Overview_Knifemaker

The Modern Knifemaker

The modern knifemaker makes knives, of course. When the term knifemaker is used, it usually refers to an individual, working in a shop or studio, creating knives from raw materials. There are many types of knifemaker (often referred to casually as a maker), and the maker's level of involvement varies. The first distinction is that level of involvement.

Hobbyist: People often start out making knives as a hobby. They may purchase kits to finish and assemble, may be given old knives to repair or refurbish, or may make knives from found materials like steel scrap or wood cutoffs. They may work with a minimum amount of tools, sometimes in a small shop or garage, and enjoy the interest of knife making.

Part-time knifemaker: Part-time makers are usually more serious than hobbyist makers, and are actively selling what they make. Knife making is not their main vocation though, and they derive income from another source, job, or retirement, which often is essential to furthering their part-time knife making. Incidentally, these are most of the knifemakers you may encounter on the Internet, at shows and exhibitions, and in publications. They may work in a small or large shop, and may spend large amounts of time on knife making, up to as much time as a full time job. They may spend only a moderate amount of time making knives, or may be deeply involved investing huge amounts of time.

Professional Knifemaker: Also called "full time knifemakers," this refers to knifemakers that have chosen the field of knife making as their job or vocation. Their level of involvement is extremely high, as they derive their main income from making and selling knives. They must have a well-equipped, professional shop or studio, and actively participate in the business of making and selling knives year after year. This is what I am. I take my profession seriously, and it is how I derive all of my income for my family and myself. This IS my regular job, and I love it!

Handmade, Custom, Bench made? Why the distinctions in modern knives?

A handmade knife is generally described as a knife that is made offhand. What this means in detail is that human hands must be in control of all the functions of knife making, like holding the hammer that forges the knife, holding the blade against the grinder, guiding the drilling, milling, and shaping by direct control of the hand. What this term excludes is any activity that is automated, where the blade or component is clamped in a fixture and an automated machine, such as a computer numerically controlled milling machine (CNC mill) automatically cuts, shapes, and forms the component. The advantage to handmade knives is that subtle nuances of control in the machining and finishing can occur, leading to a much more desirable and often better made product. There is a reason you don't see finely finished knives coming out of a computer automated device. I go into that in greater detail in my upcoming book.

A custom knife by exact definition is a knife made to a customer's order. These are knives that are commissioned by clients, with specific features and details, that are created by the knife maker for that client. While a knife may be handmade and custom, a knife that is not specifically ordered for a specific client may be handmade, but is not custom. There is a lot of lax usage of the word "custom" on the Internet, in discussions, and in publications. I believe this is because the word "custom" denotes a higher level of participative quality. If a knife maker makes custom knives, that means he is capable of a wide variety of process and a high level of skill, in that clients seek him out and offer direct commissions, whereas a non-custom maker simply makes and sells knives made by his own design. Read more about the custom knife description on my Business of Knifemaking page at this bookmark.

Bench made is a term sometimes used to denote a hand made knife. It is sometimes used to denote a knife that is made on a tool bench, and not by automated process. One has to wonder why then, a factory might use this term. Is it because they want to appear to hand-craft every individual knife? Because the term is associated with a large volume knife factory, the term has fallen out of favor and has lost meaning in the modern knife world, and is best avoided altogether. What do you call a knife made in a small factory or by a group of people in a boutique shop, small factory, or manufacturer? Why a factory knife or manufactured knife, of course, because that is what it is.

Who buys modern handmade or custom knives?

You might be surprised by who purchases custom and handmade knives. Just like any other modern interest, there are varying levels of involvement and interest.

Knife enthusiasts are simply people who are interested in knives. That includes a tremendous cross section of humanity, as every human, sooner or later will use a knife. Knives elicit a visceral response from nearly every human; in every culture they are recognized for what they are and what they can do. You could not say that about a cell phone, a car key, a trivet, or an MP3 player. Knives are universally accepted. This doesn't mean that they are accepted with positive reactions, and I talk about those trends in my book. What it means is that the level of interest in owning fine knives is widespread, and spans cultures, time, and nations. People may become enthusiasts if they simply own one fine knife, but most have more than one. Anyone who is reading this with interest is probably a knife enthusiast.

Professionals are people who must use a knife professionally in their trade or occupation. This could mean a packer on the line in a slaughtering plant, but that type of knife is cheap and you won't find any fine custom knives at a butcher shop (unless he's a very accomplished butcher). You will, however, find fine and sometimes custom handmade knives in the hands of a fine chef. You will see well-made knives in the hands of professional hunting guides and outdoorsmen. You may find professional knives in the hands of police, SWAT teams, Emergency Response teams, firefighters, first responders, and Paramedics. Most significantly for guys like me who make combat knives, you'll find handmade and custom knives in the hands of military professionals, infantrymen, federal officers, police, and combat soldiers. Professionally made knives are used by combat search and rescue (USAF Pararescue), survival specialists (SERE), Special Forces, Special Operations, Marines, and Explosives Ordinance Disposal technicians. Knives used in these fields must excel in performance, construction, wear characteristics, and accessibility.

