Aiming for a zero waste workshop

Author: The Burn Network
Published: Tue 21 Apr 2020
Episode Link: https://tobyfireandsteel.libsyn.com/aiming-for-a-zero-waste-workshop

Tim Westley

EP15 London Museum of Steam and Water.

Tim makes kitchen knives concentrating on using recycled materials. Trying to make the smallest damage to the planet practically possible with his knifemaking. He cares that his knives are recyclable in the future as well as being made from recycled materials. He tries to live by a saying from chef friend of his Douglas McMaster. “Try to do something for the best not to be the best.”

Hdpe is low toxicity when melted and can be done in a household oven.
Working with aluminum.
Always looking for waste that can bee recycled into knifemaking materials.
Makes hos blades out of san mai with wrought iron and a known steel core.
He tries to keep his waste to a minimum by forging close to finished shape.
Still uses a known steel core so he can be assured that the edge is going to stand up to the work it is going to be doing.
His knives are designed to be recyclable as well as made from recycled materials.
He does not spend any money on handle material and only buys one sheet of steel per year even though he makes over 200 knives per year.
Carries out his work in the workshop in the museum where maintenance would have been done.
We discuss its similarities to Eveleigh works in Sydney.
He keeps his knives in a handmade steel chest.
Looks at ideas to lower waste like data sheets on tea towels.
Looks at knife making as resourcefully as possible to create less waste.
You need to put some of your passion and outside life into knives to be different.
Would like to see more people using recycled materials in their knives.
Finding that one customer that will spend £1000 on a knife is a lot harder than finding 10 customers that will spend £200 on a knife.