Introduction:
Welcome to the BEST custom knife patterns page on the internet!
This is one of the most popular pages on my site.
Why? Who else can offer you so many custom knife patterns? I work with
clients on their own ideas, and many of these patterns are the results
of that collaboration, some of the best custom handmade knives in the
world. Some of the patterns have been gifted from the families of
deceased knifemakers. These are patterns for real knives that are in the
hands of military, working users, and collectors.
I work with pad and pencil, rule, and curves,
using email, fax machine, regular mail, and lots of drawings, scanning,
hand-fitting, and tuning to get the profiles right (Learn more about
designing knives and
the costs involved here). The profile on paper is just a beginning; it
takes much more work to complete the knife. That's why the links to
completed photos are included. I constantly update this page and you'll see new patterns
or pictures nearly every visit.
Click on the thumbnail pattern group photos below to
get a closer look at my knife patterns. There are no distinctions between
types of knives such as utility, tactical, combat, or hunting, but if you're on
this page you probably already know the different types. The scale in
each pattern group photo has been included for reference, but I can resize any
knife to your wishes. You can also choose a handle from one knife and
blade from another for a custom design. The knife patterns have grind
lines and bolster outlines drawn on; these are just rough estimates
of what the knife can resemble.
- Knife names: listed to the right of the pattern group picture
- Links to pictures of completed knives are in underlined blue text.
- Individual Featured Knife Pages are linked in underlined green text
- Knives for sale are linked in underlined red text.
- Additional pictures are linked by the "&" character after the name.
- You may see some duplicates of links if the knife is a hybrid in both the blade and handle patterns
- Rare or old knife pictures on my site can only be linked to and seen through this page.
- Full Tangs: Patterns show profile of handle, blade and tang steel is one solid piece of steel from tip to tip.
- Hidden Tangs: Patterns show a "stick" at the handle. Handles are
independently shaped with a guard and threaded pommel. Use your imagination, and look at the linked pictures.
Check out the knife anatomy page for more information.
- Folding Knives: have a pivot dot in the center of the front bolster.
Folding knives also have an (F) after the name.
- Have the name of the pattern but don't know where to locate it on the patterns page?
Look it up in the Alphabetic Pattern List here.
It's true, the best knives have names, not model
numbers. A model number is just a number; it's a cold, impersonal
registration of one of a long line of repetitive patterns, suggesting a
factory has produced all the numbers leading up to the model, and will
crank out a never ending list of cloned numbered pieces after that
number. Your numbered knife is somewhere in the monotonous string
of digits.
A name personalizes the custom handmade knife. It
adds to the knife's flavor, animation, and style. It defines the knife
by purpose or intent. While I try to stay away from knife names like
Slasher or Stabber, there is some mystique in a name like
Bulldog or Ladron. Incidentally, the name Bulldog comes from the Bastogne Bulldogs
of the 101st Airborne, the Battalion of my son, and their mascot. He
designed this fine knife for combat use and carried it in a couple
combat tours in Iraq. Ladron is named for a
mysterious singular mountain in south central New Mexico, and it is the
Spanish word for thief. It was a favorite area to hike when I lived
nearby, and I would have loved to carry "Ladron" the knife there.
Many of my knives have southwest and specifically
New Mexico place names. The Land of Enchantment has a flavor that suits
artistic creation, and the place names seem appropriate. I've lived here
nearly all my life, and I try to honor those many memories with a
fitting name to a matching style of knife.
You've probably noticed that many of my knife
names originate in the stars, that is, they are names of stars in the
cosmos. Many of these patterns are Gerry Hurst's, left to us when he
died. He didn't have names or numbers for them, so in order to catalog
them, my wife and I reached for names he probably would have liked,
names of the heavens. Then, I carried on the tradition in new designs
and even name some for features and areas on planets and moons in our
own solar system. Somehow, cruising through the names, one will stand
out as fitting and complimentary for a pattern. Take the name Horrocks.
It's a crater system on the moon. The name sounds like a powerful
warrior, so how could it be more fitting for a large, heavy, curved
combat knife? A pattern designed for a Personal Security Detail in Iraq
is named Macha (Maax-ah), named for a Celtic
Goddess, a protectress in war as in
peace, a goddess of war and death.
She has cunning, sheer physical force, and
dominance over men. How fitting for this specialized CQB knife made
for protection and defense.
Some of the names on my patterns are the names of
our grandchildren. I'll bet you can't tell which ones. Hint: no, it's
not Draco!
Some names describe the blade shape itself, like
Sheepsfoot, or Reverse Paring, or Half Moon Skinner. Other names
describe the use of the knife like Game Set: Caping, or Carving. Other
names bear the names of the designer who worked with me on the design of
the knife, like Wardlow Bowie, Berger, or Gibson Trailhead. You'll also
see the designation Magnum on a few of the blades. These are larger
evolutions of an original design, for example the Nihal Magnum
is a
larger combat version of the Nihal. Other knives are hybrids,
combinations of the blade of one knife and the handle of another. Their
names are hyphenated, like Cygnus-Horrocks.
Are the names to these knives protected by copyright? Yes
they are. Learn more about this on my
Knives and Copyright Infringement page.
The neat thing to know is that a name gives a
custom handmade knife personality. We are creatures of words, and words
mean things. Our language is more than just a way to share and express,
it is a way to characterize, personalize, and animate those objects we
use, cherish, and ultimately leave behind.
If you really want to get some in-depth
information on knife designs, patents, copyrights, and other knife
business related points: please read my
Knives and Copyright Infringement page.
Note: some of the photographs that are linked at the knife pattern
names are old, photos that were taken many years ago, with chemical
photo processing, back in my early knife making days. Some of them were
scanned from lower quality prints, or directly from old negatives.
Please forgive the quality of the older photos at the hyperlinks.
I've included some photos of recent knives for your
interest. Thanks for being here!
