Saudi knife-maker’s hobby makes the cut

RIYADH: Saudi bladesmith Hashem Alawami picked up his hobby of making knives from scratch while scrolling through social media.

“The hobby came in quite abruptly,” Alawami said. “I was watching videos on YouTube on Japanese sword-making, and you know, the algorithm for YouTube figured out that’s what I’m interested in. So, it started showing me how to make knives, how to heat, treat, how to put a handle on the knife and all that stuff,” said the self-taught bladesmith.

Alawami’s interest led him to enroll in online classes and forums to perfect his skills.