James Black

If Vulcan, the Roman god of Fire and Metalworking, ever decided to make a trip down to earth, he would certainly have done so on the 1^st of May 1800 in New Jersey.

At any rate, that was where a certain James Black, considered to be the first legendary American knife-smith, was born. After ten years training in a woodshop producing silver objects, the young James was attracted by the forge and got himself hired as an apprentice by a certain Shaw, in Arkansas, whose daughter he married. As the location, symbolically called the “frontier” was particularly strategic for business, Black decided to stay there and succeed his father-in-law.

The blades he forged were excellent and using his silversmith experience, he decorated the handles with the most beautiful inlays. This mix of beauty, quality and functionality earned his knives a superb reputation, with people coming from far away to place their orders. Not only did he attach great importance to finding the best shapes and sizes for given tasks, as well as fitting the customer’s hand, but he labored endlessly to perfect the quality of the metal.

We can indeed say that he had understood everything about this mysterious alchemy, that of sublimating the qualities of steel through fire and hammer, since we know that he even discovered the secrets of damascene in his smithy.

He made tests with all the alloys he could get his hands on, and preciously hoarded a meteorite he found during a walk, intending to make use of it for an exceptional occasion. The opportunity came in 1830 when the reputation of this devilish bladesmith reached the ears of Jim Bowie. So it was not by chance that James Black, considered to be the precursor and model of American master bladesmiths, became a legend.

Sources

100 Legendary Knives by Gerard Pacella, 2000 in Paris, France