Knife collecting is an extremely rewarding experience for knife enthusiasts. There truly is a knife for everyone. Many increase or hold their value throughout the years, making collecting knives something to pass on to the next generation of knife collectors.
Barry Wood’s split-handle folder inspires Darriel Caston’s clever keychain knife.
Inspired by the split-handle folding knife made famous by the late, great custom knifemaker Barry Wood, the Imp by Darriel Caston is a clever keychain knife ideal for EDC.
Like the Wood folder, the blade opens by pivoting one of the scales clockwise and closes by pivoting the same scale counterclockwise. At the same time, slots at the ends of the Imp’s scales accept a keychain when they’re open and form an enclosed elliptical oval to hold the keychain when they’re closed.
Instead of a ball detent affixed to the blade to help hold the knife open and closed, Darriel uses magnets affixed to the handle. Darriel and his daughter, Bella, were trying to come up with names for the knife when she observed that it was “a little booger,” and he said, “Yeah, like a little imp.” And another knife name was born.
The Imp Specs Blade length: .82” Blade steel: M390 stainless Blade grind: Modified compound tanto Handle material: Titanium Closed length: 1.75” Maker’s price for a similar knife: In the $185-$200 range
When BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bill Moran reintroduced knives with damascus blades at the 1973 Knifemakers’ Guild Show, little did he know how much damascus would evolve, redefine itself, expand into new media, and no telling what other recreations and rebirthings it has experienced in the half-century since that fateful weekend in the Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City.
On this page are some of today’s reincarnations of the material in its various forms, methods, materials and more. What’s staggering to consider is there are so many more variations—not only now but also to come. It is a phenomenon that is truly unique to the custom knife industry and should be celebrated and promoted whenever possible.
David Lisch Templars Mosaic
David Lisch’s spectacular art dagger features a 12-inch blade of his Templars Mosaic Damascus, a blackwood handle with gold wire wrap and a guard of pure iron covered in melted gold. Overall length: 17.75 inches. The knife comes with a stand that includes an embellished templars’ cross and one carved in the base as well. (SharpByCoop knife images)
Sporting a pattern ABS master smith David Lisch christened Templars Mosaic, the blade for his dagger is one he forged from 15N20 nickel-alloy and 1080 carbon steels and etched in ferric chloride.
“I was aiming for a bold, bright pattern that had a cross-like shape but wanted it to be a bit organic,” he wrote. The Templars’ cross also is represented on the guard and the finial, and there is one on the stand that holds the knife as well. “All these parts are pure iron covered in melted gold,” he noted. The dagger also has a domed gold spacer between the guard and Dragon Thunder damascus spacer that the fluted-blackwood-with-gold-wire-inlay handle butts up against.
“I made this dagger out of the love I have for creating art with no concern about how long it took or how much money I would make from it,” David stressed. “I did the handle twice and I did the big finial twice. I sold the piece for $10,000 and will not be making another one like this. You can be sure that the love I have for creating will take me to a new dagger, sword or bowie knife that tries to fill the void in me that can only be filled by creating art.”
Jeremy Yelle Jellyroll Mosaic Turkish Twist
The steels for the jellyroll mosaic Turkish twist pattern damascus of the collaborative bowie by Jeremy Yelle (right) and Alex Houle (left) is forged from 1080 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels. Blade and overall lengths: 10.25 and 15.5 inches. Their list price for a similar knife: $2,600. (Jocelyn Frasier knife image edit)
The blade damascus of ABS journeyman smith Jeremy Yelle’s and SBK Cutlery’s stag bowie is a positively electric jellyroll mosaic Turkish twist pattern Jeremy forged in a collaboration with his friend Alex Houle of SBK. Alex forged the collaborative damascus into a blade and Jeremy made the handle.
“We began by welding a billet of alternate layers,” Jeremy wrote of the forging process. The pair drew the billet into a bar and jelly rolled it. “Then we squared it up and welded a four-way incorporating some 1-inch-square 1080,” he continued. They welded the billet, drew it out to ¾-inch square, cut and twisted it, and made a Turkish-twist stack that Alex forged into a blade. “You can also see the ‘fish mouth*’ weld Alex did so the edge bar and the spine meet properly,” Jeremy wrote. “He did a wonderful job making the blade.” Jeremy showed Alex how to work with stag and they finished the parts. Alex revealed the beautiful pattern via a two-step etching process using a solution of ferric chloride and finishing the etch with a coffee-darkening soak and hot wax finish.
