How stainless steel forks are made

Forks were scorned as an unmanly Italian affectation when they reached England.

stations: 8
things upstream: 34
raw sources: 15
steps from the ground: 7

The short version

A stainless steel fork is punched from a strip of steel. A cross-rolling press thins and widens the head, a trimming die cuts the outline and the tines, and an embossing die strikes the handle pattern. The flat fork is ground and polished, pressed into its curve, polished again and cleaned of wax.

Blank the outline

A die cuts a rough fork-shaped piece from a strip of stainless steel. It is still thick and has no shape to speak of.

Goes in
Stainless steel
Roll the head thin

Machines press the blank thin and long, spreading the wider head.

0.8-2mm thick
Trim out the tines

A trimming die punches the final outline and clips the wide head into separate tines.
Emboss the handle

A die strikes the handle's shape, its pattern and any logo into the flat piece.
Grind off burrs

Machines grind the edges and sides, then flat-polish the faces to take off rough material.
Press the curve

A hydraulic press squeezes the still-flat fork between dies, which give it the bend of its head and handle.
Buff to a shine

Soft wheels and polishing compound work over the surface and sides, by machine or by hand, for a bright or satin finish.
Clean off the wax

An ultrasonic bath strips polishing wax and other residue before inspection and packing.

End of the lineStainless steel fork

Worth repeating

A bronze fork from the 16th century BC was found in a Mycenaean Greek grave.
Thomas Coryat described forks in English in 1611, and many English people called them an unmanly Italian affectation.
One cutlery maker puts a fork through 16 steps, including polishing between each tine.