| Through
the art of knife making I create a variety of knives that are not only
artistic but practical as well. I create knives for the hunter, the fisherman,
and for the culinary specialist of the household. The true test of a knife
makers talent is in the grace, balance, and feel of his finished knife
while maintaining the ultimate level of performance. |
 |
The chemical
composition, hardness, toughness, flexibility, thickness and shape of
the steel blade is fundamental to the performance of the finished knife.
Each knife has a purpose and the basic requirements of each differ. A
fillet knife for example must be flexible, a hunter must be rigid and
tough, and a bread knife must be capable of slicing warm fresh bread without
smashing the loaf into unrecognizable goo. Each has it’s own characteristics
and each must fit the purpose for which it is designed. Some of the more
common blade materials I prefer to use are 1095 Hi-Carbon, 440-C Surgical
Steel, ATS-34, D-2 Carpenter and of course the beautiful and unique layered
Damascus. Each blade steel has its place in the artistic and useful creation
of a knife. |
| Utilizing the
finest quality and most aesthetic horn and bone available, I fashion by
hand the handles in exotic varieties of Sambar Stag, Buffalo, Elk, Deer,
Caribou and Impala horn. I also use various kinds of bone for handle material.
The accents I have come to prefer are semi-precious stones such as malachite,
turquoise, rhodenite, coral and mother of pearl. I also use ivory, desert
ironwood, brass, German silver and nickel silver as spacers. The pins
or rivets are normally brass, nickel silver or 304 Stainless steel. For
bolsters I prefer to braze nickel silver, German silver or brass to the
blade. This process gives a finished, professional look to any hand made
knife. For kitchen cutlery I use a laminated epoxy resin impregnated wood.
This material is cut into thin sheets of oak, hickory, rosewood, walnut
etc. then pressed into thick sheets under high pressure and temperature.
The resulting material is tough, durable and beautiful while maintaining
the natural wood appearance without the familiar problems of warping,
rotting and shrinking common to natural wood. Handles are designed for
beauty and durability as well as comfort to the user. If the finished
knife doesn’t fit the user’s hand it is of little value. I
have created knives to fit specific individual’s hands both left
and right. |
| All of my knives
are guaranteed for life. This includes free sharpening for as long as
you own your knife. If any of my hand made knives ever fail from materials
or workmanship I will replace it free…..period. |
| |
|
