Post your Andre Thorburns!!!

thales2015

thales2015

Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
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Andre Thorburn's knife-making skills are simply outstanding - in aesthetics/fit & finish, build quality, and perhaps most famously - smoothness. So, I thought it would be fun to start a thread in his honor, so to speak. Post pics or your Thorburns and/or discuss his work. I'm curious to see who else follows or collects his knives.

Here's a few to get the IKBS ball rolling :)

L54 (Lightning strike carbon-fiber handles and engraved zirconium bolsters w/gold inlay - Julien Marchal)





L51 (Carbon-fiber handles with blue anodized titanium liners)





L50 (G-10 handles, engraved bolster - Julien Marchal)



L40 (Carbon-fiber handles, engraved bolsters - Julien Marchal)



 
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Who'd you expect to be the first poster? :D

L51
23EC21CC-E5C9-4223-B088-23FFC845BD98_zpsgf6ferhf.jpg


D11D1C86-011A-4635-982E-BF30EECB23D8_zpss0xabylm.jpg


L44
86DA9ACA-C703-4721-8A9B-FDBBFFCBA52B_zpsb6mc8z8k.jpg


58DD77F5-B63B-4797-95CC-E6CF8CBC77D1_zpsxxwrrwgo.jpg


I wish I could hire André as my personal knifemaker:)
 
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Man, one of these days...
Is he(and Andre Van?) the only one making these front flippers? I'm surprised the concept hasn't become more popular.
Also I love the engraved bolsters. I'm not usually one for "fancy" knives(for lack of a better word), but that is one I would proudly carry.
Okay maybe "embellished" would be a better description.
Anyways that is a very nice collection.
 
While I have never owned one.
My wife and I spoke to him for a little while at our first knife show. Was totally awesome.
He said if I was willing to move I could be his apprentice and take over. Lol. Wish I said ok!
What a great guy with great advice.
Matt
 
SadSappySucker said:
Man, one of these days...
Is he(and Andre Van?) the only one making these front flippers? I'm surprised the concept hasn't become more popular.
Also I love the engraved bolsters. I'm not usually one for "fancy" knives(for lack of a better word), but that is one I would proudly carry.
Okay maybe "embellished" would be a better description.
Anyways that is a very nice collection.
Click to expand...

John Arnold, Clyde Challenor (find Clyde in the custom/hm forum)...
They make em' too:thumbup:

There's others I've saw, I just can't remember all the names.
 
Blues Bender said:
Who'd you expect to be the first poster? :D
Click to expand...
I was hoping you'd catch this thread! :) Nice work!

SadSappySucker said:
Man, one of these days...
Is he(and Andre Van?) the only one making these front flippers? I'm surprised the concept hasn't become more popular.
Also I love the engraved bolsters. I'm not usually one for "fancy" knives(for lack of a better word), but that is one I would proudly carry.
Okay maybe "embellished" would be a better description.
Anyways that is a very nice collection.
Click to expand...
Yah - see Blues Bender's comment - John Arnold is one I'm more familiar with and his work is truly up there as well, he deserves more recognition as he's doing really cool stuff.

BellaBlades said:
While I have never owned one.
My wife and I spoke to him for a little while at our first knife show. Was totally awesome.
He said if I was willing to move I could be his apprentice and take over. Lol. Wish I said ok!
What a great guy with great advice.
Matt
Click to expand...
Yah - I had the chance to meet him and Andre Van Heerden a number of months ago and they are really great. Man, you definitely should have said YES! :) Their collaboration pieces are amazing - quite "tactical" but still with a "gentlemanly" quality - the new ones have two rows of ceramic IKBS ball-bearings (i.e. they will never corrode). This is the latest from them and I think it only appears in the A3 collaboration pieces.
 
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BellaBlades said:
While I have never owned one.
My wife and I spoke to him for a little while at our first knife show. Was totally awesome.
He said if I was willing to move I could be his apprentice and take over. Lol. Wish I said ok!
What a great guy with great advice.
Matt
Click to expand...

Matt, you know what's funny? André is from Bela-Bela:p
 
I only have a John Arnold at the moment, but I've always liked what I've seen of Thorburn's work. Have an order in with Clyde as well :D

Loving the front flipper.

IMG_1203-XL.jpg


IMG_1205-XL.jpg
 
Blues Bender said:
John Arnold, Clyde Challenor (find Clyde in the custom/hm forum)...
They make em' too:thumbup:

There's others I've saw, I just can't remember all the names.
Click to expand...

Gareth Bull makes some great front flippers as well! The front flipper seems to be a South African thing. Most of their makers have at least a couple of models with a front flipper.

Anyways, here is mine

 
slorenzo said:
Gareth Bull makes some great front flippers as well! The front flipper seems to be a South African thing. Most of their makers have at least a couple of models with a front flipper.

Anyways, here is mine

Click to expand...

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's where the idea originated. I don't know who started it, but I do know this: South Africa's knife laws are really strict, and prohibit any thum studs/holes, flippers, assisted opening, etc, etc. it's really strict out there:)

The knife makers started making manual folders that had an "elongated blade tang" that extended north of the pivot, and was used to open the knife with your thumb or index finger. These weren't flippers mind you, but manual knives. Although they were manual, you would open them just like you would a front flipper.

Since custom makers make custom knives, flippers became the rage, and they slapped some bearings on these manual folders, fine tuned the lockbar and detent, and Voilà! Front flippers were born!
 
Blues Bender said:
Actually, I'm pretty sure that's where the idea originated. I don't know who started it, but I do know this: South Africa's knife laws are really strict, and prohibit any thum studs/holes, flippers, assisted opening, etc, etc. it's really strict out there:)

The knife makers started making manual folders that had an "elongated blade tang" that extended north of the pivot, and was used to open the knife with your thumb or index finger. These weren't flippers mind you, but manual knives. Although they were manual, you would open them just like you would a front flipper.

Since custom makers make custom knives, flippers became the rage, and they slapped some bearings on these manual folders, fine tuned the lockbar and detent, and Voilà! Front flippers were born!
Click to expand...

I really appreciate reading your posts. You always provide great insight! Thanks for contributing so much to blade forums.
 
Andre is making a custom lefty L36L with double row bearings for me now. He'll be shipping it from Miami when he comes for the show down there near the end of the month. Needless to say I am exceedingly phsyched and am chomping at the bit..............
 
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