Knifemaking

The Older Generation Is Teaching The Next Crop Of Makers The Ropes Of How To Turn Steel Into Knives And Knives Into Memories.

Though it isn’t rare for kids to follow in the footsteps of their parents when it comes to choosing a career, the path to becoming a well-known custom knifemaker may just involve a bit more dedication than most other vocations.

For American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master smith Josh Fisher and Wolfgang Loerchner, the adventure has been quite rewarding as their respective daughters, Karis and Elizabeth, have become quite accomplished in their own right. 

Josh And Karis Fisher

“When I was younger, I would always sit out in the shop watching my dad make knives,” Karis remembered. “Over time, I slowly started messing around sanding on pieces of metal, thinking I was making a knife. This eventually led to my interest. My first knife was a small full-tang hunter with a pink handle that my dad helped me make.”

Josh, no doubt, was ready and willing to help his daughter hone her skills when the time came. “Karis has always been pretty good at grinding blades,” he smiled, “but she struggled with guard fit up for a while and finally got that figured out.”

Of course, there were challenges and an obstacle or two along the way as Karis gained knowledge in the custom knifemaking world. She spent time at the forge, hammering away in preparation for ABS recognition, but that got placed on hold for a while.

“Yes. Definitely, I had a few setbacks,” she reflected. “I first attempted the ABS journeyman smith test in 2019 and failed. I then tried to retest the next year, but due to [the pandemic] it was canceled. In 2021, at the Texarkana Hammer-In, I finally got to retest and passed. Looking back, I think it worked out for the best because I was able to come back and win the Keeslar Award.”

The Joe Keesler Award is an annual honor for the best knife submitted by a successful journeyman smith applicant. If nothing else, the award validated the hours that both Josh and Karis had dedicated to her custom knife and bladesmith upbringing. And making the year extra special, Josh received his ABS master smith designation at the Texarkana Hammer-In, and later the B.R. Hughes Award for the best knife submitted by a successful master smith applicant. It, too, is an annual honor.

Josh added that sheer space and equipment limitations have impacted the progress of the Fishers’ work from time to time.

 “One of the main obstacles is working around each other in the shop,” he said. “We currently only have one grinder, so we sometimes have to wait for the other to finish before getting to work. Another grinder is definitely one of the next tools we are going to have to get.”

Despite a little inconvenience, Karis has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Family and friends are impressed. 

“All my relatives have always thought that it was cool,” that I made knives, she observed, “but my friends have always thought it was a little strange, especially the fact that my Instagram account has no pictures of me, just my knives.”

Her mom, Kim, is a big fan. “My wife loves to go to knife shows,” Josh related, “so she has always been supportive and happy about Karis and her work in knives.”

While Karis isn’t sure of an exact moment when she knew she wanted to make knives, the idea was never far from her mind. “I think I’ve always kind of known that it was something that I wanted to do,” she noted. “I enjoy making all types of knives, but small hunters are probably my favorite right now. I recently made my first slip joint, and I think they could easily become my new favorite.

“Probably my favorite part of knifemaking is seeing the finished product. But, if I had to choose an actual step, it would be all of the small embellishments and final finishing of the knives. If I had to pick a least favorite part, it would be hand sanding the blades!”

Wolfgang And Elizabeth Loerchner

The year 1982 was momentous for Wolfgang Loerchner. He made his first knife, and topping that achievement, his daughter, Elizabeth, was born. 

“It almost seems as if this path was destined for her,” he smiled. “Knives were a part of her life from the very beginning in various ways—observing the stages of the creation of a knife, the many shows, photos, and articles of the knife shows as seen in various magazines, observing friends visiting, and the many conversations that surrounded all aspects of knives. In some way, shape, or form, knives have always been a part of Elizabeth’s life.”

Elizabeth made an early step into knifemaking and then regrouped. Her second foray has been hugely successful.

“Having always had a strong interest in the arts, knifemaking was something I considered at one point when trying to decide my future,” she commented. “I made one attempt at knifemaking in 2003-2004. However, it quickly became apparent that the timing was not correct. It was not until several years later, after visiting the Milano Show in 2009, that I became truly inspired.”

Elizabeth and Wolfgang were sitting together on their return trip from the Milano Show, and she presented him with the idea of teaching her again. Of course, he was more than happy to get started, and Elizabeth began working on a knife design immediately. In January 2010, she sat down with her father once more—this time in his shop—and custom knifemaking quickly became a huge part of her life.

“I’ve had a couple of personal situations that did set me back,” she related, “but they have not kept me down. All around, there has been full support of my decision. Everyone has been happy to see me working in the arts and also to be carrying on what my father has been doing.”

Elizabeth’s mother, Dianne, shared a positive perspective. “I was glad for her, that she was able to use her artistic abilities to create knives. During her high school education, Elizabeth was always happiest when she was in the midst of creating an art project. In the few years directly after high school, she was thinking about steel and what she could do artistically with steel, which seemed a logical first step to me. 

