As soon as man discovered stone, a new tradition was born. The art of knife and spear making dates back perhaps as much as 5 million years. It is likely to be one of the oldest hobbies or occupations known to humans. A sharp piece of stone is believed to be the first and most widely used tools on earth. At first these sharp stones were only used for eating, cutting, poking, and prying. The stones were also used to sharpen sticks or attached directly to the end of a wooden shaft. This widely used tool could be used for hunting, fishing, attacking, and defending.
This opened the door for more handy materials for the custom knife makers. Hunters and fisherman began to harvest teeth, claws, bone, horn, and shells, for custom knife makers. I believe that these exotic blade and handle materials that inspired the desire to collect. This was a tradition among all cultures of the world. Even today, (millions of years later) countless collectors continue to appreciate this fine art of craftsmanship. Artist took pride in these spiritual and valuable tools.
The discovery of soft metals, approximately 12,000 years ago, rapidly advanced the design and durability of these edged tools and weapons. Using fire to liquefy the metals, blacksmith’s would poor liquid bronze and copper into molds made out of stone. This process enabled them to produce larger, more useful tools and weapons such as axes, swords, and armor. The blades were heated, hammered into shape, and soon they were even sharpened. This replaced countless hours of chipping, filing, and sanding required by making blades from stone or bone.
These soft metal blades were shortly replaced by the discovery of forged iron. This material produced a stronger, more durable blade that could be used for thrusting or chopping. Techniques such as spring tempering improved the tapering abilities for blades of all types. Guttering or grooving of the blades was incorporated to lighten the tools or weapons without sacrificing strength. The earliest known folding knives also date back to the early Iron Age. A folding pocket knife with a bone handle was found at Hallstatt, Austria. The estimated age of the folder was nearly 2600 years.
The tradition of knife and edged weapon making has held a certain spiritual value across the Middle America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. These fine tools have been a symbol of power, bravery, and courage for an unknown number of years.
