Knifemaking is the building of a knife, which includes the blade, handle and other accouterments. Blades are made by either removing metal from a steel blank via a grinder – known as stock removal – and the forging to shape of hot steel into a blade in the process known as bladesmithing. Other parts, including bolsters, guards, pommels, etc., are needed to complete the finished knife.
The short answer: A handle design favored by custom knifemakers that resembles a bird’s head with a short beak at the butt of the handle.
Given the practicality and curves of the bird’s-beak handle, it is small wonder that it is quite the popular grip among today’s knifemakers. In fact, the design resembling a bird’s head with a short beak at the butt of the handle has appeared in many cultures over many centuries.
Tad Lynch indicated that crafting a good bird’s-beak design requires practice and the courage to push things. His Irish Traveler Fighter features a handle of koa, a 9-inch blade of W2 tool steel with hamon and is 14 inches overall. His list price for a similar knife starts at $1,100. (SharpByCoop knife image)
“You see it in different variations on Persian daggers and swords,” said North Carolina knifemaker Ken Hall. “Also, some kukris have the ‘hook’ in the handle. In American knives you see it in some of the Buck knife designs.”
When the ABS journeyman smith with 11 years of experience is not forging in the Smoky Mountains, he raises honeybees, hikes and teaches others the craft. He made a bowie in January in preparation for an ABS master smith test that had to be pushed back because of a bicycle accident.
While many makers make a bird’s-beak handle with a dense hardwood, Paul DiStefano took a risk on a material that has a reputation of being temperamental: ancient walrus ivory. Blade length and material: 12 inches and 500 layers of 1095 carbon and 15N20 nickel alloy steels. His list price for a similar knife: $1,800. (SharpByCoop knife image)
He picked the bird’s-beak handle design because it pairs well with large knives, especially those with recurve or clip-point blades. A big block of wood large enough to develop the butt’s shape is one of the best material sizes for the design, Hall explained.
“The bird’s beak provides a more controlled grip for the hand,” he noted. “The contour snugs around the little finger, keeping the knife from slipping forward while in use.”
The result, combined with a balanced knife, is a tool that feels like an extension of the hand.
As with all Johnny Strong knives, the Urban Assassins (top photo) are flat ground from CPM-S35V stainless and heat treated by Paul Bos Heat Treating. Overall lengths: 11.5 inches. (Katie Summers photo) Johnny Strong’s latest movie Sinners and Saints (second photo from top) debuted in January. (Photo: Mark Rutledge; Poster: Dave Burton) The author [left] and Strong [right] (third photo from top) at the author’s house.
Star of Sinners and Saints also makes knives
By Wally Hayes
Through knives I have met some of the most amazing people, one of whom is actor Johnny Strong. Last summer I received an e-mail from Johnny. He was interested in my Dragon Waki he had found on Bladeart.com’s website. We exchanged e-mails about his new waki, music and his interest in knifemaking. I learned Johnny is an actor, musician, martial artist and artist. He has been collecting knives since he was 8.
“It was when I was on tour with my band, Operator, that I got serious about collecting custom knives. I would be on the tour bus searching the web for knife dealers,” he said.
After talking with Johnny and learning a little about him, I suggested he visit my shop and hang out for a weekend. He did—and he jumped in with both feet.
We started out forging two blades to shape. Then I taught him grinding and heat treating. The crash course was three long, fun-filled days. As Johnny told BLADE®, “It was a great experience coming to Wally’s and having him share all his knowledge with me. I learned how to manipulate steel and apply these skills to my edged art.”
As soon as Johnny returned home, he ordered a belt grinder, drill press and some steel. In the past year he has created some very original designs. His computer-drawing skills enabled him to develop a practical and aggressive-looking knife style. As he noted, “With my knives, I like to paint in tactical colors.” His blades are flat ground from CPM-S35V stainless steel and heat treated by Paul Bos Heat Treating.
Johnny has created some unusual blade finishes with a combination of bead blasting and etching. The blades are ground with a wide secondary bevel that makes his knives razor sharp, similar to those by Shiva Ki. Johnny hand carved a mold to make his handles. He casts them one at a time. The handle material is an impact/chemical-resistant resin. The cutouts in the handle butts are multi-purpose prying/shaping tools. He also designed and ordered custom-made black titanium handle fasteners.
