Tag Archives: custom knife blade

So I have a bayou bladesmith buddy

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Warren likes to beat himself up.

I met him a little over a decade ago and he is a fellow LE instructor in everything from niche stuff like ballistic shield training to edged weapon defense as well as, of course, the more pedestrian rifle-pistol-shotgun fields of study.

Currently the head of a police department covering an area the size of a small city but with greater jurisdictional issues, some of my fondest memories of ole Warren (who shows up as the character Heath in one of my zombie novels) is in how he just seems to love pain as he goes out of his way sometimes to get himself hurt.

Take for instance in his long-studied craft of knife making. On my last visit to his shop, I found him with fingertips almost completely devoid of fingerprints due to regular interaction with forge, belt, and interaction with metal.

He likes taking abused old tools like broken draw knives, rusty shovels, and other items, then giving them a new life as a handcrafted edged weapon. He calls them “recovered material” which sounds very hipster to me and argues each has a touch of character and one-of-a-kind appearance that newly manufactured products just don’t.

These neck knives are made from an old shovel. He crafted the leather himself. The guy has a palm like a baseball bat.

This hawk head is made from a used lawnmower blade while the handle is made from a seasoned Cedar limb. The limb is hand sanded and treated with beeswax and orange oil. The heat-treated head is attached with epoxy, brass pins, and wrapped with imitation sinew

These display pieces are made from elk antler and found arrow/spearheads

This file is being remade into what Warren calls a “bayonet style knife.” You can bet this one will be full tang!

I don’t know what he made this sushi knife out of, but it’s wicked sharp

He also crafts blades from new flats of 1095, 1080 and 1085 tool steel.

One of the neatest of which is a little self-defense retention knife he carries at work and is proving popular with other local LE types. The single edge chisel grind blade is worn behind the holster and can be drawn with one hand to separate you from whoever is trying to gain control of your weapon.

It’s got a 1 3/4″ blade and 4″ overall length and is super sharp, coming with a companion Kydex sheath he makes himself.

He told me the design is constantly evolving and he has been working on it with feedback from others for the past six years.

I’ve been carrying one around for a few weeks and have told Warren he needs to ship these with complementary bandaids.

To pick up one of Warren’s blades, check him out here.

What to look for in a custom knife

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I’m a fan of edged weapons. There, I said it. Pale chicks with crazy eyes, elegantly simple firearms, good whisky, and things that go slice are my top four favorite vices.

This one was made by my buddy Naert in France and passed on to me in trade for services rendered over there once  upon a time. Nice, handy, and super sharp, its really hard to beat.

beretta 22 with zippo and custom knife

Every big box store, sporting goods outlet and woodsman catalog is filled with legions of factory made knives. With that being said, there is nothing wrong with a well-crafted stock blade, but there is a certain masculine elegance in a custom knife.

The only problem is that there are some great ones that can be had for $100 or less, while conversely it is possible to buy a terrible one for ten times that amount. Here’s some tips to help pick towards the better end of the spectrum over in my column at 1816 by Remington.