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© Sofia Fogarizzu
© Davide Melis
© Francesco Pachi
© Davide Melis
© Davide Melis

Antonio Fogarizzu

  • Knife maker
  • Pattada, Italy
  • Master Artisan
Antonio Fogarizzu Knife maker
Contact
Italian, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+39 3479452937
© Sofia Fogarizzu

The art of knife making

  • • Antonio made his first knife aged 14
  • • He forges the steel for each knife he creates
  • • His knives are inspired by life

Antonio Fogarizzu grew up in a small town in Sardinia. He comes from a family of artisan ironworkers who have been practicing their craft since 1885. Antonio spent many summers in the workshop with his father learning the art, and his most prized possession is the first knife he made and sold when he was 14. Feeling the need to see the world beyond Sardinia, he left for England after graduating from high school. He was drawn back to Sardinia, and when he returned, he began learning in earnest the techniques of knife construction and design. Antonio crafts the traditional Sardinian knives of his hometown but with a distinctive international touch influenced by his years living abroad.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Fraile Fogarizzu
  • © Fraile Fogarizzu
  • © Fraile Fogarizzu
  • © Fraile Fogarizzu
  • © Fraile Fogarizzu
Photo: © Fraile Fogarizzu
Calamo Dagger

The idea for the design of this knife was to make a very tiny knife which when closed would look like a fountain pen. At first, this was a big challenge due the very small amount of space available to fix the movements, the bearings, and the lock, but after a number of prototypes, Antonio Fogarizzu found the way. The blade is fixed on custom ball bearings creating a very smooth movement. The blade locks and unlocks by pushing the curved gold button on the handle.

Length 11 cm
Length 23 cm

Photo: © Fraile Fogarizzu
Novacula

This knife represents the most complicated mechanism Antonio Fogarizzu has made to date. The idea was to make a double action knife, meaning that the knife can be opened in two different manners depending on the positioning of a lever in the middle. While there are a number of automatic knives on the market, this is probably the only one where the auto spring in the knife can be tensed by moving a lever a bit.

Length 12 cm
Length 25 cm

Photo: © Fraile Fogarizzu
Labyrinth X

The blade, as with all Antonio’s knives, is locked when in open and closed position. This knife lock works by moving the lower part of the handle like a pair of scissors so the two sides of the handle looks like an X. The lock works by moving the lower part of the handle, one part to the right and the other part to the left. This is a one off knife; no other has been made with this configuration.

Length 10 cm
Length 21.5 cm

Photo: © Fraile Fogarizzu
Recta

This model was created for an exclusive knife show in Italy. As for each new model, Antonio tries to experiment with new techniques and new finishings. He used a different steel for the handle, usually used for high-end watches. The blades have been worked, so that they present several surface angles. The knife has been fitted with a central button lock with a hidden California opening, ensuring that the interior of the knife is completely clean and polished.

Length 11.5 cm
Length 24 cm

Photo: © Fraile Fogarizzu
Kube F.F

This is a unique knife made upon special request for a client. The brief was to have a fixed blade knife and at the same time a folding blade which goes inside the handle and disappears in the fixed blade knife. The folding knife has Antonio’s first patent lock called Slide Lock, which works by sling up the middle handle button.

Length 18 cm
Length 36 cm

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