Description
Bladesmith, glassblower, and artist Nick Anderson does it again, raising the stakes of what functional art can be. A first of its kind, the Flower Fire Orchids chef knife combines hand-blown glass, cast pure silver, and hand-forged mosaic carbon damascus steel into a singular culinary object of breathtaking proportions. Having begun his fire-based artistic endeavors in the world of fine glass blowing years ago, Nick brings together in this piece many of his creative passions in a way few can. With his Arboreal pattern damascus shaped into a versatile, compound-ground, 200mm / 7.8″ chef’s profile with attention paid to every detail, the handle making commenced. First, borosilicate glass (aka Pyrex) is flame-worked: blown and sculpted on a large glassblowing torch. Marble and jewelry-making techniques are used to create the namesake element at the back of the handle, inspired by sea life and exotic flora. During hot-working in the torch, colored glass is incorporated, including gold and silver in addition to the warmer tones – colors sourced from the glass community’s renowned Molten Aura Labs – all layered with clear glass to give extra thickness and depth. On completion of the hot working process, the material is annealed to give maximum strength and shock resistance. Once annealed, the handle is methodically cold-worked by hand to produce a faceted appearance. Gem carving and lapidary techniques inform Nick’s approach to this final sculpting. The handle’s form complete, it is adhered to the blade’s tang which has been etched and polished so as to be visible through its translucent enclosure. Separating glass from the beautifully forged integral handle bolster is a ring of cast pure silver. Built to cook and designed to awe, there is no question that this represents a new frontier in the creation of culinary art.