Three of Johnny’s models are the Urban Assassin, Canine Assassin and Combat Assassin (this issue’s cover knife; see page 7). Respective blade lengths are 6.5, 8.5 and 11 inches. The blade of the Canine Assassin has a tiger-stripe finish, while the Combat Assassin blade features a sawback. Each blade has what Johnny calls his three-edge design, which was inspired by the knife-combat training he has received. All his knives come with custom leather sheaths.
Sinners and Saints
Johnny has starred in Black Hawk Down, The Fast and The Furious, Get Carter, The Glimmerman and his new action movie, Sinners and Saints. Johnny plays the lead role of Sean Riley, a New Orleans detective.
To prepare for one of the movie’s knife fight scenes, Johnny trained with Ron Balicki for three months. Balicki is well known as a practitioner and teacher of the martial arts, and is a student and son-in-law of Dan Inosanto, a legendary martial arts instructor who studied under Bruce Lee. Balicki is also a top Hollywood stuntman and plays the role of Rucker in Sinners and Saints.
Johnny learned both one-handed and two-handed combative drills. In a knife-fighting scene in the movie, Johnny uses an Allen Elishewitz “Phalanx” folder and a Cold Steel Tai Pan dagger. Balicki plays Rucker, a bad guy Johnny’s character must kill. The knife-fighting scene took two days to shoot. Balicki uses a Cold Steel Voyager folder in the scene.
“Ron has a ton of experience and was great to work with,” Johnny noted. “We wanted to make the knife fighting scene as realistic as possible.” Johnny has a strong background in martial arts with a black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and is training hard to get in shape for his next movie.
Movies, Music and Knives
This past fall I flew down to Johnny’s to help with his knifemaking and have some fun playing music as well. Music is a big part of Johnny’s life. When not acting, he works on music either for film scenes or his own CDs.
His new album is The War of Art on iTunes. It features two of his Urban Assassin models silhouetted on the cover. I was asked to bring my guitar so I could play lead on a couple of songs in his studio. What a blast—mixing knifemaking with recording music. We worked on edge geometry, sheaths and a new folder design coming out in 2012. Stay tuned for more movies, music and knives from a very talented guy.
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Of the assorted American Bladesmith Society-sanctioned knifemaking classes I’ve attended, many pertained to the construction of a well-made knife. In one class, the subject of line and flow was a topic.
An ABS founder and a BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member, B.R. Hughes said, “A curve looks better than a straight line”—pausing for effect—“and a hint of a curve looks better than a curve.”
The human form and other objects in nature often have been used to illustrate proper execution of line and flow. Some of the simplest of things common in everyday life are there for our benefit if we would notice.
Taking Cues from Nature
When flow is hard to achieve on a knife, Jerry Lairson puts the design on paper to figure out what does not look right. Once he has the general shape he wants, he starts changing things until the knife starts to flow. Lin Rhea also worked on his art dagger in drawn form (above) before arriving at the finished knife (top). (Chuck Ward knife photo)
An unfurling fern, drifting snow, a vine climbing to the sun—these things look alive and give the impression of fluidity even though they are at rest. Consider a falcon’s dynamic grace. Simply when perched it looks designed for motion. These are things the great masters studied and emulated, often applying mathematical formulae, yet concealing any and every hint of math within the object’s overt beauty.
We are all “wired” to be attracted to certain combinations of lines that flow into the whole dynamic appearance of an object, whether a person, a falcon or a knife.
Knifemaking long has been elevated to an art form. It’s a natural medium to express artistry in a functional tool. Knifemakers are the formulators, mechanics and artists who create from raw materials something static that also has dynamic character. It looks like it wants to be moving even though it’s not. Remember the falcon?
The object of this brief dissertation is to help makers wanting to improve their work find a perspective. I say “a perspective” knowing it would be uniquely each maker’s since each maker is different and can’t see things exactly the same. Michelangelo’s perspective was not Leonardo da Vinci’s and vice versa, but each developed an eye for his own work.
Also, it may not be possible to explain to another exactly how to have an eye for line and flow. My attempt is simply to rationalize that it is possible to cultivate its development.
Developing an Eye for Line and Flow
If this development is possible, then each maker should ask, “How can I cultivate it in my own work?” Considering the question requires a level of honesty that some are just not willing to attach to something they mistake for “a knife.”