Zane Dvorak Multi-Bar
The 4.25-inch blade of Zane Dvorak’s hunter is a multi-bar damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels. Overall length: 9.25 inches. His price for a similar knife: $2,400. (SharpByCoop image)
The blade of Zane Dvorak’s hunter is a multi-bar damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels. Zane forged the blade/tang of four twisted bars of a twisted-bar pattern, and forged welded the guards and bolsters on with the same pattern. He bird’s mouthed the blade tip and rewelded it back together to create flowing outer bars. For etchant he used Gator Piss Acid from Baker Forge & Tool.
Bird’s mouthing is a process done on multi-bar, mosaic or other types of damascus patterns. According to Zane, it involves cutting a triangle out of the end of the rectangular parent bar—the shape of which somewhat resembles a bird’s mouth—then bringing the steel of the edge and spine back together to form the point of the blade. By doing so the blade exhibits a better consistency and overall flow of the pattern.
Andrew Blomfield Alternate Pattern
The mosaic damascus for Andrew Blomfield’s sub-hilt fighter is a combo of two separate billets welded in an alternate pattern. Blade and overall lengths: 9.5 and 14.5 inches. Blade grind: flat. Andrew’s price for a similar knife: $3,000. (SharpByCoop image)
The material mid-blade of Andrew Blomfield’s sub-hilt fighter is a combination of two separate billets of mosaic damascus welded in an alternate pattern. The edge is a straight feather pattern forge welded around the edge. The blade is a combination of pieces from three separate billets. The steels are 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel alloy etched with ferric chloride.
The integral sub-hilt is 1020 low-carbon steel hot salt blued to a deep black finish. The handle is desert ironwood. The knife is of a full takedown construction.
Frank Edwards Palm Leaf Mosaic Pattern
The Palm Leaf mosaic damascus by Frank Edwards is an interweaving river system of straight lines. The handle inlay is black-lip mother-of-pearl. Blade and closed lengths: 3 and 4.25 inches. His price for a similar knife: $1,900. (SharpByCoop knife image)
The multi-bar damascus of Frank Edwards’s folding dagger blade is in a Palm Leaf mosaic pattern. Starting with a billet of straight lines, he reduced it all into a square and then biased the squares, four-waying the billet into a 1.5-inch square.
As Frank explained his recipe, “Forge weld another billet of straight lines, keeping them straight as possible to .5 inch by 1.5 inches. Add that to the previous billet and forge weld and reduce to a 1×1-inch square. Then four-way it again. This will give you the frame around the palm leaves. Keep repeating that until you achieve the size of pattern for the knife you’re building.
“The key to getting good mosaics is a slower reduction [of the steel]. We have presses and power hammers that help but they can move too much metal too fast, which will destroy a mosaic in a hurry. The slower reduction allows the billet to stay uniform throughout the length of the bar.” To expose the pattern he etched the blade with a four-to-one mixture of water/ferric chloride in 10-minute cycles, using 2,000-grit sandpaper between cycles.
Jackson Rumble Stunning Pattern
The 8-inch blade of an integral chef’s knife by Jackson Rumble boasts a mesmerizing and at press time unnamed damascus pattern forged from 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels. The handle is African blackwood. Overall length: 13 inches. The maker’s price for a similar knife would start at $2,500. (SharpByCoop knife image)
The technique for the stunning pattern on newly named ABS master smith Jackson Rumble’s chef’s knife is what he calls a “pretty standard process” of four-way welding and re-square cycles. Not bad for “pretty standard,” eh (page 28, top left)? The initial stack has large sections of both light and dark steels interspersed through the alternating layers, and Jackson added extra-light steel to the billet in the later stages of the forging process.
“Finally, I used the Filicietti Flip method to transfer the pattern to the face of the billet,” he wrote. “For the etching process I used ferric chloride followed by coffee.” OK, Jackson, so what’s the “Filicietti Flip method”?
“I’ve heard the Filicietti Flip called other names like the Ferry Flip, or just tile welding,” he explained. “Basically, after you’ve finished building the pattern in the end grain of the billet, you take it to a bandsaw and cut slices off the end at a 35-degree angle. This makes a bunch of pieces in the shape of parallelograms or tiles. The tiles can then be rotated and forge welded back together to form a new billet. Instead of having the pattern showing on the end of the billet, the pattern will repeat itself along the face of the billet.”
We’re glad we asked.
