Perfecting his edge for more than 30 years

POTOMAC – It was a 1975 Centennial knife made by Gerber that inspired Potomac resident Owen Tyler to pursue knife making.

"I was looking at it and the blade wasn't even made straight," said Tyler. "I thought for that price [$99] I can make a knife better than that."

Tyler has made more than 400 knives since he started making them in 1987. While the biggest challenge and most time consuming part of making a knife is filing the blade even on both sides, it is satisfaction in the handmade, finished product that keeps Tyler doing it.

The first knife Tyler made was a hunting knife out of 01 tool steel. The 01 tool steel was recommended by a machinist that he knew since it is hardened in oil instead of air-hardened.

When Tyler ran into some hunters, they complimented him on his knife and asked where he got it.

"I told them I made them even though it was the first one I'd ever made," said Tyler and smiled.

Tyler started making hunting knives to sell. He started out forging using an anvil and heating the blade and hammering it. Then he would file the steel smooth.

"I thought why bother [hammering]. That takes so long and it takes long enough as it is," said Tyler. "I just started doing removal."

Tyler said he will still use the anvil if he needs to stretch the steel to make skinning knives but now he draws a pattern and transfers it to 440C stainless steel bar stock and cuts it out with a hacksaw. He switched from tool steel to stainless steel because it is more resistant to corrosion and is one of the most common stainless alloys used for knife making. For the average hunting knife, it takes two blades to cut out the shape. He then removes the steel using hand files to match his vision for the blade.

Tyler explained that an old knife maker from out east told him that when grinding a knife, never take more than 0.010 of an inch from a side at a time.

"I never realized that steel had molecules in it that if you grind one side it forces them to the other side. That affects the hardness of the blade and it might not heat treat the same," said Tyler. "I do most of it by hand with a file. You never take more than a couple thousandths at a time."

After shaping and sharpening the blade, Tyler makes sure there are no file marks or scratches in the steel before he sends it to be heat-treated. He said after the blade is hardened, an imperfection is very hard to remove. Hardening the blade is the only part of the knife-making process he does not do himself. He wants to be able to tell his customers with certainty how hard the blade is and he does not have the machine to test it.

Once the blade has been heat-treated, he polishes it and has it engraved with "Tyler."

Tyler fashions the hilt out of brass. His handles are all made out of deer or elk antler, wood or leather. He makes the handles so they fit comfortably in his hand. He said often he makes the blade to fit the handle.

The final step is making the customized leather sheath. He uses double shoulder leather, cuts and hand sews the leather with a saddle stitch to fit the blade.

Tyler said the whole process usually takes him around 40 hours.

"I'm not in a hurry to make a knife," said Tyler.

Tyler numbered the first 100 knives that he made so he could ask people about the knife and how it performed. He wasn't sure what Rockwell hardness (HRC) he wanted to make the blade. Now all of his blades are 59-60 HRC.

Tyler's most common knife has a blade that is five to six inches long. However he has made a folding knife with a three-inch blade, daggers, three wavy-blade knives and an authentic bowie knife.

After a friend told Tyler that he knew a man that participated in the Alamo reenactment, Tyler was able to get the dimensions for the actual Jim Bowie Knife. They told him it was 19 ½ inches long including the handle with a ¼ inch thick blade and it was 3½ inches wide at the widest point. He made one in the late 1980s and sold it at the Seeley Lake Farmer's and Crafter's market for $500.

Tyler's son Steve used to make swords and they were going to go into business together and start a knife factory. However, Steve died in a boating accident in 1991. After losing his son, Tyler wasn't interested in pursuing a business. However after five years, he picked up knife making again as a hobby and estimates he makes between five and 20 a year.

"I just thought I should go back to making them," said Tyler. "I had a mechanic shop and when I had a slow time in the shop I would work on a knife."

Knives by Tyler are available at the Seeley Lake Market and by special order. He sells his leather-handled knives for $400. The large hunting knives sell for $700.

"I don't make any money at it really," said Tyler. "I think I figured out I was making $4.50 per hour."

For Tyler, the most rewarding part is the finished product.

"I enjoy shaping the blade and making sure that it is centered and the right and left side matches," said Tyler. "It just looks more professional."

For more information or to order from Knives by Tyler email puppies@montana.com, call 406-244-2552 or find him at the Seeley Lake Market on Sundays with the Paws Up Safe Home booth.