Welcome,

"Shivs, shanks and pigstickers and things too fierce to mention"
Welcome to the new-and-improved, Blogger version of my old website, formerly found on .Mac.
If you've seen my work there then you should know what I'm about.
If I'm new to you, it's nice to make your acquaintence. What I make are high-quality, use able reproductions of historic fighting knives.
I started out making large Bowies from the period of "The War for Southern Independence" and since branched out into knives from the two world wars.
I avoid "Milspec" knives such as the M2 or M3 or either of the US, WW1 trench knives as I find them far less interesting than the stuff the boys made themselves or brought from home.
I don't make fakes. Each knife is dated. The year is stamped; ie "o9" on double-edged blades while those with a spine have the year filed into it in Roman numerals.
The ricasso of each is stamped with my mark, crossed monkey wrenches.
The way this is set up, you can either scroll down endlessly, covering all three periods consecutively.
Alternately, on the left is a list of everything in order.
Click on the image for the category or on the names of the individual knives listed beneath.
Good hunting and thanks for stopping by.
Dan Brock

Johnny Reb

 

This knife was a commissioned piece which I'd tried to make as close to the one in the photo I was given as possible, and with apparent success - at least according to the guy who covered the bill.
It's a nice little D-guard; nice because it's only got 10 1/2" of blade and is far more manageable than the 14 - 16" limb-loppers.
These will be made to order so none of this was set in stone.
The guard is blackened steel. The handle wood is chinquapin. The blade is 5160 - leaf spring. That's all folks.
The beauty of the D-guard is simplicity; it's only got three pieces.
A D-guard around this size with similar bells and whistles:
$185 with sheath (The pictured example was ordered without).
Plus $10 shipping.
To order e-mail me.

"File Knives"

Being that this knife is the first in the list of "Custom Work", I'll line out my made-to-order protocol.
If we've never done business before, I ask for 50% up front. Otherwise, the total is paid on completion.
The 50% is refundable in case a decision is changed if it's a knife that will be saleable otherwise. Anything too oddball and that won't be the case.
You would be advised in advance if your request fits this category (they rarely do).
The money for custom work is similar to the prices posted for something comparable in size and/or complexity, plus 20% or so.
Ballpark: A big Bowie (14"+ blade) $175 to $200.
19thc
These two knives were commissioned by an old customer from my E-Bay days. He wrote that he had some of his Granddad's old files he wanted made into knives. He mailed me a Black Diamond, farrier's rasp and a beautiful 14" Kearney and Foot, coarse mill file that was 5/16" thick. Both files are visible in the background of the picture. The rasp became the spear-point at top along with the handle-with that bitchin' rectangular brass ferrule-from the other file. All it needed was a cross guard.
The K&F became the Lone Star, C-guard with the antler handle.
I'd like to add that I considered it quite a priveledge to work on these knives. I like the idea of things from the past being made into something meaningful.
That being said, If anyone were interested, I'd be happy to make a knife out of Grandpa's old hay rake tine, saw blade or one of the springs from his old Studebaker.
To order e-mail me.

Spanish Bowie

19thc This knife was commissioned to fit a particular sheath that the customer already possessed and is based on a very early Mexican Bowie. Blade length: 9" Overall: 13" The handle was turned from desert ironwood with a guard and pommel of wrought iron. As picture without a sheath this knife would run $225 shipped.
To order e-mail me.

Rifleman's Knife

19thc
I've got to admit, I kind of guesstimated on this one, but I think I got close. The customer wanted a French and Indian War, Rifleman's knife. After dilligent research and looking at what lots of other folks are selling as such, I came up with this: An overlarge, tricked out, butcher knife. I like it. The handle is Fiddleback Western Maple, the blade has been left with the tempering colors in place. There's filework on the spine (along with my date - the year in Roman Numerals MMVI) and one of those cute curlicue ricasso thingies. I should probably find out what that's called,and a brass guard and binding.
$200.
To order e-mail me.

Antler-Handled Bowie

19thc
This was a recent commission for an old customer, one of my first customers as a matter of fact.
It's a reproduction of a Sheffield produced Bowie, circa 1840.
The short clip blade is 12" long and 2' wide, hand forged from spring steel. As requested by the client, the clip was left unsharpened.
The guard and pommel cap are forged from wrought iron. They were cut from an antique picket pin I picked up in Montana where my great, great grandfather and his brothers raised horses for the U. S. Cavalry.
The handle is deer antler, the sheath, cowhide.
To duplicate this knife would cost $180.
To order e-mail me.

