# A Custom Knife WIP From One Of Our Members Erik Markman



## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Many on here love custom bows 

Well to me that means many on here must also love custom knives  

Here is a little WIP from a fellow Archer and member here ....... Erik Markman 

Erik is from Holland and he IMHO is one of the very best in the Custom Knife World 

This started out as a little horse Trading ........ A Bow For a knife 

I see Erok every year at the World Famous Blade Show in Atlanta 

He is getting started on this for a delivery at the show in June 

I will keep you posted on the progress and I think you all will be amazed 

Details : 

It turned out to be a 644 layer billet of C100 and 75ni8




















More to come 

The Handle will be Black Micarta to match my new CH


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Here is Erik Shooting his new Bow


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## marcelxl (Dec 5, 2010)

I love custom steel, and that one has the beginnings of a solid user right there!

Micarta is hard to beat for a working knife. My favourite custom Bushcrafter I had made out of desert ironwood as I wanted straight up looks and the resilience if +40 to -30 temps we get here, in an heirloom knife. Otherwise I love the ultra stable Micarta, done properly it looks good too! 

I look forwards to seeing the progress of this little beauty!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

marcelxl said:


> I love custom steel, and that one has the beginnings of a solid user right there!
> 
> Micarta is hard to beat for a working knife. My favourite custom Bushcrafter I had made out of desert ironwood as I wanted straight up looks and the resilience if +40 to -30 temps we get here, in an heirloom knife. Otherwise I love the ultra stable Micarta, done properly it looks good too!
> 
> I look forwards to seeing the progress of this little beauty!


Thank you 

I'm anxious myself


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Not sure what the steel numbers mean, but sounds cool. Looking good so far. Keep us posted, curious how it turns out when done.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Stub said:


> Not sure what the steel numbers mean, but sounds cool. Looking good so far. Keep us posted, curious how it turns out when done.


Hi Stub 

The blade will be a composite blade (Damascus)


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

A pic of the guard material lightly etched and fitted


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

That's awesome. Does Erik have a website where I can look at more of his work? Someday I would love to have a custom knife made for me. Killer, thanks for posting the build process pictures, fun to keep up with


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks Stub 

Erik should be along soon 

I am having problems finding his web site


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

I can see the maker in that blade…and then I see him with a bow. “Good Trade”. Enjoy, Rick.


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## NoDeerInIowa (Mar 5, 2012)

Beautiful. Can't wait to see it finished.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

very cool to see it take shape.


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

Thank you all for the nice comments.
I do not have a website but you can have a look at my Facebook page where you can see most of my work.


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## Paul68 (Jul 20, 2012)

Functional art. Impressive work Erik, and really looking forward to the finished product.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

You need a website my friend


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

I know.....:embara:


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## Paul68 (Jul 20, 2012)

JParanee said:


> You need a website my friend


I'm kinda glad there is no website. I'd be hitting the "add to cart" button, then trying to explain the matter to my wife.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Shaping the Damascus guard


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

ok, that is starting to look flat out sweet, though the first set of words that came into my mind contained neither 'out' nor 'flat.'

me and my potty brain


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## oneTone (Jun 29, 2013)

Erik - beautiful pattern welding, grinding and you have a very refined design sense. Clearly you are a master of your craft. Thanks for posting this WIP JP. It is always a pleasure to see such fine work underway. I'm guessing you're gonna love that knife!


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## mt_elkhunter (Feb 28, 2010)

Erik are you wearing wooden clogs in these pictures?


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

Yes I do.


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## MGF (Oct 27, 2012)

That hammer is what caught my eye. Welding up a billet like that by hand is a lot of hot heavy work. LOL


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

After hardening


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## patrick2cents (Jan 26, 2014)

Wow! Beautiful blade!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Handle getting started


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## UrbanDeerSlayer (Feb 10, 2012)

JP, 

Looks like another fine blade to add to your collection.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks Tony


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Very cool seeing this knife taking shape. Do you know what type of edge you'll have on it?


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## Breathn (Jun 12, 2005)

that is sick..love it..


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Stub said:


> Very cool seeing this knife taking shape. Do you know what type of edge you'll have on it?


Stub 

The clip is a true flat ground 

The main edge will be a flat grind with a slight convex I believe..... if that makes sense 

It's up to Erik but I do like a very slight apple seed grind to keep meat behind the edge 

I can imagine this one will be very slight but again it's up to Erik


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

Yes, it will have a convex edge.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

Woo hoo! Love it!

