The Cutlery Great Pioneers-Bob Egnath

Kohai999

Kohai999

Second Degree Cutter
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Jul 15, 2003
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Have you all heard about Bob Engnath?



He was a true Renaissance man.

Here is his website(kept up by his survivors):

http://www.engnath.com/intable.htm

Bob ground blades for his business, House of Muzzleloading. These were of stainless steel, and designed for upcoming knifemakers who wanted to feel the joy of putting together a knife, but didn't have all the tools necessary. Sad to say, more than a few makers claimed to have ground the blades when in fact it was Bob that did it.

Bob was one of the best scrimshanders ever.


Bob also made sword blades, as a matter of fact, he was one of the few American knifemakers at the time that figured out how to clay the edge for a differential heat treat, resulting in a very nice hamon. Some of these blades can be seen around the internet, and there are also some on ebay from time-to-time....saw one on there the other day.

This one is a wakizashi in full polish by Keith Larman(great guy, really accomplished polisher)

Do a favor, if you have any Engnath blades, knives, scrimshaw....post it here.

I'd like anyone who has something to contribute to the legacy of Bob Engnath to participate so you can see how truly great some of the pioneers were/are.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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Great post, Steven.

Bob's catalog was/is not only a list of products for sale but also one of the very good early books on knifemaking processes.
 
I remember first reading about him in the old Gun Digest Book of Knives fourth edition. He was world class at scrimshaw and extremely fast at grounding blades, which Kohai mentioned others would take credit for. I read he helped and guidedmany knife makers.
 
I used to live a few blocks from his Blades N Stuff store in Glendale. I bought some of his blade blanks. That was how i got introduced to knifemaking. I still remember when one day I went in their store and his son said they were closing down because his father passed away.
 
Nice thread STeven. For many years after a collector purchased this knife at Knifemakers Guild show in 1992 I had tried to obtain it and finally, almost a couple years ago was successful. The knife is made by Charlie Weiss, Engraved by Gil Rudolph and of course scrimmed by Bob Egnath.

orig.jpg


This one knife put together a lot of artists, all of whom I'm happy to have in our collection.
 
STeven, thank you for posting this memory of Bob.

I was lucky enough to visit Bob several times in his store and at shows in the 80's and a friend of mine worked there grinding blades. Bob was a gentleman who treated everyone with politeness, respect and decorum.

I only have one blade which was ground buy him and finished by one of our local knife makers. I wish I had purchased one of his traditional Japanese patterns at the time.

His work was brilliant and it was only superseded by his charm and good nature............It is good to go into the new year with a renewed memory of him.

Happy New Year everyone................:)
 
Bob was indeed one of the best scrimshanders there ever lived. Years ago I owned a Ray Beers knife with Bob's scrim of a charging elephant bull. Really the best scrim I ever owned, unfortunately no pic because it sat on a now crashed pc.

Marcel
 
Good thread. I remember Bob mostly for his scrimshaw work. I must confess that I didn't even know that he had done swords.
 
Bob and I were on a first name basis. Bought my Bader 3 from him. He was very encouraging to me (and many) when i first got into this. We talked at every BACKA show and Blade West.

I own three standard blades, including a westenholm bowie, and one katana blade that have sat untouched since his death. Might be time to change that.

Someone a long time ago said, after his death, that when there was lightning in the sky, it was Bob up there working away. I still think that when there's lightning.

Dan
 
Excellent thread! Mr. Egnath definitely deserves inclusion among the great pioneers. His tutorials still stand among the very best around, and are a must-read for any aspiring knifemaker or fan of handmade/custom knives.
 
I watched Bob one Saturday morning grind at least 6 sword blades and who know's how many knife blades.
He was a caring and giving sould and his Wife Stevie also did a lot for the community and other knifemakers.
He is missed
Dave
 
When I first read STeven's post, Bob's name didn't immediately come to mind for his knives.

What I recalled was some of the incredible scrimshaw that I had seen.

Sad that the world has lost such a talented and well respected man.

Peter
 
I must have something scrimmed by bob, but I haven't taken the time to tag my images for this.

Common misspelling: It's Bob Engnath. Even STeven got it right in the post and misspelled in the title. Hard to pronounce!

Thanks for this.

Coop
 
I use to go to his shop in Glendale all the time back in the 80's it was sad to hear when he passed. I purchased several books from him including his book on scrimshaw. I also picked up a nice book on making of the samurai sword.

I will never forget the first time I went in he was so kind and helpful. I paid for my purchase with a check and when I went to show him my I.D. he said "I don't need that" if the check bounces then you need the money more then I do"... and gave me a smile.

He sure was a great guy and I really enjoyed talking to him over the years.
 
I never had the chance to meet Bob in person, but talking to him over the phone was always enjoyable.

I purchased my Burr King grinder from Bob and use to send my blades to him for heat treating.

His catalog/instruction manual is a must read for anyone interested in knives.

There are a couple of Bob's knives in a drawer in the shop. Never could bring myself to finish them, I would rather look at them every now and then and remember the man that ground them.

Thank you Steven for starting this thread, it's good to remember old friends.

Take care

Charles
 
I like where you're going with this Steven.
Looking forward to the next installment.
 
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