Christian Dam

This week’s interview brings us to the workshop of one of the most positive individuals I have had the pleasure to meet. He is very genuine and is so easy to root for. His style is timeless, and the performance has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. I am very pleased to be able to share his story.

To start off, please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Christian Dam, I’m 45 years old and I live in a small village in Sweden called Löa. I live with my teenage daughter and our two cats! 

When I’m not making knives I´m playing music. Knives are my main income, but playing gigs on weekends really helps to make ends meet.

What sparked your interest in knives?

My brother had a colleague who was a traditional utility knife maker. 

Unfortunately he got sick with Parkinsons disease and had to give up on his hobby of making knives. 

He asked my brother and I if we could take over his workshop because his body couldn´t do it no more.

At first I had no interest of making any knives. It was all the beautiful wood that got my attention!

 I  was interested in tone woods from being a guitar nerd for many years, so I felt like I wanted to give the wood and all the beautiful tools some of my time to see what would happened. 

Then I saw my brother making a few handles for some blades and I decided to give it a try. 

What inspired you to do this and how did you learn?

Once I’d made my first knife there was no turning back. Newley divorced, just given up drinking, I suddenly had all this time on my hands.

I spent every night in the woodshed trying ideas and learning how to use the tools. What gave me the kick was that feeling of holding something I had made myself. Something real. 

When did you start making knives?

Ten years ago. But I was only making the handles back then. I started forging my own blades eight years ago.

What did you make your first knife with?

A spalted piece of Birch and an old Mora blade.

What is the most important aspect of a well-made knife?

How it is forged, heat treated and its geometry!

What keeps you going? 

I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface! There is so much I want to learn and do! I truly love doing this and I am so thankful that I´m able to!

Biggest struggle?

Money. I started my own business with nothing in my pockets, so if anyone is thinking about going full-time in this business, make sure to have some money saved up!

What kinds of knives do you make?

Mostly kitchen knives. But I like to make all kinds of knives! I love making carving blades. I’ve spent some time on learning how to make a good one!

How did your background affect your approach to knives?

I’ve been a dedicated guitar player since I was a wee boy, so I think that the patience that I’ve learned from playing an instrument is something I use in my craft now!

Who helped you early on?

I was lucky to get to know some very generous people early on. 

Patrik Carlvik, Smedja Aspen

Robin Dalman, Dalman knives

Björn Birgersson, Birgersson Blades

Jonas Johnsson, Isasmedjan

Fredrik Spåre, Spåre Knives

All of these guys have been so generous and kind! I’ve learned so much from them!

Who are your influences/inspirations?

All of the guys I mentioned above.

How do you think those inspirations translates into your work?

I’d say what has inspired me most is their dedication to their craft!

Any specific breakthroughs or revelations in your knife making journey?

There has been a lot of those! The first that comes to mind is when I learned how to forge weld.

I had absolutely no clue how that worked and I wasn’t smart enough to go pick up a book, watch a tutorial or anything.

So I struggled a lot with that of course and getting that process down was a huge one for me!

What is the perfect knife?

The one that gets used!

How do you approach a new concept and that concept’s implementation?

I guess through trial and error, crash and burn. 

How do you approach knife testing?

By using it in the way it was meant to! 

For example, I like to carve spoons every now and then, so I have tested different grinds, steels and heat treatments and then used the blades myself.

It’s the same with all other types of knives. Customer feedback is also very important in that aspect!

Do you like any particular steels?

I’m willing to try most steels, but I really like to get to know a steel, so I tend to use one type for a longer time period to really learn about it.

135Crv has been my go-to steel for some time now. I like how it behaves through the process, from anvil to water quench.

The tungsten/wolfram packed steels are a favorite too! Like Aogami 1 and 1.2562 for example.

How has the knife world changed since you started?

I guess there are a lot more makers now! Hopefully they’re here to stay! I see more collaborations now days too, which is fun.

Collabs, not only between bladesmiths but also bladesmiths to customers who are giving polishing a go. Pretty cool! 

What’s up next for you? Any exciting new projects to tell us about?

I have some challenging custom orders coming up. I’m gonna give the full tang design a fair chance too! I haven´t been satisfied with what I’ve done with those so far…

Otherwise, it is the same strive to be a better bladesmith and learn as much as I can!

To keep up to date with what he is working on, give him a follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/damchristian/