BHK Outdoor Radio #67: L.T. and Dan Talk to Custom Knifemaker Lon Humphrey
OutdoorHub 06.24.13
Lon Humphrey recently earned his Journeyman stamp from the American Bladesmith Society. The stamp is a standard set by the American Bladesmith Society. To earn it the applicant must put their work through a performance test where a knife must chop wood, cut rope, shave, and be bent to 90 degrees. For the rest of the test the maker submits five knives to be critiqued for fit, finish, overall design, and balance. This is an elite club with only about 400 Journeyman worldwide. The next step, the Mastersmith, has even less members.
Lon tells L.T. and Dan what got him into knifemaking. He started at the age of 13 when his first forge was a 55 gallon barrel and a hair dryer. He got into knifemaking because he had broken every knife he purchased from a store and thought he could make something better. He worked in the Blind Horse Knives shop before going out on his own to start his business. He has done well. He just built a new shop and has had knives featured in Blade Magazine, Knives Illustrated, and Tactical Knives Magazine.
The guys ask Lon what makes his knives a Lon Humphrey knife. He says durability. All work for the knife is done in house so he has complete control over the quality. He won’t sell a knife if he can break it.
All of his hard work has paid off. He sold all of the knives he took to The Blade Show by the second day and he currently has an 8-10 month waiting list. Customers are lining up for this Ohio knifemaker. To check out his work visit www.lonhumphreyknives.com
To see his work in person visit the Glass City Knife Show in Toledo, OH August 2-4 2013 or the Ohio Classic Knife Show in Cambridge October 18th and 19th.
Check out the entire interview and past broadcasts at www.bhkoutdoornetwork.com.
Catch future shows Live on Saturdays at 8 am on ESPN Cambridge 1270 AM and 107.9 FM.
