The sharpest knife in the drawer

An authentic Turkish leather knife is something I have been trying to get hold of for several years. I've searched e-bay (and been distracted by shoes), poured over catalogues (and bought everything but) and finally, I've asked skilled contemporary craftsmen if they would take my commission... It was this avenue that finally saw some success.

Having asked Jeff Peachey if he could make a knife based on drawings of one I'd seen in Istanbul and the classic image from Bosch et al, Jeff put me in touch with another knife-obsessive and maker in Istanbul. Following a few e-mails I met up with Eylem Cengiz and his wife Gulay, when I was in Istanbul for the IIC biennial congress last September.

Eylem took me through the backstreets of the city, via hardware stores and the shoe district (further distraction) until we reached a tiny workshop in the heart of the iron workers bazaar. Here I was able to buy a large, well-tempered steel half-moon blade as used nowadays in Istanbul, but this was not exactly what I had been looking for...

A modern Turkish leather paring knife (right), and two more traditional examples

So, Eylem volunteered to modify the blade for me- an experiment and labour of love for him over long lunch hours and even longer weekends. He built a kiln to temper the steel once he had shaped it and had it tested for handling properties by a book conservator in the city. Finally it was ready for a beautiful little olive wood handle, and then it made the journey to Ireland.

This is an incredible knife; a little piece of history, a reminder of a wonderful trip, and an invaluable tool. It's true, perhaps I didn't really need such a luxurious knife in my tool-kit, but it has already proved to be very useful and I am sure I will enjoy using it for many years to come. I just hope I can persuade Eylem to make more!