*Also called fish lips, fish mouth is when the tip of the billet begins to curl up on either side during rough forging to resemble a fish’s mouth or lips, thus the name. It is an easy fix for knowledgeable bladesmiths such as Alex Houle.
What to look for in a custom hunting knife and some sharp examples.
For outdoorsmen, a knife of some kind is almost a constant companion. Most carry a knife that falls into the category of a hunter.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hunting knife as a large, stout knife used to skin and process game. When I started judging custom knife competitions at knife shows 30 years ago, the category with the greatest number of entries was always the hunter. Why? Because there are so many interpretations of what a hunting knife is. Often the judges refer to their own experience using knives in the category. Entries generally range in blade length from 2.5 to 5 inches. I have seen knives entered in the category with 10-inch blades.
Blade Lengths
Blade lengths are often designed to process a particular bird or animal. Smaller blades in the 2.5-to-3-inch range are primarily used for dressing birds. The short blade length allows the hunter to quickly extract the bird’s breast meat. The most common blade length is 4 to 4.5 inches, a length that will dress out most game hunted regularly in North America. The dropped hunter/drop-point hunter designed by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bob Loveless (page 26) is the world’s most copied hunting knife. The standard Loveless drop point features a 4-inch blade.
One of the more popular skinner designs is the Nessmuk, praised for its all-around versatility in the field. Luk Kuberski’s Nessmuk Hunter features Sleipner stainless blade steel with an impeccable satin finish and a mesmerizing handle of maple ash burl. (Luk Kuberski image)
Nessmuk Skinner Maker: Luk Kuberski Blade Length: 4.75” Blade Steel: Sleipner stainless Blade Finish: Satin Blade Style: Drop point Handle Material: Ash maple burl Overall Length: 8.6” Sheath: Leather pouch/belt model by the maker Author’s Comments: Full-tang construction; excellent balance and handle ergonomics; serrated thumb ramp enhances control Maker’s price for a similar knife: $350
When dressing out larger game such as moose or elk, many hunters prefer a longer blade because of the animal’s size. Why is the 5-inch blade the limit? The idea behind the hunting knife is to dress out the animal without losing control and cutting into the animal’s vital areas. Going much past a 5-inch blade can affect the average hunter’s ability to control the cutting edge.
Blade Steels
Materials for hunting knife blades are primarily stainless and carbon steels, though damascus has been gaining in popularity in recent years. The environment the hunters will be in and their skill level at resharpening a blade will enter into the choice of steel.
Wood is a popular handle material for custom hunting knives. Josh Fisher opts for curly maple on his drop-point hunter. And how about those skulls on the tooled-leather sheath by Bob Bobbert? (Robertson’s Custom Cutlery image)
Drop-Point Hunter Maker: Josh Fisher Blade Length: 4.5” Blade Material: 1084 carbon steel Blade Style: Drop point Guard Material: Stainless steel Handle Material: Curly maple Overall Length: 9” Sheath: Tooled-leather pouch/belt model in a skull motif by Bob Bobbert Author’s Comments: Excellent handle ergonomics and balance; Josh is an ABS master smith Maker’s list price for a similar knife: $625
Each steel has its advantage(s) concerning rust resistance, ease of sharpening and edge holding. Carbon steels such as 1084, 5160 and 52100 provide an extremely keen edge and can be easily resharpened. They do, however, require more corrosion maintenance. Stainless steels such as 440C, ATS-34 and CPM 154 make up the bulk of stainless steels used on custom hunters. These can be reasonably simple to sharpen and more forgiving regarding corrosion.
Whichever steel you choose, the blade should be cleaned after use and a light coat of oil should be applied. It is best not to store your knife long-term in a leather sheath, as the tannic acid found in the leather can rust your blade. Additionally, leather does hold moisture, which can hasten the rusting process of the steel. It is best to store knives in something other than their leather sheaths.
Handle Materials
A wide variety of handle materials are used for hunting knives. A favorite among makers and outdoorsmen is Sambar stag, either in its natural color or dyed to create amber stag. Stag is favored not only for its looks but because its contours provide an excellent gripping surface, even when wet. Another handle material gaining favor is elk and much for the same reasons. Two advantages of elk are it can be found in larger sizes and is less expensive.
