rinehart0050
AH legend
As an anniversary gift to each other, my wife and I ordered a matching set of custom knives by Rodney Watts of Hot Springs, SD. I got the "Big Ole Fighter" and my wife got the slightly smaller "Yendor Fighter." Both knives feature stunning mammoth tooth handles and some exceptional engraving on the bolsters and pins. We also had custom sheaths made.
We were on a pretty tight timeline to get these knives made prior to our anniversary, with the added challenge of shipping to a military APO address over here in Korea. Rodney went above and beyond completing them quickly and coordinating with the engraver and sheath maker. The knives arrived with a couple days to spare and my wife and I couldn't be more happy.
Thank you to Rodney for making our anniversary a special one!
Data:
Knife Maker: Rodney Watts, wattscustomknives.com
Engraver: Bruce Christensen
Models: Big Ole Fighter, Yendor Fighter
Blades: ATS-34 stainless steel
Bolsters: 416 stainless steel, hand engraved
Handles: Mammoth Tooth
File Patterns: Roman Knot, Vine and Thorn
Rodney sent me regular updates, showing the knives as they progressed through the crafting process. First, I chose the mammoth tooth handles for each knife. We decided on a set of wine-colored ones, with deep reds and oranges. The pictures really don't do the mammoth tooth justice- there's so much depth and character to each tooth segment that I really wasn't able to appreciate until I saw them in person.
Here are the blades, early on in the process.
Rodney has earned some fame for his filing work. He's been recognized with the "Best New Maker" award at the 2011 Blade Show. Filing work is very time consuming- all done by hand. On my knife, I have a classic Roman Knot pattern. My wife has Rodney's own Vine and Thorn pattern- notice how it tapers off towards the end of the handle. Here are photos of the filing work in progress.
This was the last photo I received before picking up the finished products. After this, we waited in great anticipation for a couple of weeks while the engraving and sheaths were completed.
We were on a pretty tight timeline to get these knives made prior to our anniversary, with the added challenge of shipping to a military APO address over here in Korea. Rodney went above and beyond completing them quickly and coordinating with the engraver and sheath maker. The knives arrived with a couple days to spare and my wife and I couldn't be more happy.
Thank you to Rodney for making our anniversary a special one!
Data:
Knife Maker: Rodney Watts, wattscustomknives.com
Engraver: Bruce Christensen
Models: Big Ole Fighter, Yendor Fighter
Blades: ATS-34 stainless steel
Bolsters: 416 stainless steel, hand engraved
Handles: Mammoth Tooth
File Patterns: Roman Knot, Vine and Thorn
Rodney sent me regular updates, showing the knives as they progressed through the crafting process. First, I chose the mammoth tooth handles for each knife. We decided on a set of wine-colored ones, with deep reds and oranges. The pictures really don't do the mammoth tooth justice- there's so much depth and character to each tooth segment that I really wasn't able to appreciate until I saw them in person.
Here are the blades, early on in the process.
Rodney has earned some fame for his filing work. He's been recognized with the "Best New Maker" award at the 2011 Blade Show. Filing work is very time consuming- all done by hand. On my knife, I have a classic Roman Knot pattern. My wife has Rodney's own Vine and Thorn pattern- notice how it tapers off towards the end of the handle. Here are photos of the filing work in progress.
This was the last photo I received before picking up the finished products. After this, we waited in great anticipation for a couple of weeks while the engraving and sheaths were completed.
