About San Mai

What is San mai?
It’s a traditional Japanese sword-making technique that has been used for centuries to produce high-quality blades. In recent years, this technique has been adapted for use in the production of culinary knives, resulting in some of the sharpest, most durable, artful knives available on the market.

How is a San Mai blade created?
These knives are made by sandwiching a hard, high-carbon steel core between softer, more malleable stainless steel or iron layers. This construction creates a knife that is not only extremely sharp, but also highly durable and long-lasting. We dream of chef’s knives that can be used generation after generation, and san mai gets us that heirloom quality.

Can I use a san mai knife if I’m not a chef?
The use of san mai construction in culinary knives has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among professional chefs and home cooks who demand high-quality tools for their craft. They’re great for everyday use (be sure to clean and dry them, please).

What style of san mai knife culinary knife should I purchase?
To us, it comes down to your need and your personal preference. Gyuto knives are versatile all-purpose knifes that can be used for slicing, dicing, and chopping. A santoku knife is more suited for slicing and chopping vegetables and meats. And petty knifes are smaller knives that are ideal for tasks that require more precision, such as peeling or trimming.

Where do we source our wood?

California is rich with gorgeous trees and we prefer to use local woods. We source woods from urban salvage sawyers. Selecting the most figured woods we can find. After additional drying we stabilize the burl in-house to minimize movement for a long lasting tight fitting handle.

Our knife boxes are all made by us from local woods. All of our wood comes from reclaimed, salvaged, and or scrap. We do not buy exotic or foreign woods.

What steels do you work with?

We like to use a lot of reclaimed steel for our san mai cladding. Again staying local and finding what we can. This yields a few different stainless steels for cladding, wrought iron (wagon wheel, ship chain, etc.), and mild steel. We work with a lot of 26c3 (spicy white) for our high carbon core, 15n20 and 1084 for Damascus steel.

How long does it take to make a knife?

Great food and knives take time and can’t be rushed. It also varies greatly given the complexity and starting materials. Ballpark? It takes us weeks to get one done. It’s truly a labor of love, and for better or worse, we obsess over every detail.

Why hand forged knives?

Character, durability, and superior sharpness! And that one of a kind character really is at the heart of what we do — using traditional methods to make each knife a totally unique and functional piece of art. Hand forging also gives us the freedom to work directly with you to customize a knife that’s exactly what you want and need.

What is Damascus steel?

Damascus steel, also known as pattern welded steel, is a type of steel that is characterized by its distinctive pattern of swirling or wavy lines on its surface. This pattern is created by combining two or more types of steel that have different carbon content and properties, resulting in a layered or laminated structure.

The exact origins of Damascus steel are unclear, but it is believed to have originated in the Middle East around 200 BC. The technique of making Damascus steel was lost for several centuries, but has been rediscovered and refined in modern times.

The process of making Damascus steel involves several steps, including forging, welding, and etching. The different types of steel are first heated and hammered together, then folded and welded repeatedly to create a layered structure. The resulting billet of steel is then shaped into a blade and heat-treated to improve its strength and hardness.

The unique properties of Damascus steel (and the work that goes into making it's unique, fingerprint-like lines) make it highly prized by knife makers and collectors. It is known for its exceptional hardness, toughness, and edge retention, as well as its beautiful and intricate patterns.

Chris really geeks out over damascus hot metal work. It’s the mix of craft and creativity, and seeing the patterns take shape, layer after layer.

How do you sharpen knives?

We use Japanese whetstones.

What is Whetstone sharpening?

A whetstone is a rectangular block of natural or artificial abrasive material that is used to sharpen and refine the edge of a blade. The process involves running the blade back and forth across the whetstone at a consistent angle, gradually refining and sharpening the edge.

Whetstone sharpening has been used for centuries and is still popular today among professional chefs and home cooks, because it’s a simple, low-tech method that can really sharpen the heck out of a knife without damaging the edge. Just takes some practice, as achieving the correct angle and applying consistent pressure can be challenging when you’re just getting started. That’s why we tell our clients to bring their knives in and we’ll do the sharpening at our shop. We’re happy to!

How do I keep my knife sharp?

1) Use a real wood cutting board. *DO NOT USE BAMBOO*

2) Use a leather strop with compound to maintain your edge. Regular use will keep your knife razor sharp! You won’t need to sharpen your knife often if you maintain the edge.

3) When you do sharpen use a Japanese wet stone. This way your very thing edge doesn’t get over heated during sharpening. Once your tiny thin edge is over heated (by grinding style sharpening) it will loose its performance faster and require more frequent sharpening.

What are moribashi?

Moribashi, baby! You wanna talk about the king of chopsticks? These bad boys are the go-to tool for chefs in Japan and around the world, and they've been around for centuries.

The history of moribashi is pretty fascinating. It all started with Japanese nobility and samurai who used the chopsticks to pick up small pieces of food without getting their hands dirty. But moribashi didn't stay in the hands of the elite. They quickly became a staple tool in Japanese cuisine, used for everything from plating to cooking.

Today, they're a must-have tool for any serious chef. Michelin-starred restaurants use them to plate dishes to perfection. In sushi restaurants, moribashi are essential for creating the perfect sushi roll and arranging those beautiful little pieces of fish. You may even see a chef using them to remove bones from fish or arrange tiny little garnishes, you know you're dealing with a real pro.