Speaker A
What do you get the person that has it all? A meaningful gift that can't be bought. Ideally, something that they can use every day, something useful.
Watch the creation of a unique kitchen chef's knife made from the metal of a Bugatti Chiron, blending automotive craftsmanship with knife making.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Creating a knife from a Bugatti Chiron's metal is a unique blend of automotive and artisanal craftsmanship.
- Expertise in knife making is crucial when working with unconventional materials like automotive scrap metal.
- The Kumai layering technique adds both beauty and complexity to the blade.
- Attention to detail in cleaning and welding metal layers ensures the knife's quality and durability.
- Collaborative projects can open new creative doors and skills development.
What the video covers
- The video documents the process of making a chef's knife from scrap metal of a Bugatti Chiron.
- The creators aim to produce a meaningful, useful gift that cannot be bought.
- Matt Armstrong and the host have collaborated for two years on car projects, including rebuilding a $5 million Bugatti Chiron.
- The knife design incorporates styling cues from the Bugatti Chiron.
- The host is new to knife making and seeks guidance from expert knife maker Alex Steel.
- They use a Kumai layering technique involving steel and copper to create the blade with aesthetic patterns.
- Challenges include managing the steel-to-copper ratio for structural integrity and cleaning metal layers to avoid inclusions.
- The metal pieces are welded and forged into a billet before shaping into the final knife.
- The video also touches on the importance of precision and craftsmanship in both car restoration and knife making.
- The project highlights the fusion of automotive engineering and artisanal metalwork.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: A Meaningful Gift Idea
- 00:49Background: Rebuilding the Bugatti Chiron
- 02:32Knife Making Plan and Collaboration
- 03:59Material Challenges: Steel and Copper Layers
- 05:21Working with Expert Knife Maker Alex Steel
- 09:05Preparing and Cleaning the Metal Layers
- 10:38Forging the Knife Billet
- 15:24Shaping and Finalizing the Knife
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
How about a knife? A kitchen knife made from a Bugatti Chiron. [music] This knife is not something that you can just buy, and as we know, Bugatti won't sell you parts. And we plan on making this knife out of the Bugatti Chiron,
Speaker A
How about a knife? A kitchen knife made from a Bugatti Chiron. This knife is not something that you can just buy, and as we know, Bugatti won't sell you parts. And we plan on making this knife out of the Bugatti Chiron,
Speaker A
Me and Matt have been working together for about 2 years [music] now, and genuinely it's changed my life. It's been absolutely amazing. We've worked on all kinds of cool car projects, [music] and uh he's literally brought me to
Speaker A
the Bugatti Chiron. And we're going to try and borrow some of the styling cues from the car and implement it into this knife.
Speaker A
back. Now, everybody's aware I've been helping Matt Armstrong rebuild this $5 million Bugatti Chiron in Miami. A car that's been taking the internet by storm, and everybody said it couldn't be done. When I was fixing the parts for the car,
Speaker A
Me and Matt have been working together for about two years now, and genuinely it's changed my life. It's been absolutely amazing. We've worked on all kinds of cool car projects, and he's literally brought me to
Speaker A
I have never made a knife before, and I'm going [music] to need some help. So, we're going to go see some of the best knife makers in the country, starting with Mr. Alex Steel.
Speaker A
America to work on the Chiron over there, and it's opened up so many more doors, and just made my life better and easier in every way. And I can never repay him for that, but this is my way of giving something
Speaker A
I'll try my best. Okay, so we want to do Kumai, which is a layer of [music] steel, a layer of copper, a layer of steel, a layer of copper, and a layer of steel again. Now, I want the copper because there's copper
Speaker A
back. Now, everybody's aware I've been helping Matt Armstrong rebuild this $5 million Bugatti Chiron in Miami. A car that's been taking the internet by storm, and everybody said it couldn't be done. When I was fixing the parts for the car,
Speaker A
Exactly. Exactly. Now, I have done Kumai once. Okay. [clears throat] [laughter] So, I'm I'm not necessarily very fresh.
Speaker A
there was lots of leftover scrap, ripped-up pieces that were just absolutely mashed and no good to anybody, and I may or may not have kind of put them to one side. Now, the catch.
Speaker A
The thing with this currently with this stack up is when we draw this down, the actual steel core is going to be super thin. Like the ratio of copper to steel here is quite quite small. So, we can kind of
Speaker A
I have never made a knife before, and I'm going to need some help. So, we're going to go see some of the best knife makers in the country, starting with Mr. Alex Steel.
