#47: Knifemaker Billy Nelson Forging Heirlooms from Waste Materials

Billy Nelson, custom knifemaker and founder of ELEVEN KNIVES COMPANY – (soon to be XIRO knives).  is a hard-charging craftsman, driven by his ambition, entrepreneurism, and relentless pursuit of quality. He creates knives from special-purpose American industrial steel that is being discarded, wooden waste materials, and a special proprietary process for making visually stunning handles in a regenerative process turning waste to heirlooms. He talks about the timeless resilient beauty of carbon steel heirloom cleavers and his bestselling vegetable workhorse – the timeless Japanese Nakiri. I’ve held his knives. Not only are they perfectly balanced and perfectly fashioned, but they are drop-dead GORGEOUS. Check out his stellar craftsmanship at http://www.elevenknives.com