Indiana Craftsman (Bladesmiths)

[cubby]

all of these guys live in Indiana. maybe near you! some are superstar famous. some are not. all i have met are great to talk to though! feel free to add your own!

Tony Bose
Reese Bose
Rick Barrett
Dave Curtiss (Curtiss Knives)
Kokomo Dave
Terry Miller
Fergy (since i'm a marroon i can't remeber his first and last name!)
CJS (member here)
Black Owl Customs (tyler. you said the word: "knife"... so i hold it to you!)
Crystal Creek Knives

who are some others? i will add to the list, as i KNOW i have left off some Knifedogs..........

 

[cubby]

first time i met Reese Bose he was making a rope out of grass, in the middle of atlanta, at the blade show. at the mall. i asked him, "what are you doing over there?".. he replied "LOOK AT HOW TOUGH THIS IS!" as he jerked that piece of rope as hard as he could.... LOL! random.........

 

[cubby]

first time i met Curtiss:

"mang. now i'll have to clean all the horse crap offa may truck!" after coming to my place for his first USN Meet and Greet.

 

[G_Stines]

Mark Penrod is an absolute gunsmithing master, both in process, and appearance. He makes some fantastic firearms. Also, I would have to throw out Stephen Bubalo in the Photography/Leathercraft category, he is retired. I doubt many of you know him, but he is an absolute craftsman though...

 

[cubby]

and a quick google search led me to a "hoosier gunclub" site..... ? with a thread from earlier this year. i have not researched these sites to be legit (IE: not sure of which are custom handmade knives and who is finishing kits knives. and yes, there is a difference for sake of full disclosure.)

Old Dominion Forge
Bloomfield, IN

Hammer Forge and File, Inc.
Cambridge City, IN

Weaver's Custom Knives
812-378-2018
Columbus, IN

Bradley Cutlery
Elkhart, IN

Claiborne Knives
Franklin, IN

Barrett Custom Knives
Goshen, IN

Cloak and Dagger
Greenwood, IN

CJS Knives
Hobart, IN

Fraps Knives
Indianapolis, IN

Shrum Knives
Kokomo, IN

R. Weber Custom Knives
Kokomo, IN

Hand Sewn Leather sheaths by Robert Jones
Kokomo, IN

Keeton Custom Knives
Laconia, IN

Billy Mace Imel
765-529-1651
New Castle, IN

Mad Dwarf Workshop
New Castle, IN

Bose Knives
Shelburn, IN

Crystal Creek Knives
near Terre Haute, IN

Helvie Wood Carving Knives
Tipton, IN

Brent Cramer Custom Knives
Wheatland, IN

Kain Custom Knives
(Indiana, city unknown)

Sava Knives
(Indiana, city unknown)

 

[G_Stines]

I totally missed that this was bladesmiths.. my bad.

 

[cubby]

I totally missed that this was bladesmiths.. my bad.

no worries!

 

[rockhopper46038]

Rick Barrett is incredibly talented. I'm lucky to own a blade of his, and have gone to his place a few times to watch him forge, clay, heat treat and apply a cutting polish to various blades. He is also an extremely nice guy. If you ever want to see artistry in action, look him up.

 

[Knife Lady]

I'm sure all these people appreciate the plug for them. New or old makers there is a lot of talent in this field in Indiana.
I saw so many knife makers at the Blade Show this past June that it was over whelming. Everyone trying to sell their knives and to get noticed.
Very competitive.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Just a note,
Mad Dwarf Forge made Heimdal's sword for the movie Thor. They make some ridiculously cool blades there.

Mad Dwarf Workshop - Hand Forged Swords & Fine Art

 

[cubby]

I like his Damascus making logsplitter! Lol.

 

[RTDoug]

Jeff White in Galveston,
If he hasn't been mentioned yet.

Regards

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Tagged for further googling!

 

[gunrunr76]

mike billman...grindstone knives...ft. wayne....has a website grindstonecutlery hasnt updated for a while...custom kydex, sharpens better than anyone ive seen, his store is full of steel....smells metal....refurbs axes and hatchets...answers questions honestly and doesnt try to sell you a more expensive tool for the job...met jeff white a couple of times he is real....knives are more bushcrafty but thats what im into....cool guy, big guy, mangled cracked blacksmith dirt that doesnt wash away hands....i used to see him around gun shows he would see me cummn and crack a big smile cause i always messed with him about his edges

 

[Knife Lady]

mike billman...grindstone knives...ft. wayne....has a website grindstonecutlery hasnt updated for a while...custom kydex, sharpens better than anyone ive seen, his store is full of steel....smells metal....refurbs axes and hatchets...answers questions honestly and doesnt try to sell you a more expensive tool for the job...met jeff white a couple of times he is real....knives are more bushcrafty but thats what im into....cool guy, big guy, mangled cracked blacksmith dirt that doesnt wash away hands....i used to see him around gun shows he would see me cummn and crack a big smile cause i always messed with him about his edges

I have met him at the Ft Wayne gun show. He tried telling me that I was wrong about ESEE knives and their no questions asked warranty. When I told him I was a direct dealer with them and that it simply states it on their website he still insisted I was wrong. He was arragant and rude.
I hope his knife sharpening skills are better than his people skills. He should listen more and know his facts before he tries to insult anyone's intelligence. He came off as a complete jackass to me.

