I was born in 1945 and I have been fascinated with knives since I started whittling them out of popsicle sticks. The first attempt at a real knife was while in the Navy. I tried to make one out of a file on the bench grinder. I had to wait until I was retiring from the Navy to meet Gene Chapman and watch him do some forging to know that this was fun.
I really got started in 1988 with a forge made out of fire bricks and a propane torch. I've been banging on steel ever since, hopefully getting better with time and experience. I attended the bladesmith school at Washington, Arkansas, with Wayne Goddard as instructor and mentor, since I figured if I was going to make knives I should start at the beginning. That's where the flint knapping comes into it all. I prefer the older American style of knives, like the ones from the 1650s to the 1870s, from colonial times through the fur trapper era to the old cowboy West. Those guys knew knives, since they were not only an everday tool, but weapons, as well.
 | This knife was created from a picture supplied by the customer of a knife from the 1700s. The sheath was not shown, so it is based on my research and interpretation. |
 | I reproduced this folder from the original, which I studied for a couple of months after I bought it. I made the handle in two parts, the first time to get the look right, and the second time to perfect it. The blade was made as close to the original as I could make it without taking it apart. It took some time to get the tang to work properly. The knife is held together by rivets made from nails. The blade on the reproduction is damascus, while the handle is water buffalo horn. The original blade was steeled iron, and the handle was sheep or goat horn. |
 | This is the first knife I ever made. The blade was forged from a Nicholson file that dated from WWII. I made it in 1988. The handle is made of whitetail deer antler from a deer shot by my uncle for freeloading in his garden in Arkansas. This was my own effort (and the muse). |
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Web: http://www.flash.net/~jbknives