Pear Mountain Kotanto
This knife was forged from a piece of very special old steel and has been paired with part of a seventy year old pear tree and an existing leather sheath. The custom leather sheath was part of an estate sale and was hand crafted on Vancouver Island. Satoyama are the managed forest areas that border…
Charred Teak Bowie
An interesting project to craft a knife for an existing sheath. The like-new sheath was part of an estate sale and was custom crafted by former military Rock Leatherworks in Quebec, Canada. With some careful planning and accurate forging it can once again serve a useful purpose. The tang is constructed in a similar manner…
Sapele Satoyama Survival
An interesting challenge to forge a knife to fit an existing sheath. The leather sheath was part of an estate sale and was hand crafted by a custom knifemaker. With some careful planning and accurate forging it can once again serve a useful purpose. This knife should probably be considered the first official satoyama bowie,…
Museum Forge Interpretive Sign
Design collaboration in support of the Artist in Residence project: freshly installed results of photos, text, and layout assistance for the new Parksville Museum forge signage. See more photos of the Inome tanto, how the fuigo works, and tour the museum forge.
Photo Essay: Final Forging Day
Talented Vancouver Island photographer Jordan Wende stopped in at the Island Forge in mid-July to document the final forging session. In this installment of the series, using the mukozuchi hammer to perform wakashinobe in preparation for forging sunobe. Photographed and edited by Jordan Wende Interior Views Heating a reclaimed steel billet in the charcoal forge.…
Photo Essay: Forge Visit
Talented Vancouver Island photographer Jordan Wende stopped in at the Island Forge in mid-July to document a visit by Tim of Reforged Ironworks during the time he was helping clean up the forge. In this installment of the series, views of the forge and environs while using the mukozuchi sledge hammers. Photographed and edited by…
Komori~san back in the forge
Komori~san and his talented crew came to the island and spent a couple of days getting footage in the forge and of the final assembly of a tanto. They set up all their own lighting in the forge, and along with a couple of cameras, location sound, and assistants the workshop was pretty packed! Looking…
Bullfrog Stream Kotanto
A compact and functional utility bushcraft knife, this clay tempered blade was hand forged from a stone cutting diamond saw blade. Natural texture from fire and hammer marks has been left on the surface of the blade. This piece is one of the first of a series combining the style and size of outdoor knives…
Cocobolo Drop Point
The raw material for this blade was a piece of a large mill saw blade, hand forged and clay tempered. The bronze guard began as a scrap from another island smith, cut off in the making of a large public sculpture in Victoria, and the wood is Cocobolo. A five yen coin from Japan (dated…
Maple Wrought Iron
This clay tempered blade was hand forged from an automotive leaf spring about 20 years ago. Some natural texture from fire, file, and hammer marks have been left on the surface of the blade. The guard and pommel are hand forged and shaped from some heavy duty dock chain from the Jordan River area, a…
Antler Drop Point
This project began as an exploration of the traditional Scandinavian method of mounting a knife blade on a handle. The central element of the handle design is a slice of antler from which the wood handle and bronze guard flow organically. A different style and construction from my usual methods, this was an interesting challenge.…
Maple Buffalo Skinner (Fusion Mount)
This clay tempered blade was hand forged from a sawmill blade. The natural texture from fire and hammer marks have been left on the surface of the blade. The shape draws inspiration from the lines of a classic clip point and the deep belly of a buffalo skinner. A fusion mount, the handle is constructed…
Arbutus Camp Knife
This hefty camp knife is crafted in a traditional manner, hand forged from a Model T leaf spring, clay tempered, and finished with hand filing. The integral guard with finger grip allows the hand to shift forwards for more delicate work, or remain back for more aggressive cutting tasks. The convex edge can handle tough…
Letter Opener Collab
Scrap steel barstock shaped into a unique blade and accented with an embossed copper handle.