Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa Guild Set (4 Knives and Performance Test Blade)

Product Description for Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa Guild Set (4 Knives and Performance Test Blade)

Maker: Dave Skinner (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 101878
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Item weight: 60.00 oz.
Shipment weight: 177 oz.
Description: South African bladesmith Dave Skinner brings a refined eye and tremendous skill at the forge to his knives. He is a bladesmith from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. An optometrist by day and a knifemaker in the evenings, his great attention developed in optometry has clearly moved into his knifemaking.
This impressive set of knives was made by Skinner as his submission to become a member of the Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa. Similar to ABS testing requirements, this set serves as a test of a maker's ability and craftmanship. When a maker tests for entry into the Guild, they are required to create four knives that are the height of their work at the time. These knives are then judged by established members to determine if the maker's work is up to snuff. A fifth knife is put through a grueling performance test. Only upon passing these rigourous tests may a maker join the Guild. This serves as a guarantee of quality when you buy a knife from a Guild member.
Knife 1: Cut and Bend Test Knife. This knife was hand forged by Dave from 5160 carbon steel and features an 800 grit satin finish. First, the knife must be sharp enough to shave hair off the arm before performing a rope cutting test. Next, it must cut through a 2x4 -- twice! Having chopped through the 2x4, the blade still needs to shave hair, showing that it hasn't dulled. Finally, the knife is put into a bench vice and bent to 90 degrees. It should take and hold the bend but should not crack. It is quite a test! Rhodesian Teak handle scales are set to a full tang for strength and durability. A hole is drilled in the back to accomadate a lanyard.
Knife 2: Damascus Dagger. Daggers are the most difficult fixed blades to make. Due to the requirement of perfect symmetry, the grinds, and embellishments must be spot on to look right. The damascus blade was forged from 5160, K460, 1080, and 15N20 carbon steels and will have exceptional edge retention. The handle is formed from dyed and stabilized curly maple. The guard is formed from pinstripe pattern damascus. The guard was forged to shape, rather than ground. This allows the damacust pattern to follow the shape of the guard. This technique, while extremely difficult, results in true elegance. Bold damascus spacers and a twist pattern pommel finish the handle. A tooled black and brown leather sheath is included. Blade length: 8", cutting edge: 7.25", overall: 13.75".
Knife 3: Hamon Utility with Rosewood Burl. This blade is forged from 1070 carbon steel and features a clay zone differential heat treatment. This technique, borrowed from Japanese swords, uses clay to insulate the top half of the blade prior to quenching. The result is a softer, supportive spine, with a keen, long lasting cutting edge. The undulating transition line is called a hamon. Both the blade and tang are distal tapered for perfect balance. Handle scales are formed from rosewood burl set on aluminum formica liners. The scales are fit perfectly to polished 416 stainless steel bolsters. The shape and style of this knife is inspired by renowned South African knifemaker Fanie La Grange, who regretably passed away in 2012. A brown pouch style tooled leather sheath is included. Blade length: 3.7", cutting edge: 3.6", overall: 8.4".
Knife 4: Damascus Skinner. The upswept ladder pattern damascus blade is forged from 1080 and 15N20 carbon steels and will have excellent edge retention. The handle is formed from stabilized maple burl secured to the hidden tang using a mosaic pin. A polished 303 stainless steel guard is fit to alternating black G-10 and 303 stainless steel spacers. A damascus end cap finishes the handle. The sculpted handle is extremely comfortable and the knife has excellent balance. Includes a brown pouch style tooled leather sheath. Blade length: 4.1", cutting edge: 3.8", overall: 8.8".
Knife 5: Kevin Harvey Inspired Damascus Bowie. The large clip point blade is formed from damascus forged from 5160, 1080, 15n20, K600, and K460 carbon steels. The high contrast, bold pattern is extremely engaging. The spine has been rounded and the blade features a appleseed grind. The handle is made from stabilized amboyna burl secured to the hidden tang using two domed stainless steel pins. The damascus oval guard and spacer have been hot blued to bring in intriguing colors. 304 stainless steel liners surround the damascus spacer. The knife feels exceptional in hand and has great balance. Includes a black and brown tooled leather sheath with a damascus frog. Blade length: 10.25", cutting edge: 9.5", overall: 15.75".
The knives come in a hard case that has been customized to perfectly fit all the included knives and sheaths in one package. A book featuring all of the specifications on the knives, photos of each knife, and pictures of the performance test is included.
It is no surprise at all that Dave passed his test using this stunning set of knives! We were extremely pleased to be able to obtain his entire Guild test set. This is truly a piece of history.
Exceptional work throughout!


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