I have been collecting a lot of knives lately, and I really like some of the art grade Scandanavian knives.

Any good links on places to buy them. I am familiar with some of the makers through searches on google.

Can anyone tell me more about how these high art puukko knives came to be? Seems to be quite a few of them built these days.

Here's a few photos, for those that don't get what I am trying to ask.

Here's some stuff about this guy.

His website is www.styrefors.com

Mattias Styrefors was born in the northern part of Sweden in 1974. He lives in a small village near the Arctic Circle close to the Finnish border with his wife Katrine and his children Isidor and Lovis.

He started making knives in 1992 and has always used materials from nature for his craft. The local materials used are reindeer antler bone and burls from Arctic woods. Mattias also uses exotic foreign materials like mammoth, sperm whale tooth, and fossil walrus oosic (penile bone), as well as gold, silver, and Damascus on his art knives. He works in both stabilized and natural woods. Color, shape, and a harmonious design have always been important elements in Mattias’ knife making, but finding new technical solutions and experimenting with new ideas are equally important.

Because of his need to find his own path in knife making, it was natural for Mattias to want to forge his own blades. A licensed child care worker, Mattias got his chance in 1997 when he enrolled in a 2-year practical arts college course. He established contact with one of the most skilled art knife makers in the world, Conny Persson of Sweden. Conny taught Mattias the basics in Damascus making. After a while, Mattias’ desire to create sophisticated mosaic Damascus took over and it became his specialty. Today, Mattias sells high end mosaic Damascus and Damascus bars and finished blades to makers all over the world.

In order to create sharp contrasts in the mosaic patterns, he uses different kinds of carbon steel, iron, and nickel. His blades are usually made in UHB 15N20 and 20C with contrasts in pure nickel and 15N20 with a hardness of HCR 58. There are no limits except time and talent to the kinds of patterns that can be created and this is what drives him and it is the kind of challenge he loves. Mattias does not use any electronic or digital aid in creating his patterns. The mosaic patterns are 100% built by hand – a time consuming process that takes more time than forging and finishing the product and something which is increasingly rare in the knife world.

Mattias is a fulltime master smith and knife maker since 2001. He can’t even imagine a different profession today. Every day is a new learning opportunity and a new challenge. He rents a former military forgery to which he has added state-of-the-art machinery over the last few years. His home is nearby and he built a shop for the finishing work there. This arrangement allows him time to see his two young children grow up. Selling blades takes up most of his time since he is in high demand but Mattias makes fixed blade Nordic Hunters, folders, and swords on a regular basis as well.

For the past 18 months, the internationally well-known Swedish knifemaker and engraver Jonny Walker Nilsson has been his apprentice. Jonny did not forge his own blades since engraving in reindeer antler took so much of his time and he only made his sought-after art knives on his spare time until 18 months ago. His fulltime job was to make knives for a Swedish company but they were simpler knives for export. Since he had a hard time keeping up with demand, Jonny decided to make art knives fulltime and to realize his old dream of having full control over the entire process. Mattias taught him the art of building exquisite mosaic patterns and the forging of Damascus and shared all his secrets and experience. The two men have become close friends and today cooperate on both knife projects and blade projects.

They have for instance made laminated mosaic Damascus blades where one side has been created by Mattias and has his stamp on the blade, and the other side (different pattern) has been built by Jonny with his stamp, a unique concept that has become very popular and which currently is in high demand in Scandinavia. The job of forging, heat treating, hardening, etching, blueing (coloring), grinding, sharpening, polishing, etc, has been shared equally. They both won first prize for best Damascus blades in the Norwegian Championships in Elverum this summer, a competition where knife makers and smiths from all five Nordic countries submit blades and knives. Their collaboration knives with collaboration blades also received a lot of praise and attention at the prestigious Solvang Invitational Knife Show in April 2006 where Jonny is a yearly exhibitor.

He get's $1500 per art grade knife, I am going to trade some mastadon ivory, tuqoise, and fossil stellar sea cow for one and some blades.

