Commission-Only Bladesmithing — Est. 1991

IGNIS
LAMA

Forged in fire. Finished in silence.

Enter the Forge
Descend
Forge fire
47°22'N 8°33'E
Forge coordinates — Alpine Ridge Atelier
— Provenance

A KNIFE IS NOT MADE.

It is revealed. Every bar of steel enters the forge carrying a latent form — a negotiation between carbon content, heat curve, and the maker's touch. IGNIS LAMA intervenes at the exact moment of transformation.

We produce a maximum of twelve blades per year. Commission-only. No catalogue. No inventory. Each blade is a singular object with a single owner.

12
Blades per year
33
Years forging
1
Master smith
— Commission Status 2026

THE TWELVE

Each year, twelve slots open. Each blade is documented by number, not name. The current year's commissions:

No. 01 / 2026
Hunting Knife
1084 High-Carbon + Antler Handle
Claimed
No. 02 / 2026
Chef's Gyuto
SG2 Powdered Steel + Ebony
Claimed
No. 03 / 2026
Bowie
Damascus 15N20 + Desert Ironwood
Claimed
No. 04 / 2026
Skinner
W2 Tool Steel + Fossil Walrus
Open
No. 05 / 2026
Nakiri
VG-10 San-Mai + Stabilised Maple
Open
No. 06 / 2026
Dagger
Wootz Pattern + Mammoth Ivory
Open
No. 07 / 2026
Fillet
S30V Stainless + Carbon Fibre
Open
No. 08–12 / 2026
Reserved
Type TBD on Commission
Open
— Material Library

MATERIAL CODEX

Each material used by IGNIS LAMA is selected for a specific blade type, use case, and aesthetic character. Hover to explore properties.

Fe
High-Carbon
1084 · 1095
Dm
Damascus
15N20 · 1084
W2
Tool Steel
Hamon capable
SG
SG2 Powder
HRC 64–66
Wz
Wootz
Crucible cast
S3
S30V
Stainless series
Eb
African Ebony
Handle material
Di
Desert IW
Ironwood
Mi
Mammoth IV
Fossil Ivory
Sm
Stab. Maple
Resin infused
Cf
Carbon Fibre
Woven 3K twill
Mo
Moose Antler
Shed-collected
— Seven Stages of Revelation

PROCESS RITUAL

Steel selection
Stage 01 — Steel Selection
Choosing the Ore
Ambient — 20°C

Each bar of stock steel is physically tested — checked for grain consistency, carbon banding, and forge-worthiness before it enters the fire.

Forging
Stage 02 — Initial Forge
First Conversation
Peak: 1,260°C — Forge welding range

Steel enters the coal forge. The first heat reveals character — how the metal moves, resists, breathes. This stage cannot be hurried.

Shaping
Stage 03 — Profile Shaping
The Blade Emerges
Working range: 900–1,100°C

The blank is drawn out, the profile established. Each hammer blow is placed with intent. Geometry follows function — a kitchen blade curves differently than a hunting blade.

Normalizing
Stage 04 — Normalizing
Releasing Stress
Three cycles: 870°C → ambient

Forged steel holds internal tension. Three normalizing cycles allow the grain to relax and align — invisible preparation for what the heat treat will do.

Grinding
Stage 05 — Grinding
Geometry Refined
Belt temp monitored: ≤45°C steel surface

Hand-ground on a 2×72" slack-belt grinder with progressively finer abrasives. Plunge lines are set by hand with a file. The grind determines everything about cutting performance.

Heat treatment
Stage 06 — Heat Treatment
The Hardening
Quench: 815°C → Parks 50 oil

The critical moment. Steel is brought to critical temperature under magnet check, then quenched in warm Parks 50 oil. Tempered at 190°C twice for final hardness.

Handle fitting
Stage 07 — Handle & Polish
Finished in Silence
Silence — room temperature

Handle material is fitted and shaped by hand. Final edge is refined to 8–12° per side. The blade is inspected under raking light. If it passes, it is named and documented.

Master bladesmith
— The Maker
The fire shows you everything. The steel never lies about what it is.

IGNIS LAMA is the work of a single maker. After twelve years as a metallurgical engineer and twenty years at the forge, each blade is understood not as a product but as a metallurgical event — a singular convergence of material, heat, and time that cannot be repeated.

No apprentices. No production line. No exceptions. This is the last form of honest making.

— E. Varga
— The Principles

WHAT WE HOLD

I.
Scarcity is honesty

Twelve blades represent twelve months of serious attention. Every additional blade would diminish what the others are. We do not expand. We refine.

II.
Material over market

A blade is specified by what the steel demands, not what the market expects. If the steel is wrong for the task, the commission is declined. Steel has opinions.

III.
The blade outlives us both

A properly made blade will function for generations. This is not a product. It is a permanent object. We approach it accordingly — with the gravity that permanence deserves.

— Commission Gate

ENTER THE FORGE

IGNIS LAMA accepts commissions by application. Tell us the blade you intend and the life it will live. We will reach out if the work aligns with what we make.

No pricing is displayed. Commissions are priced per blade based on steel, handle material, and complexity. Lead time: 6–18 months from acceptance. We do not rush.