Sambar stag and elk are favored for their looks and because they provide an excellent gripping surface, even when wet. Mike Malosh’s Elk Hunter 23 custom hunting knife features elk scales. (Robertson’s Custom Cutlery image)
Elk Hunter 23 Maker: Mike Malosh Blade Length: 47/8” Blade Material: W-2 tool steel Blade Finish: Satin Guard Material: Stainless steel Handle Material: Elk w/black Micarta® and stainless steel spacers Overall Length: 9.5” Sheath: Leather pouch/belt model by the maker Author’s Comments: This knife is built for serious work; excellent balance and handle ergonomics Maker’s price for a similar knife: $395
Desert ironwood, curly koa, California buckeye burl and curly maple are among various kinds of popular handle woods used for hunters. Other popular materials are synthetics such as G-10 and Micarta®. The main advantage of these materials is that, for the most part, they are impervious to the elements. As such, they tend not to shrink and crack as some natural handle materials can do over time.
Guards
Guards are made primarily from either 304 or 416 stainless steel. If the knife features a hidden tang design, the joint between the guard and the blade should be soldered. Sealing the guard helps keep the moisture away from hidden tangs. Because their softness makes them prone to damage, along with their additional maintenance requirements, brass and nickel silver generally are not used for guards.
Blade Styles
The drop-point hunter is the most commonly made hunting knife. The drop-point blade maintains its thickness along the spine and then gently slopes to the point. Generally, the drop point is slightly thicker than other hunting blade patterns at the point. The blade thickness provides the drop point the versatility not only to skin but to disjoint and pry. These advantages can be critical to the hunter when dressing larger game.
The slightly raised blade spine/hump extends the curved part of the semi-skinner blade for skinning while maintaining the drop point to avoid puncturing the abdominal cavity. Brant Cochran covers the pattern in a sturdy lightweight version of 80CrV2 carbon steel and walnut in his custom hunting knife. (Robertson’s Custom Cutlery image)
Semi-Skinner Maker: Brant Cochran Blade Length: 4.25” Blade Material: 80CrV2 carbon steel Blade Finish: Satin Guard Material: Stainless steel Handle Material: Walnut Overall Length: 9” Sheath: Tooled-leather pouch/belt model by the maker Author’s Comments: 80CrV2 is a carbon steel that is both tough and provides outstanding edge retention; excellent balance and handle ergonomics; sturdy lightweight knife, perfect for your next hunt; Brant is an ABS journeyman smith Maker’s price for a similar knife: $300
The idea of a skinner is basically to remove the skin/fur from the game. The skinning blade shape features a slightly thinner blade and edge meant for a specific purpose. The skinner is designed for elongated cuts and better control of the blade, ensuring the game’s fur maintains its integrity. While primarily intended to remove the fur, a knife with a skinner blade can be used to dress game out, too. One of the more popular skinner designs is the Nessmuk, praised for its all-around versatility in the field.
The semi-skinner blade is the middle ground between the drop-point and skinner blades. The slightly raised blade spine/hump extends the curved part of the blade for skinning while maintaining the drop point to avoid puncturing the abdominal cavity, which could taint the meat of the animal.
Conclusion
Picking the right edged companion for your time in the field should require some research. As noted, hunting knives come in various shapes and sizes. This variety enables you to choose the right size, steel and handle material necessary to get the job done. It would benefit you greatly to hold the knife in your hand, primarily for sizing. You must always be able to control the blade’s edge.
The drop-point hunter is the most commonly made hunting knife. A George Romeis drop point features CPM 154 stainless blade steel and a black G-10 handle. (Robertson’s Custom Cutlery image)
Drop-Point Hunter Maker: George Romeis Blade Length: 3.5” Blade Steel: CPM 154 stainless Blade Finish: Satin Guard Material: Stainless steel Handle Material: Black G-10 w/stainless-steel-lined thong hole Overall Length: 8” Sheath: Leather pouch/belt model by the maker Author’s Comments: Full-tapered tang, excellent balance, very comfortable in the hand Maker’s price for a similar knife: $300
Remember, the rifle or bow harvests the game but the knife creates what becomes dinner and the trophy.
Peyton Ramm uses the 3D printing process for canister patterns to make his dream knife.
It was ABS journeyman smith Peyton Ramm’s dream to make a knife themed after his favorite childhood TV show, Dragon Ball, and the new 3D printing process for canister patterns provided him with the perfect vehicle to do so.
“Before I heard about 3D printing, I dreaded the idea of paying someone to wire EDM every single dragon ball out, but my good friend Ron Hardman introduced the idea,” Peyton wrote. “I sent him pictures of Gohan [a prominent character in the Dragon Ball series] and the dragon balls, and asked him to recreate the image in the best way possible to forge down. His students at Kilroy’s Workshop got a rough draft for me and once I approved it, they printed and sent it.”
