The Craft

As an artist and metal craftsman with over 25 years experience, making knives is a natural extension of my professional career and the perfect space for me to exercise my creativity using new techniques. I am inspired by traditional blade smithing methods from European, Japanese and modern American makers.

100% Handmade

I let the materials inspire the finished look of each knife. I look at the blade and contemplate what kind of handle would best compliment the unique Damascus pattern. I use a combination of natural and man-made handle materials.

"My earliest recollection of working with steel came from my grandfather teaching me how to operate a metal lathe and my uncle teaching me how to weld steel."

As a boy growing up in western Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of time outside camping, hunting, and fishing. I built cabins and tree houses. I was a hands-on person and sitting in a classroom bored me.

 After serving four years in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam era, I went back to school, earning a BFA in photography and opened a photo studio in Portland, Oregon. Buying an old house in Gearhart, on the Oregon coast, allowed me to get a hammer in my hands again and also think about metalworking for a living.  My wife and I opened Gearhart Ironwerks making furniture, lighting, fire screens, and decorative hand-forged work. Blade smithing is the natural continuance of this work.