THE CUTLERY TRADES

Imagine we are in Thiers, at the beginning of the 19^th century…

The process for making forged knives takes a long time; production of the blade blank, creating the handle and final assembly of all the various components involve several different skilled trades.

Right at the beginning of the process, the “smith“ and his blazing fire wreak their magic, working the metal to give birth to the elementary blade.
He pounds an incandescent hook of metal into the shape of a blade, a blank that already possesses a thick back and fine point.
The smith's tools are the hammer and anvil, which will be replaced by tilt hammers* followed in their turn by power hammers.

The blank produced by the smith is then passed to the “temperer“. His job is to make the blade hard, flexible and strong.
Tempering takes place in two stages: The blade blank is first heated to a very high temperature (about 1,000°C) when it dilates under the effect of the heat; then it is plunged into a bath of cold water or oil. The consequent thermal shock gives the blade some of its technical properties, i.e. its hardness.
In order to avoid the blade being too rigid and liable to break on the slightest impact, the temperer then quenches it. This operation consists of heating the blank again to a temperature well below the 1,000°C required for hardening, then allowing it to cool naturally. This procedure makes the blade strong and flexible.

Forges


The "martinaire" corporation


Tableau des Forges Delaire, A. Bauré,
Oil on cavas (278 x 205 cm), 1912.
Cutlery Museum - Thiers / Photos A. Jean-Baptiste. CRDP Clermont-Fd