Meet the DCI knife maker - Stefano Compostella
About Stefano
My name is Stefano Compostella I am a professional knifemaker and grinder, I work in the knifeshop my familiy has owned for 4 generations since 1895 in Crema, Italy. Since a I was young, I was surrounded by knives, scissors and cutting tools, in 2002 my father left me the management of the store but is only in 2008 that I decided to try my hand at the craftsmanship of these tools.
In our workshop I make both kitchen and sport knives, on my design or in collaboration with the customer, all made by hand or with aid of non-automated machinery. In each knife I put a lot of passion and attention to detail, selecting the best steels and materials available on the market, to create unique and high quality cutting tools.
About my kitchen knives: For my blade I use only RWL34™ and damascus by Damasteel, for me the best compromise of sharpness, corrosion resistence and beauty. I often start from 3,2mm bars, because I prefer a blade with a solid spine. Blades in RWL34™ are hand satin finish to 1500grit, in damascus deeply etched and mirror polished. Spine and finger groove are rounded and mirror polished. The construction is passthrough hidden tang with guard and pommel (screwed in place with the tang) in titanium. Working at the dimensions of the but capp I can balance the knife at the guard. A chef knife with a blade of 22cm is approximately 210gr.
Probably we have knives in our blood, I love knives and I love making them. I’ve always been involved in making things with my hands and working with different materials like wood, steel, synthetic fiber, etc…
Starting from a good design is very important. To do this it is essential to know: what the knife is for, what the most suitable material is, what the dimensions of the handle must be to make the knife comfortable and balanced.
I have to be honest, handling it is the best way to choose a knife, but now, in this era, in order to make the right choice we can get directly from the maker most of the info we need, like material, weight, hardness, thickness, handle size, etc…
My favorite pattern of Damasteel is Bjorkman twist, but I want to try a new pattern just released: Nidhogg, maybe I’ll have to change my mind…
Instagram: @stefanocompostella
Online shop: www.compostella-crema.it
Follow #dcionline2021 on Instagram to see the DCI Knife makers work.
Tickets and more information about the show
Sneak peek of some of Stefanos DCI knives that will be available at the show.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
