Branton Knives shop blog

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

The Branton family would like to take this time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays.
This year has been a great year for Branton Knives despite a few personal set backs that come with getting older.
One of the biggest compliments for me as a knife maker is when someone is willing to hand over their hard earned money to purchase one of my products. The friendships that have been formed and the bonds that have been strengthed over the years are priceless.

I hope that you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season and I hope to be able to see you at a show sometime next year.

Bobby and Brenda Branton

December update

2011-12-11T19:21:00.003-05:00

Ok, I have had my nose to the grindstone trying to clear up some long over due orders and shop cleaning. I still need to finish repairing the fire damage sometime this winter. I have a couple of folders that are looong over due and hope to get started on these in the next week. I am finishing up a few Brend Hawks with handles as shown in the pics. I am going to make an extra pair to post in the cove sometime before the first of the year. I have been feeling better these days and have finally decided that I need to study harder to improve my CAD skills and have a dedicated computer in the shop with my CAD software. No matter what I do, I seem to need CAD files of my knives.
That means I will be dedicating a couple of extra hours each day in the shop office getting better acquainted with my CAD software. I hope to have some new stuff for sale coming out of the shop next week. I also have been stocking up with throwing knife blades and need to get them out to heat treat. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
BB

New website - We are Live!!!!!!!

2011-10-13T15:25:00.000-04:00

The new www.brantonknives.com is live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure we will have a few bugs to work out but overall is looks great. I have always made different knives over the years without really having a core line of knives and now I do. Over time I will be adding to that line to give you the largest selection of knives possible. A special thanks to my buddy in Argentina, Nestor S. Benitez for making this possible. Nestor is a great web designer. There is a link at the bottom of my web site to contact him should you have any web design needs.

New website

2011-10-06T19:46:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of rebuilding my website. It has been the same except for some minor changes for over 5 years. I am dropping a lot of the personal content and making it more of a business website to help my customers find the information that they came to look for in the first place.

I will try harder to keep this blog up to date with current information o keep you up to date with me and my knives. So, stay tuned. I hope to have it completed in a week or two.
Thanks,
Bobby

March 2011 update

2011-03-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Where has the time gone??? I am finally caught up with back orders and beginning to work on new orders for 2011. I have a few different projects planned for this year in addition to orders. I have my shop set up so that I can perform a lot of my work sitting down. My knees are still bothering me, but I have no other options until I can get the operation scheduled. I plan to make mostly folders this year with a few Balisongs thrown in to the mix. So keep checking my web site and the blog for more updates.

Bobby

New changes for Branton knives

2010-12-31T11:52:00.004-05:00

New changes for Branton knives

I have been making knives since 1985. In that time I have seen a lot of changes and I have changed as well. Whether it be the knives that I make or how I make them, things do change over time. The sluggish economy has also changed things dramatically from my perspective as a knifemaker. Things have also changed things for the people who buy my knives. For some people, their financial situations can change monthly. This is the main factor in deciding on a better and more efficient way to market my knives and to take care of my customers that have supported me over the years. As I have gotten older and have been making knives full time for the past seven years, I have decided to make a few changes in the way that I run my business.

Due to some minor health issues, I have not been able to work 8-12 hours days like I used to. Over the past couple of years, I have not been actively looking for new orders as I do not see it being good for me or my customers to maintain a multi year back log of orders. It has been hard enough to work on the list of orders that I have now. It is not fair for me or my customers to continue to do business this way.

On January 1, 2011, I will begin to discontinue a lot of my older models, collaborations, etc and I will start a list of people who would like to buy my knives. I never say never and if some of the older models remain popular, I will continue to make those models. In doing this, I would like to be able to finish some of the heat treated blanks that are on my wall and offer them for sale on my web site and the various knife forums. I would like to offer new designs, limited runs and hopefully a 25th anniversary model and still be able to deliver all orders in a timely manner.

