"You need both skill and craftsmanship to make a quality knife. Bladesmithing is one of the oldest crafts, known and practised in many cultures around the world. And it is not just a craft, it is an art, because every knife is unique, every knife has a history," the self-taught craftsman told BNR-Blagoevgrad's Iva Seizova. He makes all kinds of knives - from household knives to hunting knives and decorative knives. Depending on the design and the complexity of the details, it takes him 5 to 20 days to make a single knife.

"Basically, you don't give a knife as a gift. The person you give it to must pay for it a small amount to break the curse. But yes, people do accept knives as gifts. There is interest. And not just for holidays, but at other times too. I make top-quality knives, with top-quality steel and handle materials, I even make luxury knives. The price is based on the materials, the time it takes to finish the knife, the different elements, engravings, inscriptions, sheaths, so the price is relative and depends on what the customer wants. A sheath is a kind of consumable for the knife, but it can also be the main accessory, because now it can be engraved, you can use different exotic skins - snake, crocodile, stingray".

According to the craftsman, there is definitely an interest in knives these days - both from collectors and people who need them for work, for hunting: "Each knife is made individually, starting with a piece of steel that is shaped. First you make a sketch of the knife, choose the steel, the material for the handle. Then you shape the blade and harden it - this is the most important process in making a knife. Then it is assembled, mounted, sharpened, finished. When the sheath is made, the knife is polished and sharpened and ready for use."

"Each knife is handmade, it is almost impossible to make two identical knives," says the self-taught craftsman. "The composition of the materials themselves is also important, especially for the handles. Most of them are made of stabilised wood, the patterns and colours of which are unique to each knife, giving each piece its individuality".

Ivan Kyupov is proud to say that there are no finished knives in his workshop - "they all go straight to the customer as soon as they are ready". That's why it's not easy to collect enough knives to take part in regional exhibitions and workshops. But he never misses an opportunity to demonstrate his craftsmanship, including in Sopot, where he says the biggest knifemaking plein air event in Bulgaria takes place.