Peyton stated he had to build a new forge just to do the canisters, as he only had a vertical forge and it’s important to forge weld lightly on the two end caps first before welding the sides.
“My first billet fell apart because of this, a mistake I didn’t [repeat],” he wrote. He combined the two images with a flower mosaic he made with a damascus of 1095 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels to break the pattern up, and finally had his damascus. From there he matched the blade and bolsters as best he could so it would look like an uninterrupted transition.
The often wavy hardening line running laterally and roughly midway from one end of the blade to the other on some knives is the hamon (pronounced ha-MOAN). Most if not all blades with genuine hamons are forged and differentially hardened. The wavy line serves as a demarcation point between the softer spine for toughness above and what extends down to a hardened edge for enhanced cutting below.
Steve Sando: Classic Hunter
Steve Sando used a coffee patina to color the hamon of the 4 3/8-inch blade of 26C3 carbon steel on his classic hunter. Steve’s differential hardening of the blade resulted in a Rockwell hardness of 62 HRC on the edge and 40 HRC on the spine. Blade grind: flat. Handle material: Afzelia wood. Overall length: 9 1/8 inches. (SharpByCoop image)
Kyle Hanson: Tapered Full Tang Hunter
Not merely W2 but “Oldass W2” tool steel is the canvas for the hamon on the blade of Kyle Hanson’s tapered-full-tang hunter. Handle material: 5,600-year-old bog oak. Overall length: 8.25 inches. A leather pouch sheath (not shown) by Kenny Rowe accompanies the knife. (SharpByCoop image)
Geoffrey Baze: Chef’s Knife
ABS apprentice smith Geoffrey Baze opts for W2 tool steel to showcase the hamon on the 9.5-inch blade of his chef’s knife. The contoured bird’s beak handle is Tasmanian blackwood. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)
John Doyle: Dress Classic Gunstock Model
While not unheard of, folders with blades sporting hamons are not all that common. John Doyle does the deed on his Dress Classic Gunstock Model with pocket clip. The 3.25-inch blade is W2 tool steel and the handle frame is African blackwood with koa inserts. Lock: linerlock. Liners: jeweled, anodized titanium. Closed length: 4.125 inches. (SharpByCoop image))
Peter Pruyn: Boning Knife
Like many makers who differentially harden their blades, Peter Pruyn used the clay-coating method for his small boning knife. The 5-inch blade is flat ground from 1095 carbon steel. The blueberry crumble resin-based scales are from Voodoo Resins and the bolster is copper. Overall length: 10.5 inches. Peter’s price for a similar knife: $450. (SharpByCoop image)
Eliott Robinson: Fighter
An apprentice to ABS master smith Sam Lurquin, Eliott Robinson nails it with the hamon on his fighter’s upswept recurve blade of U10A carbon steel. The bird’s-beak handle is Tasmanian blackwood. Respective blade and overall lengths: 5 and 9.5 inches. A quality inlaid sheath (not shown) by Jeremy Guillaume completes the outfit. (SharpByCoop image)
Brion Tomberlin: Coffin-Handle Bowie
The hamon of ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin’s coffin-handle bowie dissects the 8.5-inch W2 tool steel blade almost perfectly. Blade grind: flat. Handle material: ironwood. Overall length: 13.25 inches. Brion’s price for a similar knife: $2,200. (SharpByCoop image)
They complement one another in an easy, seamless union—blade and handle. One without the other means the knife is incomplete, or it isn’t a knife at all.
Along with the search for proper blade steel, appropriate handle material is the second critical element in the presentation, form, and function of the knife itself. Natural and synthetic handles play their roles. They bring utility and aesthetics to the package, and the maker’s choice sets the tone. Availability, cost, and maker’s preference fit into the equation when choosing the right handle material. And then, of course, the intended knife use weighs heavily.
In the end, it’s the eye of the artist that drives the visual element, and the job to be done by the user that directs his or her choice. The handle makes the knife complete.
At Masecraft Supply Company, co-owner Chris Hartman sees the supplier’s role as the facilitator. Never interfering with the artist’s concept, he views Masecraft as a provider of the palette. “We don’t advise what to use,” he reasons. “We are not big fans of, ‘You know what you should do …’ or telling a customer what to use, but more in supplying a wide variety of options to choose from. We are always willing to answer questions about our materials a customer may have, but it’s just not a good idea to advise what is right for them. That’s the maker’s choice.”
