Drop Point Hunter - elegantly engraved

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In it's simplest and most primitive form a knife is just a sharp piece of metal and handle that helps you hold it - but like most things man has invented, artists and craftsmen have taken the basic deign and elevated it to be a piece of art.

With all my knives, that has been my goal.

Here's an engraved Drop Point Hunter.

The blade: 3 ½” Hollow Ground and Mirror Polished

Handle: 3 ½” Desert Iron Wood

The guard and pins were elegantly engraved by Dwane Dushane

Enjoy! - Ian

Damascus Liner Locker - modern knife - ancient art

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This is a Damascus liner locker pocket knife with rain drop pattern, featuring Damascus blade and bolsters, mammoth ivory scales, titanium anodized gold liners with Thorny -Vine file work on blade and spine. The Stainless steel thumb stud is inlaid Buffalo horn.

Originally Damascus steel was made from wootzsteel, a steel developed in India around 300 BC.

These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be tough, resistant to shattering and capable of being honed to a sharp, resilient edge.


Specifications:

Blade: 2 7/8”

Closed: 3 ¾”

Cocobolo Hunters - nothing like sharp steel and nice wood grain.

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Here are two Cocobolo Hunters you might like. They were part of an order of four.

Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of the tree Dalbergia retusa from Central America.


Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. The sapwood (not often used) is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with the heartwood.

The heartwood is known to change color after being cut, lending to its great appeal.
Specifications:

ATS 34 BLADE STEEL
Stainless Steel 416 bolsters
Cocobolo wood handles
Red liners
Blade length is 3 5/8”
OAL 8 ½”

Slip-Joint Trapper - perfect for whittling - or for your collection.

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The weather here in Texas today is warm and wonderful and this weekend is forecast to be the same. 

I think it's time to shake off winter and enjoy some sunshine. 

There's a beautiful canyon just miles from our home in Amarillo called Palo Duro Canyon. It's a great place to hike and (of course) pick you out a nice piece of mesquite and whittle.  

Although this slip-joint trapper would make the perfect tool for "whittlin'" in the canyon, you can't - because it's a collector piece I made for a client in Boston.  If you'd like one - let me know. I'll be glad to custom make one just for you. 

It's a double-blade -trapper with Sambar stag scales, featuring Thorny Vine file work on the blades and springsand made of ATS 34 hardened to 60 RC - with 416 Stainless Steel liner and bolsters. 

Have a great weekend everyone and "Howdy" from Texas! 

LINK: PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK

Texas Hog Hunter - a great knife for hunting wild ham on the lam ...

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Wild hogs are among the most destructive invasive species in the United States today. Two million to six million of the animals are wreaking havoc in at least 39 states and four Canadian provinces with half of the feral population running wild in Texas, where they do some $400 million in damages annually.

They tear up recreational areas, occasionally even terrorizing tourists in state and national parks, and squeeze out other wildlife.

Texas allows hunters to kill wild hogs year-round without limits since they are destructive and dangerous.


Wild hogs average 150 to 200 pounds as adults, although a few reach more than 400 pounds. Large wild boars are smart and very dangerous even after being shot, their tusks able to kill a man if they aren't careful.

Wild hog hunting has become a huge sport in Texas and the meat is delicious when processed correctly.

It may not always be duck, deer or dove season, but it's always hog season.


That's why I created the "Hog Hunter" a beautiful but necessary tool for the serious Texas hog hunter.

The blade is 7 inches long, and the handle is made of Bois de Arc (Osage Orange) wood that came from my client's ranch in Sherman, Texas.

This is one example of an order of 15.

It comes with a custom leather sheath bearing a wild Texas Hog.

Happy New Year and happy hog hunting!

-Ian

What do you want for Christmas Santa?

When someone asked what Santa wanted for Christmas, he thought and thought and thought.

He recalled all those times when the reindeer's reins got knotted or the twine and ribbons got tangled in his bag. He also thought that maybe he needed a  tool, to help the elves when they carved toys.

But most of all he wanted something that was uniquely his - something he could use throughout the year - when he relaxed on the beach, to maybe whittle a piece of drift wood into a cane or carve a pipe with.

But then - when he really thought about it - he decided he wanted three things for Christmas - a knife designed and custom built just for Ol' Saint Nick and for you and yours to have a wonderful and blessed holiday season - plus to remember what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may Christ's love and blessings be yours throughout the New Year!

Ian and Linda van Reenen!

In the spirit of Bob Loveless

This knife is a Bob Loveless drop-point reproduction.

Robert "Bob" Waldorf Loveless (or RW Loveless) was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollow-ground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners.

He is cited by other knife-makers and collectors as one of the most innovative custom knife makers in the world, a near legendary figure.


Loveless signature design was to use red liner on the handle and (in his words) to "Dress a knife like a woman with lipstick on”

The Handle: Stag and red liner

The Blade Steel: ATS 34

The Guard: 414 Stainless Steel

The scabbard: West Texas design with Concho and Lone Star




This is a very popular hunting knife. Everyone thought that Loveless absolutely nailed the drop-point design.

A legendary knife for a legendary state ...

One of the things that drew me to Texas was the state's legendary image. Everybody knows everything is bigger in Texas. This state and city I love, embody the independent cowboy spirit of the west.

Not many people are impressed if you tell them you are from Rhode Island - but they are if you say you are from Texas.

With that in mind - I designed a knife that echoes the Texas Flag. The Lone Star was engraved by Alice Carter and the Blue and red is colored giraffe bone.

The white is pre-banned ivory and there's thorny vine file work on blade. It's constructed out of ATS 34 steel and features 416 stainless steel bolsters.

A little Texas history: The Texas Flag Code assigns the following symbolism to the colors of the Texas flag: blue stands for loyalty, white for purity, and red for bravery. The code also states that single (lone) star "represents ALL of Texas and stands for our unity as one for God, State, and Country." The "lone star" is, in fact, an older symbol predating the flag which was used to symbolize Texans' solidarity in declaring independence from Mexico. It is still seen today as a symbol of Texas' independent spirit, and gave rise to the state's official nickname "The Lone Star State".

An American knife ...

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I wasn't born in the USA - but I got here as soon as I could. As a tribute to the country that is now my adopted home - I created this truly American knife.

The Blade: ATS 34 - 416 Stainless steel bolsters
The American star was engraved by Alice Carter

The Blue and Red is colored giraffe bone and the White is made of pre-banned ivory.

These are the last 2 of a total order of 13 knives which is fitting because there are 13 stripes on the American flag.

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Safari Model Liner-Locker: a classic you can keep in your pocket

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For many of us growing up, being given your first knife was an important right of passage. It said so many things, that you were becoming a man and your father trusted your judgement enough to give you your own knife.

Of all the knives I have sold the Safari Model Liner-Locker is the most popular by far. There's something about having one of these in your pocket that brings you back to the first knife your dad gave you.

This classic design is from South Africa. To open the knife, you push over the top with your thumb. As a result, this type is more pocket friendly since they don’t have the thumb stud.

The scales are cow bone. I have a variety of colors that I use.
Each knife is unique because you never know how the bone will take to the dye. Each knife has a different hue and pattern and makes each a one of a kind.

I use different kinds of file work on my knives.

This specific pattern I call Sotho Hut, since it reminds me of how the tribal people decorate their huts. It is simple yet artistic.