Collectors are a special group of people who collect knives because of their interest, the value, and long term investment potential of the knife. Well-made knives by world class knife makers appreciate in value over time, and most other knives do not. But it is not just the increase in monetary value of the knives that make them suitable for collection. Collectors collect knives because they love them. You can see why on the many testimonials on this site. The type of knife, the style of a particular maker, a personal interest, or an appreciation of fine knife design and craftsmanship are all building blocks for a knife collector's interest. His interest may be in only a single knife from many different makers, or a particular style of knife, or a long term association with an individual artist who makes the kind of knife that he likes. As his interest grows and the maker matures, quite a collection can be amassed, and the maker may develop a substantial following among specific collectors.

Through the interest, support, and patronage of knife enthusiasts, knife using professionals, and knife collectors, a maker can continue to produce and grow over the years, improving his knives, his skills, and his business.

What makes a handmade knife so much more valuable than a factory or manufactured knife?

When I started making knives, you could buy the best factory knife made for under $100.00. So most knife makers started their work at $100 and the prices went up from there. Now, there are a few factory knives that are price at several times that. The reasons that custom and handmade knives are more valuable than factory knives is usually clear when the knives are put side by side and compared.

Materials: though you may see many claims for the superiority of knife materials on the Internet and in publications, the materials are not the foundation of the cost and value of a fine handmade knife when compared to a factory knife. The reasons companies and individuals tout their product materials as superior to others is usually only an advertising ploy. Though cheap foreign imported knives are often made of inferior steels, other metals, and handle materials, many factories and boutique shops use good steels in their blades, and durable handle materials. Today, our civilization creates and has access to the finest steels and materials that have ever existed, and because of information technology, knowledge about the proper application and use of these materials is easily obtainable. Though some materials used may be rare and expensive, and may add to the base price of a handmade knife, they, alone, are not the determinant factor in value. Read more about knife blade evaluation on my Blades page at this bookmark.

Design: Countless designs of knives, daggers, and swords have existed throughout mankind's history. Any search of textbooks, historical sources, or on the Internet will yield many thousands of designs. At first, a new design may seem novel and unique, but this is rarely the case. Designs are seldom copyrighted, so adaptation and use of any design is seldom protected. Read more about designs and copyright issues on my "Business of Knife making page at this bookmark.

What is the difference between a blade smith and a stock removal knife maker?

These two names describe how the knife maker makes the knife blade. Though I've hand-forged knife blades in the past, I currently make by the stock removal method because it allows me a greater range of high alloy tool steels.

The blade smith (or bladesmith) uses time honored techniques of hammer and anvil, and forges a blade using heat. In this day, he may use power hammers, gas forges, and modern methods and techniques, but his blades are hammered out of stock, or heat-forged and welded from various steels. He is not usually limited to size and shape of his blades, but is limited in the types of steel he uses. Martensitic stainless steels, high alloy steels, and steels that have high critical temperatures are not hand-forged, because they should not be exposed to free oxygen during temperatures at which they can be forged, or decarburization will occur, drastically effecting the steel make-up, internal stresses, and thus performance. Also, forging furnaces are not capable of maintaining the extremely high temperatures at which forging of these high alloy steels could occur. Most of the high alloy tool steels can not be hand-forged, so you will not see them offered by blade smiths.

The stock removal knife maker makes blades by cutting, shaping, grinding, drilling, milling stock steels, followed by heat treating (hardening and tempering). Generally he does not forge his blades, but some forging may occur. The advantage of stock removal is that high alloy, exotic modern tool steels can be used to make his blades, and these are some of the finest alloys and metals available in the modern world. Heat treating is done in an oxygen-free or oxygen reduced atmosphere in the high temperature environment necessary to heat treat these steels. The stock removal knife maker can be limited by the size and shape of the stock he uses, but nowadays, this does not have to hinder his creativity. For example, I use a high tech GTAW welder to create the pieces I need out of very large or wide stock when necessary, and the technology of the welder, the alloys, and the heat treating process yields an isotropic, uniform blade of monolithic high alloy tool steel. Most of my military, professional, and collector clients request these fine steels.

Which is better? There is no "better" in techniques; each knife maker must prove his qualifications and ability with each individual knife. Each type of knife making has its following, it's purists, and its enthusiasts and it's opponents. I have good friends in both camps, each has a respect for each other's abilities and skills. Often, each type of maker may cross over in techniques of blade creation. No matter how the blade is created, it's important that the knife maker make his own blades, that they are not farmed out or bought from suppliers or as kits. Otherwise, he is not a knife maker, but a knife assembler.

It's interesting to note that the definition of forging is to form by heating and hammering. It also is defined by shaping metal by mechanical or hydraulic press. So when a factory claims that its blades are forged, it may simply mean that they are stamped out on a die press.

No matter the method of the initial creation of the blade, the blade must be ground, drilled, machined, and finished in most high quality works. Also, bolsters, guards, handles and sheaths must be constructed, and embellishment in finer pieces must happen. Both the blade smith and the stock removal knife maker have more in common than in difference.

...More coming, under construction, check back!...