One-Of-A-Kind Cutters
Tim Horan handcrafts his unique working knives in the true spirit of the term “been there and done that!
If you say “style,” a sea of images comes to mind—Porsches, Rolexes or Stetson fedoras. Rarely do I think of style in the knife world, especially in tactical or outdoor knives. Most buy knives for their effectiveness and durability, not because they look good. Recently, I was enthused to see that one could bring both style and flavor to the knife scene. Enter Tim Horan. Tim is a knife maker located near Chicago, Illinois. He is a die hard knife collector and blade connoisseur who began grinding knives over six years ago, taking inspiration from David Beck, Walley Hayes and Robert N. Rossdeutscher. His style and taste in blade grinding and materials go against the grain of many modern bladesmiths. For example, he uses a less common clay heat-treating process. The procedure utilizes clay that is sandwiched on the edge, for a varied softness in the heat treat along the blade matrix.
Horan’s knives seep with ruggedness and practicality of design. Designing knife blades was more of a hobby for Tim until recent years, when some of the knives he created were starting to of his craftsmanship and quality grew, so did his orders. Tim, a former firefighter, is no rookie to using knives in high-pressure situations. He once discussed a time when he had to cut a car accident victim out of a leather jacket and seatbelt harness. There aren’t many knife makers that have had a chance to test bladeware themselves in that real-world fashion. Using his experiences as a professional, he went about designing knives and crafting them for real-world use. Eventually, he was forced to relinquish his duties as a fireman to focus more of his efforts on meeting the demand for his knives.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
How do I get my knives in you mag?
September 30th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Tim’s knives not only feel terrific in the hand, but they hold up to brutal use - Simply an amazing craftsman…