“Elizabeth has an artistic flair that is unique to her, different from her father’s, and allows her to create pieces that carry more of a whimsical note to her knives. This is reflective of her deep creative ability. When she asked her father to teach her, I was a little hesitant since she had been living away from home for several years. While there were several tense moments, overall it was a good experience for both of them.”

The commitment of time and energy made for a few challenges in the learning process, but the entire experience has been worth the investment for Wolfgang and Elizabeth. Each has a distinctive design and artistic expression, coexisting, learning, and producing outstanding objects of art.

“One of the greatest obstacles we probably had to face was learning to work so closely side by side for so many long hours,” Wolfgang recalled. “There were other small obstacles. Working together in this way involved learning a whole new form of communication. We would often be saying the same thing but speaking it in a different language. Many mistakes were made as a result, but in due time we found our way to overcome this obstacle and work through things more smoothly and efficiently.”

Elizabeth recognizes the fact that she has learned to accept constructive criticism and teaching moments from her father. Wolfgang, on the other hand, points to a new method of communication developed as they worked together. Still, Elizabeth is adjusting.

“The most difficult part has been living in the path or shadow of my father,” she noted, “with the sense of needing to live up to the expectations of others. Creating my designs, it only seems to come naturally that my style is so similar to his. There are many reasons for this, and I constantly strive to find that fingerprint of my own.”

Elizabeth has always been an accomplished artist, drawing and painting with passion. Holding a file seems to come almost as naturally as working with a paintbrush or pencil. So, as her hand-eye coordination came together almost effortlessly, working in steel and making lines flow in knives was virtually second nature.

Fixed blades and integrals are the favorite types of knives for Elizabeth, and she appreciates their aesthetic qualities. 

“There is something about the power and strength of them,” she reasoned, “and what seems to be a limitless canvas. There is something pleasurable about working with folders and how the knife changes, whether open or closed. When working with daggers, fixed blades, and integrals, the limitations of working around the mechanical parts have been removed, and I find this gives more freedom to my designs.

“The most pleasurable part of knifemaking,” she added, “is the filework. Watching the steel slowly come to life, seeing the design come out of it as if it always lived there, is highly rewarding. The final finishing of a knife can be the most frustrating part. This is when any possible flaws start coming to light. Since I am my own worst critic, it can turn into a never-ending process of doing multiple things over and over again.”

Nonetheless, the Loerchners know they were destined to work together, one to learn from the other. In turn, each helps the other reach new heights of artistic expression.

Read More

• The Sharp And Controversial Stiletto Switchblade
• Knifemakers And Their Tools
• The Beauty Of Custom Pocketknives

For Many Makers, Knifemaking Isn’t A Full-Time Job. Here’s How Some Fill Their Days When They Aren’t Sharpening Steel.

One of the more memorable henchmen of the James Bond series is the stout little fellow Odd Job, played in Goldfinger by Harold Sakata, and a popular character in the Nintendo series of Bond video games. He has a hat with a razor-sharp brim that decapitates a marble statue in the movie and guarantees an instant kill in the game.

He’s a master of body paint, a capable golf caddy, and can crush a golf ball with his bare hands. He’s a chauffeur capable of skilled pursuit and evasion in the inevitable Bond car chases. In the end, this man of many talents meets an untimely death by electrocution in the vault at Fort Knox.

Many who make knives choose not to make it a full-time career but a mega-hobby or part-time job instead. There are many of us, both known and unknown, who work “regular” and “boring” jobs to fund our knife passion. Though I write and make knives, I’m a behavior analyst in my day job. My brother Travis is a knifemaker and accountant—boring! I bet you’ll be surprised at some of the unusual talents that support some knifemakers in the daytime so they can pursue their blade craft on nights and weekends.

Michael Quesenberry

ABS master smith Michael Quesenberry is well known for his intricate integrals, precise damascus and meticulous attention to every detail. He’s a professional engineer in his day job but not one of the calculator-and-pocket-protector types; he drives a train. He’s been a full-time locomotive engineer for the past 27 years with the Union Pacific Railroad. Meanwhile, whenever knifemaking starts coming with medical, dental and 401(k), he promises to switch careers.

Ricky Bob Menefee

Ricky Bob Menefee describes himself as a “dog catcher.” For the past 24 years he’s been a full-time trapper for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sometimes his job is predator control, setting foot traps, snares or poison for calf-eating coyotes or lamb-snatching bobcats. Other times he hunts crop-destroying wild hogs via a helicopter or uses dynamite to blast out beaver dams.

“I’ve been lucky my whole life,” Ricky says. “The only thing I’ve ever done was hunt, fish and make knives. Knives have allowed me not to have to find a ‘real job’ because my federal job has good benefits to go along with bad pay.” Ricky specializes in fixed blades and slip joints well suited to outdoor tasks, and his tiny tapered tangs are legendary.

Jason Floyd

After 20 years in the golf course business, Jason Floyd says he’s a “professional grass grower.” He started as a turf expert and ended up as a golf course superintendent. Now he works as a forge and blacksmithing tool fabricator for Well Shod Farrier Supply and supplements his income with knifemaking. He says knifemaking is better than watching the grass grow. Jason specializes in forged and damascus fixed blades.

