Who I am

I am a bladesmith and a craftsman.

I have been a craftsman my entire adult life.  Venturing into making furniture, pool cues, wood working in general, as well as many other “hobbies”.  I ventured into steel and knives only when I had to have a knife I had seen. I tried making it, and came up with a knife that looked nothing like what I had seen.  I was not disappointed, I was driven to make a better knife.  This sent me on the beginning of my journey to learning and creation.   I have now been making knives since 2015. I will continue to learn this craft and absorb as much knowledge as I can for the rest of my lifetime.  I would call it an obsession.

LG Knives is built from my passion for handmade and custom works in knifemaking. I use heat treating techniques created using metallurgical specifics and by studying other Master bladesmiths who have perfected their heat treating of the specific steels I use. I have also tested my own heat treating formulas for the steels I choose looking for a more durable knife that holds an edge longer under normal usage. I test each of my knives after heat treat and tempering in a very rigorous manner. All of my knives must pass my tests, otherwise, I start from scratch to put out a piece of work that meets all of my criteria.

I am working toward becoming an ABS Journeyman, hopefully, within the next couple of years. I am a proud member of the American Bladesmith Society. Though being an “Apprentice” in the ABS does not hold any significant value, I have prioritized my goals for reaching the Journeyman status.  Achieving the status of ABS Journeyman involves creating a specially made knife that must pass several specific physical and performance tests  which are all performed in front of an ABS Mastersmith. The ABS Journeyman tests also include making several knives to be judged and scrutinized by a panel of judges comprised of ABS Masters.

-Layne