Green Man Knives

Tim Chilcott has been forging knives by hand for forty years. Every blade is designed for a specific purpose - kitchen, bushcraft, woodcarving - in dialogue with the professionals who use them. No series production, no CNC machines. Fire, hammer, high-carbon steel, and four decades of craft. He works with steels like 26C3 (1.2% carbon, comparable to Japanese white paper steel) and uses differential hardening - the edge is hard, the spine stays soft - creating a visible hamon as patina develops. Every knife is customisable at no extra cost: choice of steel, handle wood, coloured liners, with matching sheaths.

Tim Chilcott begins metalwork in the mid-1980s, after studying at Medway College of Design. Forty years of experience as a craftsman blacksmith, perfecting designs through dialogue with professional chefs, bushcrafters and woodcarvers. His workshop is in Mendlesham Green, Suffolk.

His kitchen knives use 26C3 steel at 1.2% carbon, which he differentially hardens - the cutting edge is very hard for optimal performance, the spine stays soft for overall toughness. This technique, borrowed from Japanese tradition, produces a visible hamon (temper line) on the blade over time. His outdoor knives use L3 steel, more stain-resistant than traditional O1.

Every knife is either available from stock or forged to order with no extra cost for customisation - choice of steel, handle wood (local and exotic) and coloured liners. Leather sheaths are made to match.