2. Thermal process

The blade is made from Martensitic stainless steel, such as 3Cr13, 4Cr13, 5Cr15MoV, it is tempered, and usually by heating it to 175–350°C (347–662°F) for 2 hours, which results in a hardness of 53–63 HRC and a good balance between sharpness retention, grindability and toughness.

3. Surface grinding

There are still burrs, rust and stains at the periphery of the blade after heat treatment. Grinder or sanding belt can be applied to polish them from coarse to fine grit.

4. Bevel/Serration grinding

The bevel grinding process includes full flat grind, chrisel grind and scandi grind. Most premium knives adopt full grind, as it goes all the way down from the spine to the edge bevel in a flat, linear slope. The full flat grind is thickest at the spine for strength, but tapers down into a relatively thin edge for excellent slicing.

Water mill machine is also applied for making serration during this process, such as steak knife and bread knife.

5. Bolster welding

A bolster is attached to the blade by welding, making the connection between blade and handle more durable and difficult for water to enter. By welding and fixing the bolster to the handle, handle durability is increased.

6. Mirror Polishing

Mechanical and chemical polishing can be used to achieve a mirror finish. Firstly, you carefully polish away rust and corrosion to reveal a clean layer beneath. Then, you can use polishing fluids and solutions to eliminate oxides from the blade’s surface and produce a shiny, clean finish.

7. Assembling

A superbly water-resistant reinforced laminated wood is utilised as material for the handles in assembling process. When fitting the handle, sealing material is used to prevent water from penetrating. Some high-quality kitchen knives utilise MIM technology as a bolster and a rear bolster.

8. Bolster/wood handle polishing

Hand polishing is an important part of the manufacturing process for both bolster and wood handle Both processes require a good deal of skill and attention, as even the slightest mistake can ruin the product. Hand polishing is more time consuming than machine polishing, but it produces much better results.

9. Logo printing

There are many ways of putting logos on knife blade, such as etch or laser engraving, silkscreen, pad print and debossing. Some marks in black with cheaper cost and some in different colors to brighten their brand names.

10. Blade edge sharpening

The majority of kitchen knives are sharpened to a 17 to 20-degree angle. Many Western knife angles fall into the 20-22 degree category. Asian knives sold in the U.S. usually have a more acute angle and both sides are sharpened to about 15 degrees. But the correct or best angle is determined by the knife’s design, type of use, and steel.

11. Final inspection

To inspect the finished knife, we usually slice the paper to test the sharpness of blade edge. Besides, there are also some criteria of our knife inspection:

• NO assembling defects
• NO defects on blade
• NO defect on handle: hole, extral material, scratch, color marks, design defect
• NO dirt, rust, dents.

12. Packaging

Knife packaging can be customized according to demands and design provided by clients. Common packaging choices include:

• Color box tray
• Magnetic/Gift box
• Single/Double blister
• Wood box
• Kraft paper box
• PVC/PET box/blade cover
• Craft paper lid and base box

13. Shipment

FLC/LCL shipment bases on goods.