I forge the tangs by hand with my hammer, tongs, and anvil. When forged, the grain structure of the steel follows the form of the tang, lending this rather slight piece of steel remarkable strength. The tangs are mild carbon steel, which is just the right weight and gives the tool stability. Forging also allows me to have an unusual rectangular cross section, which I think improves both stability and the feel of the tool. Having tried both round and square tang cross sections (both much easier to produce), I prefer the balance and directional stability of the rectangular. It also looks neat. It does make fitting the tail into the handle much, much more difficult!

The crank neck geometries have been carefully refined to provide optimal clearance, balance, and response.

There are two tang stamps: on the presentation face is stamped “The Endeavor Works,” and on the other side my maker’s mark. This latter mark is only used on things that I have personally made with my own two hands.

Only the profile of the tang is ground, allowing the top and bottom to retain a hammer forged finish. I think this is beautiful and pleasantly organic.

Every tang is unique, and so must be fitted to its handle individually. I do this work predominantly using files. It is a demanding process, but I believe it is worth the extra work. It is important to have a very good fit in this joint. Too loose and the tang won’t seat, too tight and the tang will tend to split the handle. As I fit the tangs, I can also make slight adjustments to accommodate the irregularities native to hand forged parts.

Care is simple. Never put your spatula in the dishwasher or leave it to soak in the sink, as the carbon steel will rust and the wooden handle will split. These are not deficiencies, but merely characteristics. Best practice is to lightly hand wash your spatula after use using a reasonably gentle soap and a non-abrasive scrubby or brush. Non-woven abrasive pads (i.e. Scotch brite) will scratch the blade and strip the oil finish. Dry the tool thoroughly and put it away. If you live by the sea or in a quite humid environment you may wish to apply a very light coat of food safe, non-spoiling and non-hardening oil (such as mineral oil, avocado oil, etc.) to the blade and tang to prevent flash rust. Such precautions are only necessary in certain environments. Should you find that your spatula has rusted, don’t worry! Start by simply washing the blade again, drying, and rubbing with oil (a paper towel or toothbrush works well). If you have more serious rust that won’t just scrub off, you may need to adopt more aggressive methods. As you work, always use the least aggressive method that you find effective. Start easy and light and work up. Use gentle pressure. Always rub in the direction of the grind lines. There are many different options for abrasives. Rust erasers are handy, BonAmi is great, 0000 steel wool is good, Hagerty 100 is a very effective polish, ultra-fine non-woven abrasive pads (often grey) can work well, baking soda and salt made into a paste can work, etc., etc.. Whatever method you adopt, I would recommend that you protect the handle before beginning, as you are likely to end up with black mess rubbed into the grain of the wood otherwise. Most methods will strip the patine from the blade. Don’t worry! It will come back, and the patina will also obscure and errant scratches that may have shown up.