From camera to anvil
Born in southern Germany, I grew up in the south of France, between a workbench and an easel. At seven I had my first oil-painting lessons. At nineteen I went into photography and worked in Berlin, Hamburg and Paris.
What I came to miss there was contact with the material, the weight in my hand. One evening my blacksmith friend Chris took me along to the fire. When the metal went soft under my blows, I knew: this is where I belong. The more photography turned into pixels and algorithms, the more the forge pulled me back.
Today I live near Marseille and forge knives, each one unique.
Where steel finds its shape
My workshop sits right by an olive grove. Outside are the forge, the anvil and the grinding station, looking out over the hills; inside I do the fine work and the hardening. From the ceiling hang the paper templates of every knife ever made here.
I collect old tools and restore them. My pillar drill dates from 1930; its patina speaks for its quality. Behind the workshop grow some thirty olive trees, and their wood dries for two years before it becomes a handle. To me there is hardly a more beautiful wood.
Handwork, no compromise
I forge by hand only, without power hammer or hydraulic press. Just anvil, hammer and time.
I work with carbon steel, and often I forge my own Damascus from it, folded layer upon layer before it even becomes a blade. When the etched pattern surfaces from the acid for the first time, it surprises me every time.
For the handles I use olive wood or horn. And every knife gets its own leather sheath, stitched by hand on an old American saddler’s machine, all made to measure.
Every knife has its own character, and I take the time it needs to bring it out. If a knife stalls, I set it aside and work on another until it shows me how to go on.
Your own piece, made by you
If you are looking for a knife of real quality that nobody else owns, you are in the right place. Have a look around my shop, and get in touch if you have questions about any of the pieces.
If you would like to stand at the fire yourself and forge your own knife, I also run courses in my workshop here in Provence. Do you have an old heirloom, a broken blade or your grandfather’s antler? Bring it along: under my guidance you will make a new knife from it with your own hands. More about that here.
„Every knife has a character of its own.“Julien Bataillet