Knife Handle Material Trends
With that said, where is the market headed today? What does the landscape look like in terms of availability, trends, and timing?
“The majority seem to be sticking with composite laminates like G-10, canvas and linen Micarta, and Richlite,” Hartman says. “Natural materials like bone and horn seem to be in a continuing decline. Exotic woods still do well, but availability and pricing have become issues over the last two years.”
John Cammenga, vice president of operations at White River Knife & Tool, Inc., deals primarily in synthetic knife handle materials. He indicates that knifemakers who build hard-use models often lean toward durable synthetic handles and that the laminate trend holds up there as well, particularly with material available in a variety of colors.
This Northfield UN-X-LD knife from Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC), which registered the trademark and uses it on premium GEC pocketknives, features ALVS (acrylic laminated veneer shell) handle scales from Masecraft Supply Company. The dazzling shell veneer consists of real shell and high-impact acrylic laminated together within the sheet.
“The majority of our handle materials are synthetic,” Cammenga says, “and this is primarily due to stability and longevity. But many look great as well. Multi-color layers of fabric bonded with phenolic or polyester resin can have the look of wood, yet last much longer. Additionally, many of these are tackier when wet, giving the user additional hand purchase in tough weather or when processing game. Carbon fiber and G-10 are available in an ever-expanding array of colors and patterns and almost bulletproof when it comes to wear and tear.”
Choosing Knife Handle Material
The choice of materials, Cammenga explains, comes directly down to the proposed use of the knife. For hunting, fishing, camping or bushcraft, White River almost always recommends synthetic handle material. However, John still gives a nod to personal preference. Some users simply must have a natural handle, and the aesthetic factor comes into play there.
“It’s hard to beat the beauty of a highly figured burl!” he comments. “Some, such as desert ironwood burl, are not only beautiful but also extremely tough.”
Tom Krein is an experienced custom knifemaker who worked for the great Bob Dozier and ran the custom shop for A.G. Russell Knives before embarking on his own venture during 30 years in the business. Making small utility and hunting knives primarily, he agrees that handle material choice relates to a few simple concepts.
Tom Krein’s “Mako” model features a Dion Damascus san mai steel blade with a copper-color stag handle.
“It comes down to the customer’s needs, willingness to care for the knife, aesthetics, and budget,” Krein relates. “Natural materials should hold up nicely with proper care assuming everything goes according to plan. Sometimes stuff happens—a knife falls into a sink of water, or it starts to rain while hunting, or your knife gets lost in the yard for a week. Synthetics hold up better when stuff goes south. For customers, I recommend getting what you like and learning how to take care of it. For knifemakers, I suggest picking the mind of another maker who uses the material you want so you can learn how to use it. Overall, we are a helpful bunch of people.”
Traditional handle materials and their innovative, eye-popping counterparts coexist at Santa Fe Stoneworks, a provider of materials to the art knife market since 1978. Santa Fe not only affixes those materials to its own knives, but also provides the service for Spyderco and Kershaw while doing private label work as well.
President Bill Wirtel leads the family business, and the company’s roster of natural handle materials includes the best of the best. “We work with factory knives and apply gemstones, exotic woods, shells like gold- and black-lip pearl, and fossils such as woolly mammoth tooth, tusk, bone, and petrified dinosaur bone,” he remarks.
As for Santa Fe’s synthetics, Fordite, a car paint overspray, Surfite surfboard overspray, and a cholla cactus-like material that is made in the shop have found favor with makers and buyers alike.
Material Mash Up
“We are looking for design and color, so we mix natural with manmade stone and epoxies,” Wirtel explains. “Our fossils are all stabilized so they work great for a handle material. We see hybrid materials gaining popularity as they provide the best of both natural and composite materials. Fordite and Surfite have been selling well. Our synthetic cholla cactus line that we make here, stabilizing it with different colored epoxies, is becoming a big seller as well. We also have mammoth tusk fusion. This is stabilized fragments of mammoth ivory that are fused together under immense pressure. The result is a beautiful and hard composite that is densely packed with mammoth ivory.”
Fordite car paint handle material adds a fun flair to this series of Santa Fe Stoneworks 3-inch lock-back folders with damascus blades.
