Knifemaking

The knifemaker brings the art to knife making - where his experience and personal creativity makes each knife an individual work of art.

An Art & Science - Knife making has been around since early humans discovered a need for a hand tool to cut, pierce, and slice. The first knives were made out of stone and bones before the discovery of steel. Knifemaking is both an art and science. The science tells us that certain steels can be selected to make knives with different properties. That steel must be heated to a certain temperature to soften it and to temper it into a usable tool. The knifemaker brings the art to knife making - where his experience and personal creativity makes each knife an individual work of art. The following is a brief summary of how I make my knives.

Knife Design - Creating a knife begins with paper. The knife profile is sketched on paper until the right design is drafted. Once the knife profile is sketched, the design is cut out to make a template.

Steel Selection - Once the template is made, steel must be selected to fit the overall design and the properties desired in the knife to ensure it performs as intended. I use 1095 carbon steel in most of my knives. 1095 steel has superb strength and sharpening ability in the field. Once the steel is selected the knife template is used to cut out the knife from the selected steel; this process is known as stock removal. A knife can also be profiled by forging a piece of steel using fire and hammer blows. I use both techniques in my knife making.

Profile Grinding - The steel knife template is refined using a combination of belt grinders, files, and other grinding tools to achieve the desired profile. This is where all the rough edges are smoothed out and the final knife design begins to take shape.

Heat Treatment - Once grinding is completed the knife is heat treated in a gas forge or in a coal furnace. The steel is heated to very high temperatures and glows a cherry red color when the right temperature has been reached. At this heat range the steel is not magnetic and the steel grain has transformed.

Quenching - After the steel blade has been heat treated, it must immediately be quenched in water or oil to rapidly cool the steel to retain the grain properties achieved during heat treatment. At this point the knife is very hard, but very brittle. If dropped it can shatter like glass!

Tempering - After quenching, the knife is heated in an oven, over coals, and/or with a torch to soften the steel just enough to achieve the desired Rockwell hardness. Normally, I will temper a knife at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for two cycles consisting of an hour each. The knife is then allowed to cool to room temperature. Once this process is complete, the knife has achieved the desired properties where the steel is now considered good "knife steel".

Final Grinding - The knife is now ready for a final grinding where the bevel, edge, and profile are refined. The final edge is created. Once this is completed the knife handles or scales are placed on the knife using epoxy and brass pins. The handles are sanded to achieve the right size and profile. Knife handle scales typically used are hard woods such as curly maple and oak. Wood handles are treated to stabilize and preserve it against moisture. The knife is then sharpened and tested to ensure proper cutting and and a "tip test" is done to ensure the tip of the knife is strong and does not break.

Sheath Making - Each knife has its own character and therefore deserves a proper sheath to artistically match the knife. A leather sheath is handmade to fit the knife using thick veg-tan leather. In addition to using thick genuine leather; I use quality thread, hardware, and dyes to make your knife visually appealing and durable. All of my sheaths are 100% handcrafted where each stitch is done carefully by hand - no machines used.