Keep it coming!


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## matt flint (May 21, 2012)

O man, that looks sweet


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Handle Shaping


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## Breathn (Jun 12, 2005)

He has talent ..gets better with every pic


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Breath ....just wait


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Final Shaping 







Buffed 

Notice the subtle contouring and flat areas for indexing 

Most do not understand the thought pattern that goes into a well made and designed knife 

Erik does


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

Definitely a European feeling to that knife. Edge quenched damascus? :thumb:


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## Elliot1987 (Dec 17, 2012)

That is a seriously amazing work! Amazing talent!


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

The blade is fully hardened, tempered and after that the spine is tempered even more with an acytylenetorch.
This leaves the spine springy and not softlike an edgequench.

Edgequenched blades bend too much to my liking.
I used to do al lot of competitioncutting and with an edgequenched blade I ended up with a (slightly) bent blade.
Differential tempering solved that.


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

Awesome - do I dare ask what one of those would cost?


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## tuckerjt07 (Dec 18, 2014)

If you ever want a website we could probably work something out . That is a work of art.


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## Bowpro-295 (Jul 30, 2013)

Wow a true piece of are I would love to have one. Need a website since I don't have a face book. If you could pm me some information on one.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Wait till you guys see the end prouduct


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Handle looking great!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

centershot said:


> Awesome - do I dare ask what one of those would cost?


Center 

Pm Erik and he can quote you some prices 

Thx


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Starting to etch the guard 



Hand sanding the blade before etching


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Final convexing of the edge before final hand sanding and etch


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm running out of drool here!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

rickstix said:


> I'm running out of drool here!


I'm glad many here can appreciate what is going on here 

There are so many things 

Stick tang 

Multi bar Damascus blade 

Differentials heat treated 

Performance edge geometry 

Damascus guard fitted to an integral bolster so to speak 

Masterfully sculpted handle ....... That in itself is an art that not many smiths can accomplish to this level 

Wait till the blade is finally hand sanded out to a perfect finish and than etched 

A knife is only a paper weight ..... Unless it has a proper sheath 

This knife will


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

I truly admire your work.....what I do is nothing compared to what you accomplish......I don't have the time to make the blade, I buy mine and then do the handle thing and make a leather sheath for it.........I can boast some on my leather work but my knifes are for SASS folks and cowboy re-enactors......and for people who want to put one on their mantle.......


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

rembrandt said:


> I truly admire your work.....what I do is nothing compared to what you accomplish......I don't have the time to make the blade, I buy mine and then do the handle thing and make a leather sheath for it.........I can boast some on my leather work but my knifes are for SASS folks and cowboy re-enactors......and for people who want to put one on their mantle.......


Rem 

There is a place in the cutlery world for all good work and yours sure is that  great stuff buddy 

Erik is knocking on the door of some very upper echelon makers 

Guys like Jason Knight , Sam Lurquin , Nick Wheeler etc 

I am lucky to call of these guys friends and if you ever have any questions lets just say they all owe me favors so don't be shy 

Guys like Erik are as generous with there time as they are gifted 

For as long as I can remember I have been lured to the riddle of steel and what is possible with proper heat treat and edge geometry 

Here is a little video and discussion of what makes a High Performance Bowie knife a magical thing and why these qualities are so hard to find in anything less than a masterpiece from a very gifted maker 

This is a Nick Wheeler Bowie project that I was involved in 

I gave input on design and he made 12 of them for the project 

They sold out in less than 3 hours 






I just love this stuff Guns , Bows , Knives , etc 

Heck I'm doing a Bullwhip video tomorrow for a local girl that makes some of the best whips I have ever had the pleasure of using 

In fact she's delivering a new one to me that I commissioned just in time to use in the video


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

JParanee said:


> I just love this stuff Guns , Bows , Knives , etc


You are a man truly capable of falling in love without reservation, in whatever you choose to pursue.

I admire that!

Watching you handle that knife, very impressive, and a little scary. Makes me wish I had more time, and that the Kendo club wasn't as far away as it is. Funny how much technique there is in something like cutting.

Heck, I learned a lot when I first moved into the mountains, from a neighbor, when it came to the easy way and the hard way to split wood.

I guess that guys saying, "Form is Everything" is true about a lot of stuff.

If I tried to handle a knife like that, the way you do, I'd hurt myself, quickly.


