In 1992, at the age 33, and after trying various types of work, Robert Kramer, almost by accident, found his life's work. In fact, "work" is a misnomer, as Kramer loves what he does and has made it his life's mission to fashion, by hand, the finest culinary cutlery in the world. Kramer opened his shop, Bladesmith's, in Seattle in 1995, and subsequently qualified as a Master Bladesmith, one of only sixty-seven in the United States.

Q: Bob, how did you find your way into the handcrafting of high-quality cutlery?

A: I was working as a second cook and decided I needed more income. Since I knew a lot of people in the trade and we all used knives, it was my idea to take on a line of knives and sell them to other chefs. What I found was that most chefs have their favorite knives and therefore don't need more, but need the knives they own to be sharper. I decided to fill their sharpening needs but realized I would need more skills. I traveled around meeting people who did professional sharpening and finally met an older couple in San Francisco who, as they say, "took me in." From them I learned enough to feel confident to start my own sharpening business.

Q: How did you move from sharpening to handcrafting?

A: The more I studied the sharpening process, the more I became interested in handcrafting quality knives. I learned that knives were one of the very first tools of mankind. Sharp-edged stones were used for protection, agriculture, and hunting. Soon I was doing research on making knives and learned of a knife making school in Washington, Arkansas. The school was founded by the American Bladesmith Society [an organization established in 1976 to preserve the American tradition of forging knives by hand]. After attending that school, I started working on my journeyman bladesmith program.

Q: What are the steps to becoming a Master Bladesmith?

A: At the end of a long apprenticeship one becomes a journeyman bladesmith by passing the first of two extremely difficult tests. The first test requires that, starting with only basic raw materials, the student forge a ten-inch blade with three hundred layers of steel which will accomplish four steps: (1) sever, with one swipe, a one-inch thick, loosely hung, hemp rope; (2) chop through a 2x 4-inch board twice; (3) shave the hair on the maker’s arm; and finally, (4) with the blade anchored in a vise, bend the blade to a ninety-degree angle without the blade snapping in two.

When the journeyman bladesmith completes phase one, his final test is to handcraft five perfect knives, four of which may be of his own design, but the fifth is a mandatory Kryllian dagger made from Damascus steel. It must have a balckwood handle inlaid with silver thread and be perfectly symmetrical. The quality of the knives is judged by a panel of seven Master Bladesmiths, each of whom must find all five of the journeyman’s knives to be perfect. Passing this test then qualifies the journeyman to be a Master Bladesmith. Generally the trip from apprentice to master takes a minimum of five years. I qualified in 1996. Approximately three new certified bladesmith’s join the master’s ranks each year.

Q: What is the difference between your knives and ones purchased commercially?

A: I prefer to work with carbon steel because it takes, and holds, a finer edge than the stainless knives sold commercially. Stainless steel is nothing more than carbon steel with chromium added. Factory-produced knives don’t have the professional edge, which is why chefs send their new knives to Bladesmith’s for professional sharpening. A layman probably wouldn’t know the difference, but a butcher or chef knows that a professional edge, made by honing the blade at an eighteen-degree angle, will allow the blade to retain its edge much longer.

Q: Bob, looking back, would you do it all again?

A: Absolutely! I love what I do. I can’t wait to get to work in the morning and I don’t want to go home at the end of the day. Between times, I think about how I can improve. I’ve spent years figuring our what makes a great knife, and I’m still working on it. I feel fortunate that I was able to get into bladesmithing and qualify as a Master. This is my life’s work, my mission, my passion.