It’s almost too much to take in: In a fraction of a second, a ripe fruit falls into pieces, without spilling a single drop of its sweet juice. Delicately thin slices bring forth the full class of every dish. Kitchen tools which sit perfectly in the hand. They guide themselves, making the work effortless. Wonderful quality, crafted with mastery: each piece is unique, forged, ground and set for each individual client. Beautiful works of art with Damascus blades – sharp as razors, high precision, hard as steel – with an archaic aesthetic which has been maintained over the thousands of years since it first arose in the Orient. An allure which never loses its magic.
Here, real men are at work: The fire has been kindled, powerful hammer strokes fall on the glowing steel, sparks spray out in all directions, muscles ripple, bodies run with sweat. Those who step over the threshold into the blacksmith’s workshop of Luca Distler and Florian Pichler feel not just the heat of coals but also the flames of passion. A passion which has carried these two friends into the premier league of the most exclusive knifemakers. What began as a hobby has now become a craft which is almost the only one of its kind. Over years of experimentation they have combined varieties of steel and developed a Damascus steel which is without equal in its combination of every positive characteristic – hardness, toughness and elasticity. As a matter of principle, they produce the raw material for the blades themselves using their own formula which, of course, remains a secret. You just have to have a feel for when the coal fire has reached the right temperature for the different grades to combine to form a homogeneous whole – but isn’t so hot that the carbon within, which is what contributes the hardness, is burnt off. Not an easy undertaking, and one which requires a lot of experience. With infinite patience, the block of steel is then repeatedly forged, folded and forge-welded – up to 360 times – until a layered steel is formed that is perfect for a hard and sharp knife. What must now follow is a sequence of techniques, from grinding to etching – otherwise all of this work will have been for nothing. The acid reveals the typical flowing pattern of Damascus steel, formed during forging, which has until now been hidden from view. Like a fingerprint, each pattern is unique.
Wild and Turkish Damascus steel. Rose Damascus, torsion and mosaic Damascus... Creating these patterns intentionally is a science in itself. But it isn’t just chefs who value these works of art from Messer Werk (waiting times of up to nine months are standard for international customers): The smithy in Aschau, Bavaria, also produces knives which can deal with the toughest of jobs that fishing and hunting require. The completely different requirements in terms of blade strength and long-lasting sharpness are met to the fullest extent. This is how truly functional knives are made. However, the portfolio of the Chiemgau manufacturer encompasses not just cook’s knives and Jagdnicker (hunting knives) but also stainless steel folding knives, sashimi knives (honed on one side only), carving forks, breadknives and curved Arabian daggers. The various forms are all designed in house. The knives are not mere tools: they also possess all those characteristics which give a blade its beauty and class. For the handles, into which the solid blades fit perfectly (another trade secret), all sorts of exotic materials are used: desert ironwood, the tusks of extinct mammoths, camel bone, water buffalo horn. Or traditional native woods like walnut, sea buckthorn and bog oak. Not to mention stainless steel, gold and mother of pearl. The tiniest details are lovingly engraved, inlaid and riveted. It is this ancient craft which gives every customer their own individually-made piece in perpetuity. What an amazing stroke of luck that these two perfectionists, an artist blacksmith and a dental technician, managed to find each other!
