Knifemaker Interviews: Alistair Phillips

How did you get into Knifemaking? And when? What made you want to make Knives?
I had 2 starts into knifemaking. Back in 1991 I was a teenager into
knives and our local butcher was also a knifemaker by the name of
Peter Bennett. He gave me some steel for my first knives and I spent
some time in his workshop. Unfortunately I moved out of the area and
lacking a workshop those knives sat in my drawer until 2005 when I saw
an ad for the bladesmithing course Karim Haddad runs at The Tharwa
Valley Forge. I signed up for the course and finished first my first
knife in Feburary of 2005.

I always used a knife as part of camping in scouts and for skinning
rabbits when we went hunting. I never had much of a need for a large
knife for chopping firewood or bush bashing etc so I have tending to
focus on useful every day carry knives in particular folding knives.
Aside from that there is a real appeal to a well finished hand made
knife. Plus it gives you the creativity to try some really different
things out.

A lot of newer Knifemakers have the advantage of the wealth of information provided by online forums & tutorials to help them get started. Did you have it so easy?
All the books and dvds and information on the internet helps for sure
but nothing beats getting into the workshop and getting your hands
dirty. I have been pretty lucky in that I have lived reasonably close
to some very helpful knifemakers that have helped get me started.

What's your design process? Sketch, Cad, or do you just get straight to work? Where do you source your inspiration for your designs?
I tend to start with an idea of what type of knife I am going to make -
how big does it need to be and what is it going to be used for? From
there I start sketching out the flow of the knife; how the handle flows
into the blade, how it is going to be held? At this point I don't
worry too much about the dimensions of the knife. If I get something I
like I will scan it in and re-size it on the computer until I get the
blade dimensions I am looking for. Then I will print it out and start
trying to fit the blade into the handle of the folder. I would like to
get started with CAD but at this stage hand drawing with lots of bits
of tracing paper covered in different blades and handle shapes are the
way to go.

Do your knives say anything about where you're from?
Not really, aside from liking to use Australian wood in my handles that
is about the only length I go to to make them locally made. I have
made one knife that was expressly Aussie in flavour with carved Red
Gum handle scales in the shape of a gum leaf.

What's your preferred style of knife to make?
I like making folders. I have been focusing on slipjoint folders at
present but I plan on trying out some locking knives as well. Probably
liner locks or frame locks. I have been using flat grinds so far.

How long typically, will a knife take for you to build?
Depends on the knife. A folder with double bolsters etc will take up
to 20 hours. I would say I probably average about 16 hours for a slip
joint though.

What's your favourite material/s to use in your handles and blades? Preferred finishes?
I have been using O1 and ATS-34 for my folders. For my forged blades I
have been using either 1055, 1075 or 5160 for a larger blade. I have
really taken a liking to 410/416 stainless liners and bolsters, they
come up with a nice finish either polished or hand rubbed satin
finish. I have been trying some bead blasted finish on my neck knives but I
really prefer a hand rubbed finish, it is part of what separates a
hand made knife from a production knife.

Have you had any strange requests for knife/kit design?
Not really. The weirdest one so far was for a "Big Stabby Knife" as a
present from a friend to her husband. I was really hoping it wasn't
going to be given pointy end first.

What's the greatest challenge you've had in Knifemaking? Any regrets?
I regret waiting so long to get back into knifemaking. The biggest
challenge was learning to make folding knives without a doubt. There
is a reasonable amount of info on copying a knife design but very
little in producing your own design. Of course once you have made 10
or so folders and understand the mechanics of it all the designing
becomes a lot easier.

Do you make anything aside from knives?
Nope, making knives satisfies all my creative urges at present.

Where do you see your Knifemaking going in the next few years?
More and more folders. Improving on the fit and finish of them. I
would like to diversify the types and patterns of my folders a bit
more. Have some real user knives at hopefully reasonable prices as
well as doing some more damascus blades and higher end handle
materials to show off. I will still be focusing on smaller folders
though; stuff that can fit in the money pocket of your jeans up to
about 4 inches closed length.

What knife do you carry?
The first slipjoint I made. A take apart folder. It is a really nice
size and has sentimental value.




More information about Alistair and his knife making can be found here
Photos courtesy of Alistair Phillips

Knifemaker Interviews: Keith Fludder

How did you get into Knifemaking? And when? What made you want to make Knives?
A friend of mine gave me a copy of blade magazine and I thought I would like to have a go at making a knife - that was 1989. I have always carried a knife since my Dad gave me one for my 9th birthday; very handy on the farm and seeing all those blades in Blade magazine, well that was that.

A lot of newer Knifemakers have the advantage of the wealth of information provided by online forums & tutorials to help them get started. Did you have it so easy?
In 1989 there was no internet! Information was like rocking horse shit and so were publications. I didn’t even know if there were any other knifemakers here in Australia until I attended a gun show in Brisbane. That was late 1991.

What's your design process? Sketch, Cad, or do you just get straight to work? Where do you source your inspiration for your designs?
Sometimes I will start with a drawing or sketch if you like and go from there. Mostly I have an idea in mind and forge the blade then I trace the shape onto paper and design my guards, handle, even my leather occasionally. I feel it is important to be able to follow a drawing as clients often give you one or show you a knife design that they like. It is a lot less expensive to rub out pencil lines on a drawing than to have made all your fittings, handle etc. to find that it just does not look right when assembled.
Inspiration? Hmmm. magazines, publications, other makers, the forums, art.

