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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
sean perkins knifemaker
- Thread starter okie 46
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 17, 1999
- Messages
- 3,061
Sean was from TN. He had a couple of neat designs (one was a type of Friction Folder that was fairly popular). He did a type of sculpting on the steel that was reminiscent of Flint Knapping.
I think Sean was also an artist of some type and one day I heard that he just wasn't going to be making knives any longer, he was going to focus on his other talents.
Perhaps someone else knows more of the back story.
I think Sean was also an artist of some type and one day I heard that he just wasn't going to be making knives any longer, he was going to focus on his other talents.
Perhaps someone else knows more of the back story.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 44,768
Funny. I was just thinking about Sean the other day. Haven't seen, spoken to or heard of him in years now. I always enjoyed chatting with him on the phone or in person and still have three of his "Kerver" pocket fixed blades.
I hope we hear more and that he is doing well. I've always had a nagging feeling of concern for some reason.
I hope we hear more and that he is doing well. I've always had a nagging feeling of concern for some reason.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
I knew Sean fairly well via email. I never met him, but I wrote some reviews of his knives, and he liked to get my opinion on his work, so I own quite a bit of his stuff. It was in large part to some of my reviews that he got good attention here on Bladeforums (Fred Perrin reviewed his Kerver, too). All those old posts can be found if you search, I'm sure.
Sean started out using 1/4" thick x 1" wide A-2 steel. He did a one-sided chisel grind that he called a Scythe Grind, meaning the ground side was convex, not flat or concave/hollow. On 1/4" thick steel with a 1" width (shorter once the knife was shaped and edged), that made for a thick edge with a steep grind. They really didn't cut that well, honestly. For heat treating he clay coated the knives and used a brine to quench. This is a violent way to treat steel, especially A-2, and it resulted in a lot of fractured blades. The ones that made it through were tempered and then beat to hell in a variety of in-house testing procedures. The testing ruined more knives. Finally, if they passed the testing he finish ground them, carved the handles and left them raw or put a light patina on them. On the old 1/4" knives if you look at the spine you'll usually see dents and things... these are remnants of the testing. He signed the butt of the knife with "S. Perkins." Overall, these weren't the greatest knives, IMHO, but works of art with TONS of originality. I own two of these knives. I think one was his Scaetha model, and the other I'm not sure of. He had some strange names for the models!
Over time, Sean realized that the 1/4" steel was too thick for the size of knife he was making, and also found that a chisel flat grind may create a better cutting knife. He also started putting handles on the knives. During this "second period" of his work, he was making a large variety of models and had revamped his site. I think I copied every picture that was on there, but finding them will be another matter! Anyway, he was using 3/16" thick A-2, heat treated the same way, tested the same, with a flat chisel grind. He generally ground the handles for a taper top to bottom (rather than front to back, as it's usually done). Handles were various woods or Micartas, always asymmetrically shaped on the two sides, which Sean said made sense since the hand wasn't symmetrical. The handles were usually held on with regular machine screws and nuts. The problem with A-2, as you can see in the following and previous pics, is that it rusts just looking at it! Sean was also experimenting with rough belt finishes, which he felt left sort of a micro-serration on the edge. I own one of these examples. It was his second knife done this way, as you can see by the "2" on the butt.
Toward the end of this second period in his knifemaking, Sean made some more concessions in his style. Some people had requested stainless kitchen knives, and he liked the way they turned out, so he made some smaller knives using ATS-34, too, I believe. These were 1/8" thick stock and had a much finer belt finish, still with handles held on by common screws and nuts, and they had shallower flat chisel grinds. I own one of these, which I believe he called his Little Wing model. Handles were generally thicker and more symmetrical. Sean began making full-size knives instead of the little 4-5" OAL ones he usually made.
Finally, in Sean's "third period" of knifemaking, he began making friction folders. I have the second knife in his Renaisia model, made 5/13/2000. Sean began naming, numbering and dating the folders on the inside of the scale, as you can see below. Some of the models had artistically placed scales of wood or Micarta, and the frames were made of stainless steel. Blade steel was back to A-2, slightly thinner than 1/8" thick stock. The stainless scales used a mix of his older carving and newer belt finish types of finishes. The standoffs and hardware were 3/16" or 1/4" diameter pivot pins. He left the stop pin longer than the scales, so it would move around. According to him, this varied the part of the pin that would take pressure when opened or closed and would extend the life of this part. He ground and carved the domed screws a little, too. The blades had longer tangs for choking up a little and preventing the blade from closing under hard use. They open and close smoothly, but require some muscle to open and close.
Sean had a background in martial arts... Aikido, maybe? He formulated a lot of his style on the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi, in my opinion. He had interesting ideas on biomechanics and I think his style was functional as well as artistic. At some point he was challenged by our old pal, Cliff, who said he didn't believe Sean tested the knives the way he said he did. They got into it and Cliff said Sean needed to send him a sample of his knives for Cliff's own unique (stupid) brand of destructive testing. Sean was still doing the 1/4" Scythe grinds at the time, and he refused, as he was selling these things for around $175, if I remember. He used mostly hand tools and they were a lot of work. He told Cliff to buy one if he wanted one, and Cliff refused to pay, and basically said that since Sean wouldn't send him one, it was "proof" that he was a liar. Sean got really fed up with Cliff and his cronies, and Cliff would harass Sean on a pretty regular basis.
