Hello,
My name is Petr Melichárek and I was born in early 1981 in the Czech Republic, a small country in the heart of Europe. For about 20 years now, I’ve been making custom knives and jewelry from so-called damascus steel. What started as a hobby turned into a full-time job in 2012, and since then I’ve been creating in my workshop in a small village near the city of Olomouc.
I focus exclusively on carbon damascus steel and craft unique, mostly custom and collector’s knives with attention to design, originality, elegance, and overall harmony
. For more details about the materials, techniques, and the process of choosing a knife, please visit the “Knife guide” section.If you’d like to take a look at the “Jewelry” section, which is a lighter complement to my main work, just use the button with the ring icon in the top left corner, or return to the homepage via the house icon. In the jewelry section you’ll mostly find rings – not only wedding and engagement rings, but also pieces made for other occasions: anniversaries, birthdays, for both men and women, delicate or bold. You can also browse pendants with Viking themes, musical motifs, bracelets, or even earrings.
I’d also like to point out that the website is designed primarily for viewing on larger screens. It works on mobile as well, of course, but not everything will display quite as nicely as it does on a computer.
The history of damascus steel reaches far back into the past, and there are several more or less accurate interpretations of what the “true damascus” is supposed to look like. Today, the term usually refers to layered steel, made through the complex process of folding thin sheets of different types of steel and forge-welding them in the fire. The resulting billet is then further shaped by forging, pressing, twisting, or grinding – depending on what pattern and properties that are desired. When dipped in acid, distinctive patterns appear on the surface. Since each type of steel reacts
differently, the result is not only a visual contrast but also a subtle, tangible texture.
For my knives I work exclusively with what’s known as “carbon damascus” – specifically acombination of steels WNr. 1.2842 (O2) and 75Ni8 (15N20). Knives made from this steel are not stainless, and therefore require some care. You can find more information about this in the “Knife guide” section.
Although I originally studied at a general high school with a focus on the sciences and humanities, working with damascus captivated me so much that it became a lifelong passion—and eventually my profession. People often ask how I got into this work and where I actually learned it.
From a young age I was drawn to the world of warriors, magic, and powerful artifacts—through fantasy films, books, video games, AD&D, or MTG cards. I was about 17 when I started practicing historical fencing and became a member of the well-known Olomouc historical fencing group Adorea, which I even led for a while. Although our paths later diverged, I’m still a loyal fan and I’m impressed with how far the original group has taken it.
At that time I also made my first creations—costume parts, belts, and even a sheet-metal gauntlet, which I hammered out with a completely unsuitable hammer in the yard of my friend Richard’s workshop, a restorer who was also a member of the group.
Due to changes in my personal life I left Adorea and started focusing more on juggling and fire shows. After a while I went to Spain, where I founded the group Teatro Olber and performed with fire shows, juggling, and later fencing scenes as well. Because of the lack of equipment and craftsmen, we began making our own gear in a borrowed workshop. In a shuttered plumbing shop, working in makeshift conditions with improvised tools, we ground our first swords, daggers, axes, and similar weapons. Unfortunately, knee problems eventually forced me to give up practicing the sword fighting.
Thanks to contacts with entertainment agencies and the large amount of equipment I had made, I began offering performances at medieval fairs as an armorer. That’s how my first historical workshop came to life, where I crafted plate armor and wove chainmail shirts in front of visitors. Around that time I also discovered the website Knife.cz, which, like for most Czech knife makers, became a key source of knowledge. I learned through trial and error, and with advice from more experienced makers.
On an improvised forge built from bricks, a cast-iron grate, an old hairdryer, and a vacuum cleaner, I tirelessly hammered away at steel until the pieces bonded together. That’s how my very first knives were born.
The “medieval workshop” I toured with across Spain and the surrounding islands kept growing. As it did, the quality of the pieces—and my own knowledge—grew as well. After about five years, the lifestyle of moving from town to town started to wear thin. It was time to head home…
So I sold the medieval workshop along with its know-how, and after returning to the Czech Republic I bought a small house near the city of Olomouc. There I began building my own forge and occasionally helped the excellent blacksmith Jiří Němec from Žerotín, to whom I owe a great deal of experience. If you’re ever looking for someone for traditional blacksmithing, don’t hesitate to reach out to him!
Around 2012 I started making knives as a full-time job, and I’ve followed this path ever since. Over time I added wedding rings and pendants as well. Even through the difficult times we’ve all faced in recent years, things have gone fairly well. I still have plenty of energy, ideas, and new plans— though it’s true that much of my time now is taken up by my two little children. Luckily, my wonderful wife helps me a lot with them and supports me greatly in my work. For that I owe her thanks, just as I do to my amazing parents, who have helped me many times over the years so I could make my dream come true.
So simply put i would say this: “Out of love for B-movies, RPG video games, and fantasy, I first spent quite a few years ‘fighting with swords’ and later burning my hands and hammering steel until I finally managed to make the things I had spent hundreds of hours reading about on knife forums and in Facebook groups.”
The beginnings were tough and the quality wasn’t great—I was literally working on the ground outside my house before I built a proper workshop. But with the help of many people and advice from more experienced makers, I worked my way up to where I am today.
My knives have found their way into many private collections around the world. With the exception of Antarctica, they’ve already traveled to every continent—and even to a few islands. 🙂 And where will I head next? Time will tell… I have plenty of plans and ideas, and as long as I stay healthy and strong, I look forward to seeing where this work will take me.
If you have any questions or are interested in placing an order, don’t hesitate to write or call. I’ll be glad to discuss everything with you, explain the details, and help with the choice. It’s always a stress-free consultation, and language is no problem—English is perfectly fine. In the “Contact” section you’ll find several ways to reach me, and in the “Orders” section you’ll find the current options for purchasing or commissioning a knife.
I hope your visit to this site will be an inspiration, that you’ll enjoy your time here, and maybe one day we might “meet” over the making of a great project together.
I’d also appreciate your support in the form of following my social media or sharing my posts if you like. Thanks!