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## Breathn (Jun 12, 2005)

Love it my friend..being a CNC machinist /engineer by trade I love custom blades ..you can see the time and skill it went into making that ..something that can be passed on through the ages..


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

BarneySlayer said:


> You are a man truly capable of falling in love without reservation, in whatever you choose to pursue.
> 
> I admire that!
> 
> ...



Barney 

Since I was a little kid I was fascinated with blade arts especially those of the Samurai 

If you think I have a good bow collection all I can say is that my sword collection in monetary terms dwarfs it 

many many moons ago I was blessed to have a Japanese Martial artist move to my area for about 5 years 

He was a very highly ranked Kendoist and was wicked with edged weapons 

A wealth guy built a Dojo in the back of one of his buildings just for him to teach in 

I sought him out and I spent 5 years 9 hours a week training Kendo , Iaido and Iku Jitsu with him 

I was in my early 20's and its was a blast he taught me a lot about the old Samurai Arts 

Here I am at a Kendo tournament in NY city 

Wide eyed and young  



We did a lot of live blade cutting 





After he went back I did a lot of large knife training and spent time with Billy Bagwell who many consider the father of the Modern Combat Bowie 



These days I don't pick up to many blades for training purposes other than to work with some local SWAT cops that I know 

So it really does show what an incredible thing muscle memory is 

Here is another quick trailer for a Knight Combat blade project I did a few years back


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Breathn said:


> Love it my friend..being a CNC machinist /engineer by trade I love custom blades ..you can see the time and skill it went into making that ..something that can be passed on through the ages..


Thank you my friend


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Back to the WIP 

finished sanding, etched the makersmark and the blade is etching now


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Buffed before final etch 






Quick pic before final Assembly and etch


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Gluing up the handle


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

The chatoyance in the blade is really starting to shine thru


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

Joe, you just made me increase my vocabulary, at least temporarily 

That is some great art.

I hope it gets to get some use too!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

BarneySlayer said:


> Joe, you just made me increase my vocabulary, at least temporarily
> 
> That is some great art.
> 
> I hope it gets to get some use too!


Barney I will definitely carry it and it will go into the rotation 

I have been collecting custom knives for over 30 years so let's just say I have way to many


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## natural.path (Oct 5, 2013)

SUH-WEET!!!!!! I have made several knives from old files, and all of them are outstanding. Old files really make good knives.


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Starting sheath work


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## Moebow (Jul 8, 2010)

Love the craftsmanship shown in these pictures!!!! GREAT knife taking shape!!!

BUT! Got to ask, "What the heck is a WIP???" "Work in progress" or what?? I hate trying to interpret unknown terms or abbreviations. 

Arne


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Hi Arnie 

Yes WIP stands for work in progress  

Thanks for the kind words 

There are some very talented artisans out there and Erik is certainly one


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Erik gets bored with leather work so he takes some breaks


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Erik's been busy getting ready for The Blade Show where I will take delivery of this package 

It is finished and I am very pleased 







Multiple carry options vertical or horizontal 





Size reference in hand 

Notice the Distal Taper and ergonomics 





Thanks Erik can't wait to see you in Atlanta


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## NoDeerInIowa (Mar 5, 2012)

That is a functional work of art.


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

That is one sweet knife JP. I'm really digging that sheath! Awesome man, thanks for sharing this build process!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks Nodeer and Stub

Stub

I'm loving your avatar of you and your daughter


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## marcelxl (Dec 5, 2010)

That is a stunner!

There are a few things that I would change if it was MY user but it takes nothing away from you have, beautiful and functional……a lovely piece you should very much enjoy!


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Lol thanks. She actually took the picture on my phone. My "serious face" was from realizing I would need to delete a couple hundred photos she took. I kept this one though


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Stub said:


> Lol thanks. She actually took the picture on my phone. My "serious face" was from realizing I would need to delete a couple hundred photos she took. I kept this one though


And well you did


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

Very nice...I like the way you did the sheath....


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

marcelxl said:


> That is a stunner!
> 
> There are a few things that I would change if it was MY user but it takes nothing away from you have, beautiful and functional……a lovely piece you should very much enjoy!



Thank you my friend 

I let Erik make what he wanted in this one and he has a great eye 

I love knife talk and especially design talk 

What would your dream knife look like ? 

You should come to the Blade show ...... it would blow your mind if your a steel head


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

rembrandt said:


> Very nice...I like the way you did the sheath....


