Laguiole en Aubrac Blacksmith’s Workshop
A forge to return to local manufacturing
The renaissance of the manufacture of the Laguiole knife in its historic area, goes back to the 1980s. This traditional activity had gone through a decline from the 1920s, faced with the industrialisation of cutlery in the basin of the city of Thiers. At that time, anxious to be able to manufacture respecting local artisan tradition, Laguiole en Aubrac® created a forge in the small village of Montézic, located a few kilometres from Laguiole. Three other cutlery artisans came along from the beginning of this initiative.
The manufacture of Laguiole en Aubrac® meets the quality requirements of a local artisanal manufacture certifying its origin.
This distinguishes it from industrial and counterfeit productions.
The work carried out in the forge gives rise to the metal elements that make up the knife before arriving in the hands of the cutlers who will proceed to their polishing and various finishes such as the guilloche springs etc.
To achieve this result, an internal quality control is carried out at each stage during the development is necessary. This begins at the Montézic forge belonging to the Laguiole en Aubrac manufacture, which gives rise to a large part of the metallic elements that make up our products. Some can be subcontracted, for more information and details, do not hesitate to contact the
manufacture directly.
Cutting the plates – Mounting the bolsters
The plates are cut from dies manufactured locally from brass or stainless steel bars. The so-called massive bolsters have the property of reinforcing the handle, they are fixed manually on the plate (the mitrage). The bolsters are then drilled, which will allow the knife to be assembled with the nails also made of brass or stainless steel depending on the model.
The plates ensure the rigidity and solidity of the fixing of the handle (wood, bone, horn or other).
These steel plates may or may not have bolsters. Without bolster, we will call the knife “full handle”
The front bolster supports the articulation axis of the blade, and will allow adjustment of the force rivet. The rear bolster will absorb shocks in the event of a fall. They first appeared as repair parts. The majority of models are now found with two bolsters.
The blades of the knives are made of 12C27MOD stainless steel called “SANDVIK”. It is a steel that has the advantages of “carbon steel without having the disadvantages. It does not rust, is easily sharpened and keeps an excellent thread for a long time.
The cutting edge is done by the grinding which designates the part of the blade which thins to form the wire.
Laguiole en Aubrac® has the particularity of making a very fine grind which gives the blades an exceptional edge.
Forged Bee and Spring Stopper
The spring steel is heated in a furnace to over 1000 ° and then quenched, giving it strength. The bee is cut out to be chiseled by the cutler. The “blade stop” is found in the lower part. It is a small protuberance on which the heel of the blade rests when the knife is closed, this prevents the wire from becoming dull in the event of a sudden closure.
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Blades on Knives
The work done at the forge of Laguiole en Aubrac produces all the metal elements that make up the knife before arriving in the hands of the cutlers who will undertake polishing and the finishing stage.
Damascus Blades
Damascus is the result of a forging assembly of several different metals. An art that can be difficult to master due to the great possibility of assembling different metals with various patterns.
Handle materials
The handles can be made in many different materials: Wood, Horns, Bones, Mammoth ivory, mineral materials or even synthetic materials. We have selected the most beautiful!
