Don Cowles is a full-time
knifemaker. Born in California, he has lived in Washington State,
Oklahoma, Illinois, Massachusetts, Venezuela, New Jersey, New
York, and currently resides in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Don's knife making career has been interrupted by a number of
temporary jobs. He has been an engineer, teacher, policeman,
paramedic, bartender, therapist, guitar repairman, winery manager,
and a technical writer, among other things. He made his first
knife in 1963, and a number of knives in the following decades. In
1995, he bought a Burr King belt grinder, and has never looked
back.
In the last few years, he has devoted much time to the craft of
making cutlery of his own design, focusing primarily on smaller
straight knives as elegant alternatives to folding knives. He is a
member of the Miniature Knifemakers Society, and the
American Knife and Tool Institute, contributes as a moderator
to online
knife discussion forums, and writes the occasional article for
knife magazines.
Don is an avid fly fisherman, an
accomplished singer and guitarist, and is active in his church. He
loves to talk knives, and share the experience and knowledge that
was so generously shared with him by others.
Don Cowles hand-makes knives of his
own design from the initial concept to the finished product. His
love of fine craftsmanship is apparent in his work. Although he
makes some knives to similar patterns, each is a unique creation;
a true one-of-a-kind offering. He is always experimenting with new
designs, materials, and techniques, so his knives are constantly
evolving.
Artistic Philosophy ...
Don insists on using his own hands for each operation involved,
without the use of fixtures or jigs or apprentices, although he
made an exception when he helped his grandson craft a blade. The
workmanship of Don's knives is guaranteed for life. He has a
well-equipped shop, but virtually all of the effort expended in
the making of a knife is hand work. In this way, he develops a
measure of intimacy with the materials and processes involved that
allows him to deeply understand the way things are coming
together, and to compensate for things like variations in natural
materials.
The Method ...
Starting
with bar stock of the best available knife steels, he grinds,
polishes, and heat treats his own blades. Bolsters and handle
materials are then attached and shaped by hand, of substances both
ordinary and exotic. He takes great pleasure in watching the
metamorphosis occur from raw materials to finished tools that are
both useful and attractive.
He does some limited scrimshaw (and makes his own scrimshaw tools)
and engraving, and hand-stitches top quality sheaths that are
custom-fitted to each knife. Customer input is welcome on material
selection and design, within the framework of what he does best.
The Style
...
Here's Don's take
on what he makes:
"My gentlemen's straight knives
are designed as elegant alternatives to folding knives. I use
ATS34, BG42, 440C, CPM S30V, CPM 154, and RWL 34, as well as
stainless and carbon Damascus in a variety of patterns from
Bertie Rietveld, Jerry Rados, Daryl Meier, Robert Eggerling,
George Werth, Mike Norris, and Devin Thomas. Finishes for
non-Damascus pieces are usually hand rubbed.
Bolsters are 416 stainless steel,
or mokume gane from a number of different makers. Pins are 14K
gold. The signature ruby in the ricasso is set in 18K gold.
Handles are usually crafted from fine natural materials such as
mother of pearl and the fossil ivories, as well as rare woods,
although some pieces intended for rigorous use have been fitted
with carbon fiber or Micartaâ„¢.
Blade and handle shapes were
conceived with consideration for size, comfort, function, and
appearance. All are full-tang design, and even those knives with
Damascus blades are ground from a single piece of bar stock; no
welds are made to lower-grade steels to reduce material costs.
Tangs are tapered to reduce weight, as well as to improve
appearance.
A few words on the sheaths that
accompany my straight pocket knives: the concept is to provide a
secure method of holding the knife that keeps it readily
available, as well an attractive look that is in keeping with
the appearance of the knife itself.
Although the particular
combination of features on my sheaths is unique to me, each of
the "ideas" came from somewhere else. For example, I use a rare
earth magnet to help retain the blade in the sheath; an idea I
borrowed from Bud Nealy (and for which I thanked him a couple of
years ago), who uses them in his Kydex sheaths.
The clips come from Matt Conable
of William Henry Knives, who uses them on slip-cases for his
folders. I was told that Matt got the idea for the clip from a
sheath intended for pocket-carry of a pen. There is nothing new
under the sun after all, but there is much to be said for
availing one's self of the wisdom and experience of those who
have gone before.
To keep the inside of the clip
and the magnet from scratching the knife, I line the sheath with
soft goatskin. The hand-stitched exterior is made of exotic
leather or cowhide. Exotics include ostrich, crocodile, lizard,
frog skin, and sharkskin.
The clip allows the knife to be
attached to the inside of a trouser pocket in much the same way
that many folders are carried. I have developed a preference for
clipping it to the inside of my shirt pocket where it is just as
accessible as a pen or pencil.
The whole package is designed to
fit nicely in a pocket, yet still provide enough useful blade
and handle to slice a bagel or open a carton - they are, after
all, tools- and, at the same time, present an elegant and
non-threatening appearance. There is no reason why tools can't
have some class."
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