straub

The New Old School

The Knives of Salem Straub

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Salem Straub is a rare breed of knifemaker. Combining blacksmithing skills with modern materials, he is able to make hard-use cutting instruments disguised as beautiful works of art.

His command of technique, aesthetic, and functionality are infused in every line of every knife he makes. It’s no wonder his knives don’t stay on the open market for long...

Aside from the craft of knifemaking, Salem also knows the knife industry with just as much depth (meaning frontward, backward, and sideways). In an in-depth interview, I was fortunate to have him share his knowledge, philosophy, and a few productivity tricks with me.

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How long have you been making knives? What lead you into knifemaking?

I’ve been making knives for about seven years now. I always kind of had a thing about them, perhaps it was seeing my dad make a few basic ones when I was little that gave me the idea I could make them. I was even expelled from the sixth grade because I retrofitted a novelty switchblade comb with a brass blade, then thought it would be a good idea to take it to school and show it off… I actually got into blacksmithing first, then began forging knives. I still do general blacksmithing, and love it; I occasionally demonstrate in public, at fairs, etc.

How many knives do you make on average (per week or month)?

It really depends on what kind of pieces I’m working on, whether or not they each take more time than usual. It also depends how many other irons I have in the fire to work on at the moment; I live rurally and there is always a long list of things to do around the farm. I’d say 8–10 knives a month average.

How long does it take you to make a knife from start-to-finish?

A typical hunter out of a simple carbon steel without a lot of frills may take 10 hours. If I’m using some kind of Damascus, or if the blade is a large one, the forging and finishing time grow. I made a bowie with filework recently that took me over 20 hours.

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Gazelle Hand-forged using heavy coil spring from GT Mustang. Clay quenched and tempered. Black and brass spacers with oosic wood spacer and zebrawood hilt.

Blade length: 6.625 inches Overall length: 12 inches

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What is your general design philosophy regarding knives? What uses are your knives designed for, and who are your primary customer groups?

A knife should feel comfortable in the hand. A knife should be pleasing to the eye. I feel a knife should be foremost a cutting instrument, then maybe an art piece or collector’s item. With the wealth of beautifully made knives being made, originality is important. Not everyone should make Loveless-style drop point hunters. (Some people are great at it.) My knives are designed to cut — this may sound obtuse, but what I mean is I like to get through things without a lot of drag, and if you want to design a kitchen knife to also be able to chop through nails and “buggy axles,” use a cold chisel. I do like variable heat treatment, but don’t edge quench much. I prefer to draw spines and tangs to a spring temper for a stiffer blade. My primary customer group is people who love knives. I do prefer people who plan to use them, although I’m not picky.

How do you get ideas for new knife designs?

I have looked at pictures of a LOT of knives, and handled quite a few… I internalize things I like about many of them, and then try to interpret and combine these elements in pleasing combinations while trying to stay as original as I can be. As far as basic proportions, such as the visual balance between blade and handle, I think I’ve almost always had an instinctive sense of what I find to be either attractive or clumsy in appearance. Many times I just design as I forge and grind, or start out with only a very rough mental sketch or idea about materials.

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Jade Hand-forged using 52100 steel. Tapered blade and tang. Dovetailed stainless steel bolsters with jade ghost G-10 handles.

Blade length: 4.125 inches Overall length: 8.56 inches

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How do you stay focused once you have started working on a knife?

I don’t really ever have a problem staying focused; I would say that I have more of a problem sometimes knowing when to unfocus or back off for the day. My ever-patient wife does have to remind me to have a life outside of the shop sometimes. One thing I find important is to remember to actually get enough to eat and drink during the day; it helps keep my energy up and my mind active.

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Do you have a specific routine you follow to stay productive?

The most important thing as far as my ability to stay productive is to treat knife making like a full time job, in that I need to be to work on time and get a good amount of work done every day.

I try to imagine that I am both the boss and the laborer, and actually be a laborer out to impress the boss with his work ethic in order to gain a promotion or a raise… to be my own talented employee. Or in thinking like a boss, to try to be the “brains behind the operation.” I try to work in efficient patterns, like heat treating small batches of blades with identical or similar requirements to cut down on time and fuel costs (even my shop tempering oven runs on propane).

Do you consider yourself a knifemaker by trade or by hobby? Do you feel that the difference in these two mindsets affects a knifemaker’s quantity and quality of output?

Currently, I am blessed to call myself a full time maker… I’ve been part time in the past, and probably will be again, you never know how things are going to go and all you can do is your best and hope for good fortune. I am aware of many great knives being made by “part time” makers — the willingness to work forty or more hours a week, then come home and spend several more hours a day working on your passion says a lot about your dedication to and love of the craft. Sure, maybe more knives are often put out by makers-by-trade, but a maker by trade may also make “high art” pieces at the rate of two or less per month.

