7150 Bonyhád, Bartók Béla u. 9. - 74/455275 - pyrus@pyraster.hu
About the workshop
Fazekas József és ifj. Fazekas József
In 2019, the PYRASTER brand and workshop turned 30 years old. This three decades' worth of experience spurred us to lean on traditional techniques more than ever.
Hand tools play a much greater role today than they did ten or twenty years ago. Certain jobs can and should only be done on machines – grinding wheels, belt grinders, etc. – but many processes need to be carried out with hand tools to achieve the highest possible quality. Thus, the time spent on one knife has increased – contrary to today's trends – but the end result will represent a much higher standard. This is as far from mass production as possible. We don’t have two knives or swords alike, they are all unique.
The PYRASTER workshop refuses to give up quality handcraft. PYRASTER’s very existence proves that there is a demand for it. More and more people see the value in creating a unique object the hard way.
DAMASCUS and TUNGSTEN STEEL KNIVES
DAMASCUS STEEL
The main specialty of the Pyraster workshop is Damascus steel. This legendary material and its making are thousands of years old since Roman and Viking swords have been found with such blades. It was known and made in many parts of the world, and today it is experiencing its new renaissance.
It can be said that in the old days, they were pattern-welding because of the scarcity of raw materials. On the one hand, there was no high-quality "finished steel". With this method, even the smallest horseshoe nails could be recycled, as iron was scarce and therefore expensive. On the other hand, folding and reforging improved the quality, and the piece became more homogeneous, durable, and usable.
Today, the starting materials used for Damascus steel are of much higher quality, therefore going above a certain number of layers is unjustified. In our works, the number of layers is usually between 120-300. Of course, if you wish, we can produce a much higher number of layers, but the end result will be less aesthetically pleasing (the pattern less spectacular) and it will not increase the quality either.
Damascus steel comes in different patterns depending on the technique: there are ladder, raindrop, shark tooth, feathered, cable, spiderweb, twisted, fireball, typhoon patterns, and many more.
Their preparation requires great expertise. Its essence is the fusion of two kinds of steel, this is called forge welding. During this process, the steel bands must be forged close to their melting point. The exact temperature cannot be measured in the fire, the bladesmith can rely on his senses only. (which comes with the possibility of error, therefore the process is never foolproof, no matter how experienced the metalworker became.) The forged pieces (billets) must be cut, stretched, folded, and forge-welded again by the blacksmith (a small mistake at the last fold can cause the billet to go to waste.) When we start with nine layers, following the first cut-and-fold we get 18, for the second - 36... for the seventh, 576, and so on.
Features
We use two types of steel, WNr.1.2842, with a high manganese content, which gives the blade its darker blackish color; and 75Ni8, which has a high nickel content that lends the blade its white, silvery color. The contrast between these two steels is the most spectacular.
What makes a Damascus blade exceptional besides its looks? By fusing the two different materials, we obtain a hybrid steel with new properties and qualities, that are higher, than the sum of its parts. Thanks to multiple stretchings and forgings, a fine crystalline lattice structure can be achieved, which makes the blade flexible and wear-resistant after hardening. Also, using such a blade, the softer layers at the edge wear out faster, so the harder ones stand out, and a "micro saw" is created that cuts like a razor. That is why many people say that Damascus steel "bites better".
TUNGSTEN STEEL
In addition to Damascus steel, we use tungsten tool steels, which we reforge. (WNr1.2516, WNr.1.2550, WNr.1.2419, and Wnr.1.2562, the latter being an "extinct" steel, no longer produced). Tungsten forms strong carbides with iron and results in high Rockwell hardness even after tempering the thoroughly hardened blade. Nevertheless, it is easy to sharpen. Its toughness and edge durability make it an excellent knife steel. (Old strait-razors are also often made of tungsten steel.)
HANDLES
We only use natural materials, not plastics (except stabilized wood). Plastics have infiltrated too many areas of our life already.
Bones: Deer antlers, reindeer antlers, camel bone, giraffe bone, mammoth tusk, warthog tusk, walrus tusk, stabilized fossil bones...
Woods: Desert ironwood, Amboina, Wenge, Grenadilla, Sheoak, Bruyere, Bokote, Cocobolo, Moroccan thuja, Zirikote, Polisander, Ebony, Padouk, Bubinga, Olive tree, Gold maley, Snake tree, Banksia ...
SHARPENING, EDGE RETENTION, USE...
The most important of the requirements for the blade is edge retention. This is influenced by three factors: hardness, toughness, and wear resistance.