Speaker A
the copper and then it's [music] the the structural integrity isn't as good as like a a decent core.
Speaker A
We are here with Mr. Alex Steel. Hello. I don't know how to make a knife. You're going to teach me how to make a knife.
Speaker A
Alec knows this kind of metal inside and out. We want this to be the best knife it possibly can be and Alec has a few concerns about the metal we bought.
Speaker A
I'll try my best. Okay, so we want to do Kumai, which is a layer of steel, a layer of copper, a layer of steel, a layer of copper, and a layer of steel again. Now, I want the copper because there's copper
Speaker A
the jacket on the outside Yes. bash it all together and make some pretty patterns. [music] Cool. Awesome.
Speaker A
used in the Bugatti Chiron that we rebuilt with Matt. That's awesome. Yeah. Bugatti-themed knife.
Speaker A
And while Alec searches his metal stock, I'm trying to figure out how he's going to turn all these pieces of metal into a knife.
Speaker A
Exactly. Exactly. Now, I have done Kumai once. Okay. So, I'm not necessarily very fresh.
Speaker A
that if I go like 6 in on this piece, I might change my mind as I talk my way through it. If I go like 6 in long on this piece, and we then draw it out twice as long,
Speaker A
It's fine. It's easy. What you do is you get this red hot and then you put it in that thing and then you just bang it out and it's done. Yeah, easy. I've seen you do this before.
Speaker A
Yep. Kind of what I'm thinking is is going to work for us. We'll see.
Speaker A
The thing with this currently with this stack up is when we draw this down, the actual steel core is going to be super thin. Like the ratio of copper to steel here is quite small. So, we can kind of
Speaker A
Okay, don't put your fingers somewhere you don't want them to be. What we're doing here is thinning out the copper. It was just simply too thick. And Alec has got this really cool machine that will literally squish it
Speaker A
calculate how thick of a steel core we want relative to the rest of the blade relative to the copper there so that we then don't end up with like a bit of paper of steel in the middle and then
Speaker A
Really being conscious of time, I should just take the bit of sheet that's around the corner, but this seemed like fun.
Speaker A
the copper and then the structural integrity isn't as good as a decent core.
Speaker A
Golly, I love it. That'll be wide enough. All right, all we now got to do is got to clean everything up before it all goes together, cuz any like oxides, dirt, grease, it doesn't just disappear, it like sits up between the layers. All right,
Speaker A
So, we've doubled up the middle there. Will that not account for that? Or a little bit, but I think I'd probably get the pen and paper out and do some maths here.
Speaker A
I've got uh one of these. It's not a DA. Yep, perfect. That might work.
Speaker A
Alex knows this kind of metal inside and out. We want this to be the best knife it possibly can be and Alex has a few concerns about the metal we bought.
Speaker A
Mhm shiny. So now the copper is thin and clean enough. We want to use the best part of this strip. You can't see it, but there are small inclusions and bits of dirt that will get trapped in the blade if
Speaker A
Yeah, my instinct is telling me that I think we're probably a little bit thick on the copper. So, I reckon what we do is we go ahead and get a thicker bit of steel for the middle, some thinner copper and then some thinner steel for
Speaker A
Okay, so here's how it's going to go. Yep. This is the bottom. Yep. So we've got our nice steel, then our copper.
Speaker A
the jacket on the outside. Yes. Bash it all together and make some pretty patterns. Cool. Awesome.
Speaker A
There's our jacket. Now hopefully the gummi shafts knife. Do you know how to use one of these things?
Speaker A
Hopefully that works. I know a guy with plenty of steel and a problem with accumulating far more steel than he really should have.
Speaker A
Now this is where the fun begins. This is the stack of steel and we need to make it into one billet. And Alec is getting it clamped up ready for the thing I do best, the welding.
Speaker A
And while Alex searches his metal stock, I'm trying to figure out how he's going to turn all these pieces of metal into a knife.
Speaker A
[laughter] [music] Welding this together is a very crucial part. It keeps the copper in and the dirt out.