The process will go something like this. If you would like to order a knife from me, I will take your information and when the time comes for me to begin work on your knife, I will contact you and we will discuss which model you would like to order. I will try to realistically keep my delivery times under six months. When I get to the point where I am looking at six months worth of work, I will stop taking names and finish all knives that have been ordered up to that point. When I start getting near the point that I am caught up again, I will once again start taking names. I will probably cut show attendance down to 2-3 a year and will factor shows into my work load so as to not keep anyone waiting any longer than six months. The list will be “First come, First served” except for active LEO or Military personnel. Once I begin the final stages of completion of your order, I will request payment. If payment is not received in two weeks (unless a different agreement has been made), I will place your order for sale on my web site or my knife forums.

This may not be the best way to keep track of orders, but I think it will work out fine. I may have to tweak the process a little, but I will try my best to make it work out for all concerned. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at brantonknives@tds.net.

I will also be building some resonator guitars (also known as Dobro's) in 2011. If you are interested in these, please feel free to contact me at brantonknives@tds.net

Thanks,

Bobby Branton

June, 2010 update - New look!!!

2010-06-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
It has a been a hot and busy month. Blade Show is behind us and we have been battling the Carolina heat and humidity trying to keep the shop going. I have a few knives available and will post a pic and prices as soon as I can shoot a few pics. I have changed the look of the blog to make it a little more personal so that you can get an idea of what I do in my spare time. Besides making knives, music has been my passion for the past 5-6 years and it helps me relax and meet a lot of new friends. I'll be going to the knee Dr. on June 30th, 2010 and will find out what I can do to repair the damage to my knees. I'll update that info as soon as I find out what is going on.
Bobby

Chute knife

2010-05-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

Here is a new Chute knife that I am working on.

February update

2010-02-24T19:27:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe that we are well into 2010. Things have been a little hectic, but seem to be settling down a bit. I am slowly catching up on orders and getting raw materials together for The Blade Show 2010 in Atlanta during June. I'll post a little more later and try to take a little more time to keep the blog up to date.

Bobby

November update

2009-10-31T12:29:00.005-04:00

Hard to believe that 2009 is coming to an end. It has been a wild ride for my wife and myself.
I am still feeling good. I am still trying to get more time in the shop.
I am winding up on some fixed blade orders and hope to get more time to work on folders this month.
Here is a new design that I have been working on, I'll add more later.
Bobby

Late August update

2009-08-21T12:43:00.002-04:00

Ok, I am slowing getting caught up with my orders and have some new stuff planned. I am feeling better than I have felt since my surgery. I've lost approx 35 lbs and have more to go. I am trying to do it slow with exercise and a life style change. I just returned for my neurosurgeon for my six moth check up. I had another MRI so that they could compare it to see if the remaining fragments of tumor had moved. There were no changes as expected and I will go back in three years for another check. I am getting ready for a knife show in Las Vegas, so that has slowed me down on my regular orders a bit. I should be back up to speed once I return.
I will be working on some new fixed blade and folder designs. If things work out, I may have a friend working in the shop with me for a few months doing some of the basic chores which will allow me to concrentrate on the finish product. I'll post any updates and my show knives on my site as soon as they are finished.
Bobby

June update

2009-06-02T18:29:00.010-04:00

The Blade Show is history. I want to thanks everyone who offered their well wishes. I am feeling better even though the show was hard on my knee. I received a nice e mail from someone who was asking about my instruments and music, but lost the e mail. Please e mail me again.
I'll be going back to the shop to regroup tomorrow, so I'll post a little more info regarding what I'll be making soon.

