Overview of the Modern Knife Maker
Modern Knife Making by Individuals
This page offers an overview of the modern singular knife maker. This page does not discuss
in detail
factories, boutique shops, or other ventures where groups of people, corporations, or businesses
employing more than one individual manufacture knives. This is about the individual modern knife
maker and the terms, type of work, techniques, scope of business, and direction of art that modern knife making
offers for the individual craftsman and artist.
The modern knife maker makes knives, of
course. There is, unfortunately, no more specific and elegant term
for the person who makes knives. When the term knifemaker is used in contemporary
times, it usually refers to an
individual, working in a shop or studio, creating knives, daggers,
swords, or other edged tools and weapons from raw materials. There are
many types of knifemaker (sometimes casually referred to 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 (hence the term garage-maker) and enjoy the interest of knife making.
- Part-time knife maker: 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 with minimal equipment or large
investments of complex machinery, depending on the type of knife
they make and sell. They may spend only a moderate amount of
time making knives, or may be deeply involved investing huge amounts
of time, up to as much time as a full time job.
- Professional Knife Maker: Also called
full time knifemakers, this defines knife makers that have chosen
the field of knife making as their job or vocation. Their level of
involvement is extremely high, and as professionals they derive their main income from
making and selling knives. They must have a well-equipped,
professional shop or studio, often have an active and viable
business store front in their community, and vigorously 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!
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There are several specific distinctions that describe how the modern
knife is made that are important: handmade or custom, and other terms
that are more general.
- 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 and
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.
- Other terms are varied and non-specific like bench made
which is a term that once was used to denote a knife
that is made on a tool bench, and not by automated process, though
that can be vague description. Are knives made on a tool bench
simply assembled from components manufactured overseas? Because
the term is associated with a knife factory, the term
has fallen out of favor and has lost meaning in the modern knife
world, and is best avoided altogether. Other terms prevalent in this
industry are boutique shop, custom shop,
production facility. 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.
It is not custom, not handmade, and not unique or original but a
mass produced and manufactured product.
Please remember that there is no right or wrong way
to make a knife, only different methods. The source of
the knife should clearly and easily define how the
knives are made, where the components come from, and who
supplies them as well as the processes used and their
origin, and the alloys and components of construction
that are recognized by official entities like the AISI
(American Iron and Steel Institute), ASME (American Society of
Mechanical Engineers), and SAE (Society for
Automotive Engineers).
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You might be surprised at who
purchases custom and handmade knives. Just like any other modern
interest, there are varying levels of involvement and interest in
the modern knife client.
- 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.
- Professional knife users are people
who must use a knife 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 as lives
can depend on their performance.
- 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. 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 example
from many different makers, 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.
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When I started making knives, one 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 some 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. For an in depth discussion of the
distinctions between factory and handmade knives, I've created a substantial page..
- Materials: though you may read many claims about
the superiority of particular 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 or a poorly made 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 knife value. Read more about knife blade evaluation on my Blades
page at
this bookmark.
- Patterns:
Countless patterns 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 patterns. At first, a new
pattern may seem novel and unique, but this is rarely the case.
Patterns are seldom copyrighted (though mine are), and adaptation and use of any
pattern is seldom protected. It is not simply the knife pattern that
differentiates value in knives, though it can play an important
role. Read more about patterns, designs, and copyright issues on
my Business of Knife making page
at this bookmark.
-
Fit, Finish, Design, Balance, Accessories, and Service
are the six defining points that usually separate fine handmade
knives in value from mass produced, factory, or poorly made knives.
I go into these points in great detail on a
special page.
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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 can 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 preferred? There is no
technique that is better, only different, though the differences are
significant. Each knife maker must prove his qualifications and
ability with each individual knife depending on components used and
the six distinctions I
listed in the previous topic. Each type of knife making has
its following, its purists, its enthusiasts and its 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.
- Definitions: It is interesting to note that the
definition of forging is to form by heating and hammering. It
is also 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.
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Modern knife making has progressed dramatically in the decades I've been involved. Steels
have improved, as have abrasives, computers, adhesives, and communication which allows you
to see the many knives available and read plenty of information on this topic by guys like
me who do this for a living. This very site is a service that I had not envisioned as useful
or available when I started seriously making in the early '80s. It is not only essential for
my business, it is my sole business attribute. I no longer take dangerous and
arduous trips to shows and exhibitions; I create my own knife show on this very website. Communications and
web technology allows me access to new materials, design ideas, process information, and suppliers.
It is the new medium of knife making. Where else can over two million people see my knives in the course of a
month? It's a fascinating and exciting field, and I'm proud to be a part!
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