Every security guard has a blacksmith in each house, and each blacksmith has his own specific knife face pattern. Some motifs are the symbol of a blacksmith, while others contain a beautiful legend or a tragic story.

The production of security waist knives has a history of more than 100 years. Early waist knives were unsheathed wooden handles, which later developed into horn handles, but. The shape, knife edge, and style are still not ideal.

With the development of society, skilled craftsmen with their own "tricks", together continue to learn knife skills, for the complex process of making waist knives, such as juice, forging, pure fire, inlay, smashing riveting, etc., have made new breakthroughs. Especially in recent years, the opening of the market has opened up sales channels for security waist knives, and the commercial and foreign trade departments have continued to place orders, which has overwhelmed the security guards.

The production skills of the Baoan waist knife not only consolidated the cultural foundation of the Baoan people, but also enriched the content of Chinese metal craftsmanship. The Prime Minister once gave a security guard waist knife as a gift to foreign guests. In 1987, the security waist knife was awarded the title of high-quality product by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Ministry of Light Industry, and in 1991, it won the gold medal of the Beijing International Expo.

Making waist knives has always been one of the main economic activities of the security clan. In the wave of reform and opening up, skilled craftsmen with their own tricks, together continue to learn knife skills, for the complex process of knife making, such as design, forging, quenching, inlay, smashing riveting and so on have made new breakthroughs, the variety is also constantly enriched. The opening of the market has opened up sales channels for security waist knives and injected new vitality into this time-honored national craft.

The Lao Ma family in Ganhetan Village is a family that has been making security waist knives for generations, and it can be described as a family of knife makers. Ma Zizheng was born and grew up in the village listening to the sound of tinkling hammers, and he began to learn how to make waist knives from the day he was able to pick up a hammer.

As he grew up, his knife skills were also slightly successful, and he was also well-known in the knife industry in his hometown. At that time, the security waist knife was in its glory, and every security waist knife produced by the Dahe family at that time was a first-class boutique, and the security waist knife produced by the security knife maker was deeply loved by the people of all ethnic groups, so the development prospect of the security waist knife was very good.

This is that Ma Zizheng has an ideal in his heart that may affect his life, that is, to make his nation's security waist knife bigger and stronger, and to let all people know about the security family and the security waist knife.

However, at that time, he had no economic strength, so he could only bury his ideals in his heart and silently work hard to fight every knife he had. After more than ten years of ups and downs, Ma Zizheng opened a security waist knife store in Dahejia Town, and began to produce and sell security waist knives.

At this time, he was ready to further develop himself, and felt that he could fight for his ideals. But at this time, the security guard waist knife received a very serious blow, and there was a danger of decline. Low-priced machine-made imitation craft knives are impacting the market for security waist knives, and many young people and many excellent knife makers have gone out to work.

In this regard, he was extremely anxious, and he didn't know what to do for a while. Later, after careful observation and reflection, he found that many swordsmiths and young people thought that working in other places earned more money than making knives at home, and it was much easier than fighting knives. At home, I deal with black and slimy iron all day long, dirty, tired, and bitter, how can it be easy to work in other places......

In this way, there are more and more security guards who go out to work, and many good knives have no way to fight anymore. As soon as there are fewer knife makers, the production of security waist knives will become less and less, and the quality of knives will gradually decline.

He knew that if this continued, there would be fewer and fewer security knives, and they would get worse and worse until this technology was destroyed. Ma Zizheng felt in his heart that he was getting farther and farther away from that ideal.

Among the eighteen traditional Chinese weapons, the first is the knife, which is one of the earliest and most commonly used cold weapons in human beings. Historically, the vast majority of what the knife has brought to mankind has been bloodshed and killing, but in Gansu, China, there is a nation that has been able to thrive and develop because of the knife. This is the famous waist knife nation - the Baoan clan.

The security waist knife and the Uygur Yingjisha knife and the Achang Husa knife are known as the three famous knives of China's ethnic minorities, and the production process of the security waist knife is the most important intangible cultural heritage of the Baoan people.

The security waist knife has a beautiful shape, bright lines, exquisite decoration and exquisite craftsmanship. It is not only a household utensil, but also a chic ornament and a great gift for relatives and friends. Therefore, it is very popular with the people of all ethnic groups in the northwest and is also quite famous in Arab countries.

It is said that when Genghis Khan occupied various countries, he had a great advantage in weapons. At that time, when various tribes were fighting, some knives broke after colliding with the enemy's broadsword due to their high hardness; Some of them are too hard to withstand the slashing of the enemy's broadsword. At that time, there was a small family, and the whole family struck iron for generations, and some daily necessities, and the most beaten were horseshoe nails and knives. They are the ancestors of the current security clan.

The traditional security waist knife making process is quite complex, such as a ten kinds of brocade waist knife There are more than 40 processes. In the knife making process, there are two key technologies to ensure quality. One is "steel back iron" (i.e., steel clamping process), and the other is "water dipping" (i.e., quenching process). The knife with these two passes is sharp enough to shave the head and shave; Tough enough to cut cast iron without curling the edge.

For the authentic security waist knife, the production process is quite complicated, such as a ten kinds of brocade waist knife There are more than 40 processes. In the knife making process, there are two key technologies to ensure quality. One is "steel back iron" (i.e., steel clamping process), and the other is "water dipping" (i.e., quenching process). The knife with these two passes is sharp enough to shave the head and shave, and tough enough to cut the cast iron without curling the blade.

Ordinary civilian knives basically only add one layer of steel, and the key to adding steel lies in the heat. If the steel is not added well and the wire is too close to the back of the knife, the blade is very easy to chip, even if it is sharpened, and if the wire is too close to the blade, the knife will not be usable after being sharpened two or three times. Therefore, for the security waist knife, practicality is the biggest test.