Fordite is an interesting option that comes from a surprising source. Also known as Detroit agate or motor agate, the material consists of pre-1985 automobile paint that hardened sufficiently to be cut and polished. It formed from enamel paint slag, which built up over the years in layers on the tracks and skids where cars were hand spray-painted. The buildup hardened in ovens intended to cure the paint on car bodies. After so much of that buildup, the brightly colored and layered paint had to be removed. Its allure caught on with some autoworkers who brought pieces home with them. From there, the beautiful Fordite material, which can be cut and polished into a spectacular look, found its way onto knife handles.
The Masecraft perspective is somewhat dictated by availability. “Sambar stag is not coming back,” Hartman stresses. “It has been banned by India for export since sometime around 2005, I believe, so that’s almost 20 years now, and I see no chance of this ever-changing. What’s still available out there now is it. Game over!”
“Black-lip, gold, and white mother-of-pearl all are still available,” he adds, “just not in larger size pieces as they were 20-50 years ago. They are overharvested and not as healthy as before. Demand for shell is down overall. It is not very tactical, and we seem to be in a tactical and bushcraft market for the last two decades. Shell tended to be more of a gentleman’s pocketknife material, so it’s not exactly the big trend right now.”
This Santa Fe Stoneworks El Rey model is handled in a spectacular turquoise/abalone/bronze hybrid gemstone and includes a mother-of-pearl button inlay.
“Many of the companies that used a lot of shell on knives are gone or simply don’t have the people who know how to work with it anymore,” Hartman adds. “Shell is still one of the most beautiful materials ever, so much so that it seems to be the hardest to reproduce in any type of synthetic alternative that even comes close to its natural beauty. We can come close, but there is still nothing like the real thing.”
Krein sees a swing toward synthetics and higher-end natural materials as well. “Right now, there is a huge push to find and use vintage Micartas,” he relates. “I’ve also seen G-10 usage go up a ton over the years. G-10 holds up to use extremely well, is relatively inexpensive, and machines and grinds easily. I’ve also noticed quite a few new businesses that specialize in exotic stabilized woods. Stag has always been a desired and quality knifemaking material, and with exceptional stag being much harder to find, it is even more desirable, particularly when done [harvested and finished] properly.”
Watching the high-end polymer Ultem begin to trend as a new synthetic handle material has been interesting for Krein, and his affinity for giraffe bone has not waned. It’s something he calls the “latest real pickup in natural materials.”
White River Knife & Tool purchases synthetic material made in the USA, so supply chain issues have not been a problem. The one material the company imports, cork, has increased in price, but its supply has been uninterrupted. White River’s Traditional Fillet knife incorporates a handle of imported cork for easy cleanup and a tight grip in slippery conditions.
“I often see new makers using very exotic materials,” Krein concludes. “These materials are costly and often not used anywhere close to their potential. I recommend that new makers learn to use simpler materials like Micarta to their full potential. This leaves funds available for other materials and equipment while allowing a new maker to develop their skills. Just because a knife has expensive materials doesn’t make it better or more interesting to me. It’s developing the skills to make simple materials look elegant that I appreciate.”
Those Hybrid Moments
Hybrid handle material is on the rise, and Cammenga is pleased with the growing popularity of marbled synthetics. “Right now, there is strong demand,” he notes. “This is true in both cloth/resin laminates and carbon-fiber/resin laminates. For those who want natural wood, bone or antler, acrylic ‘stabilized’ scales have been popular for quite some time. They provide the user with a natural material, which has been made tougher by introducing acrylic resin into the fibers. Currently the marbled look is in with almost all materials, but we have made several knife models using G-10 and rubber combinations, as well as others from polyester cloth and resins.”
Masecraft is keeping a close eye on the development of new materials, but the course is charted by ingenuity rather than discovery. “As far as new natural materials, that’s going to be extremely rare,” Hartman observes. “The earth is not really producing anything new, so unless we have not discovered it yet, the odds are low. More likely, some natural materials will disappear and become endangered, banned, or extinct. Human history tells us the availability of natural material will decrease while prices increase. You will see more hybrids of natural and synthetic combinations, and all kinds of new synthetics will continue to be introduced.”
Knifemaker Tom Krein says there’s a huge push to find and use vintage Micarta, such as on the handle of his pocket bowie model.
Supply often dictates how well demand is satisfied, and the inherent scarcity of some handle materials has been exacerbated by supply chain concerns in areas. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has eased, the resilience of the supply chain remains an open question. Some suppliers and makers have faced shortages of stock items, while others have adapted, moved on to other, more readily available options, or simply been patient.