Do your knives say anything about where you're from?
I have recently changed my mark to incorporate the Southern Cross. Apart from that I don’t think so.

What's your preferred style of knife to make?
I like fighters, hunting knives and tantos. Most of my blades are flat ground with a convex edge.

How long typically, will a knife take for you to build?
To bloody long! No really, some take 2 days - some take 2 weeks. Usually 3 to 4 days if everything goes right.

What's your favourite material/s to use in your handles and blades? Preferred finishes?
Would have to be mammoth ivory, walrus tusk, stag antler, oosik, or any really nice figured hardwood. As for blades it would have to be my Damascus. None of my blades touch a polishing buff, so satin finish up to 2500 grit, usually 800g and polished handles, guards etc. I don’t like shiny shiny.

Have you had any strange requests for knife/kit design?
Sure have. There are some out there ideas mostly impractical. Just smile and move on quickly with nervous glances over your shoulder.

What's the greatest challenge you've had in Knifemaking? Any regrets?
Learning patience. My only regret is that I did not get into it earlier.

My biggest regret is not becoming obsessed with knife making like I am now when I was a bit younger.

Do you make anything aside from knives?
I have an order for a smoking hawk (that will be interesting). I do all my own leather work and I make jewellery and do lost wax casting for some of my fittings. I make Mokume also for fittings and jewellery.

Where do you see your Knifemaking going in the next few years?
I have joined the American Bladesmiths Society. I would like to get my Journeyman’s stamp in 2010 and then my Master Smiths stamp. I would like to see my work improve and create works of art. I would like to promote the art of knifemaking to the wider community.

What knife do you carry?
I have a fair collection of folding knives from custom to factory. I change them from time to time. I am just about to build a folder for myself, so when it’s done I will carry that.




More information about Keith and his knife making can be found here
Photos courtesy of Keith Fludder

Knifemaker Interviews: Jason Burgin

How did you get into Knifemaking?
My father gave me my first Swiss Army Knife as a kid and since then I was amazed at the quality and functionality of such a small package. Since then I was always searching for the perfect knife; a goal I will never realise, I think.

One day in 1992 I thought "I will have to make my own knife..."
I picked up the yellow pages and searched for knifemaking/knife kits and anything else that might help me find my goal.
It was here I found a small ad "Keith Fludder, custom knifemaker"
I rang him and said “can I come and buy a kit knife from you?”
The next day was the start of my journey as a knifemaker.

A lot of newer Knifemakers have the advantage of the wealth of information provided by online forums & tutorials to help them get started. Did you have it so easy?
I was so keen to make knives - it just seemed natural to start grinding and shaping something, but it was only with the benefit of Keith’s experience, his guidance, resources and friendship that I was going in the right direction. These early days were paved with far more pitfalls than now, but I still managed to save money for equipment and scavenge steel for blades and find suppliers of woods and other materials that are just a tap of the keyboard away nowadays.

What's your design process? Sketch, Cad, or do you just get straight to work? Where do you source your inspiration for your designs?
for a stock removal knife, I will draw a profile on a piece of steel, I will keep changing the shapes and curves until I feel it looks right, then I start cutting the profile and make the shapes flow together as I grind the profile on the linisher.
For folding knives, I will start with a size and style in mind and choose the materials suitable for that type, then I develop the shapes as I configure the geometry of the locking mechanism and go from there.

Do your knives say anything about where you're from?
I try to demonstrate an un-bounded freedom that the canvas of steel can allow but still retain total useability; kind of a form meets function approach.

What's your preferred style of knife to make?
I like to make small liner lock folders and small pocket-able fixed blades, quite often hollow grind but also flat grinds.

How long typically, will a knife take for you to build?
Small fixed blades take me 6-12 hrs.
Folders take 25-40 hrs but I am a hobby knifemaker so time is very hard to judge.

What's your favourite material/s to use in your handles and blades? Preferred finishes?
I really like using stainless damascus for blades.
Mokume and carbon fibre for folder handles, stag horn and burl woods for fixed blades.

Have you had any strange requests for knife/kit design?
I've been asked to make a bowler hat with a sharp rim, À la James Bond style, which I declined.

What's the greatest challenge you've had in Knifemaking? Any regrets?
Every step of the way there are new challenges and higher goals to reach for. Sometimes I have to temper my enthusiasm with the reality of time, cost and space restraints. I wish my job was more closely related to metalwork/machining.

Do you make anything aside from knives?
I make small carved skull beads from mokume, damascus and other materials and small jewellery/art trinkets and miniature oddities from scrap materials.

Where do you see your Knifemaking going in the next few years?
Make more folders and streamline the process. I would like to do a large scale, high end, damascus fantasy piece.

What knife do you carry?
I have my 2" keychain linerlock with damasteel and carbon fibre made by myself about 6 yrs ago and my latest folder, a 4 1/4" linerlock with damasteel twist blade, carbon fibre scales and titanium liners.



Photos courtesy of Jason Burgin