The Materials We Use
The Manufacturing Processes of Table Cutlery
Spoons and Forks
All spoons and forks are stamped out from rolled sheet whether the material be stainless steel,nickel or sterling silver. The outline blanks are pressed out 2 at a time leaving a webbing which is recycled. In the case of spoons the bowl area is rolled twice to provide enough material to stamp and form a pleasant usable thickness. The handle design is then stamped in between a top and bottom die. With spoons the bowls are stamped and clipped whereas forks are pierced once for nickel and silver and twice for stainless steel to form the prongs.
All items are then edged and the prongs are shaped prior to polishing. Sterling silver cutlery has special attention during all processes but particularly in polishing. Stainless steel is simply polished then cleaned and inspected whereas nickel goes on to be silver plated before final finishing and inspection. Thickness of plate is variable dependant on the amount of time the article is submersed in the plating vat.
Hollow Handle Knives
Knives with seperate handles have as many as 60 processes in manufacturing the complete article. The blade is hot forged from bar and the bolster is formed under a hammer between dies and the blade is rolled to the correct thickness. Both ends are then clipped to form the final shape. The handles like the spoon and fork are stamped from rolled sheet but from a thinner gauge. The pattern is pressed into a single half and after clipping the waste away they are joined together in a furnace. The blade and the handle continue to be processed separately as the blade has each cutting surface individually ground and the bolster and back ground before rumbling, glazing and polishing. The handle is pressure tested, edged, glazed and polished and like the spoons and forks if nickel is silver plated. The handle and the blade are joined together with a cement that is inert and enables our knives to withstand any weight or twist tests that comply with all international standards including ISO 9002.
Information on our Sterling Silver Cutlery
Our Hallmarked Sterling Silver Collection has many designs available. They are meticulously handcrafted and will grace any table – the ultimate in table cutlery.
William Turner cutlery is made to the full size and weight as standardised within the Sheffield cutlery industry.
British hallmarks have acted as consumer protection for over 600 years. Sheffield has had its own Assay Office since 1773 when Birmingham and Sheffield silversmiths protested about losing their wares on the journeys back and forth from the London Assay Office.
Sterling Silver has 925 parts purity out of 1000. The remaining alloy contains metals such as copper to make it malleable. Each piece is independently tested and hallmarked by the Sheffield Assay Office – thus making it a unique opportunity to acquire and own a product from the oldest cutlery manufacturing city in the world.
The Hallmark for Silver consists of the initials of the maker or sponsor (in our case WT), the fineness (925), the Yorkshire Rose (for Sheffield), the Lion (for Silver) and a letter denoting the year of manufacture.
Information on our Silver Plated Cutlery
Our Silver Plated Collection has a choice of many classic designs and is extremely suitable for everyday use. As with our Sterling Silver cutlery each piece is meticulously hand finished to the same exacting standards – the only difference being the price!
You will notice our Silver Plated cutlery is marked EPNS – this stands for Electro Plated Nickel Silver. The base materials of 10% nickel silver are nickel silver are 60% copper, 30% zinc and 10% nickel. This is traditionally the finest alloy that gives maximum strength and durability as well as providing best adhesion for pure silver coating. The electro plating of the silver is 35 microns for all our cutlery which is more than enough to last a lifetime.
Information on our Stainless Steel cutlery
Sheffield metallurgist Harry Brearley invented Stainless Steel in 1914. The name 18/10 comes from the main 2 additives to iron that make it stainless, that is 18% chrome and 10% nickel which is stamped on the material. there are also a number of trace elements including manganese, carbon and silicon.
As with all our cutlery, which is made to our highest standards of manufacture, great attention is paid to detail at every stage, this results in a superbly hand-finished product with strength and durability that will grace any table setting with the assurance of being maintenance-free.
This is an immensely popular product in this age of modern, hectic business life-styles.
As with all our products, all pieces manufactured in 18/10 Stainless Steel are covered by our lifetime guarantee.
A Slightly Different solution
