Herman Kraft
Damascus knife making
Herman Kraft is a retired farmer from Timber Lake in north-central
South Dakota, where he has taken his practical knowledge of metalsmithing
to a new height in the making of Damascus knives. About 20 years ago, with
the help of magazines, books, and a knife maker in Iowa, Herman taught
himself the complex process of forge-welding layers of steel and nickel
into Damascus blades. His neighbor Jack Bickel, from Firesteel,
admired Herman’s work and often searched out old automobile springs for
Herman, which he says have the best steel for knives. Through the
apprenticeship program Jack was able to learn the forging, shaping, and
finishing of the knives himself by working with Herman in his shop. Jack
now hopes to find an old trip hammer and a grinder for sharpening blades,
to be added to the forge at his ranch, so he can continue making knives on
his own.
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Jack Bickel and Herman Kraft. |
Two Damascus steel knives made by Herman Kraft. |
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Herman Kraft supervises Jack Bickel as he pounds a
hot steel knife billet on a trip hammer in Herman’s shop. |
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Herman Kraft, a retired Timber Lake farmer, started making
knives over 20 years ago. He specializes in the Damascus technique which
involves forging many layers of steel and nickel together, then cutting
the metal to reveal swirling topographic designs in the contrasting
colors. For the 2005-2006 apprenticeship he worked with his grandson
Jett Kraft, who used to hang around the shop but had never put in
focused time learning the Damascus technique, and Kevin Willey, a
cowboy from Faith who met Herman at a blacksmith gathering. Kevin already
knew how to work with metal and had experimented with Damascus on his
own—he’d made a bit with it—so was thrilled to have Herman’s expert
guidance to deepen his knowledge of this rare art form.
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