Ray Rantanen knives

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rprocter

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i like the look of knives made by Ray Rantanen of Athol, Idaho. before taking the plunge and ordering a knife, i have searched Bladeforums and find no posts on his knives. i would like to hear the opinions and experience of those who have 1 or more of his knives. thanks, roland
 
yes, it's ebay where i see his knives. his website explains how he makes his damascus. talked with Ray this evening and bought a knife he had just finished (pic. not on website). just under 8" long with 3 1/4" damascus blade and handle of oosik, mammoth ivory and red stag antler; brass guard and butt cap, with lanyard hole. i think it looks stunning (in younger parlance: awesome) and small enough to EDC. he says "performance first, beauty second" and feedback on performance is impressive. i'll post pics when it arrives. i think folks here are really going to like it. roland
 
Roland,
Since info on him seems to be lacking around here, I would appreciate any pics and maybe even a review of it here when you finally do get it.

When you talked to him, did he by chance mention anything about why he doesn't come to BF to sell his stuff? Just wondering...
 
Hmmmm....some nice looking damascus, but I really don't like the style of the guards on most of the knives.
 
the info on his website (link in above post) is interesting; makes his own damascus; making knives for nearly 30 years; an impressive curriculum vitae of metallurgy PhD and aerospace research; beautiful knives (i like the "heavy" guard); and awesome feedback, esp. from Alaskan guide.
however, following his ebay listings, shows that many do not sell readily despite a very fair asking price; and it's amazing that among all the knife aficionados at BF, no one seems to know of him or own one of his knives.
pics of my knife are on computer at another home. i'll work on getting them posted here and really want to here feedback from more experienced 'knifers".
i did ask Ray if it is o.k. to post about the knife here; he said sure, but did not know of BladeForums.
 
The very first "custom" knife I ever bought was one of Ray's railroad spike models (the second was a Primos camp knife I got from our very own nifrand). It is very well finished, air-bleedingly sharp, and reminds me of my childhood "knives" that we would make by putting spikes on the tracks for the trains to flatten. His damascus looks great, but I am not fond of the materials he tends to use for handles.

Rick
 
rprocter said:
and it's amazing that among all the knife aficionados at BF, no one seems to know of him or own one of his knives.
......
i did ask Ray if it is o.k. to post about the knife here; he said sure, but did not know of BladeForums.
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"We" i.e. Bladeforums custom knife forum, are only a small sample of the buyers, collectors, and users out there ...... great thing about customs is that it attracts the individualists. It only takes one collector to bring a maker to everyones attention, so don't let popularity put you off if the design and workmanship floats you boat!

Stephen
 
thanks Stephen for the reassurance. i'm a real novice in custom knives and usually if i'm the only one interested in a knife it is because others know something i don't. i really like the look of Ray's knives and am v. happy i have one coming (is in the mail already). i really like his statement that performance comes first, beauty second, as this will be my EDC fixed blade and it is also my first exposure to Damascus.
i agree that most knife makers are likely to be strong individualists as it must take an incredible amount of determination and self reliance to become a competant knife maker. most folks (like me) are quite content to just buy a nice knife. i'll post; i still think folks will be impressed. roland
 
I don't know why it is, but I tend to avoid makers that market on ebay. I know it's just another vehicle for selling one's knives, but something about a heavy presence on ebay turns me right off.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I don't know why it is, but I tend to avoid makers that market on ebay. I know it's just another vehicle for selling one's knives, but something about a heavy presence on ebay turns me right off.
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well, if you live in a remote rural area (like much of Idaho), ebay is the best way to show your knives to a lot of people. plus it saves a lot of travelling to knife shows, retailers, etc. trying to market your knives.
i live in a community of about 60 people and it's a 2 hr. drive to the nearset town of any size (~ pop. !2,000). the internet is the only way for me to find knives and ebay is a great source. roland
 
When you receive your knife you should check the following areas to reassure yourself of the workmanship:

The Basics:

- Allignment and geometry - spine, blade, and handle should line up straight, and square with the guard.
- Ask the maker how he fixes the handle, chemically (epoxy), mechanically (pins), or both. There should be no play, gaps or roughness at the joints or pins.
- Same for the guard ... if welded, check the seam.
- Damascus - check for gaps/cracks in the weld seams between layers.
- Blade grinds should be symmetrical and consistent, without waves.
- Plunges should be even and symmetrical.
- Plunges, Ricasso and choil should be finished into the inner radius.
- surface finish should be consistent.
- Of course a good edge, with a nice level of retention, and heat treat is the real test of the blade.

Of course as makers become more proficient their level of ability to deliver closer to prefection in these areas also develops. This is reflected often in pricing and you should adjust you expectations accordingly. Also users will have a lower level of finish.

If you not satisfied with the price to quality ratio, let the maker know.

Stephen
 
rprocter said:
well, if you live in a remote rural area (like much of Idaho), ebay is the best way to show your knives to a lot of people. plus it saves a lot of travelling to knife shows, retailers, etc. trying to market your knives.
i live in a community of about 60 people and it's a 2 hr. drive to the nearset town of any size (~ pop. !2,000). the internet is the only way for me to find knives and ebay is a great source. roland
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I love the knives:) And I agree with using Ebay as a form of Advertising I sell on there now and then, I used to put one on a week if I had a choice I wouldn't. but I found that when I went full time I wasn't seeing anyone to pass on the word of mouth as I did when working and meeting people and the orders just went down and down, so I made up a website not great, but it shows my stuff and Ebay is a way of advertising + I do use British Blades in UK so in all I can just survive lucky I'm 60 with no morgage or little ones to look after (apart from Grandkids:D and there aren't that many shows over here and non near where I live:(
 
Stephen F, thank you for that brief course on evaluating a custom knife. taking time to share your knowledge with others is what makes BF great. i will carefully check all areas you mention. the knife is waiting for me at a P.O. in N/W Washington. it's a day's drive either way; i'm setting out to get it tomorrow and will post pics, and comments. roland
 
i have my Ray Rantenan damascus knife. carefully checking all areas mentioned above by Stephen F reveals, to my eye, perfection. and sharp, extremely ! the handle of brass, mammoth ivory, elk stag and oosik is heavy,but fits my hand perfectly and gives a feeling of total strength and solidity. the blade is 224 layer Damascus of S-2 shock steel, O-1 tool steel and a mild steel, rayburst pattern, 3 1/4", straight point, convex grind, with file work on the spine.
the forward piece of mammoth ivory showed black lines after he ground handle to shape and he was thinking of taking it down to re-do, when i called and said that i would be happy to purchase knife as is, especially as he reduced the price.
Ray sends along a great information packet, 4 pages of which are pictures of my knife with specifications and replacement value and signed by him. the rest is about care & sharpening (send it back for price of postage when 2 strokes on ceramic rod is not enough, should you so desire) and how he makes his Damascus and blades and handles. it's an education (he is a Physicist as well as making knives for over 30 years) plus now i know quite a bit about my own knife.
so, i am very pleased with my knife and my "discovery" of this maker. already have my eye on a railroad spike knife as a gift for my son.
i think Ray is a relatively "undiscovered" master smith. now if one of the experienced experts here gets one of Ray's knives, i'd like to hear their opinion too. roland
 
That is a very good looking knife.

I don't think Ray is undiscovered. I've known about him for years. He has sold hundreds of knives on ebay. He's just not discussed on knife forums very much. Doesn't mean he isn't a good maker.
 
Thank you all for adding your comments.

I see one on ebay (a friend is selling) and I am now thinking of placing a higher bid. I am bidding on it as a user and not as a pice of art.
 
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