Boarding Axe

For the past two hundred years, right up to end of the days of "wooden ships and iron men" fire aboard ship was a dreaded occurrence.
But space on a wooden warship was at a premium. therefore many artifacts of on-shore life were downsized to fit the new reality. Swords became cutlasses, pikes became boarding pikes and axes became ... these.
First and foremost, it was a tool; a firefighting and damage-control tool. Grappling lines could be chopped loose, downed spars and lines cut away - and a fella could "repel boarders" if need be. Fact is: It was far more useful right where it lived unless someone couldn't find a cutlass to cross over with.
A case where it could be invaluable was in chopping free hotshot. http://plowshareforge.blogspot.com/2016/03/chill-hotshot.html
This oft-overlooked piece of our material heritage lives on in our world as the modern fire axe.
This example is based, insofar as possible on a photo of a USN axe from the War of 1812.
This axe has a turned ash or hickory handle, 23" long with a ball at the end.
A high-carbon steel head weighing about 24 oz.
The head/handle transition is reinforced by steel langets which also lock the head in place with three rivets.
It has an axe edge and a pick head opposite. with teeth cut into the "beard" of of the axe side to aid in pulling away debris.

$200 plus $15 shipping.
To order e-mail me.

Antler-Handled D-Guard

19thc

"Barn Find"

19thc

Middle East Commando Knife

ww2
These knives show other places as well but they're generally associated with the Middle East Commandos.
They were small, elite units raised locally and under the command of the British Army.
They formed up in mid'1940, then some months later, they were absorbed into a larger commando force, called Layforce" intended to help rein-in Rommel.
This knife, inexplicably named "The Fanny" has a blade of high-carbon tool steel, 6" long and sharpened along the curved edge.
Like the Clements, this knife has the blade mounted "up-side-down".
"Death's Head, knuckleduster grip of cast brass.
Blade length: 6"
Overall length; 11 1/2"
Includes the sheath pictured.
$165 plus $7.50 shipping.
To order e-mail me.

Special Unit Z Knuckle Knife

Special Unit Z was a McAurthur-approved, branch-unit of the SOE (Special Operations Executive - the Commonwealth version of the OSS).
Accordingly the personnel were mostly Australian while the equipment was American.
They were active in Malaysia and vicinity plying the recon and demolition trade. Read more here.
A piece of kit issued them that was very non-American was their knuckle knife.
They were made in Australia and came with handles cast either in brass or zamack.
A very compact little knife;
Blade: 4", 8" OAL

$150. plus $5 shipping.

Zamack will be available if there's sufficient interest.
To order e-mail me.

North African "Bazaar Knife"

I offered this knife several years ago and no interest was shown - ever.
This disappointed me since I had thought at the time, and still do, that this is one of the very few, practical knuckle knives around.
The single finger-loop is smallish so it'd be tough with gloves on but the payoff is that the overall width, although a bit chubby, is still comfortable enough to hold - for pencil-sharpening, fish-cleaning... all the random things one does in a day that don't happen to be - knife-fighting.
Snyder's Treasures carries one now and then, and every time they say it's "rare" and over time the provenance stated has run from: "Who Knows?" to Rommel's DAK.
In any case; likely purchased in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt during the war and made by the famous and elusive: "Some Guy".
6 1/2" blade.
$150 plus $10 shipping in US
Rare or not, it's nice little knife. I love this thing.
To order e-mail me.

Montana Power Co. Knife

ww2

Montana Power Co. Knives

"We received from correspondent Steven Briggs a copy of the "Energizer" , a Montana Power Employees Magazine that is undated. In the company newsletter is an article on knives made by the employees in their spare time during World War Two. The article goes into some details from the guys who made the knives and where they were made, it is great reading. The knives have been attributed as Anaconda Copper Knives in the past and some of the work was performed there on them. The knives are actually Montana Power Co. knives as these are the guys who made them. Anaconda Co. employees stamped out the blades from power saw blades but all the rest of the work was performed in various Montana Power Co. shops. The knives were distributed to the troops through the many troop trains that crossed Montana. The knives were distributed directly to the troops. Overall they, the men, stated they made close to 1200 knives in 1942 & 43 and every piece of the raw material was "bummed" to do it. Great Americans!"

From Frank Trzaska's website, militaryknives.com

Blade 7 1/2" long with cast-aluminum handle.
Includes cowhide sheath
$160 plus $10 shipping
To order e-mail me.