Extremely sharp

At a whopping 8,000 euros, the unique knife is an expensive tool
expensive tool, but it comes with almost the same cutting
cutting properties as a "normal" C150 knife from Nesmuk: the narrow and razor-sharp blade glides effortlessly through the
The narrow, razor-sharp blade glides effortlessly through the food, which is just as easily released by the ground bevel.

At 65 HRC , it is extremely hard, but not brittle thanks to the special composition of the carbon steels. Side note: Although the C150 series is the most exclusive variant of the version of the EXKLUSIV series, it differs from the cheapest The C150 series is the most exclusive variant of the EXKLUSIV series, but is hardly noticeably different from the cheapest Nesmuk knives in the soul and janus series (from 450 euros for a chef's knife) in terms of its cutting ability. The big price difference is therefore mainly due to the craftsmanship and the materials used.

...explains Stephan Borchert, Managing Director and and co-owner of Nesmuk for the past year. 15 years ago Stephan joined the small forge, founded in 2008 on a farm by the Steinhuder Meer near Hanover, as a kind of trainee. Meer near Hanover - after watching a television program about the "sharpest knife in the world". And in a subordinate clause it was mentioned that the blacksmith could use some support. The sociology graduate was working in the Bundestag at the time and was just frustrated by the unrealistic political circus. Through Japanese martial art Aikido, which he came into contact with during his Stephan became intensively involved with Japanese culture through the Japanese martial art of Aikido, which he came into contact with during his studies. and was naturally also interested in the swords and knives
knives, which is why the program fell on fertile ground.
So he contacted the blacksmith, went to see him the very next week and was finally able to convince him to work for him for a month in exchange for board and lodging. month of work in exchange for board and lodging, that he was really serious about becoming a damascus blacksmith. to become a damascus smith.

What Stephan didn't know at the time was that his teacher
had two partners from a Düsseldorf advertising agency on board who wanted to turn Nesmuk into a brand. The brand name refers to the American writer and outdoorsman George Washington Sears, who learned how to hunt, fish and survive from his childhood friend "Nessmuk" from the Narragansett tribe. Out of gratitude, Sears later used the name of the young Native American as a pseudonym for his outdoor books and thus also coined a type of knife with a very thin and strikingly curved blade. "Nessmuk loosely translates as forest or wood drake," adds Stephan Borchert.

The first Nesmuk knives were forged primarily for hunting, which can still be seen in the shape of the blade with the downturned tip. The brand quickly became known in "nerd circles", among hunters
and knife freaks who knew a thing or two about metallurgy. However, the niche proved to be limited and the kitchen turned out to be a field with greater potential for the brand. After this realization, the forge was given a new "playground" in Solingen in 2013 - more space, more possibilities. Stephan was appointed production manager, "for lack of alternatives", he jokes looking back.

Nesmuk had arrived. In Solingen, because of its outstanding quality in the and also as a status symbol in the kitchen. However, with this desirability also came misunderstandings. With the Damascus knives, which cost between 1,300 and 5,000 euros, some customers, who have no idea about carbon steel, expected them to they would always stay sharp and that their beautiful Damascus surface would be as it was on the first day. The "convenience" of the 2010s, which produced knives that that can simply be put in the dishwasher have destroyed much of the appreciation and understanding of and for good knives. And it has also created created a new barrier to purchase: Many a potential customer refrains from buying from buying out of concern that his wife might put the knife the knife in the dishwasher.

As far as sharpness is concerned, every knife will will eventually become blunt if it is not regularly cared for and occasionally sharpened. The crux of the matter: If knives made of chrome steel, which is more common as stainless steel, become blunt, small pieces usually small pieces usually break out of the cutting edge out of the cutting edge and this "stub"
with a barely visible, unwanted teeth, a knife that is actually blunt still cuts for the most part. With a knife made of carbon steel and especially a Damascus knife, the structure structure and the cutting edge are so fine-grained that the blunting process takes considerably takes much longer, but is fairly homogeneous. All of a sudden, the blade then "slips" the skin of a tomato instead of cutting it. back and forth instead of cutting it.

Movements that slip sideways on the cutting board in particular cause the steel to dull quickly rapid blunting, because the hard steel on the maximum thin "cutting phase " cannot offer any resistance. Already Nesmuk realized early on: "We need something something tougher" and more flexibility, including at this point too. One of these solutions was niobium. A rare element that refines a unique and patented steel alloy to make it more flexible, stronger and more durable at the same time and is used for the SOUL and JANUS series. The extraordinary flexibility is impressively demonstrated by the "Slicer", the filleting knife from Nesmuk. It can be bent like a thin sheet of metal and returns to its perfectly straight shape on its own - without being damaged. However, lateral shifting and tilting should always be avoided with all knives.