What ensures practicality is the experience and techniques of Gasteel. This means that the temperature should be quite high, and if the temperature is not high, iron and steel will not be able to fuse. Cutting the blade: After adding steel, the shaping of the blade is also a test of skill, how to forge the iron into a decent blade, all depends on the work of the hand. And this process is more about cooperation.

After each security waist knife is laid well, it must go through grinding, drilling and other processes, and make a security waist knife, generally there are dozens of processes, and many even reach hundreds, and these processes grind time and patience.

After the engraving is completed, it will go through a quenching process, and the security waist knife will be able to show its edge. Quenching is as important as the finishing touch when painting the dragon, the technique and timing of quenching, as well as the temperature and nature of the quenching liquid, have a crucial impact on the quality of the final security waist knife.

Because forging a security waist knife requires a long construction period, the cost is very high after it is made, and people cannot afford to buy a security waist knife at that time, resulting in the loss of security waist knife forging skills a few years after the Cultural Revolution. It has been listed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage.

Macron, the inheritor of the security waist knife, was born in a villager family in the small horse family of Dadun Village, one of the three security villages in Jishishan County, which is a family that has made security waist knives for generations, can be described as a family of knife craftsmen, and his ancestor Ma 73 is the first generation of security guards after the family moved east to Jishishan County during the Tongzhi period, and is the first batch of craftsmen who made "assorted brocade" security waist knives.

Macron, 36 years old this year, grew up with the "jingling" sound of his father's security guard waist knife in the workshop, and has developed a strong interest in iron tools and knives since he was a child. Since the age of 10, he has been learning the skills of splicing, sharpening and forging the blade of the waist knife with his father, and since the age of 21, he has been forging the security waist knife alone.

Macron's waist knife is mainly long-handled and large-size, with a general knife embryo of more than 1 meter, and the largest whole knife size of 3.3 meters, and the knife embryo needs to be hung on the beam by a rope. With his unique large-size waist knife production technology, he has gained a firm foothold in the field of waist knife processing. His kung fu in making waist knives is also famous far and wide.

"Since I was a child, I have wanted to make my nation's security waist knife bigger and stronger, and I want all people to know about the security family and the security waist knife." He said proudly.

Macron introduced: "Now, the best-selling in the market is the 'assortment' security waist knife, it takes 2 to 3 days to make a hand, this knife style is exquisite, the blade is tough and durable, it is a symbol of the security waist knife, it is suitable for decorations and relatives and friends." “

The Baoan clan is a unique minority in our state, and the security waist knife has been inherited and developed along with the historical changes of the Baoan clan. The security waist knife is the traditional handicraft of the Baoan people, and the security waist knife is well-known at home and abroad for its exquisite national craftsmanship, unique cultural connotation, and unique and perfect shape.

There are many types of security waist knives, and the more famous ones are "Assorted Brocade", "Fish Knife", "Boriji", "Yawuqi", "Watermelon Head" and so on. There are more than 80 processes such as design style, material selection, forging, quenching, inlay, smashing riveting, polishing, etc., and the knife body is repeatedly forged and hardened with fine iron, and the knife edge is sharp.

In 2006, the forging technique of security waist knife was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

The reporter followed Macron to his security waist knife forging factory, and he said that the forging of a good knife requires the softest iron and the best steel, and after thousands of repeated stacking and forging, the perfect blend of steel and iron can be achieved.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong" The sledgehammer hammered down one after another, and the red iron mud reflected his face, and the iron mud deformed little by little under his hammer, turning into a thin sheet like a fin, and then kneaded it layer by layer with a layer of steel and a layer of iron.

When he forged the knife blank, he controlled the strength very well, the position of the hammer was changed appropriately, and the front and back sides of the knife blank were smelted and beaten for the same time. After cooling, the prototype of a knife is almost complete. This is followed by grinding, polishing, folding, making the handle, and making the scabbard...... He patiently recounted the process of knife making to reporters.

Macron told Lan Eucalyptus: "Only when the quenching heat is well grasped, the forged knife embryo is not soft or hard, and the toughness is steel, can the quality be passed." “

Hard work pays off. The "first knife of the security family's waist knife" he cast caused a sensation in the security waist knife industry. This knife was made by him and his friend in 24 days, pure hand hammer by hammer, the blade and handle of this knife are 2.8 meters long, once again breaking the first record he created.

Previously, a 2.4-meter-long security waist knife forged by Macron, with a blade width of 12 centimeters and a net weight of 13.3 kilograms, is now in the Jishishan County Museum. The full set of series makes up the "Security Waist Knife King", which is divided into large, medium and small sizes in order. Among them, the No. 1 knife was decorated with 78 kilograms of copper wire and more than 1,200 kilograms of coal. His high skill and exquisite craftsmanship have made him a leader among young swordsmiths.

In 2014, Macron participated in the 3rd China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo and won the Outstanding Inheritor Display Award; In 2015, it obtained the design patent certificate of the old knife; In 2016, it obtained the design patent certificate of Kelong Sword.

Although Macron has won a lot of honors, he has been on the front line of production, being an ordinary craftsman, and has been concentrating on how to build a first-class security waist knife.

Nowadays, the "Kelon waist knife" named after him has a certain reputation in the local area, and many outsiders have come to visit, indicating that they want to cut the dragon waist knife and ask for a good knife before they are willing to leave happily. Macron told Lan Eucalyptus: "I am now trying to sell my waist knives at home and abroad through e-commerce such as online stores." “

It is precisely because of the inheritance of young craftsmen like Macron that the handicraft skills of the security waist knife have been passed down from generation to generation, and now 6-8 apprentices follow him every year, and he humbly teaches the knife-making technology, and is bent on passing on this handicraft skills that represent the nation from generation to generation.