Speaker A
But basically what I'm planning is this. This piece is 50 millimeters wide. When we forge it down, it's going to get a little bit wider, but also it's going to get a good amount longer. So, I'm kind of hoping
Speaker A
up. Mhm. So we can smash it together. Okay. Now, I know that we're turning Matt Sheeran into a knife. So that means that you're interested in cars. So I've got something for you to think about. The last time you bought a car, you know
Speaker A
that if I go like six inches on this piece, I might change my mind as I talk my way through it. If I go like six inches long on this piece, and we then draw it out twice as long,
Speaker A
make sure I know everything I can about it before I get stung with something I don't want. That's where CarVertical comes in. So, I typed in the registration plate and it's telling me all the information that I need to know
Speaker A
half the thickness, we go twice as long, we're then going to end up with a 300 millimeter slab.
Speaker A
everything else, for example, commercial use, it's never been used as a work car, there's no issues found in the mileage, so it's a nice linear curve in the mileage, nothing suspicious there. Uh the legal status check, so there's no
Speaker A
Yep. Kind of what I'm thinking is going to work for us. We'll see.
Speaker A
This car is knackered. So, I've already been warned by CarVertical, do not buy this car. So, here at the Machine Shop, we like to leave no car unchecked. If we buy a car that has secret damage to it,
Speaker A
Okay, cool. I see a problem here. It's too thick and it's not long enough.
Speaker A
car, that's going to cost us a lot of time and money. CarVertical helps us find out that information that we need to know before we purchase the car. And if you're worried about spending money on something that might not work, if you
Speaker A
Okay, don't put your fingers somewhere you don't want them to be. What we're doing here is thinning out the copper. It was just simply too thick. And Alex has got this really cool machine that will literally squish it
Speaker A
So, this is the billet. This is what we're going to be turning into a knife.
Speaker A
down to the thickness that we need. Very much. Woo! How did you happen? No idea.
Speaker A
through all the features with it and [music] teach me how to use it safely.
Speaker A
Really being conscious of time, I should just take the bit of sheet that's around the corner, but this seemed like fun.
Speaker A
Squeeze more, IT STARTS TO LET GO AND LET GO, RIGHT? BUT BEFORE we jump onto the actual blade, it'd be wise to try out a [music] practice piece.
Speaker A
So satisfying, isn't it? Does that not just put a smile on your face?
Speaker A
Yeah, let's go. I'll do the door after you. All right, go for it. Goodbye.
Speaker A
Golly, I love it. That'll be wide enough. All right, all we now got to do is got to clean everything up before it all goes together, because any oxides, dirt, grease, it doesn't just disappear, it like sits up between the layers. All right,
Speaker A
Yeah. Fun. I'm having great fun, this guy. When that cools down, you know, we'll we'll put some bigger steel in the fire so you can have a play on some, you know, big chunky bits of metal. The thing is on this Q I, it's
Speaker A
we've got to figure out a way to get this copper clean. Okay, have you got a DA sander?
Speaker A
Yeah. You know, it's all a little bit like, oh, it's it's red, you know. It doesn't feel like a blacksmith thing but, you know. enough.
Speaker A
I've got one of these. It's not a DA. Yep, perfect. That might work.
Speaker A
Understanding the colors and the temperatures of the metal to make this blade exactly how I want it to be. Now we use this bit of round stock just to give the copper inside the blade that will give it a bit more of an
Speaker A
Yep, perfect. Okay, so maybe Scotch-Brite pad, maybe? So while Alex gets the steel prepared, I'm going to work on getting the copper super clean.
Speaker A
One last go in the oven, then we roll it out and make sure it's flat.
Speaker A
Mhm, shiny. So now the copper is thin and clean enough. We want to use the best part of this strip. You can't see it, but there are small inclusions and bits of dirt that will get trapped in the blade if
Speaker A
You see that? It's coming out of the sides. It's burning out the sides. Yeah, that doesn't bode well for us.
Speaker A
we're not careful. This is actually one of the most crucial parts because if we leave any of the dirt or inclusions in there, they will be trapped in the blade forever.
Speaker A
I'm just going to make sure it's straight. Cool it down. Cut into it and see if we've got enough good material for a chest knife.
Speaker A
Okay, so here's how it's going to go. Yep. This is the bottom. Yep. So we've got our nice steel, then our copper.
Speaker A
The bend. Okay. The eye chronometer. [laughter] We've all got finely tuned eye chronometers for our own work.
Speaker A
Final clean up of this. You just wanted to try the grinder. Yeah. Bellissimo. There we go.
Speaker A
All right. That's it after forging. We shouldn't really be seeing copper on the outside of it. The copper's meant to be on the inside, so you know, something spilled out. We're going to cut into it, start grinding, try and find the clean
Speaker A
There's our jacket. Now hopefully the Kumai stack's knife. Do you know how to use one of these things?
