Westmead Artificer - Knifemaking

Home	Knifemaking	Stage Weapons	Leatherwork	Wood	Links and other stuff

Artificer: [ART-IF-ISS-URR] : Noun: A craftsman who makes things

What I do...

Following a long interest in knives in general, I began making knives in 2007. To be more accurate, I first made a knife when I was at school, but let us draw a discreet veil over that effort, and say merely that in 2007 I started making knives that I wasn't embarrassed to be seen in public.
I use either recycled steel from old files and other tools, which is generally W1, W2 or one of the 10xx series, or O1 high carbon tool steel (or the British Standard equivalent for the pedants among us), which is much easier to work and heat-treat.

Everything on here is all my own work, unless stated otherwise.

In the pipeline...

I have two small utility knives in CPM S30V awaiting heat treatment - this won't be an in-house job, as I don't have the facilities to treat powder steels.
There is also a damascus hunter blade in the Box of Things Waiting to be Finished, and a large Nessmuk type which started life as a billhook.

Still in the queue is a 6" stick-tang blade. Convex-ground, this has been heat-treated and is awaiting a handle. This will probably be stacked leather with brass bolsters and horn spacers - I have enough off-cuts of leather to do it, plus the horn and brass sitting in the Box of Bits.

Too many things to do...

What is new/available...

A blacksmith's knife: the result of an impromptu hammering session. 3" blade or thereabouts. This one is for sale...

Previous work...

A quick and dirty draw-knife - having acquired a quantity of ash staves, I set about making some bows (as you do). However, I needed a drawknife, so rather than spend actual money, I made one...

Stage weapons! I passed my British Association of Dramatic Combat Level 1 course in January 2012, and I appeared in Romeo & Juliet in June 2012. I therefore needed to make some stage weaponry.
These are all available for hire now that R&J has finished. Click the picture or the link in the header to go to the page.

Traditional aikuchi tanto, forged form an old file and clay-tempered.

4mm O1, scandi ground, with a full distal taper down to the point - awarded as a prize to one of the Scouts at our Summer Camp in the Lake District.

The sheath for Tony's fish-filleting knife is finished, but I forgot to take any photos!

The pattern-welded seax blade now has an alder root handle and nickel-silver fittings.