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Longhorn Hand-forged using heavy coil spring from GT Mustang. Clay quenched and tempered. Axis deer antler handle. Stainless steel guard, butt, and spacer. Vine fileworked spine.

Blade length: 11.5 inches Overall length: 17 inches

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How long were you making knives before you were able to do it full time?

I made knives for about six years, first entirely as a hobby, then selling a few, then “going pro” actually only early this year.

At first I didn’t feel qualified to make a good enough knife to sell to anyone, although I did begin giving them to family and friends; later I felt sufficiently skillful but lacked the time and orders to make knives full time. I did a year and a half stint as a construction worker on the island of Maui during which time I did sell quite a few to guys on the job sites… I moved to Oahu after a while, and was extremely lucky to have Ken Onion take me under his wing and show me how to really make a clean, nice knife. This was really a turning point for me, since then I’m a lot more confident in my work and business. Thanks Ken. I now live in Washington, on rural property owned by the family, and my wife works as well. So while I’m not a “starving artist” I really owe a lot to everyone around me.

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Do you think it is harder to be a custom knifemaker now than in the past?

Well, feel free to take this with a grain of salt — I am, after all, a “millennial” maker without a lot of experience of what the old times and ways in the industry have been; I just offer my picture of things based on the present and on my conversations with some old timers. We now live in the “information age,” a time when economics and methods have changed radically in a relatively short time. For instance, I live 35 miles from a small town on dirt road, Spokane being the closest city of any size at 120+ miles away. In the old days, I probably would have taken out ads in sporting magazines and done a lot of traveling to shows in person. Perhaps I would have found a retailer and specialized only in a few models or one or two types of knife to make a living. In fact, most of the knives that I (and many others) sell now are displayed, bought, and paid for entirely online- a fact which gives me more freedom to make whatever I want, and incidentally, also leads to a lot of makers now becoming skilled in knife photography. Many of my orders indirectly result from knives I have made on speculation and posted online- people who saw something they liked, which sold to someone else; leading to an order for the same blade or perhaps a bit of customization of something they saw. The upshot is I can generally stay home and concentrate on working, and basically live wherever I can have a shop and afford the cost of living.

There is a downside, for me at least, in that I would like to go to shows more, meet more makers, and feel like more of a part of the knife community. I hope that knife shows survive and stay strong. Selling a knife, or shopping for a knife on the Internet, is a poor substitute for direct face–to–face maker/customer interaction. I like it that people will buy a knife from me sight

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unseen, based on a few photos, but I’d really like them to be able to hold it, test the edge, feel the balance, talk to me about it, and walk away with the warm feeling of a positive human connection.

I do wish there were more major shows west of the Rockies; we just lost the Blade Show West‌ I am excited with the directions in which knife styles are evolving, especially with materials. Synthetics are very appealing, I feel in terms of both appearance and especially performance. I like to see color on a knife, not always dark woods or rich stag with brass or spacers. I like how makers are blending the old with the new,

ancient ethnic styles with modern sensibility. A hamon on a knife with a micarta handle. A forged integral with san mai steel and G10. The possibilities are even more endless now than they ever have been; as a maker I don’t foresee being bored in a lifetime.

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Gingersnap Clay-tempered, forged 5160 steel with hamon and rabbeted tang.

Nickel-silver guard, brown canvas micarta handles, and starfish mosaic pin.

Blade length: 4.125 inches Overall length: 8.875 inches

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One other thing I’d like to mention is the learning curve for new makers. I have seen guys doing passable scrimshaw, tooling sheaths, making tapered full tangs with dovetailed bolsters, getting nice polishes, on their fourth knife. As information has gotten more readily available, and since most makers are such an affable bunch, good tutorials and expert advice from seasoned makers can be had in abundance at the click of a mouse. I think this is a good thing for the quality and variety of knives being turned out today; I will say there is a daunting amount of talented competition out there now.

With the “economic downturn” in America and the world at large, it seems our middle class is a lot less financially solvent overall — I love selling knives to Americans, but I’m keeping an eye on the world market. I make it plain that I will ship all over the world, I put a translator on my website, and since taking these measures have shipped knives to places like Germany and Indonesia… I also try to make some simple but cool stuff that poor folks like myself right here at home can afford. Diversity in style and product as well as market is even more important now; I try to make a wide range of knives in many styles for all purposes. Fixed blades, folders, culinary, razors, even swords — it’s fun to learn and make them all, and you have a much wider range of buyers as a result.

What plans do you have for your future work?

I really just want to keep learning. More styles, maybe move into swords and folders more, learn to engrave, build skill with pattern welding. I wish I had time to learn it all.

Salem Straub lives and works in rural Washington state. His available pieces, as well as photo galleries of his past works, can be found on his website: www.prometheanknives.com.

Interview conducted on May 19, 2010.

All photos copyright Š Salem Straub 2010. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Ebook introduction and design copyright Š Dan Bergevin (Capitalized Living) 2010. All rights reserved.

www.capitalizedliving.com