barcbsa
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2000
- Messages
- 1,253
Back in 1975, my wife drove from Rochester, NY to Nova Scotia to visit a friend and tour the province. We had a small local tour book and it suggested getting a tour of a local knife shop in Pictou.
About 3 months earlier I had just purchased a Buck Folding Hunter because I was told the Buck made THE best knife in the world. Knowing nothing about knives, I bought the sales pitch hook, line, & sinker. Hell, I now had THE best knife in the world riding on my hip in it's sheath.
We arrived in Pictou and headed straight to the Grohmann Knife Company. They make their own line of knives as well as the D.H.Russell Canadian belt Knife. We got the tour, learned a bit about how knives were made and came away with a fascination of knife making, as well as a nice new kitchen knife for my mother-in-law.
When I got home, I went to a local book store and bought every book and magazine I could find on knives. I quickly became "addicted" to custom knives.
Since I was unemployed, newly married and just going back to college, I could never afford a custom knife... until I purchased my very first around 1977. It was a beautiful Jimmy Lile "Big 7" dropped point hunter ($90 !!!!!). It sat on my mantle over the fireplace for several years.
Since then, I've probably bought, sold and traded over 200 custom knives. I spend too much time on the internet... searching for knives, looking at them, and drooling... a true "addiction".
Last month, my wife and I went back to Nova Scotia (in our new van) and went back to Grohmann Knives. Got a tour of the shop (nothing has changed). I did have the opportunity to ask the guide a few questions.
1. What kind of steel do you use? "Stainless and non-stainless" was the answer. The guide refused to elaborate beyond that. My guess, 440A and 1095 or O-1.
2. After her explanation of their heat treating process (6 minutes at 2000 degrees for stainless... air cooled, 6 minutes at 1500 for non-stainless... oil cooled), I asked about tempering or annealing. Her response was "we don't do that". I was quite suprised at that answer.
It was a great trip and if you're ever up in Nova Scotia, I recommend you visit Grohmann.
Here are a few pics...
About 3 months earlier I had just purchased a Buck Folding Hunter because I was told the Buck made THE best knife in the world. Knowing nothing about knives, I bought the sales pitch hook, line, & sinker. Hell, I now had THE best knife in the world riding on my hip in it's sheath.
We arrived in Pictou and headed straight to the Grohmann Knife Company. They make their own line of knives as well as the D.H.Russell Canadian belt Knife. We got the tour, learned a bit about how knives were made and came away with a fascination of knife making, as well as a nice new kitchen knife for my mother-in-law.
When I got home, I went to a local book store and bought every book and magazine I could find on knives. I quickly became "addicted" to custom knives.
Since I was unemployed, newly married and just going back to college, I could never afford a custom knife... until I purchased my very first around 1977. It was a beautiful Jimmy Lile "Big 7" dropped point hunter ($90 !!!!!). It sat on my mantle over the fireplace for several years.
Since then, I've probably bought, sold and traded over 200 custom knives. I spend too much time on the internet... searching for knives, looking at them, and drooling... a true "addiction".
Last month, my wife and I went back to Nova Scotia (in our new van) and went back to Grohmann Knives. Got a tour of the shop (nothing has changed). I did have the opportunity to ask the guide a few questions.
1. What kind of steel do you use? "Stainless and non-stainless" was the answer. The guide refused to elaborate beyond that. My guess, 440A and 1095 or O-1.
2. After her explanation of their heat treating process (6 minutes at 2000 degrees for stainless... air cooled, 6 minutes at 1500 for non-stainless... oil cooled), I asked about tempering or annealing. Her response was "we don't do that". I was quite suprised at that answer.
It was a great trip and if you're ever up in Nova Scotia, I recommend you visit Grohmann.
Here are a few pics...
