Information


All the knives you will see on this site is hand forged and one of a kind.I test 1 knife out of 30 to the point of destruction.I test each blade before finishing it,and every knife is tested again before being offered for sale.
I try to get the blade grinds perfect,and the fit and finish as good as I can.I also spend a fair amount of time working on new designs.A knife should be well designed as well as having good steel and craftsmanship.I try to keep my prices as reasonable as possible.
I sometimes accept custom orders for Bowies,Fighters,Daggers and Hunters.
I prefer natural handle materials,and fancy hardwoods and burls are my favorite.
I only use carbon steels.Some of the steels I use is 1075,1080,1084,5160,and 1095.
I am now experimenting with making Damascus steel.But it will be a while before I have anything for sale in Damascus.

My knives are made  mostly by hand using tools such as files,scrapers and lots of sandpaper.I have power tools and use them for only a small percentage of the work.Every blade is forged by hand using a 4lb hammer,then 2lb hammers.After forging,every blade is normalized at least 3 times and annealed.Then I use a angle grinder to remove the scale.I then,sometimes use a scraping tool,similar to the tool bladesmiths used hundreds of years ago,to thin out the blade a little.I then use a 2" x 48" belt sander.I sand the blade to about 150 grit before hardening.After hardening,the blades are double or triple tempered,then tested for edge holding and toughness.Then the blades are hand sanded to a nice polish(I do not mirror polish).If the knife was differential hardened or  differential tempered,I will etch the blade to reveal a temperline.I especially like temperlines because of their beauty,and also,the quality of a blade is apparent with a temperline.Nothing is hidden.
I do all handle and sheath work myself as well.I am beginning to do a lot of carving with my handles.The style of carving I prefer is vines and leaves.I also carve nice lines into some handles.I have carved more oak leaves than anything.

I especially like to design graceful knives.Most of the knives I have designed,I usually try to think of how the design could be at its most beautiful and most functional.Some of the knives on this site are custom designs.I make my best knives when I have some control over the design.I usually put a lot of detail into my own designed knives.

Whether the knife is an art knife or a fairly simple knife,I try to make the most of the design.

I make mostly Bowies,I especially like the classic ones.Daggers are perhaps my favorite knife.

Knives are guaranteed against defects in workmanship and materials,no guarantee against abuse.
I am not responsible for any injuries or damages which result from misuse or abuse of my knives.
 
Knife Testing

The last test knife went as follows:
I sharpened the knife to a razor edge.I then cut some free hanging 1" manilla rope several times.I cut through lots of 2 x 4's,and the edge did not dull any.I clamped the knife in a vise and attached a pipe to the handle for leverage.I then bent the knife to at least 90 degrees.The knife came back to about 25 degrees.I straightened the knife and flexed it again,and to date I have done this about 15 or so times with this same knife.It has no cracks,whatsoever.
A little while back I took this knife and laid its edge to a small mild steel anvil(very soft steel) and hammered on the back with a hammer until its edge was cut deep into the anvil.(see pictures.)I took the knife out and again no cracks or chips,there was some wear marks where it was in the anvil.
The key to all of this is good steel,proper heat treatment and good edge geometry.The knife was fully hardened then triple tempered,and the edge was placed in water and the back was softened with a torch.This leaves the blade with good spring and toughness.But the resulting temperline does not show up real well.Another key to good blade flex is to have all sharp corners rounded and no scratches in the blade.This blade was handsanded to 400 grit before testing.I sand the blades before hardening too.A distal taper also helps in the 90 degree bend test.The distal taper makes the bend more even,instead of bending square.
This knife was treated the same as most of my blades.The only difference is the corners are a little rounder and edge is just a little thicker.Most of my knives are very thin at the edge to be used for very fine cutting,but if you want it for rougher use,just let me know and I can make the knife a little thicker at the edge when I make it.It will still have excellent cutting ability.I test edge holding ability by cutting manilla rope.The best knife I ever tested for edge holding ability was a 1084 steel blade.The knife in the pictures below is a 5160 blade.But I could get equal results from most of the 10XX steels.I will do another test knife soon,and write up the results.The next one will have a clay temperline,because I make more clay tempered knives than anything right now.


                                                                                Knife in small mild steel anvil





Above: The knife after bending 90 degrees several         Above: The knife removed from the anvil.Notice
times.                                                                                         the cut in the anvil.Also notice the edge.
                                                                                                  wear marks are visible,but no chips or
                                                                                                  dents in the blade.








A bowie blade after the edge put in water and            This is another way to get a hard edge/soft back
the back softened.                                                      The back is coated in clay.This method gives
                                                                                  better control of the temperline,also adds to the
                                                                                  appearance of the temperline.





Forging a Bowie                                 Carving a Handle


Custom Orders

I can make a knife to your own specifications.Please keep in mind that I only use carbon steels,and prefer natural handle materials.If you decide to have a knife custom made please be patient,it takes longer to make a knife than most people think.If I am running behind schedule,I will keep you updated with emails and/ or pictures of the knife in progress.I do the work by hand,all by myself.I do not have a factory.I focus on quality,not quantity.My prices are very reasonable.If you do decide to order a knife,please keep in mind,it will turn out much better if I am allowed some freedom with the design.




I accept International Money Orders,Personal Checks(will have to clear before shipping),and I accept payment by credit cards and banks through Paypal.









My address:
P.O.Box 143,
Bay Largent,Newfoundland(NL)
Canada
AOE-1BO


I will be adding new stuff to this website later,including more information.
Daggersmith@hotmail.com