Here is a link to a frend of mine, hi dos all sort of vork. knifes, guns and you just name it.
http://album.123.is/?aid=78996&vt=all

Your friend does beautiful work.

I have recently bought a couple of Norwegian HELLE knives which are quite good.

Helles are really nice.

Not too expensive either.

Helle, Brusletto and Strømeng are good knives(i'm using the latter two) but they are in another world estethically compared to D99 pics.

there is a annual knife show in Stockholm, other than that i dont have clue on where to get knives like that.

www.brisa.fi usually has photos of fancy custom knives .

D99.
Beautifull knives, pices of art I would say.
Still one can easely recognice the Northern Scandinavian / Lappland roots in the shape and forms on the knives as well as on the sheaths.

I would not drag them around stalking moose though

Holy moley!!!!!!!!

What would you do with one of those???????

Apart from put in a display case and look at it.

I think I'll stick to collecting muzzle loading target rifles, at least I can occasionally get out and make some noise with them.

You have to admire the skill of the maker. But is it art or is it a functioning tool?

Great stuff there fellas.

Solvi, is this the person that put the sculpturing on your rifle you took to Baldock last year??

I would hunt with it, kind of like hunting with a Purdey or Westley Richards shotgun.

Your going to spend $150,000 on guns your not going to hunt with?

How is a $1500 knife any different?

Talk about respect for the animal, using a $1500 knife to open him up and turn him into food. How much higher could you go?

Yes, thats his work

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
I would hunt with it, kind of like hunting with a Purdey or Westley Richards shotgun.

Your going to spend $150,000 on guns your not going to hunt with?

How is a $1500 knife any different?

Talk about respect for the animal, using a $1500 knife to open him up and turn him into food. How much higher could you go?

There is a fair bit of difference between a Purdey and Westley Richards. For a start the WS wouldn't be setting you back $150K.

$1500 for a piece of art work in the form of a knife might interest some.I seem to interest you. What happens when you've taken the edge off it a few times and gotten it covered in bloody and guts? What is it worth then? Where as your Purdey has increased in value depending on the credit crunch of course.

As for respecting the beast. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't give a monkeys. Its dead! I've opened beasts up with a tin can lid in the past. Neither they nor I complained about it at the time.


As I'm pretty adept at loosing knives. Any knife only has a limited life where I'm concerned. I'll not be joining you in the joy of ownership of such an item. Can you insure against such losses?

I agree they aren't for everyone. I put together a lot of really nice knives using other peoples blades.

None of mine look like the ones above, but maybe some day.

I have a love of knives and guns, nice and plain.

The beast may be dead, but that doesn't diminish the lack of respect. Kind of like eating a beef filet on a paper plate.

quote:

Kind of like eating a beef filet on a paper plate.

It tastes just as good IMO.Medium-rare with just a hint of seasoning.

I'll carry on hacking them about with my latest Frost Clipper. It might not be fancy but it holds an edge and I can chuck it in the diswasher with out worrying about it.

Exactly what is the technique these guys are using to produce these items?

I've opened beasts up with a tin can lid in the past.

I rather like the idea of that.It is a form of recycling.Adapt and modify !
Presumably you use the ones with the ring pull to get a better grip.

D99 look this Knife is making in Italy from one people. I see this Knife in Shooting game 2008.

10.3

It's nice, do you know what it is made out of?

Antbear toe?

Here is a few for mister Harvesting,





http://www.algonet.se/~diver/newknives.html

http://www.scrimart.se/

http://www.scrimart.se/Knivgalleri.htm

As one can see, taste is but a question of personal preference!!



better work, yes?!



not only that these are knifes that are intented to be used in the field,

for people that loose there knifes, in Sweden there are leather straps, like laynards, attached to some knifes, perhaps that would be something to consider.

The reason for this use here is that in the old days a lost knife meant that one would starve,



http://www.brandt.info.se/

Needles to say the winters in Sweden and up north tend to be long and cold, this kind of work takes some of the patience and time, two things that are aboundant up there.

Best regards Chris