Sam Gleeson  

I work predominantly in metal and wood - forge-welding my own steel billets for blades using salvaged and reclaimed materials sandwiching high carbon steels for the finest quality culinary knives.

Q&A

Artist Statement

I am a blade smith; I create knives as contemporary tools to be used both in the professional kitchen and the home to prepare meals, to be enjoyed for their creativity as well as their purpose.

What craft do you work with? 

Metal Working – Blade Smith

What inspires you to work with this craft? 

I am motivated by materials and the story they hold – giving new purpose to found and recycled steels, incorporating them into my work using centuries old forge-welding techniques to blend and twist them together.

How do you start your creative process?

Techniques used include mechanical power hammer forging, hand hammer forging, steel lamination and forge-welding, grinding, sanding, polishing and acid etching.

The process is elemental – earth for the ore, air to fuel the forge, fire to heat the steel and water to quench the blade

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

High carbon steels sandwiched between found gems; wrought iron cart wheels, whiskey barrel straps, limbs from long forgotten orchards, 300 year old storm-damaged trees from Irish Estate Houses or bog found relics of millennia old forests brought back to life.

 

Media & Contact

Location

West Ireland