Chaves, Ramon

"My interest in knives began early at about the age of 8 when my Mom bought me a knife while on vacation at Knotts Berry Farm. Yeah I had to beg and beg her to buy it for me, and I still have it. I collected a few knives as a youngster. In 1993 still in High school I found an old knife that looked handmade. I asked my dad where it came from. He told me his brother used to make them out of old hacksaw blades from the railroad where he worked. I thought it was the coolest thing so I tried my hand at it. A few weeks later I finished my first knife a Bowie style knife using a chainsaw bar for the blade, some brass for the guard and antler for a handle. Since then I have made a few knives a year just as a hobby. In 2010 a good friend of mine that I work with at the railroad asked me to make him one and he said he would pay for it. After it was delivered orders started coming in for my handmade blades. It turned from a hobby into an addiction. I love making knives. It is gratifying to turn raw materials into something useful, and to know people appreciate the effort that went into making their knife."