Welcome USAF 27th Special Operations Wing from Hurlburt Field, Florida to Cannon AFB in Clovis, New Mexico!

I look forward to serving all your Spec Ops knife needs here at your new base!

My commemorative knives are combat, tactical and rescue knives that honor those who serve or have served by personalized etching, engraving, or embellishment particular to the group or person honored. They are not "wall-hangers;" these are real knives, and some are carried in combat and rescues. They go the extra mile by identifying persons by their name, rank, service unit, campaign, or individual honor. These are very special knives.

If you want more background and my concepts and methods used in the construction of ALL tactical knives, please visit my Tactical Knives Page here, read the topics, then come back here to look over the commemoratives. Remember, these are made to the same high quality as my combat knives, and I can etch, engrave, or identify any member, person, organization, event, or campaign permanently in the knife blade or sheath.

This knife is worn on the non-leading hand side (the hand that is not carrying the firearm), in combat. The edge faces forward, and the forefinger of the hand glides into the finger ring first, pulling the knife from the sheath. The knife is then positioned for a backward or blind side thrust toward opponent. The point is thinned with a topside half-length swage, yet is still strong enough to support a major forward thrust. The spine is fully thick for three quarters of the blade, supporting the thrust, stab, and slice. Held in this tactical grip, the forearm is protected by the spine, the knife is locked into the hand. It is remarkably comfortable and solid. Designed by a man who knows combat, and knows knives well, my son, Jeremiah, who's proudly served two combat tours with the 101st Airborne in Iraq.

The methods I use to mark the blades are engraving and etching. You can read more details about these processes on my Embellishment Page here. The etching is done to photographic resolution, that is, with line widths and resolution at about 1/10,000 of an inch! I've got some of the highest resolution etching in the business. I can take any graphic, text, or image and etch it deeply and permanently into the mirror finish of the blade surface; the etching is crisp, dark, and will be there forever. It can not be rubbed or buffed out, only ground out by power equipment.

The images, placement, and arrangement of text and graphics must be carefully considered, because the area to mark is along the blade, and not tall. So square, round, or tall images must be avoided, or reworked to appear readable on the blade.

I work with hand drawings, computer graphic images, photo and drawing image editing computer programs, and clients needs to etch the text and graphics on the blades. I also machine engrave images on darker blades, with a bright fine line or burnished cut. I also engrave sheaths and make engraved lacquered or anodized sheath flashplates to identify the honor, which are removable for knife carry.

This is a service that you simply won't see from any other knifemaker I know of, and no factories will personalize a knife for you or someone you wish to honor!

Featured:  "Macha"

"Macha," pronounced mak-kha, is named for the Celtic goddess of war. This is a new design custom made for a Principle Security Detail operator in Bagdad, Iraq. These are the guys that personally protect and care for the most  important people in the heart of conflict. There are very few people who put themselves on the line this way, and it deserves special tools. The knife was designed for emergency hand to hand combat, so I made it of hefty, 1/4" thick high chromium 440c martensitic tool steel, hardened and tempered for maximum hardness and toughness. The blade is deeply hollow ground for a very thin, sharp cutting edge, and features a two-thirds length top swage to decrease the cross-sectional profile of the point, allowing maximum penetration geometry without sacrificing spine strength. The knife has two inches of my vampire rip teeth, the most aggressive serrations I've ever seen on any knife. The owner wanted a fully protective guard for this prototype, so the full tang supports a large and thick pair of 304 austenitic high chromium, high nickel stainless steel bolsters. They are fully carved for a firm, positive, comfortable grip in either a traditional or tactical grip style. The bolsters are dovetailed to lock into a tough bead blasted linen-reinforced micarta phenolic handle, further secured with six 304 stainless steel through-pins. The tang of this knife is fully tapered for weight balance, and features full filework that helps increase grip security as well as adding beauty and a unique touch. The knife is ready to be deployed from a double thickness kydex sheath, built over a 5052H32 corrosion resistant aluminum welt frame, secured with blued steel Chicago screws. The sheath has several mounting options, from belt loops to flat aluminum tension straps for Mollie webbing. The knife is machine engraved with the Shark team emblem and text, and the brass engraved flashplate on the sheath is removable for subdued wear. This is as serious as a combat knife can get!

Here are some more pictures, please click on the thumbnail photos for detail:

See more of my custom handmade tactical and combat knives here.

Featured:  "Kapteyn"

"Kapteyn" is a new design, an evolution of several of my more popular combat knives. This knife was made for a professional knife combat instructor. The knife has excellent lines, a full and aggressive blade, hollow ground from 440C high chromium martensitic tool steel, hardened and tempered, and bead blasted for a flat finish. The top of the razor sharp blade has a half-length swage, for reduced cross sectional profile of the spine and therefore, excellent penetration. The spine top has light, comfortable filework, and the fully tapered tang reduces the handle weight without sacrificing strength. The bolsters are sculpted and dovetailed 304 high chromium, high nickel austenitic stainless steel with a brushed finish for zero care. The front bolster is full to the blade spine for increased strength, incorporating the handle belly and curvature for a comfortable grip in either traditional or defensive grip style. The rear bolster has a strong hawk's bill for easy and fast removal from the sheath, and a through-tang lanyard hole for security. The handle scales are Lignum Vitae hardwood, the heaviest, densest, hardest hardwood on the planet. This stuff is so tough, it's used for machine and water turbine bushings. It's so naturally heavy and full of resins, it sinks in water. A knife like this needs a serious combat sheath, so this one is made of double thickness kydex over a 5052H32 corrosion resistant aluminum welt frame, with full aluminum belt and gear loops, secured with blued steel Chicago screws. The sheath features an engraved blue lacquered brass removable flashplate. This is a tremendous tactical tool and weapon.

Here are some more thumbnail pictures of the knife: