Curt Erickson / Julie Warenski - (3) knives

SharpByCoop

SharpByCoop

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I got a call from Curt Erickson a month ago, asking if I had time to do three of his knives. "Sure. Send them along...." Not much further in conversation, as I said I'd call him to go over the project when they arrive (something I usually do.)

Upon receiving the box, I open it up, and, not knowing of the maker, I am assuming these might be a couple of hunters or something....

Here is the first one I take out:

(click to enlarge)

(Blade: 6", 11" OAL,)

Then this one:


(Blade 8", 12¼" OAL)

And a final:


(Blade 6½", OAL 11¼")

To say I was floored was mild. Upon later conversations as I talked to Curt (who I now found out has married Julie Warenski) and I asked him about some of his history, and wheter he was taking orders, etc. Apparently he's been around for a long while. He sent me this note, which I post with his permission:

Would love to have you post pic's anyplace you would like to. My knife career was born in the mid 1980's when I was taught the better part of
knifemaking from Buster (Warenski). I was the only person to spend a lot of time in his shop with him. I then became the youngest voting member of the Knifemakers Guild at age 23. I later took some time off to pursue a job in law
enforcement.

I am now ready to retire and wanted to get my knife business back on track. I was asked by Julie in the fall of 2005 to give her some pointers on knifemaking (blade grinding). Buster had passed away and she wanted to be a knifemaker. She wanted to learn the way Buster had done things in the knife shop. We obviously had a lot in common and were later married in Aug 2006.

I am now going to pursue knifemaking full time once I retire, so until then (two years) I will not be taking orders. All the knives you have seen will be taken to the Solvang show for sale. I hope to have a web site up and going by May this year. My love is the art type daggers but I make many diffrent type of knives.

Thanks for your interest in my work and your kind help.
Best Regards,
Curt
Click to expand...

I am happy for BOTH of these artists, and it's pleasing to see this style so wonderfully made.

(FYI--Curt is from Ogden UT, and you may reach him at curtericksonknives AT msn.com)

Coop
 
As Keith, all very nice, but crazy about that Fighter. Julie has made some beautiful pieces herself since Buster's passing. Knife Art's had a couple simular to the above.

Coop, thanks for taking the time to share these.
 
Nice to see a continuation of Warenski style knives . More reason for me to go to Solvang. Thanks for the info and pics Coop.
 
Hey, Coop more great photos. I had wondered what happened to Curt. He is a great knifemaker. glad to see that there is a great new partnership to produce wonderful Warenski style knives -- Julie and Curt. Back in the '80's I had always loved the EricKson knives but they were out of my price range so when going to the '88 Guild show in Orlando, my first purchase was a similar styled dagger from Fred Slee

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Hopefully, one day, one of Curts will find its way into my collection.
 
What outstanding workmanship! I've had the pleasure of meeting Curt and have known Julie for a few years, a marriage of two fine people and great artisans.

Win
 
Jeeeeez.....those are REALLY nice. Something about that purple burl and engraving on the second really strikes me and i dont usually like engraving much at all!
 
Hi Murray, thanks for the nod. Like yourself, I met Fred Slee, and few makers have that same sense of flow that the above knives have. Fred does. Thanks for the addition.

David - That purple burl is a stone called 'sugalite'. That knife has some heft!

Thanks for the props back. I will direct Curt to this thread. He'll enjoy your words. :thumbup:

Coop
 
A stone, huh? Looks just like dyed wood! I bet thats hefty...dropping that one might be a total loss :)
 
Thanks Coop, just stunning.

I think is is time for you to produce a glossy picture book of your knife pornography. I am ready to help you make it a reality and buy the first copy.

P
 
Craftsmanship is impeccable, grinds look elegant, complete package is fantastic.

That being said, the top two knives simply look like Warenski knives with another artist's name on the blade. Uninspired, or unimaginative are two descriptions that come to mind.

A caveat would be if they are intended as an homage. If that is the case, then job well done!

The fighter needs some tweaking, IMO. The guard should be longer(from top to bottom), the overall handle is about 1/2" too long, and the "ears" on the guard need trimming. Although they provide a canvas for Julie's amazing engraving, they don't look right. Mr. Erickson, being from Utah, should have no problems conferring with Mssrs Johnson or Young for some helpful hints.

Great foundation work, better than 90% of what I have seen attempted in the realm.

Studying with Buster, working with Julie, and working in that style, raises the bar of expectations to the point that it better be "WOW" or don't even try.

Best Regards,

Steven Garsson
 
I love the fighter. I am not a fan of leaf blade daggers, but those are obviously nice. I wouldn't have chosen this stone for the handle though, but hey, that's me.
 
Now that Curt has some pictures, I can get to work on his site:) Also redo-ing Julie's site to bring things current. There will also be a memorial section for Buster with pics of his work.

Coop, expect an email from me in the next 24...need some stuff;)

Love that fighter, too!
 
Curt's work was great 20 years ago. He has a lot of knives in the Points of Interest books.

His dad made very nice knives as well.

I wonder if he remembers that I ordered a couple of Daggers from him in 1988..probably not.

WWG
 
I talked to Curt and Julie at the Solvang show. Both of them were very pleasant to chat with. I almost bought a fighter they had, similar to the one shown in this thread. In my opinion, the fit and finish on Curt's knives is really, really nice.
 
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