Indeed, the question pertains to the process rather than the product. It is a way of thinking about the craft and not simply “a knife.” That mistaken thinking will never allow a person to elevate knifemaking to an art form, and it can’t help but to manifest itself in a maker’s work. Fortunately, there are many examples of makers who have enhanced their natural talent by honest self-improvement.
What do some of the world’s best makers do to cultivate their eye for line and flow? Where do they look for inspiration? What influences have shaped their perspective?
How the Master Smiths See Line and Flow
Jerry Lairson indicated embellishments such as carving should enhance the line and flow of a knife rather than compete with it. (Buddy Thomason knife photo)
“Many of my best knife designs were inspired by nature,” such as a lily, a bird’s wing and vines, stated ABS master smith Jerry Lairson. “I think it’s good to follow a theme throughout the knife. An example is the fluting on French flintlock pistols combined with the other parts of the gun to create flow. If you see something you like, even if it doesn’t pertain to knives, try to use it as a theme to design a knife. If a knife is decorated with engraving, carving or filework, it should enhance the flow and line of the knife rather than
compete with it.
“Sometimes I see things in museums that have nothing to do with knives but have graceful lines that can help design a knife that flows. How a knife design starts and stops at the point and butt has a lot to do with flow. Sometimes flow is hard to achieve even when you have a good design in your head.
“When this happens to me,” Jerry continued, “I put it on paper and if it doesn’t flow, I start trying to figure what doesn’t look right. I always design a knife on paper. Once I have the general shape I want, I start changing things one at a time until it starts to flow. Sometimes one small line that isn’t right will throw the whole thing off. Sometimes simpler is better.”
Rodrigo Sfreddo’s eye for line, flow, and overall design and innovation shines in his “Dark Tulip.” (photo courtesy of Lin Rhea)
“What makes a knife more desirable than another? Good design,” he began. “Nobody spends hundreds or thousands of dollars on a knife just because they need a good knife for camping or cooking; they’re buying for collecting because [the knives] are beautiful, so good design and aesthetics are of the utmost importance.
“I always say to my students to think about the beauty when planning a knife, not what is easy or what not to make. It’s very easy to make the same blades, guards and handles we’ve already made and seen. The result is just a combination of designs we’ve already used before—one blade just like the one we made some time ago, combined with another guard we made in another project, with another handle, and even the filework, just new combinations of our same old ideas!
“That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to anything that’s beautiful and has great design,” Rodrigo maintained, “like cars, antiques, furniture, architecture and so on. We must refine our taste on everything so it will reflect on our work. It’s unbelievable how we can figure a knifemaker’s characteristics from his work, especially if he’s ‘thinking’ about his work or just following the crowd.”
Jason Knight is a proponent of curves, and long and subtle arcs, in his knife designs. This recurve bowie in damascus and stag—winner of the award for Best Bowie in the 2012 BLADE Show custom knife judging competition—is an excellent example. (SharpByCoop.com photo)
ABS master smith Jason Knight’s knives are known for their superlative lines and great flowing execution. He spoke of the ancient ways of looking at and designing things, saying they work and that he won’t try to change them. He described his method as a “way of seeing” involving his eyes and his heart. He pointed out that makers have choices in materials that offer color and texture.
“Materials can limit or enhance design. Some designs might look cool but don’t work well. Usually,” he qualified, “if it looks good, it works well.”
He recommended taking inspiration from other art forms, such as sculpture and woodworking, adding that he likes curves and both long and subtle arcs.
Open Your Eyes
Trying to express the causes and effects of something whose nature is so intangible requires some degree of interpretation, and I’m not sure I am the one to carry this task to completion. However, most makers are in the same boat. Who would have thought so much would be involved in the making of a knife?
Do I understand it all? Not by a long shot. Am I overthinking the matter? Maybe. But it could be that considering these points will help my perspective become a little clearer. Besides, considering that the above three makers give serious attention to advancing line and flow in their work, I feel I’m in good company.
Joe Keeslar’s bowling ball vise uses a lawn mower tire for a base. A machinist’s drill press vise typically used for drilling and milling is mounted on top.The bowling ball vise holds the wood securely as Keeslar lightly hammers the silver wire during his BLADE University class at BLADE Show 2014.
