Roger Rominger

Knife maker

©Tobias Westen

©Filip Zuan

©Martina Rominger

Forging blades

Roger is reclaiming the declining knife-making tradition of Switzerland
His workshop is at the family farm
Patience, passion and craftsmanship are his key attributes

Born in Samedan, the heart of the alpine Engadin region of Switzerland, Roger Rominger is a true native. His fascination in knives was present from his childhood, but it was compounded one day when he spotted a stone with a damask pattern lying under his favourite mountain, the Piz Tremoggia. It was in this moment that he decided to become a knife maker. His formal training involved working as a blacksmith and farrier, he expanded the knowledge he acquired there with the help of books, films and by doing. Since 2009, he has been making Damascus knives in his rustic workshop on the family farm where horns decorate the stone walls and an anvil is the centre piece. He and his wife now run "Chesa Rominger" together. What many might find surprising about his knives is “how elaborate it is to make a knife and how much metallurgy goes into it.”

Interview

©Filip Zuan

What distinguishes a Damascus knife?: The blade is sharper than a stainless-steel blade. I am fascinated by what can be done with such a hard material: fire and one’s own strength. With many steel layers, the Damascus knife also has a different aesthetic than a mono steel knife.
What special techniques do you master?: I primarily make wild performance Damascus. Also Torsion Damascus in combination with Japanese San Mai construction, resulting in a different kind of pattern, is also a kind of speciality of mine.
In what way are your knives linked to the Val Fex?: Each knife carries a piece of the Fex soul and the patterns of the damask reflect the beautiful landscape and nature of the Fex Valley. The nature that surrounds me is my main source of inspiration, it has everything I need: form, drawing and material.
What is a memorable moment in your professional life?: There are many. But I think of my beginnings, when an unknown man came to my workshop and bought the knife I was forging without having seen it finished. He said: "Keep at it, there's a lot of potential in it."

Roger Rominger is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2009