DDR Shop tour

mndart

mndart

OH! Dog walker
Joined
Apr 16, 2004
Messages
1,869
Greetings!

I visited Darrel and Ryan last weekend. I brought my camera in and took some pix. It is always amazing to me to witness all of the work that goes into making these bali's, sidewinders and fixed blades we all love so much. My hat is off to DDR and to all of the knifemakers we know for the fine work they all do to provide us with our tools and toys :D.

My thanks to Darrel for being such a great host and good sport !!

Enjoy the tour!

Click here for a random tour!!
 
Thanks for the tour. Great pics.
I recognize a set of bali handles and a blade that are getting ready for a DLC treatment. :D
 
Great shop tour,that Pirella/Ralph design is awesome! Zaza's work is stunning,there collaboration is something to behold. :eek: Thanks. :D
 
Thank you so very much for posting pix of your shop tour!! Those were awesome!! It was fun checking those pix out too!!
 
Man, that shop tour is a reminder that these things don't fall together on their own, that's a lot of work!

Pretty things coming out of dirty places LOL, noisy too...

Those new designs look great (as do the old).

Frank H.
 
The hard-working machinery is only exceeded by the hard-working hands. :thumbup: That's a lot of work and thought that goes into these pieces.

I've never met Virgil, but Ryan is AAA+ in my book.

Thanks. That was gratifying. :)

Coop
 
What a great trip. Good to finally catch a view of Bruno too!
Thanks for going to the trouble of getting those up.
 
wow....what an amazing shop...man...sure does bring on the drool, eh?!
 
I know a little bit about knifemaking, from a hands on perspective.

What separates Mr. Ralph's knives from that of say, Chris Reeve's knives or William Henry's knives in terms of "semi production" or "bench crafting" other than maybe more varied designs being offered from Mr. Ralph?

Not stirring the pot to be contrary, but I am interested in a response from all that care to make one.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
What separates Mr. Ralph's knives from that of say, Chris Reeve's knives or William Henry's knives in terms of "semi production" or "bench crafting" other than maybe more varied designs being offered from Mr. Ralph?
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For starters, with Darrel you can get a multitude of options like finish, blade steel, embellishment etc. that you cannot get on a Reeve. Also, as opposed to Reeve, the designs are always changing and evolving, not static.

William Henry knives are high quality, but as you know, they do not grind or heat treat their blades, but in reality are an assembly/embellishment studio of the highest caliber. They are not the only knife company that doesn't make the bulk of their components in-house.

With Darrel Ralph, you get a one stop custom shop. Darrel can forge, embellish and grind any way you want. If you want to restrict your order to a current pattern or have him build you a completely one-off custom he can do that too, but I am sure the price would be higher. Although Darrel uses automated machinery (CNC) to blank out parts and blades the knives still have a degree of handwork comparable or better than traditionally crafted custom knives. I remember a few years ago when Darrel was struggling with the technology aspect of knifemaking and really took the plunge into CNC so he could better deliver high-quality knives to customers in a timely fashion. I think that is a pretty good reason. As long as a maker is upfront with the way their knives are made I could really care less how they are do it.

If your pockets are deep enough I would guess that Darrel would design a "one off" knife for you if thats what you wanted, but that is not really what he does.
 
What a wonderful tour! Thank you!

And I think I spotted a little something with my name on it in there...
 
SharpByCoop said:
The hard-working machinery is only exceeded by the hard-working hands. :thumbup: That's a lot of work and thought that goes into these pieces.

I've never met Virgil, but Ryan is AAA+ in my book.

Thanks. That was gratifying. :)

Coop
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Hey JB Bro!! My Cheyenne is still home. Good to hear from you.

Gollnick, I will give you an update if still there next week... A "your piece in process" pic?:thumbup: :confused:
 
Kohai999 said:
I know a little bit about knifemaking, from a hands on perspective.

What separates Mr. Ralph's knives from that of say, Chris Reeve's knives or William Henry's knives in terms of "semi production" or "bench crafting" other than maybe more varied designs being offered from Mr. Ralph?

Not stirring the pot to be contrary, but I am interested in a response from all that care to make one.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Hi Steven! Great question. Everything Anthony said; plus... You can call Darrel or define to Darrel online what you want within a design of his and he will make your dream knife come true. I am working on my custom DDR right now and Darrel is spending the time needed with me to make sure we get it right. Darrel engages directly with you throughout the process. I am unfamiliar with how Mr Reeve or the WH boys do it.. so I cannot compare.

I am not working on some super exotic custom, I just want a carrier that works for well for me and also looks right for me. Darrel wants to see to it that I am happy with the knife I carry.

Hope this helps,

Dan
 
Never mind the debate, I'd kill for a shop like that! No seriously, anyone need someone offed?:rolleyes: :D
 
Thanks for the pics.

That place is sweet! I can just picture what that place would look like before a show. Probably verrrrry messy.

That was one big balisong there. Would that one happen to have Gollnick's name on it?
 
Thanks for sharing those pictures.

Regarding Darrel Ralph's methods and tools, it looks to me like he's using the best tools available to make the best knives he can make. And in that regard he's no different than the finest craftsmen of centuries and millennia past.
 
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