According to ABS master smith Don Hethcoat, “Bowling balls make the perfect vise for knifemakers doing inlays and similar close work where you need both stability and flexibility. You can buy an old bowling ball at a flea market or thrift store for two or three dollars.”
In his own words, here are Don’s six steps.
1) Saw
“Saw off about one-third of the bowling ball, getting rid of the old finger holes. I used a metal band saw but you may have other means.”
2) Drill
“Drill five holes in the flat top of the ball, one at each corner of a square with one in the middle using a half-inch drill bit, then chisel out a cavity in the center of the ball.”
3) Fill
“Fill the opened cavity almost to the top with lead shot to add weight, then seal the shot to the top of the hole with automotive Bondo® filler.”
4) Mount
“Make a round cover for the flat top of the ball using metal, wood or Formica®. Mount your vise on top of this. Mine is a machinist’s vise using its mounting system.”
5) Base
“Make a base and you’re almost done. I used a round piece of 8-inch pipe cut to 2.5 inches in depth. Fill the pipe with Bondo, cover it with Saran™ Wrap and push the bottom part of the ball into it to make an impression. Clean up the excess Bondo.
6) Fit
“Cut a round piece of suede to fit inside the round cavity so the ball can rotate freely. That’s basically it! Feel free to modify the vise to fit your own scenario.”
When it comes to production knives, says Dexter Ewing, BLADE® field editor, as a consumer you are not afforded much say-so in terms of aesthetics or blade and handle materials. The knives are offered as-is. But what if you played an active role in helping create your own distinctive production knife? Well, you can. There are a few manufacturers offering build-your-own-knife programs online. They enable you to play a pivotal role in selecting the handle color and material, blade material and shape, and even the coating choices. Be aware that these options and their number vary by manufacturer.
Nonetheless, the end product is a factory knife influenced by and for you. You can custom tailor it most any way you want based on the options provided.
Benchmade offers such a service on its website in the Custom Knife Builder section. Four models are available: large and small Griptilian AXIS™ Lock, and large and small Barrage AXIS assist folders.
“The entire experience is very intuitive and walks the customer through the process of customizing the knife selected,” explains Derrick Lau, Benchmade public relations and communications manager. “Starting with the blade for the Griptilian or the Barrage, customers can select from drop-point or tanto styles …. See the June 2016 issue of BLADE to read the rest of the fascinating feature article. Enjoy!
Once upon a time, two little boys were smashing their toy cars with hammers. An errant swing caused a brain injury that left one of them without his hearing. Thirty-four years later the deaf boy grew up to be a man who swings a hammer in the forge. He holds no grudges. They were just boys playing, neither knew any better. “I’m a forgiving person,” wrote Norman “Buddy” Thomas of Quapaw, Oklahoma, in a Messager note. Today Buddy is a graphic artist and runs a screen printing shop by day, making knives part-time by stock removal and forge. He also strives to set a positive example in the deaf community. So, in essence, the hammer that took a bladesmith’s hearing gave him his craft. Another loss would wound Buddy further, but he is grateful, always grateful, for the love of his family and the means to create beautiful knives.
Norman “Buddy” Thomas of Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge lost his hearing when he was accidentally hit in the head with a hammer. Today he’s the one wielding the hammer as he forges knives that run from frontier-style to post-apocalyptic.
Buddy was born in 1980. He and a neighbor boy were beating on their Hot Wheels with a hammer. Buddy was 3, the other boy, 5. The other boy’s swing went wild, hitting Buddy in the head. But a baby’s crown is not as forgiving as a die-cast model car. He irreparably lost his hearing. At first his parents tried the speech therapy route. Buddy began displaying social issues. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea to teach a non-hearing child to speak, but it confuses people who can hear and who do not realize the person is deaf. “No matter how well you can hone the speaking skills of a deaf individual, one thing is concrete certain, you can’t fix deaf,” Buddy explained.* He has one ear that is slightly better than the other and a hearing aid can maximize what remains, but it can’t cure the problem.
Buddy Thomas’ tanto chopper is made from a farrier rasp drawn out to 15 inches overall with a 9.75-inch blade length. The frontier-style coffin-shaped handle is stabilized maple burl with turquoise casting. Maker’s list price: $375. Contacts for Tree of Liberty Bladecrafting and Forge are listed at the end of this article.
