- Joined
- Dec 19, 2000
- Messages
- 186
Ive been on vacation in Nova Scotia, and while up there I went to visit the Grohmann Knife factory and outlet in Pictou. Grohmann, in case you dont know, is the company that makes the Canadian D.H. Russell belt knife, which has a pretty unique design with a leaf-shaped blade.
Naturally I took the tour, and in parts it was fascinating. First, a big old hydraulic machine to stamp out blade blanks from 1/8-in. steel, then some further steps to refine the shape and detailing. At the end, there are six guys sitting at belt grinders doing everything from blade grinding to handle shaping to final polishing.
And the polishing was the best part. The tour guide explained that Grohmann makes their own buffing wheels. They dont sew them out of cotton, oh no. The crucial ingredient that makes up the outer section of the wheel is walrus hide. Thats right, walrus. She showed us a sample; after its tanned it gets down to only about an inch thick from the original 3 to 4 inches. They wrap the wheels in this, add a little polishing compound, and thats that. The wheels last about 10 years, they say. Grohmann started with two walrus hides they got from the Canadian government about 40 years ago, and theyre still working off of them!
Oh yes, the outlet store. They had lots of unique versions of their knives available that I hadnt seen before including red micarta handles, some very nice scrimshawed items, and a new folding version of their original Russell design just humongous. They also had one of these with a lovely stag handle at $285, which was more than I could consider spending, considering that I got laid off last week. (If the vacation hadnt been paid for, we probably wouldnt have come here at all.) But they had seconds at 50% off. The seconds were the kind of minor defects (handle cracks, etc.) that are in Uncle Bills blems, but very very minor. So I picked up a second of the original design, with rosewood handle, for $36. Canadian. Thats about $24 US, and a bargain in anyones book.
Alas, they didnt have any khukuris.
BTW, if anyone wants to get in touch with me directly for any reason, note that I have a new email address:
russkay@charter.net
Naturally I took the tour, and in parts it was fascinating. First, a big old hydraulic machine to stamp out blade blanks from 1/8-in. steel, then some further steps to refine the shape and detailing. At the end, there are six guys sitting at belt grinders doing everything from blade grinding to handle shaping to final polishing.
And the polishing was the best part. The tour guide explained that Grohmann makes their own buffing wheels. They dont sew them out of cotton, oh no. The crucial ingredient that makes up the outer section of the wheel is walrus hide. Thats right, walrus. She showed us a sample; after its tanned it gets down to only about an inch thick from the original 3 to 4 inches. They wrap the wheels in this, add a little polishing compound, and thats that. The wheels last about 10 years, they say. Grohmann started with two walrus hides they got from the Canadian government about 40 years ago, and theyre still working off of them!
Oh yes, the outlet store. They had lots of unique versions of their knives available that I hadnt seen before including red micarta handles, some very nice scrimshawed items, and a new folding version of their original Russell design just humongous. They also had one of these with a lovely stag handle at $285, which was more than I could consider spending, considering that I got laid off last week. (If the vacation hadnt been paid for, we probably wouldnt have come here at all.) But they had seconds at 50% off. The seconds were the kind of minor defects (handle cracks, etc.) that are in Uncle Bills blems, but very very minor. So I picked up a second of the original design, with rosewood handle, for $36. Canadian. Thats about $24 US, and a bargain in anyones book.
Alas, they didnt have any khukuris.
BTW, if anyone wants to get in touch with me directly for any reason, note that I have a new email address:
russkay@charter.net
Best of luck finding a new job.