The only disadvantage of niobium steel is that it tarnishes over time. This is why a special micrometer-thick coating called "Diamond-Like-Carbon" was developed for the Janus series back in 2010, in which carbon ions adhere to the steel at an atomic level. This black coating makes the knife resistant to acids and bases and is extremely scratch-resistant. "Of course, we also tried coating a knife that had been sharpened to the maximum," says Stephan Borchert, "but the 2 Mü were still relevant for the sharpness, which is why the blade is uncoated in the "V-grind" at the cutting phase.

Here, too, a detour was taken in the base a detour on the material side in order to be better and and sharper. The EXKLUSIV knives are manufactured by the Damascus blacksmith in his own forge from three
three high-alloy steels. One of the secret ingredients is the addition of 1.3 percent tungsten in a steel specially produced for Nesmuk in combination with the use of 1.3 percent carbon in the steel. use of 1.3 percent carbon in the iron (the usual are 0.6 % to make very sharp blades).

"More carbon hardens the steel," Stephan mentions, which makes it even finer and
tougher after fire welding, but also much more complex to process. The challenge: "How do you process such steel cost-effectively?" All processes require more time and experience, from forging to sharpening. Special abrasives are also required, if only to achieve the blade geometry and extreme sharpness.

The Max Planck Institute and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, among others, have cooperated and continue to cooperate in research. In particular, the question of whether it is possible to develop a transparent protective coating to eliminate the weak points of Damascus steel - namely its susceptibility to rust and the release of its own taste when it comes into contact with acidic foods. Three and a half years of research finally led to the solution being found: A glass coating! The NPC coating, short for Nesmuk Protective Coating, invisibly protects the elaborately manufactured blades from all external influences, with only the cutting phase being left out for reasons of sharpness.

 
This development also convinced the damascus blacksmith Markus Patschull, who takes care of the hand-forged Nesmuk knives. Markus actually studied microbiology, took a cutlery course after graduating and stuck with it. For him, damask is not an art, but a craft - but above all a craft, he emphasizes, because as a craftsman you have to be able to reproduce what someone wants from you on demand.

However, once the series products have been produced, the master blacksmith can let off steam in the forge for mini series or one-offs. for mini-series or unique pieces. While the C90, C100 and C150 Damascus knives have a "defined" pattern of hand-forged made from hand-forged "wild" Damascus, which must be to reproduce - even though each knife is unique - Markus Patschull draws on the potential of pattern influence for "free" works. the potential of pattern influence to the maximum and virtuously combines mosaic damascus, exploded damascus and layered damascus, among others. The vision of a blade Markus Patschull has had the vision of a blade in his head from the outset, and creates these patterns through multiple spatial rearrangements, breaking the edges, twisting and so on. One of his specialties is the "ferry flip", in which he creates a complex pattern on the inside, i.e. on the head side, by a kind of puzzling together of previously forged elements and then cuts them into small boats,
stapled together and then fire-welded to perfection. The "big moment" is then always the immersion of the finished forged and sharpened blade in acid, which brings out the contrasts of the layers and makes the damascus the Damascus pattern visible.

Despite this high regard for craftsmanship, Nesmuk is moving with the times and is not opposed to automation. The rather unpopular task of grinding the handles will soon be fully grinding the handles will soon be fully automated by a cooperative robot. When it comes to wood, the mainly on European trees and is delighted to finally be able to offer is delighted to finally be able to offer French juniper. Bog oak and olive wood are the most popular woods, desert ironwood perhaps the most unusual and if it's not exclusive enough, even exclusive enough, even precious stones can be used as handle material for the chef's knives, steak knives and folding knives - which with their which can be taken into any restaurant thanks to their blade length. Tropical woods, on the other hand, are now completely dispensed with.

In addition to process optimization in order to avoid delivery bottlenecks, the company is also undergoing a number of changes for expansion abroad.
The primary target is America, with Japan as the longing destination. But first, the brand wants to stay in touch with its German customers and regularly offers factory tours and culinary events. factory tours and culinary events - because the thin the thin and extremely sharp knives simply have to be and experience them for yourself as they glide through a tomato.