Pre-kindergarten began for Buddy in an all-deaf environment. Throughout elementary and middle school Buddy was educated through a public-school system that focused on teaching deaf students to speak. His parents saw that he needed a change and enrolled him in Oklahoma School for the Deaf in Sulphur, which, funny enough, is one town over from where Jantz Supply is located in Davis. Jantz has been offering knifemaking supplies to craftsmen worldwide for 50 years. It was at OSD where Buddy flourished and his interest in metalwork began.
The American tanto hybrid from Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge is made with 5160 spring steel. The blade length is 5.75 inches; overall length is 9.75 inches. The handle material is stabilized cholla cactus cast in black epoxy. Maker’s list price: $350. Contacts for Tree of Liberty are listed at the bottom of this article.
Meanwhile, at this time there were not a lot of American Sign Language courses for Buddy’s parents, but he taught them what he learned. His sister, Kalley, picked up on it quickly. Today, hearing parents are teaching sign language to their pre-verbal hearing children. Science is showing, in all mammals not just human babies, that possessing a non-verbal means of communication minimizes frustration and thereby aggression. Later these babies and, say, puppies who are taught means of communicating as early as three to four weeks of age, are more confident and better able to cope with the inevitable challenges of life. There are also positive physiological benefits. Buddy said that it was easiest to conduct a non-sign conversation with his parents, but even now he uses ASL frequently with his father. His mother passed away after an illness in 2014. Both of his parents encouraged Buddy tremendously, and his father, along with his fiance, June, remains one of his biggest supporters.
This small hunter has a 5.75-inch blade of 1095 high carbon steel. The overall length is 8.75 inches. The handle material is stabilized Australian red mallee burl cast in blur Alumilite by Lucas Free. Maker’s list price: $350. Contacts for Buddy Thomas at Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge are listed at the bottom of this article.
Buddy didn’t realize how much his machine shop/metal working class would impact his life. He was focused on going to college. He graduated from OSD as a Salutatorian with a 4.0 grade point average, serving as president in the local National Honor Society. “The only mismatched puzzle was my machine shop/metal working class, which I loved because when I tried the first semester out in that class I got hooked to the welding and metal fabrication,” Buddy wrote. His instructor Dwayne Bryant spent hours of one-on-one time with him, helping him develop his welding skills. Each advancement in his metal fabrication skill fueled his creativity. “In fact, my very first nonfunctional knife was made in that class in 1997 when I was just 17 years old,” he recalled. “A piece of mild steel plating, ground into the shape of a knife roughly 8 inches overall. A DeWalt angle grinder was used to taper a bevel and create an edge. The handle was from a can of spray-on rubber. I wish I still had it. Well, after that it would be years before I attempted another knife build again.” Buddy sprinkled laughing emoticons throughout that description.
“It was pretty much just a plain little skinner, probably only an inch wide but at least a quarter-inch thick,” he noted with tears of laughter.
Buddy was also the co-editor of the school newspaper along with his good friend James Mitchell, who in his own right has had an impact on the deaf community supporting various organizations. Then it was off to major in visual communications art at the University of Oklahoma (UO) in Norman. “I was one of only three deaf students on campus: a football player recruited from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a French major and myself, an art major,” Buddy wrote, revealing how isolating it can sometimes be for a deaf person in a hearing world.
Buddy Thomas’ large bushcraft chopper is made from reclaimed early-1900s saw mill high-carbon steel. It is 16 inches overall with a 10.25-inch blade. It is 2.75 inches wide at its widest point. The handle material is figured cedarwood with a black epoxy bolster guard. Maker’s list price: $425. Contacts for Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge are listed at the bottom of this article.
But Buddy got to work, putting his art and journalism experiences into play as a cartoonist and copy editor for The Oklahoma Daily, the school newspaper. “My childhood dream was to be a comic book artist. Of course, dreams change as we go through life,” Buddy noted. He grew up around several talented comic artists, including Steve Erwin, the original penciler for DC Comics’ Deathstroke the Terminator, a character portrayed on the television show “Arrow.” “I had originally wanted to attend the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey, but I was persuaded to apply to UO and was accepted, so I went that route.” It was nice to have UO on his resume, but by the end of his first semester all the visual communications art slots were filled and he was assigned to a painting major. That was definitely not where he wanted to take his art, so he did not return, despite his good grade standing.
