The culinary knife is the most used knife in any home. These iconic knives help us create meals for family and loved ones. Well-made kitchen knives last a lifetime, and this class will give students the opportunity to create one of their very own. Damascus steel is a technique of forge welding two steels and manipulating them to form patterns. This ancient technique harkens back to the earliest swords and knives. An art form of its own, this enigmatic material is showcased perfectly in culinary knives. In this weeklong class, students will first make their own Damascus steel blanks, then make chef knife blades from their material. Students will make wooden-handled, hidden-tang chef’s knives with a metal bolster. All aspects of bladesmithing will be covered, from forge welding and pattern development to blade shaping, followed by heat treating, grinding, polishing, fitting the wooden handles and bolster, and finally sharpening-with very special attention given to the design and geometry of this kind of knife. This class is intended as an introductory class, but some forging experience is very helpful. Students should expect to have one or more blades finished at the end of class.