The joy of creation

Does René Frieden’s retirement mean the end of the cutler tradition at Victorinox?

From raw steel to a precision instrument – the life of a cutler

René Frieden is a real craftsman. He knows his material. His stories show that only someone who invests a lot – an incredible amount – of time and attention can become a master of their craft. The smith looks back over 50 years of experience, highlights the changes in his profession, and talks about the inner peace and satisfaction that comes from knowing his craft through and through.

Learn from René’s vast experience as he shares his tremendous knowledge of steel with us.

From lump to legend

It all begins with a raw piece of steel. At first it looks cumbersome and rough. Its appearance reminds us of how it was smelted from the earth, from the ore, and the intense heat it had to endure. And then this lump comes to René. He shapes and hones and shapes and hones. He is the one who brings form to the material and shows what it can do. At the end, two perfect parts lie before him: the blade, sharp and gleaming, and the spring, which makes the blade open and close easily with the legendary Victorinox “click!” Even after 50 years as a cutler, René Frieden’s enthusiasm for his profession is still evident.

He is fascinated by the transformation that takes place in his hands. But what sounds romantic is hard work and requires an enormous trove of knowledge and experience. He is familiar with a wide range of metals and is also an expert in plastics and natural materials like wood, horn, and mother-of-pearl. The knife not only has to cut well, it also needs to fit properly in your hand. In order to process both the blade and handle, René’s arsenal of tools includes emery, grinding, and polishing wheels, as well as stamping tools and presses. In the past, the anvil was also often used. René hammered his parts until they had the right shape. Today a cutler’s work starts with stamped blanks. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication you need in order to teach your hands how to think.

From apprentice to master

A trained cutler knows exactly how to hone a blade at the necessary 17 degrees to make a blade razor-sharp. It takes months, even years, before you can feel the correct angle in your fingers. René remembers how he had to hone scissors at Victorinox for almost an entire year. „“Sure. It was difficult, but that’s what it takes. And that’s the only way to get better and better,” he says. This is why it’s so important for a craftsman to have a passion to learn, but also plenty of patience.

It’s the desire to learn something new and well that enables them to withstand the many days at the grinding and polishing machines. Sometimes a little pressure helps as well. René remembers a slump he had during his apprenticeship. „“One time, I had really bad grades. I was immediately called in to see the boss.”“ And by this, he doesn’t just mean his line manager, but the CEO of Victorinox himself. Elsener knew how important the next generation was for his company, which was 500 people strong at the time. That was why he monitored the grades of all of his protégés. „“I was sentenced to extra work at the grinding machine,” grins René. But of course he knows how important this time was. It’s no coincidence that he passed his apprenticeship exam with flying colors in 1970.

Learn about a few of René Frieden’s special tasks

Mother-of-pearl knife

“I like mother-of-pearl because it is pleasantly cool to the touch and completely scratchproof,” says René. In any event, he appreciates dealing with a lot of natural materials in his profession. “Nature is perfect as it is,” the smith says enthusiastically. Mother-of-pearl is a good example of this. Sea snails build their shells in layers like a brick wall. This makes the material extremely robust. This layering also produces a shimmering effect. René always has a small mother-of-pearl knife on his key chain.

Soldier’s knife

In 2009, Victorinox resurrected the first Swiss Army soldier’s knife of 1891. This is a perfect example of why the company still needs a cutler, even today. The engineers working on the project were stumped by the fact that the edges of the scales were rounded, but the rivet holding the knife together was rounded only in one place. How was it possible to make sure the rounded side of the rivet was in the correct position? René grins: “Quite simple, a small tube on the 100 model.”

Details

鹿の角のナイフ

ナイフは重圧に耐えなければなりません。効率よく圧力や衝撃を逃がすため、ナイフのハンドルにはよく鹿の角が使われていました。さらに、この素材は手にすっぽりと収まります。今でも、鹿の角のナイフはコレクターの間で人気の高いアイテムです。ビクトリノックスは今ではこのようなナイフは製造していませんが、昔の鹿の角のナイフの修理については専門分野です。そのため、世界中の人々からナイフが送られてきます。例えば、写真のマルチツールは韓国から送られてきたものです。

次世代の職人の養成

今日スイスには、国家資格をもつ刃物職人が男女合わせて20～30人いますが、かつて尊敬を集めたこの職業も、今は絶滅の危機に瀕しています。ビクトリノックスにとって、企業の将来性を念頭に置いて、総合的な知識を持ち、全体像を見ることのできる優れたジェネラリストを確保することも重要です。„「このため、ビクトリノックスでは、今年新たに刃物職人のトレーニングをスタートします」と、研修トレーニングの責任者、トニ・ブレーザーは語ります。

若き職人たちが刃物職人になるための研修トレーニングを応援しませんか？ビクトリノックス（グローバル）のFacebookやInstagramのページから、彼らのキャリアをフォローしてください。

ルネ・フリーデンのお気に入りのナイフとは？

優れた職人が実際に使用しているのは、どのナイフなのでしょうか？ルネのお気に入りのナイフは意外なものかもしれません。マンモスの骨のハンドルやシルバーのブレードを想像していませんか？しかし、プロフェッショナルな職人は特別に派手なものではなく、使いやすくて、収まりのいい上質なナイフを好むものです。そのため、彼の選ぶナイフもクラシックなマルチツールです。「これで何でもでき、手にフィットして、いつでも持ち歩けます」。