We make two different classes of knives here.
Our production knives are:
* Made from parts that are stamped
* Made from parts that require not much work to assembe and finish
* made in a very similar way to those in other factory settings
* the production knives are available all the time and are not done in any limited runs, in fact, we may make thousands of production knives if they are ordered and there is no limit to the number
* also, our production knives are made with excellent material, but not exhibition grade material
Our custom knives, or we like to call them our "handmades" are:
* first, cut out with a wire edm so that all the parts are very precise
* the parts are cut in limited quantities
* every run of knives is a limited edition either by way of style, handle material or other embellishment
* we only use exhibition grade material, which has been hand selected, cut and prepared here in our facility
* the blades are essentially hand-ground, which is a little tough to explain, except that we grind the blades to .005" at the edge and only the human hand can make that happen
* all the handle material is meticulously adapted to the liners to maximize color and stability
* all the pins are drilled and put in by hand, and then hand-peened. We do not use riveting machines. Because we work with high end materials like ivory, pearl and stag, the peening is all done by hand so the handle material is not damaged
* the interiors of the liners, springs, secondary liners and lanyard pins are all hand cleaned, sanded and polished
* then each knife is assembled, by hand, one at a time, making sure that everything fits perfectly
* there is little hafting or blending of material and metal because the parts are cut so well
* our emphasis is on fit and finish. We began with the best materials available, prepared them in the most exacting way, and we want the end result to be spectacular
* There is a small team that makes these handmades. No one person does just one job. Each person checks the others' work and it is a constant monitoring and putting new eyes on that knife so it comes out right
* The final fit and finish is my responsibility. I will check everything and if something isn't right, it does not move forward.
* The blade or blades are hand rubbed
* I sharpen all the blades by hand, using only two ceramic stones and a leather strop
* Then the knives are cleaned, checked again, and polished with Reniasance Wax for that special look and for the protection of the handle material
* The handmades all come with a leather sheath with a belt clip
* they also come with any material certification, whether it be for the mammoth ivory, elephant ivory or other exotic material
* All the handmades have lanyard pins built into the end so a lanyard can be used, or not, depending on the owners preference
* we only make limited numbers of each pattern. In the case of our gents folder, we will make this short run of ten each. Then we will make one more run of 100 each with the single and double bolster in blue/green/black mammoth ivory. Then we will make 100 of each in sambar stag. That will be all for this year.
* The runs will be marked and the blades lasered
We have several other patterns and are coming out with new ones as quickly as we reasonably can. Some patterns will be production class. Most will be handmade or custom class, made in limited editions only. We spend a great deal of time and energy on the research and design of the handmades. Then we spend even more time in the execution of those custom knives.
We use only ivory, pearl and premium stag in our handmades. We use only ivory and high grade stag in our production class knives. We use no bone, plastic or man made materials.
I hope that gives you some idea of what we are all about. I do the research and design on the knives and I'm interested in faithful production of classic and our own "new classic" patterns. We have been working nearly two years, and these are the first knives that we are offering just now. I am not interested in being a big company. I'm interested in making something you will fall in love with. It's like cars and girls, a love affair. It's supposed to be fun for you, and it better be fun for me. If not, I'm out of the business. That's why the ivory and stag. Lots of people making great things in bone out there. I'm in love with ivory and stag, so that's what we will use for the most part.
Sorry for the long response, but it's hard to explain the effort put into these handmades and even into our production knives.
Like I said before................it's all a love affair.
Keep Good Care,
Pappy
(My name is Tim, but all my friends call me Pappy)