Speaker A
how this pattern's going to look inside, or even if the copper is actually still there. But all we can do now is continue and hope for the best. It's worked.
Speaker A
Uh, it's all self-setting, so we'll just work it out. It's all self-setting, isn't it?
Speaker A
But there, we can't really see a [music] ply of of uh copper. I'm happy. I I'm I'm just having fun.
Speaker A
Now this is where the fun begins. This is the stack of steel and we need to make it into one billet. And Alex is getting it clamped up ready for the thing I do best, the welding.
Speaker A
But I can't let Alec have all the fun. [music] So, now that's all done, we need to figure out what this knife is going to look like. Now, we've got a pretty good idea that we want this knife to take
Speaker A
Oh my gosh. I've got some little tiny hands. I'll tell you what, I'm so good. See Dad, he's got small hands, too.
Speaker A
[music] And with the design chosen, it's time to transfer the lines over to the blade.
Speaker A
Welding this together is a very crucial part. It keeps the copper in and the dirt out.
Speaker A
It's nice. I didn't want anything like gory or extreme or I didn't want it to look like a weapon.
Speaker A
Looks like it's all welded up. Yep. So that means that we're hoping we're not going to get any more oxygen hitting those weld surfaces. And we can put it in the kiln and start warming it
Speaker A
Yes. So, that you you might want to put the holes in now. It'll be a little bit harder later. Cuz the next thing that we've got to do to this is harden it.
Speaker A
up. Mhm. So we can smash it together. Okay. Now, I know that we're turning Matt Sheeran into a knife. So that means that you're interested in cars. So I've got something for you to think about. The last time you bought a car, you know
Speaker A
In we go. Step one, heat it up, let it air cool. Time to get hard.
Speaker A
nothing about its history, you know nothing about where it came from or what it's been through. Let's take my favorite car for example, the Nissan Juke. So, I found a Nissan Juke online and I'm thinking of buying, but I want to
Speaker A
There we go. We want it to be the same temperature as the oil, so as cold as it can be.
Speaker A
make sure I know everything I can about it before I get stung with something I don't want. That's where CarVertical comes in. So, I typed in the registration plate and it's telling me all the information that I need to know
Speaker A
So. Nothing to do but to look. It was perfectly straight. Are you serious? I I mean like ruler straight.
Speaker A
about this car before I buy a lemon. So, we do know that the car I'm looking at buying is slightly damaged, which is reported here, but it's showing that there's two reports of damage. There's some safety concerns as well, but
Speaker A
is like three. Well, that is straight. That is That's crazy straight. Look at that.
Speaker A
everything else, for example, commercial use, it's never been used as a work car, there's no issues found in the mileage, so it's a nice linear curve in the mileage, nothing suspicious there. The legal status check, so there's no
Speaker A
Born to be a knife maker. Mhm. It's super hard now. We need to make it less brittle by tempering it. So, we now heat it up a lot lower temperature, 200° C.
Speaker A
outstanding finance or anything.
Speaker A
journey is far from over. [music] We still have to grind this blade to perfection, make the handle, and share [music] with you what parts of the Bugatti we're actually using in this knife. And then, surprise Matt and Hannah with this [music] one-off blade.
Speaker A
And I hope you stick around for part two. Here you go, Bob. There's your knife out of the oven. And here is a just-in-case billet that I've just made as well of uh some more Kumai in case something goes wrong later down the
Speaker A
line. That's the best day. I've really really really enjoyed it. Um I've always wanted to make a knife and play with power hammer. And yeah, this has been absolutely awesome.
Speaker A
Thanks a lot. Thank you. Great pleasure. I've had like the best day. I've had so much fun on the power hammer and hanging out with Alec. It was genuinely brilliant. So, thank you very much, Alec. In the next video, we're going to
Speaker A
be going to Onur Kalgay from Diesen Every Film. And we're going to grinding and sharpening the knife [music] into the shape that it's going to be. And then it's going to look like this.
Speaker A
So, if you want to stick around and [music] watch us give this knife to Matt for his birthday, make sure you like and subscribe and watch the next [music] video. It's going to be really interesting. I love making this thing.
Topics:Bugatti Chironchef's knifeknife makingmetalworkingKumai steelcar restorationMatt Armstrongcustom knifeautomotive scrap metalcraftsmanship