The sheath is the most underrated part of the knife ........ But it is the most important


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## marcelxl (Dec 5, 2010)

JParanee said:


> Thank you my friend
> 
> I let Erik make what he wanted in this one and he has a great eye
> 
> ...


One day I might, I love to see the work of the best out there…….you're right, it would probably blow my mind!

I have found that folks who know knives (bows, aiming styles) know this, (and never more so than with knives) that there is little more personal than YOUR knife for your needs……. the right amount of function, fit and looks. Some may argue that an out and out user does not need to be pretty but in an heirloom quality piece or one you are dropping a substantial chunk of change on then I would not want to regret one part of the process!

I have said before that I like the classic "bushcraft" style of knife for my own user and mine is a BCNW-01 in desert ironwood.

Who knows what me wants and needs might be in a few years, might even look just like this one!


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## marcelxl (Dec 5, 2010)

and yea…..

The sheaths are very important, being a lefty I have got lots of custom leather and kydex over the years.

These pants for this blade works well, finishes the package nicely


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

JParanee said:


> The sheath is the most underrated part of the knife ........ But it is the most important


I'm sure You probably know this and Mark has probably told you this.....that blade is not stainless but Damascus and you need to keep a drop or two of Ballistol on the blade or any kind of oil to protect it......it will rust.....but like I said, you probably know that......


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

marcelxl said:


> One day I might, I love to see the work of the best out there…….you're right, it would probably blow my mind!
> 
> I have found that folks who know knives (bows, aiming styles) know this, (and never more so than with knives) that there is little more personal than YOUR knife for your needs……. the right amount of function, fit and looks. Some may argue that an out and out user does not need to be pretty but in an heirloom quality piece or one you are dropping a substantial chunk of change on then I would not want to regret one part of the process!
> 
> ...



Thank you for the kind words and please feel free to post up any and all knives  

A custom knife is certainly a joy


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

rembrandt said:


> I'm sure You probably know this and Mark has probably told you this.....that blade is not stainless but Damascus and you need to keep a drop or two of Ballistol on the blade or any kind of oil to protect it......it will rust.....but like I said, you probably know that......


Thanks Rem 

I actually don't own many stainless knives bar some laminated blades (stainless skins carbon cores) 

My knife experience has always been with Carbon and Damascus and I have trekked Asia to Africa with them and you are correct bit of preventive maintenance can go along way  

Always Remeber men have been sailing the seas and living off carbon steel for a very long time  

As a side note the MS (Master Smith) Bill Bagwell was the second person to recreate Damascus steel after Bill Moran in this country and I have shared many nights around fires and in his forge working 

I am lucky to count many MS Smiths as friends and will be releasing two upcoming design projects with two of the very most exciting and popular MS Smiths in the world in Atlanta at the upcoming Blade show 

They are Jason Knight and Sam Lurquin 

Erik know both and can attest to their brilliance


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

tagged...

mighty fine blade work there...wow. Always like seeing true artists at work.


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

Fury90flier said:


> tagged...
> 
> mighty fine blade work there...wow. Always like seeing true artists at work.


Katy is just south of Houston.....I lived in Magnolia for about 25 years.....I worked on the HB&T railroad as an Engineer for 30 years, most in Houston at Settegast Yd and South Yd.....


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## Buffalo freak (Jul 29, 2012)

I hope your carefull with that sucker JP. That thing looks sharp enough to cut a week into 9 days man!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Buffalo freak said:


> I hope your carefull with that sucker JP. That thing looks sharp enough to cut a week into 9 days man!


That's a good one


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

I will be taking receipt of this knife at The upcoming Blade Show in Atlanta were I will be picking up a few more very interesting pieces 

One will be one of Sam Lurquins MasterSmith submissions which is a rendition of the famous Musso Bowie 





Sam has a
Ready passed his MS performance tests and his final judging will be on 5 pieces which this Musso Bowie is one of them 

Regretfully his submission Dagger has been lost or stolen in shipping to the U.S. And he is now hard at work trying to make another with only two weeks to go 

Here is the missing MS Dagger 





I know Sam will get another done but we are all heart broken for the loss of this exquisite piece that would of clearly fetched a huge sum at the show


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

JParanee said:


> Thanks Rem
> 
> I actually don't own many stainless knives bar some laminated blades (stainless skins carbon cores)
> 
> ...


