My blue steel blades
- Alexander crafts carbon steel kitchen knives
- He has a modern utilitarian aesthetic
- His knives acquire unique patinas over time
Alexander O'Neill is a knife maker based in London who creates handmade kitchen knives in his workshop called Gorse Knives. He started his knife making business in 2016, though his background is in jewellery. He studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at The John Cass School for Architecture and Design. His jewellery creations were experimental and required him to create a lot of his own tools, which eventually led him to discover the craft of knife making. Alexander initially made knives from his home, until he started working at his craft full-time. Throughout his life, Alexander always created things, and now enjoys how knife making requires his full attention when he forges, with its mix of design, heat, precision, and danger.
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INTERVIEW
A lot of my jewellery work was quite esoteric and a bit odd, so I had to make a lot of my own tools. This is how I started working with steel. As a broke student, I could get hold of lots of practically free steel, so tool making is how I started off getting into knives.
I use blue paper steel because it is such high carbon steel. It is difficult to work with because it shatters easily if you get the heat treating wrong, but it gives a beautifully sharp edge and a slightly different marbling effect on every knife.
Definitely Japanese knives, but also Finnish knives, which I think have a similarity in design. They are both born from countries that never had huge access to large amounts of material, so there is a really lovely utilitarianism to the designs.
Longevity is a big part of it. I believe the user also plays a part in the maintenance. Oiling knives and resharpening them is a part of owning them that is quite enjoyable, just like rewinding your watch or oiling high quality furniture.
