Julian Lee was ready for a fresh challenge after a lifetime in specialist education. So he built a forge, installed an anvil and set to work creating some very special knives
n 2019, one year into his retirement, 66-year-old Julian Lee decided to start making knives. The former teacher and special educational needs expert built a forge in the back garden of his Winchester home, collected steel files, heated them to 800C and began hammering, grinding and refining until he had formed a blade. “Blacksmithing knives is a beautiful combination of producing art and something with a practical use,” he says.
Approaching 65, after 40 years spent working for London boroughs on specialist educational provision, Lee decided it was time for a change. “Life isn’t about doing the same thing for ever and as I neared my retirement, I wanted to learn something new,” he says. “I had never forgotten my childhood love of making things and working with metal was always the most alluring because it was so challenging.
As Lee continued practising, he began to improve and hone his technique. He sources his steel from secondhand products or Sheffield steel mills before heating it on his forge to reach a specific colour that dictates the correct temperature for hammering. Once he has a rough shape, the edge is shaped on a belt grinder before being placed back into the forge and heated again. A quick plunge into cold oil allows it to harden.
Now 71 and with five years of blacksmithing experience under his belt, Lee is as passionate about his craft as ever. Typically making one to two knives a month and selling them largely to friends and family, he has begun experimenting with iron ore finishes and scorched cedar wood handles, inspired by his research into the work of Japanese master-craftsmen.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Julian Assange’s lawyers reveal the freedom dealSarah Ferguson presents Australia's premier daily current affairs program, delivering agenda-setting public affairs journalism and interviews that hold the powerful to account. Plus political analysis from Laura Tingle.
Read more »
Julian Assange is finally free – but should not have been prosecuted in the first placeThe US’s pursuit of Assange under the Espionage Act created a dangerous precedent that threatens journalistic practices
Read more »
Julian Nagelsmann calls for revision of handball rule after Germany defeatJulian Nagelsmann, said the handball rule should be revised after his Germany team lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 quarter-final
Read more »
Julian Assange expected to plead guilty to US espionage charge, document saysA court filing outlines a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents.
Read more »
Julian Assange strikes plea deal with US, may walk freeA court filing outlines a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents.
Read more »
Julian Assange expected to plead guilty to US charge in deal that could end his imprisonmentUS prosecutors have filed criminal paperwork against the Wikileaks founder that is typically a preliminary step before a plea deal
Read more »