What does a knife maker do on holiday? Go and visit other knife makers of course!
Last year a friend told me about this little village in North Spain that is famous for its folding knives and this year it was top of the list to visit.
Taramundi is a beautiful old village surrounded by green mountains and crystal clear rivers. Knife making has been carried out there for centuries and it was good to see it still going strong with several factories and independent makers still in the village.
Most of the knives made are small folding knives and a trip to the museum showed that many of the designs have been the same for generations.
While the majority of the knives are now made in small factories using machines each of the handles is individually decorated and the marks are unique to the different makers and I really liked the way it gave much more character and personality to the knives than standard factory knives.
Independent maker Pedro Bermudez and some of his knives...
One of the most interesting things about Taramundi was that many of the machines used to be powered by water and one of the makers had even built a fully water powered workshop. He had saws, drills and grinders all running from a single water pipe. It was an amazing invention and one I’d love to replicate one day if I ever get a workshop with a source of water nearby!
I had to get a few knives of course and my little boy is now proudly showing off his Taramundi knife to his friends!
It’s a beautiful little village, full of history and knives of course, well worth a trip if you are in that area!
