Don started making knives as a hobby back in the 1980s. One of the first
knives he made was a fighter with desert ironwood handle.
Among some of the first knives were filet knives, kitchen knives like
paring, butcher, and slicing knives. One of those knives started out as a
bait-cutting knife to use when we were in the commercial deep sea fishing
business in Florida. It is now being used in my kitchen to cut up vegetables.
In 1990, we moved from our native Florida to Southern Missouri. During
this time, he began making knives full time. These knives were mainly hunting
style knives along with few custom Bowies. In the beginning my tang stamp was
my initial DH, but in 1996 he changed it to a sunfish stamp designed by his
wife.
In 1994, Don began making slip joint folding knives in the old
traditional patterns. This is where the classic traditional sunfish pattern
comes in. The sunfish was one of the first knife patterns he made. At the knife
shows, he became known as 'The Sunfish Man'. From that name came my forge name
and later, my website name of "Sunfish Forge".
With each order for a folder Don began to evolve into more of my own
designs, moving into making more art knives, automatics, and solid 18K Gold
knives. Around 2003, he started making forged Bowie and fixed blades again with
both traditional Damascus blades and also carbon steel blades with vivid
hamons-temper lines.
Don began making his own Damascus in 1994; starting out with trips to the
National Ornamental Metals Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. With help from his
Memphis friends, I was able to make my first Damascus. In 1999, he built his
current shop. It has enough room in the back for 3 Little Giant power hammers -
a 25 lb. and two 100 lbs.; a forging area with 2 gas forges and a 24 ton press.
With this equipment I am able to forge traditional Damascus along with mosaic
Damascus for all of my knives.
His web site is: http://www.sunfishforge.com