Kelly Kring

I learned a new word from Kelly Kring, who used to work as a “diener” or autopsy technician. He was responsible for moving and cleaning bodies, assisting the pathologist with autopsies and collecting evidence. After that he became an occupational therapy technician in a hospital burn unit. Now he describes himself as “a full-time blacksmith who happens to teach smithing classes at a local college.” He says, “I’ve made knives for many, many people, but don’t call myself a knifemaker.” Kelly is well known in blacksmith circles for being an excellent hands-on instructor.

John Thunert

All the bugs and creepy-crawly varmints better watch out for John Thunert, a self-described “killer for hire.” John works full time as an exterminator. When the pandemic shut down his business, knifemaking took up the slack. John is a Forged in Fire runner-up from season six, episode 18, and has been making knives for four years. “I’ve gotten bored with the other hobbies I’ve been proficient in. Knifemaking and the challenges it presents should see me through another 20 years,” he observes, “and I still won’t accomplish all the things I want to do.” John prefers making fixed blades and forges his own damascus and san-mai.

Josh Howard

Many knifemakers know how to weld. Josh Howard of Deerlick Ridge Forge can beat that—he teaches robots how to weld. In the daytime, he works for Polaris Industries in the factory where they manufacture the four-wheeled side-by-side Ranger robots and the three-wheeled go-fast Slingshots. 

He writes the programs that drive the automated welding robots, placing precise welds at critical structural points on the vehicles as they are assembled. Josh is a Forged in Fire competitor from season six and specializes in damascus kitchen and hunting knives. He says “Deerlick” is the name of the creek down the hill from his shop, and that nobody actually licks the deer.

Jason Wilder

The apostle Paul was a tent maker and did enough of that work over the years to support his ministry. Jason Wilder is a Church of Christ minister and supplements his work with knifemaking. After all, the Bible does say “the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword.” Jason admits that he may occasionally carry a sidearm and a knife in the pulpit and on pastoral hospital visits. 

“Nobody goes into church work or knifemaking to get rich, but my family gets by on the combination of the two,” he notes. “My ministry schedule allows me to make knives, and my knifemaking supports my vocation as a minister.” Jason makes Sunday-go-to-meeting-quality fixed blades, both forged and stock removal.

Terry Vandeventer

In addition to forging impressive fixed blades, ABS master smith Terry Vandeventer is an expert snake handler. Terry has enjoyed a long career as a professional herpetologist, an expert in reptiles and amphibians. He started out with snakes as a zookeeper, and eventually built a business breeding rare and unusual snakes for zoos. 

While he says he’s past his prime in the snake business, he still has “only” about 75 snakes in his current lab. Terry continues to make knives as a source of stress relief, and says “When the knife business gets stressful, it doesn’t serve its purpose for me.” I don’t know about you, but I’d find the North American pit viper collection a bit more stressful than knifemaking.

Bryan Borton

Where do birdbaths come from, anyway? Besides, were birds dirty before people started making birdbaths? Do baby birds prefer baths and older birds prefer showers? My friend Bryan Borton has spent nearly 30 years in the concrete-sculpture-casting business with his wife Kristy. He claims to have made thousands of concrete birdbaths, and his most unusual casting jobs include giant mushrooms, his brother-in-law’s headstone, and some great big soda bottle replicas. 

He began making knives seven years ago, learning first from me and then from Travis Payne and some members of the Texas Knifemakers’ Guild. His knives are popular among the rodeo and ranching crowd, as you might suspect given his West Texas location.

Robert George

Robert George is an electrical engineer. Boring, right? Not at all. Robert was the chief architect at AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) for the computer chips used in the Playstation 4, PS4 Pro and PS5 video games. 

If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably used his work and didn’t know it. Robert describes himself as a “100 percent bladesmith” because he enjoys the artistic expression of forging close to the final shape. He studied with ABS master smiths Jim Crowell, Timothy Potier and J.R. Cook at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in 2010 and has been passionate about knives ever since.

The List Goes On And On

There are some lists that will always be incomplete, and this is certainly one destined for deficiency. I didn’t have time or space to include BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member James Batson the rocket scientist, Les Adams the bomb squad technician, Jeremy Spake, who builds armatures for stop-motion animation films, or Grace Horne, who builds custom lingerie. I

 also left out a bunch of knifemakers with exotic hobbies like ABS master smith Jordan LaMothe, who performs in musicals, Ryan Breuer, who does ballroom dancing contests, and I’m sure I left out plenty of great stories about people I haven’t met yet.

You and I may have different vocations from each other, and surely don’t have the same jobs as some of these knifemakers. Even so, one thing that joins us all together is our appreciation for knives. Handmade or user grade, for display or cosplay, for vegetable cutting or whitetail gutting, our love of knives brings all of us together in our occupational diversity.

Read More

• Knifemakers And Their Tools
• Daggers: Immortal Icons
• The Beauty Of Custom Pocketknives