Eventually Sean tired of it, and I think he went through a divorce if memory serves me. He told me he was going to focus on a few shows a year and selling through the magazines, as he felt Bladeforums was going nowhere for him and he didn't like defending himself all the time. We shared a handful of emails after that, and then I never heard from him again. He definitely isn't making knives anymore, and I hope he found the best thing for him.
Sean started out using 1/4" thick x 1" wide A-2 steel. He did a one-sided chisel grind that he called a Scythe Grind, meaning the ground side was convex, not flat or concave/hollow. On 1/4" thick steel with a 1" width (shorter once the knife was shaped and edged), that made for a thick edge with a steep grind. They really didn't cut that well, honestly. For heat treating he clay coated the knives and used a brine to quench. This is a violent way to treat steel, especially A-2, and it resulted in a lot of fractured blades. The ones that made it through were tempered and then beat to hell in a variety of in-house testing procedures. The testing ruined more knives. Finally, if they passed the testing he finish ground them, carved the handles and left them raw or put a light patina on them. On the old 1/4" knives if you look at the spine you'll usually see dents and things... these are remnants of the testing. He signed the butt of the knife with "S. Perkins." Overall, these weren't the greatest knives, IMHO, but works of art with TONS of originality. I own two of these knives. I think one was his Scaetha model, and the other I'm not sure of. He had some strange names for the models!
Over time, Sean realized that the 1/4" steel was too thick for the size of knife he was making, and also found that a chisel flat grind may create a better cutting knife. He also started putting handles on the knives. During this "second period" of his work, he was making a large variety of models and had revamped his site. I think I copied every picture that was on there, but finding them will be another matter! Anyway, he was using 3/16" thick A-2, heat treated the same way, tested the same, with a flat chisel grind. He generally ground the handles for a taper top to bottom (rather than front to back, as it's usually done). Handles were various woods or Micartas, always asymmetrically shaped on the two sides, which Sean said made sense since the hand wasn't symmetrical. The handles were usually held on with regular machine screws and nuts. The problem with A-2, as you can see in the following and previous pics, is that it rusts just looking at it! Sean was also experimenting with rough belt finishes, which he felt left sort of a micro-serration on the edge. I own one of these examples. It was his second knife done this way, as you can see by the "2" on the butt.
Toward the end of this second period in his knifemaking, Sean made some more concessions in his style. Some people had requested stainless kitchen knives, and he liked the way they turned out, so he made some smaller knives using ATS-34, too, I believe. These were 1/8" thick stock and had a much finer belt finish, still with handles held on by common screws and nuts, and they had shallower flat chisel grinds. I own one of these, which I believe he called his Little Wing model. Handles were generally thicker and more symmetrical. Sean began making full-size knives instead of the little 4-5" OAL ones he usually made.
Finally, in Sean's "third period" of knifemaking, he began making friction folders. I have the second knife in his Renaisia model, made 5/13/2000. Sean began naming, numbering and dating the folders on the inside of the scale, as you can see below. Some of the models had artistically placed scales of wood or Micarta, and the frames were made of stainless steel. Blade steel was back to A-2, slightly thinner than 1/8" thick stock. The stainless scales used a mix of his older carving and newer belt finish types of finishes. The standoffs and hardware were 3/16" or 1/4" diameter pivot pins. He left the stop pin longer than the scales, so it would move around. According to him, this varied the part of the pin that would take pressure when opened or closed and would extend the life of this part. He ground and carved the domed screws a little, too. The blades had longer tangs for choking up a little and preventing the blade from closing under hard use. They open and close smoothly, but require some muscle to open and close.
Sean had a background in martial arts... Aikido, maybe? He formulated a lot of his style on the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi, in my opinion. He had interesting ideas on biomechanics and I think his style was functional as well as artistic. At some point he was challenged by our old pal, Cliff, who said he didn't believe Sean tested the knives the way he said he did. They got into it and Cliff said Sean needed to send him a sample of his knives for Cliff's own unique (stupid) brand of destructive testing. Sean was still doing the 1/4" Scythe grinds at the time, and he refused, as he was selling these things for around $175, if I remember. He used mostly hand tools and they were a lot of work. He told Cliff to buy one if he wanted one, and Cliff refused to pay, and basically said that since Sean wouldn't send him one, it was "proof" that he was a liar. Sean got really fed up with Cliff and his cronies, and Cliff would harass Sean on a pretty regular basis.
Eventually Sean tired of it, and I think he went through a divorce if memory serves me. He told me he was going to focus on a few shows a year and selling through the magazines, as he felt Bladeforums was going nowhere for him and he didn't like defending himself all the time. We shared a handful of emails after that, and then I never heard from him again. He definitely isn't making knives anymore, and I hope he found the best thing for him.
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 3,148
I had one that was so blunt it made a crummy butterknife. Glad to see the hype is over.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 44,768
Actually, Anthony, the thinner blades cut pretty well. The smallest one was not a single bevel knife like the other two. Only the original was stout.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
The Scythe grinds weren't great, but they weren't that bad. There was no "hype." Sean made a good knife. Everything he did with flat grinds on them are great cutters. Sean made lots of knives... it's not fair to judge him on one that you saw. Plus, who knows... maybe the owner didn't know how to keep an edge.