Our Story

Thomas Ronnberg made his first knife sometime in 2005 - 2007. The exact time is hard to remember, but it became the first of hundreds more. In the following years, he investigated the world's varied knife making cultures. This journey ultimately led to the creation of Hot Metal Knives (HMK) in 2019. HMK is a company that produces knives based on proven, and traditional construction techniques. Some of these techniques may even be thousands of years old, and almost completely forgotten about in Europe and North America. 

Much of what goes on at the hot metal forge is a closely guarded secret. What isn’t a secret is that nearly every component of an HMK knife is produced from materials harvested in person. Branches from an Oak tree which has stood tall for over 100 years. Curly birch, from saplings planted in 1999. An aromatic whiskey oak barrel from the Helsinki Distilling Company. Antlers from seasonal hunts in the vast Finnish forests. A truck steel spring, weighing at over 80 kilos/175 pounds, transformed into a forged blade. Some HMK knives start as 200-year-old discarded pieces of wrought iron found in old Finnish flea markets. HMK hammers these metals into a new life at the forge. Our Damascus steel is hand forged from raw materials. Even the m390 stainless super steel we use is repurposed.   The range of expertise at HMK is very broad, and the possibilities are limitless.

Custom orders are always welcomed!