Greensteel Forge: Junk to Julienned

“I’ve always been an environmentalist at heart, and I’ve always wanted to use recycled materials in my work,” says Benjamyn Deneen, owner of Greensteel Forge in Madison.

This is an average statement when taken out of context—after all, many of us want to do our best by the planet in our work. But what makes Ben and Greensteel Forge interesting is that those recycled materials are not plastic bottles or newspapers but car parts, saw blades, ball bearings and old tools; and his “work” is turning that junk into high quality knives.

“I started making knives at 14,” says Ben. “A family friend was a blacksmith, and I worked for him off and on until my mid-20s. Eventually, I decided I wanted to do this full time.” He’s operated under the name Greensteel Forge for about 10 years, but after returning from Iraq in 2007, he decided he wanted to work for himself. So in 2008, he and his wife, Kelly, made it happen.

The scrap yards appreciate him because he’ll salvage high alloy materials that they don’t like dealing with, and it gives the yard a little extra income. Though these materials can be, and often are eventually recycled, by going straight to Ben’s forge, the metal bypasses three significant energy loss points. Normally, recycled metals would be shipped to the recycler (1) where they endure an energy-intensive reforming step (2) before being shipped to a forge (3) where the metal is heated yet again to make a product. The wood for his knife handles is primarily domestic hardwoods such as local curly maple. A friend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will also send him wood with interesting grains. In this way, the making of Greensteel Forge knives uses less total energy to make an extremely high quality product, while also traveling far fewer miles from the salvage yard to a cook’s hand.

Ben works exclusively with high carbon steel, his favorite materials being ball bearings and saw blades, which are usually a higher grade of steel than most knives are made from. None of his products are stainless steel, and “I won’t. It’s just not a good cutting tool. There’s no substitute for high carbon steel.”

Greensteel Forge knives start at 35 dollars and can run into the thousands for decorative knives that are equal parts function and work of art. His most popular single product is the classic chef’s knife. He also offers sharpening for all knives or at a discount for Greensteel Forge knives. The business has no storefront since, so far, products are only made to order, and they do little to no advertising—he and Kelly had a booth at the Dane County Farmers’ Market craft area but stopped halfway through the summer when business picked up significantly.

It seems word of mouth is serving them quite well for now, which is as it should be according to Ben: “It’s important to support your neighbors, local craftsmen and the local economy. You not only get better things when you source locally, but we craftspeople feel more accountable for our product when we know we may see you on the street again one day.”

To view samples of Ben’s work or to place an order, email greensteelforge@yahoo.com or call 608-577-9734

For more about cooking knives and those who love them, check out Cook's Toolbox!