We want the blade to be hard, but wear resistance is more important. It might seem paradoxical at first, but the same steel cannot hold its edge as well at 59-60 Rockwell hardness than at 55-57 Rockwell. By increasing hardness, edge durability decreases. In addition, at high hardness, the edge of the knife can be chipped and nicked, when small shards break off.
Every single blade is a special compromise between the different characteristics of the metal. There is no magic knife that cuts tomatoes, meat, dried hardwood, and marble slabs with the same ease.
Sharpening
Modern stainless steels are edge-retaining, but they are very difficult to sharpen, therefore we do not work with them. Damascus and carbon steels are much easier to be honed and their durability is not inferior to that of stainless steels. However, they must be treated and oiled so that rust does not appear.
The knife is a utility tool, so it wears out. Sooner or later it is necessary to sharpen it, and the right technique can be learned by practice. #400 grit whetstones (both oil-, and water stones) can be used for coarse sharpening, then #1000-4000 ones for fine honing. We do sharpen our own products when their edge gets thickened (blunt) by heavy use. After that, they can be honed repeatedly again and again by the owner for many years, but we do not sharpen or repair knives that were made by others.
Care
The Damascus blade (both straight laminate and mosaic) behaves the same as the tungsten steel blade, it is not stainless. It will always require more attention than stainless metal.
After use, it should be put back in its sheath clean, and dry - this is the most important thing! - and occasionally oiled. Over time, a fairly good "rust-free" condition can be achieved, which may come with a slight discoloration (e.g. acidic fruits), but that is not always the case. The frequency of lubrication depends on the use and the owner. You can oil the blade at the end of each day of use, or weekly... There is no general rule.
In summary, if someone keeps their Damascus and tungsten steel knife clean and oiled, there will be no problem with it, but it requires care and attention, just like all the real and important things in life.
Usage
There are many different grinds: convex, holker, Scandinavian, etc. Our knives are flat grinded with a very narrow bevel, which lends the knife an excellent cutting ability and it makes it easy to sharpen.
The knife is a tool developed for cutting. A knife is not a chisel, not an axe, not a hammer, not a crowbar, nor a screwdriver... The improper use can lead to chips and nicks or structural damage. The main enemies of the edge are: earth (one of the finest abrasives), paper, rubber, hair, porcelain (plate), railway track...
Don’t feel pity for your knife, it is a tool, so use it. But if you want it to serve you for a long time, use it for what it is for, be aware of its properties, learn to sharpen, and do not forget to care for the knife.
All the knives in the gallery are already sold out, but we can make similar ones again if the need arises. We are flexible in the design. All our products are custom-made. If the customer likes a particular knife design but prefers different materials, he or she can choose from all the options available. This requires a thorough discussion, which can be a face-to-face meeting, via phone, or email.
The preparation time depends on the existing orders/ongoing works, usually 2-3 months for knives, but swords take longer.
In our workshop we produce knives nonstop, so we have 10-20 knives in stock all the time, from which you can choose. You can check out the knives currently available here:
A deposit (equivalent to 50% of the full purchase price) is required for all knives, that are made according to the buyers’ specifications and for each sword as well.
Prices include a handcrafted leather sheath. Bone handle scales or grip panels (mammoth, giraffe, walrus, etc.), exotic leather cases, the size and the material of the blades, bone carvings, scrimshaws, and special inlays all affect the final price, that is why there is no price list.
European swords:
S80, S90 steel: from 1800 €
Damascus steel: from 2500 €
Knives
Tungsten steel blade: from 300 €
Damascus steel blade: from 370 €
Mosaic Damascus blade: from 800 €
Japanese sword prices
Katana size in mono steel with koshirae: from 5000 €
Katana size in mono steel in shira saya: from 4000 €
Katana size from our own folded steel (straight laminate) with koshirae: from 7000 €
Katana size from our own folded steel in shira saya: from 6000 €
Wakizashi size with mono steel with koshirae: from 4000 €
Wakizashi size with mono steel in shira saya: from 3000 €
Wakizashi size from our own folded steel with koshirae: from 6000 €
Wakizashi size from our own folded steel in shira saya from 5000 €
Tanto size with mono steel with koshirae: from 3500 €
Tanto size with mono steel in shira saya: from 2500 €
Tanto size from our own folded steel with koshirae: from 4000 €
Tanto size from our own folded steel in shira saya: from 3000 €
ORDER, PRICES
PYRASTER
Hungary
7150 Bonyhád
Bartók Béla u. 9.
74/455 275
pyrus@pyraster.hu
