Stavros Forge Custom Knives and Blades

06/17/2015

Vanessa Ahlsborn originally started collecting knives as simple keepsakes—but found them slightly scary. So, while she was traveling around Colombia in 2010, she decided to start photographing the people who she bought them from. The more she traveled and learned about how different cultures used th…

07/01/2014

At long last, I am finally on the verge of introducing some Standard Models - but still completely hand-made! - knives, after many requests that I do so! Stay tuned. I'll most likely be introducing 3 models in the next month or so, starting with one model later this week (barring unforeseen calamity/ies). These knives will still be hand ground, differentially heat-treated (soft spine/hard edge), and custom fit to custom sheathes. Those of you who've used - or even just held - a hand-made knife know that no factory blade can ever give the same "feel". It's kind of something that has to be experienced, it can't be described, but the difference is very real, and very discernible by just about everyone.

I also have some knives in the works which are basically just the opposite - completely one-of-a-kind, intricate, rare, and costly. The first one will probably take me a few months to produce, I have to make new tools and tooling just to make the handles. I've got some ideas for "fancy art knives" which I don't see *anyone* else doing! :v)

04/09/2013

I have had a little gap in knife output, completely re-arranging my knife workshop to make it more efficient in the smaller space I moved into a little while back, but am working on some new designs and some relatively more affordable blades, as well.

I found this article the other day, and this line jumped out at me, succinctly capturing one of the (many!) reasons I ditched keyboard and paperwork for the Forge and the Grinder:

"Right now, in culture, there's this feeling that we have to make (things). And I think it's because we didn't make (things) for a while, with the Industrial Revolution," he said. "I think when you make something, you're kind of making meaning and purpose. You're kind of making the world what it is. You're voting with your hands -- not in a booth but making change, right now, that really happens in your own space."

To understand Jay Silver, it helps to go back some 10 years, to a night he spent flying kites on a beach in Florida with the woman who would become his wife.

12/25/2012

Quick leather-care tip: If you've got an antique item with dried leather, stay away from petroleum-based products, and steer clear of Neatsfoot oil. It's derived from the shinbones of calves/cows, and is DELICIOUS to dogs and insects, a great way to get your cherished leather items chewed to bits. Instead, use your fingers to rub in a little olive oil. It works great at rejuvinating older leather, and can be worked in, gently and gradually, over time.

This is a vintage Collins Machete with a Honduran hand-crafted sheath, and was used by my great grandfather in South America during one of his anthropological dental adventures. He slashed his way through the underbrush with this very blade, and I've kept it oiled and cleaned since I inherited it, but the leather gets a bit dry in our Rocky Mountain climate, so I have taken to giving it a semi-annual hand-applied coat of olive oil, which gives it a darker hue for a few weeks.

12/11/2012

I'm going to be, in addition to my from-scratch custom knives, be adding some regular models to my lineup. This will enable me to produce handmade, high-quality blades at prices that are within reach for more people, and still give me time to work on the more expensive and time consuming customs as well. Most "regular models" will also be customizable to some extent as well, since we all have different personal tastes, and often our carry knives are an expression of our personality, they do more than just cut! ;)

12/07/2012

Okay, threw a few Chas Clements-crafted leather pouches, including a Western style Sporran with a Silver Dollar for a button, on Etsy. If you're looking for something handcrafted (by a master leather craftsman) for a Christmas gift, might I suggest one of these?

All of these pouches are New Old Stock, crafted by Master Leather Craftsman, Chas Clements. Chas is famous for his masterful leather goods,

10/21/2012

I have several blades in progress, but with a busted wing, can't do anything about it at the moment :/ Will be another month or so before I can work at the anvil or the grinder again...

09/03/2012

KNIFE SHARPENING - Professional Knife Sharpening now available. Your blades will come back to you SHARP! Great rates - $.75/inch (2" minimum). I can meet anywhere in Fort Collins for $5 service charge, or you can drop knives off with me or mail them.

05/22/2012

Damascus steel, the legendary steel blade scimitar of the Islamic side in the Crusades, was a formidable piece of weaponry for the middle ages. Modern science has given us new insights into how this iron metal was forged, and why this useful technology became lost.

04/09/2012

The blade smith from "Lord of the Rings" answers questions about sword smithing. If his answers seem evasive, it's because 1) It's almost impossible to describe how to make swords via words alone, and 2) All bladesmiths keep secrets - it is *hard* work to learn how to make good blades, and even if someone knew every secret there is to know (nearly all the information is out there, though scattered across many fields, like silversmithing, blacksmithing, casting, heat-treating/metallurgy, leatherworking, woodworking, etc.), they still would have to spend a lot of time at the anvil and the grinder learning how to take those Facts and turn them into Real Skills. Enjoy! :)

Some sword smiths and knife makers do courses, which give a basis to the individual's journey, but mostly sword makers, armourers and knife makers learn what and where they can, and develop their own particular skill set. With the internet and books that are available today, it is a lot easier t...

04/04/2012

I have 5 blades which I've forged to shape which will be becoming fully finished knives within the next couple of weeks, I'll post pictures of the rough blades soon.