Design Your Own

Blade Choice

Arcadia Forge blades are flat ground with a matt or satin finish. All my blades retain a forged finish above the grindline. Tangs are forged as an integral part of the knife, for strength. I create a precise secondary bevel on each blade, then hand-hone for a keen edge. As a separate step, each blade is differentially tempered to produce a tough spine and a higher Rockwell edge. Unless utherwise specified, all blades have decorative filework on the spine.

Handles

(From top: select Rosewood, Manzanita, Arctic Birch, Fiddleback Black Walnut, Birds-eye Maple, Amboyna Burl, Cherry, Spalted Maple, Curly Oak, crotch grain Black Walnut)

One of the delights of knife making is crafting a fine wood into a fine knife handle. I presently have one or more select pieces of a number of fine woods, and can get many others. All of the woods shown above will make beautiful knife handles. Most are scarce and hard to keep in stock.

Wood choice is to some extent a matter of function. Softer woods like Black Walnut or Amboyna wouldn't be the best choice for a hunting knife that got hard use in the field; Rosewood, Oak, and Maple stand up a lot better. By far the most durable is a stabilized wood such as the Spalted Maple shown above. A wood is stabilized by impregnating it with plastic. It is then entirely waterproofed and requires no finish beyond buffing, ever. That, in my opinion, is the only real advantage of stabilizing wood, and I only recommend it for a hard-duty knife or one used around water a lot. My regular procedure in finishing a wood handle is sanding to 400 grit, followed by a sealer and hand buffing. This gives a very weatherproof satin finish to any wood.

Manzanita is actually a root burl, and the grain is very tight. It resists splitting in any direction. Manzanita is seldom seen in a knife handle, and I think this may be because its very difficult to find a clear piece of wood. Manzanita, like Desert Ironwood, makes a beautiful and durable handle, but even select pieces are likely to have small surface pits. These are filled permanently when the handle is finished and should be accepted as part of the character of the wood.

"Select" and exotic woods are priced on an individual basis. If you see something you like, I can scan additional images, and provide price estimates.

Stag is a traditional handle material. It is durable, stable, and handsome. India Stag is becoming increasingly harder to obtain and more expensive. Domestic Antler, when properly selected, will do the job just as well for a lot less money.

Oosic, fossilized Mammoth tusk, and Walrus or Sea Cow bone are exotic handle materials available on a special-order basis. Because they are expensive and somewhat fragile they are of principal interest to the collector.

Tang Construction

Tang construction is also determined by use. While both stick tang and hidden tang knives will last a lifetime of regular use, hidden tang knives are stronger, as the steel tang runs the entire length of the handle. Stick tang knives allow more creative use of handle material, and permit carving and embellishment of the pommel or butt end of the handle.

Furniture

Yellow brass is the standard choice for pommels and bolsters. It is a good choice for working knives. Sterling silver is also available. Silver furniture is work-hardened during construction, and is about as hard as brass. Cast pewter is a very old technique that involves pouring the liquid metal onto the handle. Bolsters can also be made from contrasting wood, horn, or an exotic material such as Oosic, which is the fossilized penile bone of the walrus.

Sheaths

The traditional Nordic sheath or tuppi is made-to-measure for a specific knife. Measurements of the blade and handle circumference are taken at 4 or more locations, and transferred to a leather pattern. The leather is skived to at least three different thickness, and the edges to be stitched together are beveled. Finally, the leather is wet-formed on the knife. An awl is used to make each stitch hole, and the stitches are made one at a time, with the double-needle technique. The leather around the mouth of the sheath is skived (thinned) to about 4 millimeters, and wet-formed into a rounded contour. A simple leather tuppi may take several hours to construct. Elaborate tuppi are made from combinations of leather, horn, and wood, and these may take as much time to construct as the knife itself.

Designing your custom knife...
Blade Choice Arcadia Forge blades are flat ground with a matt or satin finish. All my blades retain a forged finish above the grindline. Tangs are forged as an integral part of the knife, for strength. I create a precise secondary bevel on each blade, then hand-hone for a keen edge. As a separate step, each blade is differentially tempered to produce a tough spine and a higher Rockwell edge. Unless utherwise specified, all blades have decorative filework on the spine. Handles (From top: select Rosewood, Manzanita, Arctic Birch, Fiddleback Black Walnut, Birds-eye Maple, Amboyna Burl, Cherry, Spalted Maple, Curly Oak, crotch grain Black Walnut) One of the delights of knife making is crafting a fine wood into a fine knife handle. I presently have one or more select pieces of a number of fine woods, and can get many others. All of the woods shown above will make beautiful knife handles. Most are scarce and hard to keep in stock. Wood choice is to some extent a matter of function. Softer woods like Black Walnut or Amboyna wouldn't be the best choice for a hunting knife that got hard use in the field; Rosewood, Oak, and Maple stand up a lot better. By far the most durable is a stabilized wood such as the Spalted Maple shown above. A wood is stabilized by impregnating it with plastic. It is then entirely waterproofed and requires no finish beyond buffing, ever. That, in my opinion, is the only real advantage of stabilizing wood, and I only recommend it for a hard-duty knife or one used around water a lot. My regular procedure in finishing a wood handle is sanding to 400 grit, followed by a sealer and hand buffing. This gives a very weatherproof satin finish to any wood. Manzanita is actually a root burl, and the grain is very tight. It resists splitting in any direction. Manzanita is seldom seen in a knife handle, and I think this may be because its very difficult to find a clear piece of wood. Manzanita, like Desert Ironwood, makes a beautiful and durable handle, but even select pieces are likely to have small surface pits. These are filled permanently when the handle is finished and should be accepted as part of the character of the wood. "Select" and exotic woods are priced on an individual basis. If you see something you like, I can scan additional images, and provide price estimates. Stag is a traditional handle material. It is durable, stable, and handsome. India Stag is becoming increasingly harder to obtain and more expensive. Domestic Antler, when properly selected, will do the job just as well for a lot less money. Oosic, fossilized Mammoth tusk, and Walrus or Sea Cow bone are exotic handle materials available on a special-order basis. Because they are expensive and somewhat fragile they are of principal interest to the collector. Tang Construction Tang construction is also determined by use. While both stick tang and hidden tang knives will last a lifetime of regular use, hidden tang knives are stronger, as the steel tang runs the entire length of the handle. Stick tang knives allow more creative use of handle material, and permit carving and embellishment of the pommel or butt end of the handle. Furniture Yellow brass is the standard choice for pommels and bolsters. It is a good choice for working knives. Sterling silver is also available. Silver furniture is work-hardened during construction, and is about as hard as brass. Cast pewter is a very old technique that involves pouring the liquid metal onto the handle. Bolsters can also be made from contrasting wood, horn, or an exotic material such as Oosic, which is the fossilized penile bone of the walrus. Sheaths The traditional Nordic sheath or tuppi is made-to-measure for a specific knife. Measurements of the blade and handle circumference are taken at 4 or more locations, and transferred to a leather pattern. The leather is skived to at least three different thickness, and the edges to be stitched together are beveled. Finally, the leather is wet-formed on the knife. An awl is used to make each stitch hole, and the stitches are made one at a time, with the double-needle technique. The leather around the mouth of the sheath is skived (thinned) to about 4 millimeters, and wet-formed into a rounded contour. A simple leather tuppi may take several hours to construct. Elaborate tuppi are made from combinations of leather, horn, and wood, and these may take as much time to construct as the knife itself.
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