It's been a while since I started this blog, so I thought it might be of value to those reading it to reintroduce my knives.
I started making knives part-time about four years ago. Bob Loveless' book, "How to Make Knives" introduced me to knife making and gave me my start. Over the past four years my ability has improved and many of my methods have changed, but my goal from the very first knife to my most current knife has been consistent: To make the best working knives currently available.
Initially, all my knives were made from O1 tool steel and I used a variety of different woods for the handles. In January of this year I switched to Crucible's stainless CPM154CM because of its ability to retain an edge, its relative ease of sharpening compared to some of the "super" steels, and its ability to resist corrosion. I grind all my blades free-hand from precision ground flat stock without the use of jigs or fixtures. With the exception of heat treating and cryogenic tempering, all work- blade, handle, and sheath is performed solely by me. In my shop I have a drill press, a band saw, a disc sander, and a 2x72 grinder. You won't find a Water-Jet cutter or CNC machines in my shop, everything is done by hand.
I have started to gravitate away from wood and to Micarta for handles. I will still work with wood (preference being Desert Ironwood), but I have seen what Western Washington's rain storms do to a wooden handle that wasn't dried after use. I reconditioned that knife back to new, but that incident was the catalyst for moving towards Micarta. I do, however, like to periodically try different materials and have some jigged bone scales in the shop waiting for caping/ bird and trout blades to return from heat treat.
My sheaths are made in-house. I use 8/9 oz leather and each sheath is hand stitched. Like my knives, the sheaths have evolved over time. Each sheath is wet-formed to the specific knife for retention and there is a small cam built into the welt as an additional aid in knife retention. My sheaths are relatively plain, as I'm not sure how a wet-formed sheath can be tooled. Like the late Bob Loveless, I am more interested in retaining the knife in the sheath than fancy tooling of the leather. The final step I employ with every sheath is to heat the sheath and apply a liberal amount of leather conditioner containing bee's wax. This temporarily softens the sheath, allowing me work the sheath to the knife one last time. Of course the conditioner also waterproofs the sheath.
My knives have been used extensively by a group of very experienced hunters in North America, Africa, and Asia. My methods and material use continue to evolve, but my goal remains the same. If you are interested in purchasing a custom knife, I can be reached at baumgartknives@gmail.com
Lee
