Knifemaking workshop – Two days in the Angelero knife workshop

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2026.03.17.

On 2026.03.17.

We recently participated in an intensive two-day knife making workshop in Kunmadaras, at Imre Palcsesz’s Angelero knife workshop. The aim of the course was for the participants to learn the whole process of knife making and to make their own knives from raw material to the finished, sharp blade under professional guidance.

Below we briefly describe the structure of the workshop and our experiences.

Day 1 – Basics, materials and the birth of the blade

Getting to know each other, assessing motivations and prior skills
Basic materials technology, iron-carbon diagram, understanding alloy steels from a knife maker’s perspective
Theory and practice of heat treatment, tips and tricks
Sharpening types, edge geometries, grinding basics
Cutting test blades and practising various grinding operations
Selecting and contouring your own knife shape on a belt sander
Preparation of the holes for fixing the marker
Final polishing of the blade and preparation for heat treatment
Heat treatment of your own blade in practice

By the end of the day we had the heat treated blade in our hands.

Day 2 – Making the handle and finishing the knife

Hardness measurement and Rockwell test on the finished blade
Finishing the sharpening of the blade
Handle types and fixing methods (riveting, screwing)
Cutting, gluing and fixing of grip material
Contouring and final polishing of the handle
Treatment of natural handle materials (oiling, waxing, stabilisation)
Design of the edge and presentation of sharpening methods
Summary of questions, experiences

By the end of the workshop we both left with a fully finished knife of our own making.

Our professional impression

During the two days, we gained a lot of practical knowledge, not only about knife making, but also about the deeper context of material knowledge and heat treatment. The focus was on grinding techniques and the use of different grinding belts. The training was well structured, logical and very practical.

Based on our own experience, we have attended a high quality, professionally strong training course, which we would highly recommend to anyone interested in knife making.

It is important to note that the workshop is also available in English, so it is an excellent learning opportunity for people from abroad.

Details and exact information: