A few days ago a friend of mine came over to visit and I took him out to the workshop to show him a little of what I do out there. Well, before long the forge was glowing and the anvil was ringing with the sound of hammers forging hot steel. We worked in the shop for many hours, each of us making a knife from start to finish as I demonstrated basic forging, grinding, and heat treating techniques and gave him some guidance along the way. When Keith walked out of there that afternoon he had a cool new knife in his hand and a big smile on his face. The knife I made didn’t come out too shabby either. 

Anyway, Keith is an Army veteran who proudly served in the 10th Mountain Division, an elite light infantry unit that has been deployed in just about every major conflict the U.S. has been involved in over the last few decades. When I finished the knife I made while he was here I decided that I wanted a soldier to have it. Seemed fitting…

So here’s it is. I forged it out of some 1/4″ thick 1084 carbon steel and fully hardened the blade. Its overall length is just a bit under 9″ with about a 4″ cutting edge. The flats were left with a forge finish and the bevels have a simple 800-grit cork-belt finish. The full tang handle is wrapped in cord to keep it nice and slim. The wrap also provides solid purchase in the hand and can be removed if you happen to find yourself in need of some cord.

It’s not pretty, it’s not fancy, but it’s strong, it’s tough, it’s sharp, and it will serve its owner faithfully for many many years.  As far as its new owner is concerned, I may have actually just found him…

Meanwhile, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the brave soldiers and veterans out there for their service. Your courage, honor, loyalty and sacrifice keeps this nation safe and free. I wish I could make a knife for every one of you…