compare it with a steel ruler.

Fett nodded in satisfaction and set it aside.

I'll finish forging the folding knife blade later, then put them all in the oven to temper. It'll save electricity and time.

When it came to the folding knife, Fett picked up an old file, threw it into the furnace to heat it until it was red-hot, and then used a hammer to completely flatten the surface texture until it became a smooth, flat steel bar.

Although these patterns have disappeared now, they will naturally reappear after the finished product has been acid-washed.

A folding knife doesn't need to be very long; a blade of about three or four inches is sufficient.

He used a chisel to cut a suitable length, heated it again until it was red-hot, and then placed it on the anvil.

This time, he switched to a small round-headed hammer that weighed only half a pound.

"Ding, ding."

The sounds became soft and dense.

He first hammered out the tip of the blade, forging the front end into the classic teardrop shape. This blade shape has strong cutting ability and looks round and pleasing, making it very suitable for daily use.

Next is the base of the knife.

This is the most crucial part of the folding knife because it needs to work with the pivot of the handle, so there can be no carelessness.

Fett carefully thinned and smoothed this part, and left space for drilling the pivot hole.

Finally, he gently tapped a small, curved groove into the back of the blade near the base.

Looking at the small knife blank in his hand, no bigger than the palm of his hand, Fett blew on the oxide scale with satisfaction.

Small and exquisite, yet sharp.

After rough grinding, he also subjected the small knife blank to normalizing and quenching treatments.

After doing all this, Fett dried the grease off the folding knife blade and the kitchen knife he had just crafted, and placed them side by side in the kitchen oven.

Set the temperature and temper for two hours.

"Aunt Rachel, you guys eat first! Don't wait for me, I'll come over when I'm done."

After giving his instructions, Fett went back into the garage.

During this break, he needed to get the materials for the handles of the two knives.

First, the handle of the kitchen knife.

Kitchen knives don't need to withstand as much impact as hunting knives, so using Osage orange wood would be a waste; ordinary black walnut wood is sufficient, and its deep color gives it a more upscale feel.

There was a lot of wood piled up at the garage entrance for making wooden knives.

Fett walked over and easily picked out a piece of black walnut wood with a beautiful grain and a suitable size.

With two quick "sizzles" on the band saw, two appropriately sized patches are cut out.

But after searching around, Fett couldn't find a solid brass rod of suitable thickness, but he pulled out a copper pipe taken from an old air conditioner from a corner.

His eyes lit up, and he changed his mind.

Instead of using ordinary pins, why not put some thought into making a few pretty mosaic pins? A kitchen knife should be more ornate to look good!

He cut off several sections of copper pipe, each about an inch long.

Then find some thin iron wires and slightly thicker brass wires, and stuff them into the copper tube in a regular pattern to fill the gaps.

Then I mixed a small cup of AB glue and carefully poured it into the copper tube until it overflowed.

Once the glue has dried completely, grind and polish both ends.

When you cut it open, the dot matrix pattern made of brass and wire will look like a blooming metal flower.

Although it took a bit of effort, this small detail can definitely elevate the sophistication of this kitchen knife to another level.

"Fett! Lunch is ready!"

Leila's crisp voice rang out at the garage door, piercing through the lingering hum of the belt sander and breaking the focused silence that filled the space.

Fett straightened up and turned off the machine.

He stretched his stiff shoulders and looked back.

Leila was standing in the doorway, holding a large bowl in her hand. She carefully walked around the scattered hardwood scraps and metal shavings on the ground and peeked in cautiously.

The weather was terribly gloomy today, and the lighting in the garage was poor, with only a dim overhead light on.

The light shone on her concerned face, giving her a warm glow.

She walked to the worktable and placed the bowl on a relatively clean spot on it.

He grabbed a rag from the side and quickly cleaned away the machine oil, sawdust, and metal powder from the table.