YouTube, the school of YouTube – “It’s almost unfair,” says Grumpa (Graeme) about his grandson, Mack, as he tells of the process required to make a Damascus-style knife.
This is a guy who is 14 – yes, 14 years old – who has been making knives for two years, and is beating some of the top knife-makers in the country at their own game. In 2023, he entered The Auckland Blade Show awards and came away with Best Damascus and Best Newcomer.
Mack is an out-there, friendly guy who seems to be in a hurry – in a hurry to become one of the best knife-makers in New Zealand. His knowledge of the process seems to be encyclopaedic, even though he fully admits that he has a lot to learn.
What got Mack started?
So, how did this all come about?
Well, Grumpa built a shed …
He tells us, “I started in Stratford.
Grew up there on a farm, and then went to Piopio. There for 30 years, mainly shoeing horses. I got into engineering and built a few cow sheds, and we came down here about 15 years ago. There was nothing here, so we built it all from scratch,” he says.
“Me and Scott [Mack’s father] have always mucked around with cars, jet boats, and one thing and another – all the boys have their own interests.”
The family has developed a variety of skills in the shed.
Scott says, “I took over one of the sheds. I had rally cars; now I’m just a fixer. I have to fix everything that makes stuff – that’s my role.”