Buddy now manages a screen print shop and does graphic designs and color separations. “Part of my time I’m out running the automatic press and printing T-shirts, and the other part of my time I’m cooking up some wicked graphics, either for the storefront or a customer order,” he wrote. “At night and on weekends I work my forge and knife shop.” Care to guess what the name of the print shop is? Metal Fab Trophy and Screen Printing. You don’t have to hit Buddy over the head for him to get that he may be exactly where he was meant to be all along. The name he chose for his business: Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge, invoking the freedom that he experiences through his creativity.
This Buddy Thomas creation comes with a turquoise leather weave sheath. It is made from CPM S90V steel, 9.5 inches overall with a 4.75-inch blade. The handle is elk antler with a rustic coffee stain and a blue Alumilite spacer and solid brass guard. Maker’s list price: $575. Contacts for Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge are listed at the bottom of this article.
Buddy’s design skills do help him when he’s working up a pattern for a stock-removal knife on card stock, “but when forging, it’s all in the eye,” he wrote. Buddy started in stock removal and worked his way into forging by trial and error with lots of research and time spent learning from other forge artists. “A guy I ran into in a forum a few years back—his name was Ethan Paul Dobbins—he sent me tons of material to read up on. Another was a lifelong friend who did some blacksmith work as a tool maker, James Moore. I have actually learned most of my blacksmithing skills at the anvil from James, who was there to help me correct my hammering form and help guide me through and recognize heat requirements and steel reactions,” Buddy explained.
Buddy can read lips and his hearing aid, although not the best, helps him hear a little. “James is as hearing as they come! Maybe selectively deaf at times,” Buddy joked with a laughing emoticon. “I can read him pretty well, but sometimes have to have him repeat himself.”
Deaf bladesmith Buddy Thomas and his hearing wife, Sundae, have two daughters, Anna, 12, and Kaity, 9.
Buddy’s wife, Sundae, is also hearing. They met at a football game in Picher, Oklahoma, and were married in 2001. She did not know sign language at the time, but she has learned from Buddy. They have two daughters, Annaleigh, 12, and Kaitlynne, 9, who also know sign language. Their first child, also a girl, Daisy Elizabeth, would be 15 now, but the couple lost her two weeks after she was born, to infection. “She passed in my arms,” Buddy wrote.
Buddy and Sundae Thomas lost their first child, a daughter, at 2 weeks of age, due to infection. Buddy lost his hearing at the age of 3; his wife is hearing.
“She was beautiful. I always wonder what she might have been like as their older sister. I’m so grateful and thankful for those two.”
If you converse with Buddy for any length of time, you will sense the sad undercurrent of the tragedies in his life, but you simultaneously get the feeling of a silent, gentle but unwavering determination to not just live, but thrive. He doesn’t minimize the impact of his losses—his hearing, his daughter, even his childhood aspiration to become a comic strip artist though he admits to outgrowing that aspiration—but the Tree of Liberty gives him more than solace; it restores his life-battered spirit.
He enjoys the stock-removal method of knifemaking, but whenever possible, he prefers to forge. He started on a coal forge and still loves it, but he often goes to the propane forge because it’s quicker and cleaner. “Most CPM steels are difficult to forge,” he observed. “Stock-removal methods work much easier for such jobs. Most of my stainless and powder steels I apply the stock-removal method to, but my high carbons benefit me better at the forge. Ultimately, they all go in the forge for heat treating.”
This Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge creation has a 4-inch Elmax steel blade and an overall length of 8.75 inches. The handle material is rare black nargusta cast in a jade green Aluminite by Rob Carper of RC Innovations. The bolster is copper. Maker’s list price: $475. Contacts for Buddy Thomas listed at the bottom of this article.
Buddy’s knifemaking style swings from old frontier to post-apocalyptic utilizing reclaimed steel. He also makes everyday carry knives and has a preference for using copper bolstering. “One of my biggest goals as a maker is to get a prop knife made for ‘The Walking Dead’ show,” Buddy notes. His forging buddies, Aric Davis, Ryan Edwards and Louis Stark, often get together for Sunday forge-ins. In other words, the forge is the hearth of Buddy’s heart.
