Freude am Handwerk

Bedeutet René Friedens Pensionierung das Ende der Messerschmiedetradition bei Victorinox?

Vom rohen Stahl zum Präzisionsinstrument – aus dem Leben eines Messerschmieds

René Frieden ist ein echter Handwerker. Er kennt seine Materie. Seine Erzählungen zeigen: Ein Meister seines Fachs wird nur, wer viel, ja sehr viel Zeit und Aufmerksamkeit investiert. Der Schmied blickt zurück auf 50 Jahre Erfahrung, berichtet über den Wandel seines Berufs und erzählt, wie viel innerer Friede und Genugtuung darin liegen, sein Handwerk durch und durch zu kennen.

Kommen Sie mit auf eine spannende Reise in die Vergangenheit und entdecken Sie, was René Frieden vom Stahl gelernt hat.

Vom Klumpen zum Klunker

Alles beginnt mit einem rohen Stück Stahl. Auf den ersten Blick ist es rau und grob. Man sieht ihm an, dass er aus der Erde kommt und unter grosser Hitze aus Erz geschmolzen wurde. Schliesslich liegt der Klumpen vor René. Er formt und schleift, formt und schleift. Er bringt das Material in Form und zeigt, was in ihm steckt. Am Schluss liegen zwei perfekte Teile vor ihm: die Klinge, scharf und glänzend, und die Feder, die die Klinge mit dem legendären „Klick!“ von Victorinox leichtgängig öffnet und schliesst. Selbst nach 50 Jahren sieht man René Frieden seine Begeisterung für die Messerschmiedekunst an.

Er ist von der Verwandlung fasziniert, die in seinen Händen stattfindet. Klingt romantisch, ist aber harte Arbeit und benötigt einen enormen Schatz an Wissen und Erfahrung. René kennt sich nicht nur mit vielen verschiedenen Metallen aus, sondern ist auch Experte für Kunststoff und Naturmaterialien, wie Holz, Horn und Perlmutt. Das Messer muss nicht nur gut schneiden, sondern auch gut in der Hand liegen. Zu Renés Arsenal für Klingen und Griffe gehören Schmirgel-, Schleif-, und Polierscheiben sowie Stanzen und Pressen. Früher hat er auch den Amboss oft verwendet, um die Teile in die richtige Form zu hämmern. Heute beginnt die Arbeit des Messerschmieds mit gestanzten Rohlingen. Gleich geblieben ist die Leidenschaft, die man braucht, um seinen Händen das Denken beizubringen.

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

Deer antler knife

Knives are subjected to high pressure. In the past, it was common to have knife handles made of deer antler, as it effectively dampens pressure and blows. The material also feels nice in the hand. Even today, deer antler knives are very popular with collectors. Even though Victorinox no longer manufactures such knifes, we are experts when it comes to repairing old deer antler knives. People from all over the world send us their knives to be fixed, including the knife pictured here, which is from South Korea.

The preservation of a species

Today in Switzerland there are still between 20 and 30 federally certified cutlers, both men and women. But what was once a highly esteemed profession is now in danger of extinction. At Victorinox, it will also be important in the future for the company to have good generalists, individuals with comprehensive knowledge who have an understanding of the larger picture. „“For precisely this reason, we are going to start training a new cutler this year,” says Toni Blaser, who is responsible for apprenticeship training.

Would you like to accompany our young smith during his or her apprenticeship to become a cutler? Then follow his or her career on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

What is René Frieden’s favorite knife?

What does the master craftsman reach for when he needs a knife? René’s favorite knife might come as a surprise. Perhaps you expected a knife with a mammoth bone handle or silver blade. But a true artisan prefers a simple and appropriate knife to something swanky or exclusive. Therefore his knife of choice is the classic pocket knife. “It can do everything, fits well in your hand, and it’s always with you.”