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Bruce Barnett is a Western Australian knifemaker living in the hills of Perth. He moved to Western Australia from King Island in 1981, where knives were an everyday part of life. However, it was not until he had a custom hand crafted bowie knife and sheath donated to his drag racing fund raising efforts by Perth-based knifemaker Max Harvey that he became interested in custom knifemaking.
Ten years after this knife donation, Bruce found himself no longer able to race due to the side effects of two broken vertebrae in his neck from a racing crash. It was at this point that he decided to try his hand at knifemaking, beginning by spending a day with Albany-based kniefmaker David Brodziak. Dave was very generous with sharing his knowledge, and Bruce credits Dave with getting him started in the industry. Bruce also spent some time learning with NSW based Keith Fludder. These days, Bruce likes to travel to the US every year to further his knifemaking education and has taken classes with Mastersmiths Ed Caffrey and Bruce Bump. Barnett caught the forging bug and plans to test for his journeyman smith credentials. He forges carbon steel and creates his own damascus. He enjoys forging and time spent with the US knifemaking community. He has spent a considerable time working with Mastersmith Bill Burke. He attends the Blade Show in Atlanta and the Rocky Mountain Knife Show in Boise, as well as three Australian knife shows – the Australian Knifemakers Guild Show in Melbourne, Victoria, the Adelaide Custom Knife show in Adelaide, South Australia, and the WAAAS Military Fair in Cannington, Western Australia.
Bruce is currently a part-time maker “…with a mortgage, unfortunately…” and makes approximately 40 knives per year. When not making knives, Bruce works as a maintenance manager for a contract mining company. This involves him flying to a site, spending eight days there touring between five different sites, and then flying home for six days of downtime – five days of which are usually spent knifemaking.
Bruce’s favorite knives to make are damascus bladed bowies, fighters and slipjoints, but he also makes hunters and skinners, fillet and chef knives. The majority of Bruce’s knives are forged, except for fillet knives and some folders. The thing he enjoys most about making knives is the evolution of a collection of raw materials - pieces of steel, some handle material - into a functional piece of art, a handmade knife. The materials he favors are 1084, W2, 52100, 5160, 1084 & 15N20 damascus for blades, and Australian hardwoods, stag and mammoth ivory for handles. Bruce makes all his own sheaths. Bruce has his own Evenheat heat treating oven and does 90% of his own heat treatment. He edge quenches a lot of his field knives, uses clay on W2, and quenches all his blades in a particular blend of oils.
I was very pleased when Idaho Mastersmith Bill Burke introduced me to Bruce Barnett. For several weeks, Bill had brought up this Australian visiting knifemaker as a potential new maker for BladeGallery. When I saw Bruce's attention to detail, skill, and artistic eye, I immediately thanked Bill. It was with great pleasure that I watched Bruce complete the performance test on his way to becoming a journeyman smith.
Awards:
Affiliations:
African Blackwood Hunter |
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Backlock Trapper with Ringed Gidgee |
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Backlock Trapper with Ringed Gidgee |
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Birdseye Iron Bark Hunter |
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Birdseye Maple Hunter |
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Black Mulga Bowie Journeyman Smith Test Knife |
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Black Mulga Hunter |
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Chef Knife (6-3/4 in) with Texas Wind Damascus and York Gum Burl |
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Chef Knife (8.9 in) with Twist Damascus and Bubinga |
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Chef's Knife (7-1/2 in.) with Stainless Damascus San Mai and Sheoak |
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Chef's Knife (8 in.) with Ringed Gidgee |
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Chef's Knife (8-1/2") with Feather Pattern Damascus and Tasmanian Blackwood |
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Chef's Knife (8-1/8 in.) with Figured Jarrah |
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Curly Jarrah Drop Point |
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Curly Jarrah Hunter |
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Curly Minirichie Hunter/Utility |
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Damascus and Mammoth Folder |
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Damascus Camp Knife with Ringed Gidgee |
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Damascus Drop Point Hunter with Budgeroo |
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Damascus Slipjoint Trapper with Mammoth Ivory |
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Damascus Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Drop Point Hunter with Minirichie |
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Drop Point Hunter with Red Ironbark |
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Drop Point Hunter with Tasmanian Blackwood |
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Engraved Wharncliffe Folder with Damascus and White Lip Mother of Pearl |
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Explosion Damascus Slipjoint Trapper with Curly Miniritchie |
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Feather Bowie |
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Feather Damascus Engraved Saddlehorn with Whitelip Mother of Pearl |
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Feather Pattern Damascus Clip Point Hunter with Red Morrel Burl |
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Feather Pattern Damascus Fighter with Ringed Gidgee |
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Feather Pattern Damascus Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Geometric Progression |
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Geometric Progression with Mammoth Ivory |
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Hamon Bowie with Mammoth Ivory Journeyman Smith Test Knife |
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Hunter with Birdseye Wandoo |
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Hunter with Curly Wandoo |
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Hunter with Jarrah Wood |
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Hunter with Maple Burl |
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Hunter with Red Ironbark and Carbon Fiber |
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Hunter with Ringed Gidgee |
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Hunter with Spalted Maple Burl |
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Hunter with Walnut |
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Ironbird Hunter |
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Jarrah Fighter with Ladder Damascus |
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Lace Sheoak Hunter Journeyman Smith Test Knife |
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Ladder Damascus Folder with Mammoth Ivory |
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Lanny's Clip Lockback with Damascus and Ringed Gidgee |
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Lanny's Clip with Damascus and Ivory Paper Micarta |
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Mallee Root and Sharkstooth Folder |
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Mammoth Folder with Sharktooth Damascus |
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Mammoth Ivory Bark Slip Joint Folder |
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Miniritchie |
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Mosaic Damascus Folder with Mammoth Ivory |
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Recurve Hamon Hunter with Walnut |
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Recurve Hunter with Black Palm |
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Red Morrell Hunter |
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River of Fire Damascus Two Blade Trapper with Mammoth Ivory |
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San Mai Chef's Knife (6.4 in) with Jarrah Wood |
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Sharkstooth Hunter |
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Sheoak Hunter |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Mammoth Ivory |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Ringed Gidgee |
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Slip Joint Trapper with Ringed Gidgee |
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Slipjoint Trapper with Yellow Mallee Burl |
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Slipjoint with W's Damascus and Stag |
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Stag Long Hunter |
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Starburst Damascus and Mammoth Slipjoint |
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Sunburnt Country Carving Set |
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Textured G10 Tactical Utility |
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Textured G10 Tactical Utility Hunter |
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Three Bar Twist |
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Three Blade Sowbelly Slipjoint with Sharkstooth Damascus and Walrus Ivory |
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Two-Blade Trapper with Jigged Bone |
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Two-Blade Trapper with Ringed Gidgee |
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Walrus Bowie with Hamon |
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Walrus Ivory Bowie Journeyman Smith Test Knife |
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Wandoo Birdseye Hunter |
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