My knifemaking hobby page.
This is me with the second knife I made. It is a relatively heavy neck knife (late Engnath's "Super Chubby" blade), handle wrapped and epoxy soaked.
About my hobby.
I was fascinated with knives (and other sharp objects) practically as long as I care to remember. I had only a couple of knives over the years, and the best of them I took with me when I left Russia. Here is the picture of it. It is custom made and is a gift from my mother-in-law(!).
However, I can say that I really caught the "knife bug" soon after I came to live in the US (NYC). Since then I gradually acquired (and continue to expand) a small library of books on custom and antique knives and swords, archaeology of weapons, etc.
At some point I realized that I cannot afford to collect the kind of knives I would like to collect (really good customs). On the other hand, MAKING knives is quite affordable and much more fun!
As I live in a small attached house (Brooklyn, NY), things like forging or power grinding are out of question, so I am mostly limited to buying blades and doing the rest of the job with hand tools only. In this way I completed several knifemaking projects, the first two of them with the late great Bob Engnath's blades. Actually it was his excellent catalog-manual that got me started, and I would like to acknowledge my appreciation of what he did for me and probably for hundreds of other beginning knife enthusiasts as well.
Relatively recently I worked out a compact setup to heat treat small (under 4") blades of may own (filed to shape) and made several knives from scratch.For the last couple of years I'm concentrating mostly on historically inspired projects: Japanese, Anglo-Saxon and Viking. These are a lot of fun since they require some historical research to get them right!
A 2007 update - for the last couple of years I have been concentrating on my baby daughter (and work, of course), rather then any hobbies... But I am trying to find some time for knifemaking again - see the XIIIc knife from London below, that I finally managed to finish.
Anglo-Saxon / Viking.
A Viking Woman's Knife from Gotland.
Japanese Style Knives and Swords.
Sunzumari Tanto, Samenuri Koshirae.
Hamidashi with KC Tanto blade.
Naginata-naoshi Wakizashi, based on KC Naginata blade.
"Chiisagatana" sword, based on Practical Katana blade.
"Butterfly" tanto with Chen blade.
"Baby Naginata" with KC blade.
My first full Koshirae, for Kris Cutlery Tanto blade.
Other knifemaking projects.
This is the first knife I made!
4.5" Engnath -
ground ATS-34 blade ("Sharpie"), hand polished to 600 grit.
Handle is of stag and brass, with leather spacers.
Last knife - interesting small skinner / neck knife (sorry no thumbnail pic).
Cute little knife.
3" Swedish carbon
steel blade, 6.5" OAL.
Handle - stained maple and stag.
The same
knife in its sheath.
Wet formed thick leather, tightly fitted to the knife, in the Scandinavian style.
Dagger(kind of medieval or rather fantasy).
8.75" 6A blade.
Stacked handle of brass, stag, leather, buffalo horn.
Dagger in its sheath.
The sheath are wood lined, covered with leather.
Dagger on my
belt.
Puukko (Finnish style knife).
4.5" Brusletto laminated blade.
Ample handle of birdseye maple.
Puukko on my belt.
The sheath are wet formed to fit the knife, and as close to traditional as I could get them.
Boot dagger.
3.5" 6A blade. Stag scales
with nickel silver pins.
The sheath have a clip on the back side.
My Tactical Kitchen Knife.
Click on the
picture to read about my interpretation of "Tactical Kitchen Knife" concept.
Little utility knife in burled cherry wood.
3" drop point, flat
ground blade of 1/8" 1095.
Handle is stacked leather and cherry burl, with nickel silver and buffalo horn.
The sheath is of the same
piece of wood, with a buffalo horn mouth tightly fitted to the blade ricasso.
Links.
SWORDFORUM - great online magazine and even better discussion forum!
Bladeforums - the best place to talk knives on the Net!
Kris Cutlery - the best of relatively inexpensive swords. Great value for the money, and you can cut things with them!
Ragnar's Ragweed Forge - great source for Scandinavian knives and blades, plus some knifemaking supplies.
Custom Knife Directory (CKD) - great forums for all aspects of knife mmaking and custom knives appreciation!
Please let me know what you think of my knives and my page.
I would really appreciate any comments.