 

[cubby]

I have met him at the Ft Wayne gun show. He tried telling me that I was wrong about ESEE knives and their no questions asked warranty. When I told him I was a direct dealer with them and that it simply states it on their website he still insisted I was wrong. He was arragant and rude.
I hope his knife sharpening skills are better than his people skills. He should listen more and know his facts before he tries to insult anyone's intelligence. He came off as a complete jackass to me.

when i first met him, this was my EXACT impression. since then, i have talked to him a few times, and spent a little time breaking things with him. and my opinion hasn't changed much. he can darn sure sharpen, though! and he IS a guy who will use his skills while out and about in the woods for days on end. he can be super abrasive, though. and sometimes has information that is just plain wrong.

but. i have a very VERY good buddy in blue who trusts him around his daughters. knowing my buddy, this speaks VOLUMES to me.

 

[gunrunr76]

I have met him at the Ft Wayne gun show. He tried telling me that I was wrong about ESEE knives and their no questions asked warranty. When I told him I was a direct dealer with them and that it simply states it on their website he still insisted I was wrong. He was arragant and rude.
I hope his knife sharpening skills are better than his people skills. He should listen more and know his facts before he tries to insult anyone's intelligence. He came off as a complete jackass to me.

thats nice...bashing someone you dont actually kno...he was speaking of his experiences and his customers experiences....maybe you had better luck....hi im jeremy and i was actually there for the conversation...he was in no way rude direct and to the point yes....confident in his answer and truthful in experience...maybe you dont like being told that you are wrong....being a direct dealer you might get better results than the everyday joe does

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Man, I REALLY like the looks of the Crystal Creek knives!

Anyone have personal experience with them? What about the steel he uses? (The High Carbon steel I use is 1080 or 1095 and the Stainless Steel (S.S.) I currently use is Ats – 34)

-J-

 

[Bradsknives]

thats nice...bashing someone you dont actually kno...he was speaking of his experiences and his customers experiences....maybe you had better luck....hi im jeremy and i was actually there for the conversation...he was in no way rude direct and to the point yes....confident in his answer and truthful in experience...maybe you dont like being told that you are wrong....being a direct dealer you might get better results than the everyday joe does

I just happened to be there also, and his approach was very unprofessional especially since we had customers standing there looking at the ESEE knives. He came across as arrogant and a know it all. I wouldn't have minded having that conversion with him if customers were not at our tables, but the fact of the matter is he tried to tell Knife Lady that she was wrong in front of our customers. I'm sure he knows a lot about knives because I have talked with him before, but this time he was dead wrong about the ESEE warranty ESEE Knives. Next time he should know his facts before he opens up his mouth. Bottom line is.... I don't think Mike would have appreciated it if I walked into his store when he had customers and said anything negative or derogatory that could affect a possible sale, which is basically what he did to Knife Lady.

BTW, after you guys left, those customers basically said "what an AS*hole".

 

[Knife Lady]

thats nice...bashing someone you dont actually kno...he was speaking of his experiences and his customers experiences....maybe you had better luck....hi im jeremy and i was actually there for the conversation...he was in no way rude direct and to the point yes....confident in his answer and truthful in experience...maybe you dont like being told that you are wrong....being a direct dealer you might get better results than the everyday joe does

First off let me say I wish he had not approached me in this manner. He was in the wrong period. He was telling me Busse is the only one who gives a no question asked warranty. I told him ESEE did also and 3 times he told me I was wrong. IT is on their website in plain view for anyone to read if they are willing to be educated.
Another thing you are wrong about is me being a direct dealer with ESEE does not give me special advantages in regards to their warranty. That warranty is for anyone with a ESEE knife made by Rowen period. Which is another fact I tried to educate your friend with. He showed me no common courtesy nor any respect. His lack of knowledge on ESEE knives was apparent to me so maybe he was just embarrassed that he got called out. He needs to learn some manners and learn his facts on his topic before he tries to badger someone and especially in front of what could be his future customers as well or be polite and keep his trap closed.

He sure did make a good first impression with me.