Notebook

I set about learning everything I could about Shibuichi and Shakudo. These are traditional Japanese metal alloys used to create sword fittings like Tsuba, Fuchi, Kashira and Menuki, and typically adorn expensive antique swords, or are made into fittings which are in their own right works of art that are highly praised by collectors. Shibuchi […]

It was a regular morning on the 12th of February 2019 when I got a message via instagram from an account I was very familiar with. The notification on my phone read something like “SouthNarc wants to send you a message”. It’s one of those notifications that as a relatively new knife maker in the […]

There are a multitude of different ways to carry a defensive knife, and plenty of strong opinions to support them. There are however some serious considerations, and while no single method of carrying your knife is king, there are some fundamental flaws with carrying a defensive knife in certain popular ways.  There are basically three […]

When it comes to designing a combative knife from scratch, I used to let my mind do all the creating. I would sit and think, maybe see something that sparked the concept, let it brew for a while until suddenly it came out. I would then draw, letting whatever was in my mind spill out […]

Lately whether by fashion or by merit, carbidized edges have become a popular performance add on for many knifemakers. Though I still get asked the question… What is carbidizing? Carbidizing is the process of micro layering Tungsten Carbide onto a metal surface. Tungsten Carbide is very hard, typically much harder than the steel its being […]

Often overlooked by even very skilled Knifemakers, is the influence that a poorly designed knife sheath can have, a factor that often renders a good knife useless. This is why I consider the knife sheath a critical element of the combative knife, as important as the ergonomics or even the blade design. The Knife Sheath […]

After Ergonomics, the next critical element of a Combative Knife is the blade itself. More importantly the design thereof. In this day when you can get onto one of many online stores and have thousands of knives to choose from at your finger tips it’s even more important to know how to see through all the […]

There are Critical Elements of Combative Knife Design that are universal to all knives intended for combative application. These are design elements which can determine the effectiveness of the weapon and as such require serious considerations both by the knifemaker and the eventual user. The first Critical Elements of Combative Knife Design is the grip. […]