I figured right..LOL...I was humping in the wind giving you info......You have some good folks and experience to lean on...... on how to take care of those knives......I have around 15 or so Damascus blades that I have to oil about once a month due to the humidity here in Bama....


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

rembrandt said:


> I figured right..LOL...I was humping in the wind giving you info......You have some good folks and experience to lean on...... on how to take care of those knives......I have around 15 or so Damascus blades that I have to oil about once a month due to the humidity here in Bama....




Rem 

Look at a prouduct called Tuff Glide from Sentry Soloutions 

Oil is a carrier that disapates 

Tuff Glide goes on wet and is a dry lube 

I have used it on everything from knife blades to guns and even metal bow parts from sweltering heat and humidity in Tanzania to South America to the wet conditions in Alaska and as long as a blade is coated it will not rust 

I do a lot of salt water fishing and that is the devils piss  and it has kept my carbon knives pretty good even in those conditions 

Try it 

In the long run it is cheaper than oil and will serve you better


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

JParanee said:


> Rem
> 
> Look at a prouduct called Tuff Glide from Sentry Soloutions
> 
> ...


I've never heard of it but will look it up and see if I can't get some......how does it go on wet and is a dry lube? enlighten me on that? Sounds like good stuff tho......I've not had any rust on mine but mine is seasoned with Ballistol.....If you haven't read on the history of that stuff, which I call Moose Juice due to the smell, you should....Its a fun thing to read.....the Germans created the oil back during WW11 and it is biodegradable, heals wounds, oils weapons and you can injest it with no harm......all the Cowboys when I was in SASS used it and loved the stuff.......


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Eek 

Balistoil is good stuff 

But tuff Glide will serve you better and last longer 

It is a liquid that after it is applied dries to a film 

I leave it on thick when I'm storing things 

I have a large Japanese sword collection and I used to have to service them every few months just as a precaution 

Now I don't even check them that's how good the stuff is 

In normal use I coat the blade wipe off and it still bonds to the surface and protects 

They have a product called smooth kote that is a bore treatment 

After normal powder and copper removal I will treat the barrel and it is the best I have used for bore protection 

It dries and bonds to the bore 

No more fouling shots or flyers do to having an oiled barrel and helps reduce copper fouling 

They make some great products 

Their grease is also awesome 

None of the products will freeze either 

When I was in the Pamirs it was negative 27 at night and many had to strip the oil from their actions during pins etc 

No need with the Sentry Soloutions stuff


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

JP.....where do you get this stuf? I'm seriously looking at it and my intentions are to get some....I've got many knife blades and guns that I need to coat with it....


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Rem 


http://www.sentrysolutions.com


I stock up at the Blade Show every year 

But I also order on line 

You will like it 

But remember it is not food safe 

But for years I just wipe my blade good and I have eaten off treated knives 

Keeps my tongue from rusting


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

JParanee said:


> Rem
> 
> 
> http://www.sentrysolutions.com
> ...


Thanks.....I added that to my favorite list...."gonna get me some"...famous quote in "Open Range"


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

I think you will be pleased and I do like Robert Duvall 

He looks like my Grand Father that taught me about the outdoors


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## Erik Markman (Mar 31, 2014)

Now things are finished before the big show I want to thank you all for the nice words and thank Joe for all he does for the custom knife community.

See you soon!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks Erik 

I can't wait to see you and pick up the knife 

We have so much to talk about  

I hope you will be at our Booth this year 

For those interested 

The Blade show is the largest knife show in the World 

It is quite the show 



Check out Boade Forums Custo Knives section to see a lot of the work that will be at the show 

Makers from around the world come 

I run The DISKIN USA Booth which is a high end DA and Flipper Manufacurer besides being the leading source for Carbon fiber in that industry 

We host numerous Master Smith Projects that sell in open bids etc 

Jason Knight MS Khukuri that went at last years show at open bid for $6500

We expect his Gladius this year to go for more 



I'll be shooting videos and posting them to YouTube of my friends who are some of the greatest Smiths and Makers on the planet 

Erik will be in one


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## NoDeerInIowa (Mar 5, 2012)

That Gladius is sick!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

NoDeerInIowa said:


> That Gladius is sick!


It has not aired yet but it and it's maker where in a reality show based contest where it had yo hack thru steel drums end it was the wining Gladius 

It should command a very handsome price on open bid  

Thanks for the comments


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