hand made hunting knife sticking out of stump in a camp site

About Our 1-Day Knife Making Course.

Welcome to our flagship knife making experience, the one that started it all! The day will take you from designing your hand made knife, through to grinding the blade, heat treatment, gluing/profiling your handle, polishing and sharpening the blade ready for use. A farmhouse style lunch and afternoon tea are on us, just turn up ready to go. This course is suitable for anyone from workshop beginners to those familiar and more experienced around tools.

Course Details.

Course Duration: 9 Hours
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Lost Arts Knife Making School, Clevedon, South Auckland
Cost: $450 per person
Participants: Limited to 6 people
(If you would like to arrange a larger party please get in touch).

Refreshments including coffee, tea, juice and homemade baking will be provided.

What to bring

  • Clothing you aren’t too precious about getting dirty (we do provide aprons, but you never know)

  • Something to tie back loose hair

  • Covered footwear

Knife Making Course Outline.

hand drawing a hunting knife design

  1. Design.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to create a hand made kitchen knife, or just a general purpose hunting knife for adventures? Come with an idea of what you want to make, and we will help bring it to life!

farmhouse food platter including cured meats, vegetables and cheeses

4. Food.

Your workshop price includes food & refreshments during the day! A farmhouse lunch and afternoon tea. Please do let us know if you have any dietary requirements, and we will do our best to cater for them.

knife making workshop in clevedon

2. Profiling.

Start with a flat piece of 1084 Carbon German knife making steel and finish with a knife made by you! We will guide you through the process of making a knife blade ready to be put into the forge for heat treatment.

knife maker shaping a wooden knife handle on a grinder machine

5. Handles.

Select from a range of materials, including New Zealand native hard woods for your knife’s handle. This part of the course sees you fitting the handle to your knife and profiling it to your preference.

knife making student heating knife in gas forge

3. Heat Treatment.

Use the blacksmith forge to harden and temper your steel blade. This part of the process involves heating your blade up to red-hot and quenching it (hardening). You will also temper it to ensure your blade is soft enough to take an edge.

hand made hunting knife being polished by hand

6. Finishing.

Once you have profiled your handle it’s time to give everything a final polish and sharpen ready for use! We try to have this part done by around 5:00pm but this can vary depending on the group and the ambitiousness of the knife projects.

FAQ.

  • Most people make either a kitchen knife or hunting/ camping knife. You are able to hand make any knife you like as long as it’s 250 mm or under. This is because larger knifes take longer to make, making it too difficult to fit into one day and still do a good job. We want to send you away with something you will use forever!

  • Courses are generally limited to up to 5 people max. This is to ensure each student receives enough 1-on-1 time. If you would like to enquire about a larger group course for a work function or team building activity, then please get in touch.

  • The short answer is yes! We do however prefer students to be over the age of 15 years old.

    Please contact us for more info.

  • Our One-Day Knife Making Course costs $450/pp for the day.

    But don’t worry, we look after you. This includes all materials involved in making a knife as well as being fed and watered throughout the day. Item description

  • Yes we welcome you to bring along some timber if you have a piece that is special to you. We do ask that you bring it milled to size if possible. Please give us a call to discuss sizes and questions before your course date.