“I would not be where I am in this world if I did not have the deaf community behind me, specifically my best friend who has always had great words of encouragement,” Buddy said of a deaf woman who is like a sister to him. He recommends that deaf people who are interested in learning about knifemaking and forging do so through a deaf school or access vocational rehabilitation departments in their state for guidance and research. The next step is to seek out experienced bladesmiths who offer classes in their shops. “A deaf individual would acquire an interpreter to accompany them to the classes. It is actually my goal to establish a stronger bridge in that direction,” Buddy added. His plan is to work toward his American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith rating and eventually his master smith rating so he can offer classes to other deaf people. He knows they would be more comfortable learning from a deaf instructor. Three-way conversations with an interpreter can lead to a loss in focus.
Buddy lives out his favorite quote, attributed to Helen Keller: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence.”
*Editor’s note: For this interview Buddy and I Messaged about using Facetime, but we felt it would be easier for him if we Messaged. It forced me to slow down and try to pick up on all of those nuanced things that happen even in phone conversations, like tone. In the end, Buddy and I both felt that he had told his story and I had heard his story in all its bittersweet humanness.
Buddy’s Links for Deaf-Related Services And Assistance
September is National Deaf Awareness month. Here are a few organizations that deaf bladesmith Buddy Thomas of Tree of Liberty Bladecraft and Forge in Quapaw, Oklahoma, recommends.
Empowers Oklahomans with disabilities to live healthy, active, smoking-free lives.
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Edmund Davidson’s “Goliath” integral appears here state. The finish is hand rubbed, requiring hours of laborious work. The finished knife weighs in at 6 pounds, a fraction of the original bar’s weight. Jere Davidson did the spectacular engraving. (PointSeven photo)
Are Integral Knives The Strongest Kind of Knife?
Is an integral knife inherently stronger? According to our gurus, strength in numbers—of parts, that is—is not necessarily applicable here.
“The concept is so much different it changes up the whole equation,” knifemaker Edmund Davidson states. “A hard-use integral knife is stronger than a typical fixed blade. There’s nothing to go wrong. That’s not to say some great [non-integral] fixed blades aren’t being made, but you can’t get any stronger than one big chunk of steel.”
“An integral knife is theoretically stronger, but I’ve never had one of my standard knives break at the guard junction through regular use, either,” knifemaker Marcus Lin says. “I destruction-tested one of my Loveless fighter designs several years ago and it took numerous overhead slams from a 50-pound slab of concrete to break it.
“In terms of getting the job done there’s no difference in either method of construction, as both will result in a knife that will last generations. But I can see the allure for the integral knife because of the time and additional skills involved in making it, which some customers can appreciate.”
Marcus Lin does the Bob Loveless legend proud with this send-up of the famed integral Loveless Chute Knife. The steel is mirror-polished D2 with a satin finish on the flats of the bolsters. Scales are Sambar stag and a synthetic ivory plug sets off the bolsters. (PointSeven image)
What Is An Integral Knife?
Integral knives, short of the addition of handle scales, are literally sculpted from one piece of steel. Making a knife in this way presents difficult challenges not found in making knives in separate parts, and soldering or screwing them together.
Imagine grinding not only the blade with all its intricacies, but the handle, guard and pommel from one solid piece of steel and sculpting it to perfection. Such a knife is called an integral and any knifemaker who’s ever made one will tell you it’s a whole new ballgame.
How Integral Knives Are Made
“The primary difficulty for me is getting rid of the stock,” Lin relates. “You start out with a couple pounds of tool steel and the finished knife is several ounces. Bob [Loveless]‘s original integrals were made on his horizontal mill. I use a full-size Jet [Bridgeport clone] vertical milling machine, angle grinder, band saw and my 2×72 grinder to make mine. I try to make them as close as possible to Bob’s originals.”
Davidson makes no bones about the difficulty he faces in constructing a one-piece knife.
Several views of the “Psycho-Tron” integral hatchet from Edmund Davidson’s Safari Trio appear here. This monster was cut from a 7/8-inch-thick piece of CPM 154 stainless steel. Jere Davidson engraved it. (PointSeven image)
“It takes tenacity to build an integral,” Davidson stresses. “You start with a block of steel instead of a strip. You must have the equipment to saw the knife out and machine it. You’re working with all the basics that go into a complete knife in one single piece of steel. The complexities are physically and mentally demanding, and it’s very labor intensive because of the vast amounts of filing and sanding—not to mention hand rubbing the finish.
“There are so many aspects of making an integral that are not associated with making a standard knife.”