“I have been sourcing materials for over 44 years, and most of our suppliers know us and what we want,” Wirtel relates. “Obviously, we’ve had supply chain issues, but we have been able to work around them. We make our product to order, so we range in delivery time from a few weeks to a few months.”
Krein is positive regarding availability, saying, “There have been slight wait times for some synthetics, particularly Micarta, during the pandemic, but it seems like everything is back on track here. There has and will continue to be more demand for quality stag than availability. I’ve seen a bit less of quality exotic stabilized woods like exhibition-grade ironwood and Koa.”
While the supply chain phenomenon has been universal, Hartman is pragmatic. Going with the flow makes the Masecraft operation run as smoothly as possible. “There are supply chain issues with everything globally,” he observes. “I can’t think of anything on the planet that hasn’t been affected in some way, shape or form and that doesn’t have a price increase or isn’t in short supply, and it’s all things, countries, and markets.”
Dozier Knives produced this fixed blade with a Richlite handle from Masecraft Supply Company composed of approximately 65% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)®-certified recycled paper and 35% phenolic resin.
“If you don’t have the chip, you can’t produce the car,” Hartman says. “If you don’t have OD Green dye, you can’t make OD Green G-10. If one key part is missing due to supply chain issues, the product simply cannot be made, and that is affecting all things.”
Staying domestic has been a problem solver for White River Knife & Tool, according to Cammenga. “Because White River purchases synthetic material made within the U.S., our supply chain has not been a problem. The one material we do import, cork, has increased in price, but our supply has been uninterrupted.”
Considering the handle-blade combination that makes the knife come together for the spectrum of customers and users, today’s material options appear more diverse than ever. Although some shortages in natural materials may never be plentiful again, fusions of natural and synthetic options open the door to creativity. And the imagination is always fertile ground for innovation.
No doubt, these custom blades have icy good looks.
Many things are associated with the color blue. Depending on your preference or point of view, some of those things may be good, others bad. In the case of knives, blue comes in many hues and materials, and can serve different purposes. Here’s hoping these blue knives don’t give you the blues.
Michael West: Starry Night
A handle of blue sunstone set in a frame of argentium silver and at 2.83-inch blade of RWL-34 stainless steel headline Starry Night by Michael West. Blade grind: concave. Bolster: Argentium silver. Overall length: 7 inches. Sheath: all silver with blue sunstone inlay. Maker’s price for a similar knife: $3,500. (SharpByCoop image)
Shane Gagne: Chef’s Knife
The mammoth molar of the handle of Shane Gagne’s chef’s knife is dyed blue. The 8.75-inch blade is 180 layers of random damascus cladding go-mai with nickel shim and a core of 52100 ball bearing carbon steel. Total layers: 360. Bolster: carbon fiber. Overall length: 13.25 inches. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)
Don Sylvest: Chef’s Knife
Curly maple dyed blue outfits the handle of Don Sylvest’s chef’s knife. The 6-inch blade is CTS-XHP stainless steel. Don offers the knife in tandem with a paring model in the same materials, only smaller with a 3.5-inch blade. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)
Tyler Turner: Toothpick
The 4.25-inch blade of Tyler Turner’s toothpick is blued Turkish Lace damascus forged by Doug Ponzio. The frame is zirconium and the liners are titanium. Embellishments include 24k-gold inlay by Jody Muller, an argentium silver shield and diamonds pavé set by Tyler. The pivot adjusts with a custom takedown tool. (SharpByCoop image)
Jim Sornberger: Dress Bowie
Blue adds contrast to the gold quartz handle of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Jim Sornberger’s mid-19th-century-style dress bowie. Bolster: 14k gold. The 2.25-inch blade is ATS-34 stainless steel. All engraving is by the maker. (SharpByCoop image)
Jose Santiago-Cummings: EDC Fixed Blade
The EDC fixed blade by Jose Santiago-Cummings has a bird’s-beak handle of black ebony, chestnut dyed green and contoured birch wood dyed blue. The 3.75-inch blade is Damasteel damascus in a Vinland pattern. The bolster is mokume. Overall length: 8 inches. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)
Rob Logan: Fighter
Rob Logan’s fighter sports a blue mammoth molar handle with a mammoth ivory spacer, white vulcanized handle liners and brass liners. The 4.25-inch blade is mosaic damascus forged by Bill Poor, and the brass frame and guard are textured and patinaed. Overall length: 13 inches. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)
