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Mahurangi teenager Liam Walle is one step closer to becoming New Zealand’s first master bladesmith after securing the title of journeyman bladesmith at a recent event in the United States.
Liam grew up on Hauturu Little Barrier, where his parents are Department of Conservation rangers, and he started experimenting with the ancient art of forged knife making when he was 13.
A big fan of fantasy novels, he says he noticed that all the protagonists had a sword so he set about making himself one. Using a homemade brick barbecue and minimal tools, he slowly progressed to producing Damascus steel by hand.
At an Auckland Blade Show in 2022, he won an award for the Best Details and earlier this year, he won best Forged Knife and Best Hunting Knife titles at the Sydney Knife Show.
He says that although he makes most types of knife, he especially enjoys fighters, hunters and daggers for the extra challenges they pose and the opportunities they present for embellishment.
Now aged 19, his ambition is to become an American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master bladesmith, of which there are fewer than 200 in the world.
He recently qualified as an ABS journeyman bladesmith after proving he was capable of producing knives of outstanding quality, which could pass extreme tests of performance. His work was assessed by a panel of trained master bladesmith judges.
“It took months to make the knives and was pretty terrifying getting them judged,” he says.
Liam uses plain high carbon steel (1080 and 15n20) Damascus to make his blades, which are beautifully etched, or feathered. The handles are made from a range of materials including pōhutukawa and maple, and since returning from the US he has been experimenting with fossilised mammoth ivory.
With so much time and craftsmanship involved, it is not surprising that Liam’s ornate and historically inspired knives don’t come cheap, ranging from around $800 to $5000 each.
Liam’s dream is to be able to make a profession of knife making and build a properly fitted, out workshop on family land in Fox Glacier.
He hopes to test for master bladesmith in 2026, but says there will be a lot of training to be done before then.
To see a gallery of Liam’s knives, go to: liamvallaknives.com
