This week’s interview takes us to Grayslake, Illinois, USA and to the workshop of Matt Baldwin. His shop is just a short drive from where I grew up, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see it for myself and take some time to get to know this maker better. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he makes some spectacular knives as well. My favorite thing about Matt is that he cares. He’s all in, whether it’s caring for his family, helping those in need, or going the extra mile to make a blade just a little more special. I am very happy to be able to share part of his story.
To start off, please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a father of two with three dogs. My wife and I are both artists. I’ve been a commercial photographer for twenty years (with a BFA in design), she is an art teacher. Before knives I was also a woodworker, making everything from our kitchen cabinets to furniture for our house to small ornamental boxes, and have restored some old cars. I have always enjoyed working with my hands. I also run a BBQ charity that puts on large scale events for veterans and children with developmental disabilities. We cook for upwards of 15-20,000 people every year.
What sparked your interest in knives?
I’ve been a pretty serious cooking enthusiast for the past fifteen years or so. As you can probably tell from my knives, when I get into something, I really get into it. At some point I started upgrading my knives, and once I discovered higher end Japanese knives there was no turning back. A really good performing knife makes such an incredible difference in the kitchen. In my opinion it makes cooking so much more fun.
What inspired you to do this and how did you learn?
Well, when covid rolled around, I found myself under house arrest for a month. I knew I would go crazy if I was locked in the house for that long watching TV, so I decided I would try to make the best of it and learn something completely new. I’d always wanted to build a forge and learn some basic forging and metal work. In college I did a lot of silver/bronze/copper metal work (jewelry mostly) and loved it, so I figured why not try steel. I watched a few YouTube videos, hit The Home Depot, and built a forge. After a few days of making basic things like tongs, plant hangers, etc, it occurred to me that I could use this to try making a knife. More YouTube videos followed, and soon I was making only knives. The first few were pretty rough, but I learned a lot. I made various knives for a while, bowies, edc, etc, but was always gravitating towards culinary. At some point I decided that I should probably just stick with culinary. I was intimately familiar with this subset already and I knew what I liked and what worked well. I just didn’t see the point in making things that I wasn’t passionate about.
I’ve always had the mindset “how hard can it be?” If you set aside all of the noise that comes with the internet, we have the sum total of all knowledge at our fingertips, so I try to utilize that whenever I can to pick up new skills. All my learning has been a combination of internet and figuring out what worked best for me and my tool set up as I go along.
When did you start making knives?
March 2020
What did you make your first knife with?
My very first knife was just out of mild steel and some maple cut offs in my shop. It was basically a test run to figure out the process. I even quenched it, even though it wasn’t needed. I just wanted to do a run, beginning to end and get a feel for it, to see if there were things I that I needed and didn’t have. My first real knives were all made from 1084 steel.
Do you have a favorite knife you made, tell me about it?
Usually, my favorite is whatever my latest knife is, and everything that I made before that one is terrible.
I made a couple of damascus pieces for blade this year that are probably by far my favorite pieces. I worked with a damascus artist to create a unique pattern, tried some new and difficult handle materials, and really slowed down my process in an attempt to elevate the pieces to new level of fit and finish. The end results were really stunning, and I couldn’t be happier with the end results. I will be sad to see them go. The last one is currently available if anyone is interested.
What is the most important aspect of a well-made knife?
Man, that’s a tough one. How well it cuts? Even just that answer is pretty difficult to quantify. So many different things need to come together. I guess first will always be form and function. How well does it work? Does it fall through food? How is the food release? Heat-treat falls under function too. How well does it take abuse and hold an edge? Beyond just how well it cuts, there’s also user interaction. Is it comfortable to hold? Does it cause the user discomfort? Can you use it for an extended period of time?
I’m also fairly obsessed with longevity. A new knife can be pretty and work well at first, but how is it going to hold up for the long run? How will the edge be after 100x sharpening? How will this handle material hold up over time?
Once all of this has been addressed, then I start looking at how I can package all of that into a simple elegant piece that still looks purty. I’m not big on bells and whistles, keep it simple, stupid.
What keeps you going?
Thankfully, usually, orders. Some days I’m really motivated and just want to be out there making pointy things. Some days, not so much. Having a list of orders really helps keep me out there working whether I want to or not. Usually once I’m working, I’m into it, but just finding the motivation to walk the thirty feet to the garage can be the hardest part.
I really enjoy creating, that will never get old. And I’m lucky enough to be able to sell my pieces, thank God. If I couldn’t rehome them, I’d just have a couple thousand knives at home. Even without orders, I’d still be making knives, but having commitments definitely keeps me at it daily.
Biggest struggle?
Motivation and attention span. I get bored easily so finding ways to keep it interesting is a constant struggle.
What kinds of knives do you make?
Almost entirely culinary. The occasional machete, chisel, or other tool when I find a need for it. Mostly that kind of thing is0 just for me, but I will get the occasional odd request, like a 14″ stag handled curd cutter for cheese making.
How did your background affect your approach to knives?
My design degree definitely helped. Years in the kitchen (restaurants in High School and college, and a serious hobbyist after) gave me an excellent knowledge base for what works and what I like. Also being a woodworker, jewelry maker, and shadetree mechanic gave me a general skill set that was very applicable for the technical aspects.
