At a fully equipped forge in Gatton, on the Lockyer Valley floor west of Brisbane, NGKnives works in Damascus steel and fire — chef's knives, hatchets and general bladesmithing. The maker came to blacksmithing as a way through hard years, and now teaches it as much as sells it: beginner-to-advanced classes and hands-on forge experiences run alongside the commissioned work, with expert instruction at the anvil for anyone who books in.