Photos Knives and Knifemaking in Vienna

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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I'll post a much longer thread about the interview and Shop Visit with Benjamin Kamon later, but I though you chaps would like to see something neat in the center of Vienna.

In the middle ages, various guilds and craftsmen would come to Vienna. Before leaving, they would drive a nail into the tree in town center. It became known as Stock-im-Eisen .... Tree of Iron.
There was a spruce tree that started growing around 1400, and was felled around 1440. The first nails were struck in the tree while still alive. The tree was cut down and erected as a place for visiting craftsmen to leave their mark and get good luck on their travels. In the middle 1500's iron bands were placed around the decaying tree and it was mounted on the corner of a house at the corner of Graben and Kärntner Straße near Stephansplatz. It was later encased in a glass cylinder to stop decay. Originally, there were over a thousand nails in the trunk. Many still remain.
Today, many metal trades use similar nails when a person reaches journeyman status. The forge or machine a nail with a personal pattern or initial and drive it in a post at some special place. Many old blacksmith shops have a central post with these nails in it.
More later.....Nail tree.JPGNail tree 1.JPGDSC00200.JPGDSC00199.JPG
 
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This is a knife shop near Stephansplatz.
I am interested in finding out what the name Nesmuk comes from? The knives are DLC coated and this knife is normally 650 Euro ... but is triple the price with a burl wood handle ... whoopti-do!
knife store.jpg
knife store.jpgknife store Nesmuk.jpgknife store Nesmuk.jpg
 
Heading north shortly to Korneubrurg and a visit with Benjamin Kamon. Super excited to see his shop.
I'll post a short report later today, and a full shop visit thread after editing photos and text when I get home.
 
Glad you posted those photos with prices - WOW! Does it seem like the prices there are a tad more than the usual prices here in USA?
 
I talked about it with Benjamin Kamon. He rolled his eyes and said they spend their money on marketing, not quality.
Still no idea how they connect these with Nesmuk ... but who is going to sue them?

These are in windows on the main shopping street where close to 3 million people come to shop at Christmastime. Every day thousands of people pass these shops while shopping and spending thousands of dollars on vacation. They come from the far east, middle east, Eastern and Western Europe, and America. They buy expensive clothes, jewelry , and sometimes knives. I suspect it works well because a wife may spend $15,000 on clothes and jewelry, and the hubby who cooks wants a "really good" kitchen knife to cook with. So, they buy them because the hype sounds good ... and we all know that the higher the price, the better the quality ... right? Many have marked down prices like "Reg. €1598, 30%off -€1100". The lower price is still ridiculous, but we all know how buyers love feeling like they got a bargain.
 
And on Nesmuk Janus website, it's 740 Euro for the burl handle, not 1895 euros!! Guessing the Nesmuk was the name of one of the founders or something?
 
Janus is a company. Nesmuk is not explained anywhere I can find it on the web besides the old trapper we know of. You would think they would say, "Wilhelm Nesmuk was our Grossvatter, the blacksmith at the alt-forge" or something like that. And you saw what I was saying about the prices being very different at the store window.
 
Yeah, I looked for history of the company and couldn't find much at all! That price is pretty crazy though! Lol!

Kamons shop looks awesome!!
 
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