Who helped you early on?
My family and friends. They supported me from the get-go, by buying my early pieces. It was enough to at least cover materials and make more, which in turn helped me get better at it. As the knives got better, I could charge a little more, and that in turn let me buy better equipment, which in turn led to better knives. I am very grateful to all those early customers, as I never would have gotten off the ground without them.
Who are your influences/inspirations?
Man, that’s another tough one. I take inspiration from all over the knife community. The guys who always knock my socks off are the ones who can innovate, and do so with a high level of craftsmanship. A kitchen knife is pretty incredible in that out of one basic shape and design we have almost endless possibilities. I don’t want to name specific names as I know I’ll leave way too many talented smiths out.
How do you think that inspiration translates into your work?
Small things usually. A material combination, a process I hadn’t thought of, or a finish I find striking. Usually, these things are jumping off points for moving in a new direction, while trying to convert the idea into something new and mine. I’ve never been one to just steal what I see, I always strive to go my own way.
Any specific breakthroughs or revelations in your knife making journey?
Not any one thing I can name. The biggest thing I’ve come away with is – there is always more to learn, and the opportunities are always there if you embrace them. I think that the more I learn, the more I become aware of how much I don’t know.
What is the perfect knife?
That’s different for everyone. My perfect chef knife (I’m 6ft tall, like a 240mm, and prefer a push cut) will certainly not be the perfect knife for a 5’2″ user who rock chops.
Perfect knife for me would be a 240mm gyuto, flat profile, magnacut, thin behind the edge with a convex grind to retain some weight, and low maintenance handle like G10, micarta, resin etc. Personally, I am all about performance, low maintenance, and longevity over pretty shelf queens.
How do you approach a new concept and that concept’s implementation?
I’ll usually just let a new idea roll around in my head for a long time before I do anything. The idea typically evolves as I think it through until I feel like I’m at a place to give it a shot. Depending on how major a departure it is for me, I may just go for it, or I may take a few rounds of making and testing prototypes before I go for broke. Part of my decision usually depends on material prices. If I just go for broke, what will it cost if I don’t do it right and need to start over? If that answer is 100 bucks or less, I may skip the prototype phase.
How do you approach knife testing?
Use, use, use. I have four of my knives on my wall right now. Whenever I make a significant change to any part of my knives, first one goes in my kitchen and use it for a while. I don’t mean just cut a carrot and sweet potato, I mean I will make multiple meals with it and maybe even switch back and forth with previous knives to compare and contrast. Was this change an improvement or just a lateral move? If it’s a lateral move, does it improve or hinder production time? I also have a few of my regular clients in the restaurant industry that I will send prototypes to, free of charge, to get some feedback. Aside from all that, I am ALWAYS asking my clients for input. I’d say 75% of what my knives are now has come from user input.
How do you develop a design, select a steel, and fine-tune a heat treatment?
Design development is mostly trial and error. I have a wall covered in abandoned and failed trials. Maybe I’ll start with a wooden cutout to refine a profile before moving on to steel if I’m really thinking about something drastically different.
For heat-treat, I usually start with some research. Larrin Thomas’s book on knife engineering sits in my shop right above the oven. Knife steel nerds is also a great resource for ways to really maximize the steel’s potential. I look at all the data on given steel and try to determine what the optimal treatment is for what I want – a good mix of high HRC and toughness. I’ll do a few coupons and test to make sure my results are in line with what they should be. From there, the more I become acquainted with a steel, the more I will make small adjustments when needed to really get the steel where I want it.
What’s your favorite steels and what do you like about them?
For stainless – I love AEB-L. I know most knifemakers do. It is so easy to heat treat, and to work. And it takes such a fine edge. If it was more corrosion resistant, it would be the perfect steel. Magnacut is incredible, but I hate it. It’s so good for the end result but working it is a nightmare. The things that make it such a great steel are the same things that make it difficult to work with. High wear resistance and lots of toughness means grinding takes longer and uses literally twice as many belts. On top of that, for someone obsessed with fit and finish, getting a perfect and even steel surface is nearly unobtainable, so that makes me crazy. As a maker, you should enjoy the process of making the knife, and magnacut can suck all the fun right out of the process.
For carbon steel – 26C3 was my favorite for long time. It has high hardenability and is still fairly tough. I’ve been moving more towards Hitatchi blue #2, as it has become easier to get a hold of. They’re very similar steels, but I feel like Blue 2 just holds an edge longer on my test knives. If I could get a steady supply of Apex, I’d probably use that more.
How has the knife world changed since you started?
Damascus has gotten really crazy the last couple years. There have been so many innovations in that arena. New patterns and styles I doubt anyone could have imagined 10 years ago. The market itself has been kind of a crazy roller coaster too. Feast to famine every couple of months which is always frustrating and difficult to plan for.
What’s up next for you? Any exciting new projects to tell us about?
Nothing in particular, I guess. I’ll just be keeping my head down and try to improve a little with every knife. I’ll continue to try to push myself out of my comfort zone and create things people want to use. At some point I’d like to reconfigure my small shop to start making my own damascus, but I’m not quite there yet.
To learn more about Matt’s work and to keep up to date with what he is working on check out his website https://baldwinblades.com/ or follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/baldwinblades/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BaldwinBlades
Leave a Reply