Keep checking back.
Bobby

May update

2009-05-06T19:16:00.002-04:00

Well, April sure went by real quick too. Blade show is coming up real quick. I have had a rough time with my knees and will probably get the operation sometime after Blade.
I will not have many of my knives for sale at Blade, but I will be selling off my extensive collection of 100 plus Tru Balance throwing knives. This will be the best time to do this, so I am going to devote my time to this. I will be changing up a bit after I get back from Blade. I am going to make some polished Herron style boot knives, fighters and sub hilt fighters. I am even going to finish up a few Resonator guitars (Dobro's) that I have been working on. I will also get back to work on some folders and maybe afew slip joint pocket knives. Stay tuned.
Bobby

March update

2009-03-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

Hello all,
Time sure goes by fast. February was a blur. I am back in the shop trying to get some work done and finish some projects that have been put off to the side. I am looking at a knee operation later this month, but am putting it off until I get caught up a bit.
I will be starting on Blade Show knives soon. I've had a lot of set backs in the past few months, but things should get better after the knee operation.
I just keep saying that this is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

BB

Health and shop update

2009-01-23T19:44:00.002-05:00

It is going on three weeks since my surgery and I am getting better each day. I go for my follow up visit with the Neurosurgeon on February 6th, 2009. I still have a few issues, but they seem to get better every day. I have been in the shop a little this week, mostly cleaning up trash and going over orders and such. I am going to try to make a few kydex sheaths this weekend and finish some knives that are near completion.
I am hoping to return to a moderate to full schedule next week if possible. Look forward to some cool stuff in the near future.

All the best,
Bobby

Surgery

2009-01-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

I just returned from the hospital. They removed as much of the tumor as possible. They had to trim it safely from around the carotid artery and optic nerves.They will see if they need to shoot the remainder with radiation or just monitor it as it is a very slow growing tumor. No lifting anything for three weeks and no blowing of the nose for 2-3 weeks. Gotta get some rest. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I'll be down the rest of the month with this one.
BB

2008 Retrospect

2009-01-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

2008 was not a great year for me in some regards. I was not able to make The Blade Show for the first time in 23 years. I had a few health issues during the year and particularly the tumor in my head in December. I made it through the first operation and will be going back in the hospital January 5th, 2009 to remove the remainder of the tumor. I feel very blessed and lucky that the tumor was benign and truly believe that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else out there has it even worse. I have become a little closer to some friends and family throughout this ordeal, and that means a lot.
It will be a little rough going forward into 2009 financially as I have not been able to work in the shop since early December, but it is all out of my control for now. I should be up and working again by mid to late January if the surgery goes well and I mend quickly.

On a positive note in February, 2008, I was able to go to Hawaii and spend time with Ken Onion and Tom Mayo. How cool was that!!!
Ken gave me a hand in designing a few new models that I hope to unveil before or at Blade Show. I have a beautiful wife who for whatever reason adores the hell out of me and is my very best friend forever. My Mom, sister and brother and I have gotten even closer. I have good knifemaker buds from all over the world. I have great friends who just happen to be clients all over the world. What more could a guy want??

I am looking forward to meeting new challenges in regards to the knife world. I will come up with my own plan on how Branton Knives will deal with the economy and I'm sure it will be adjusted quite often. Hopefully with the tumor removed, I can also focus on my heath and take better care of myself so that I will be around for a while. I learned in a matter of hours that life is very fragile and that Cancer and Tumor are VERY powerful words once you hear them used regarding you and your situation. The things we thought were huge, were not really that huge. They never really mattered at all. As the say, "Don't sweat the small stuff "

So, here is to 2009. I wish you all the best and may all of you have a safe, happy and prosperous 2009.

Bobby Branton

Health Update

2009-01-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

I think I owe this to my close friends and customers who have been so good to me over the years. I would rather you hear it from me instead of any rumors that may circulate.
I have been having trouble with my knees and went to my family Dr. a few months back. He gave me some shots that did not do much good. It was getting to be hard to work for long hours in the shop, so I decided to call my Dr. and get a referral to an Orthopedic Dr. to see if I could get it fixed. They set me up for an MRI for my knees so I went December 12th to have the MRI. On the form they ask if you ever work around welding and grinding steel. So, I answered yes. They said that they had to do a quick CT scan to make sure that I did not have any metal in my eyes as it would affect me when I went into the MRI room.
The radiologist found a spot that looked suspicious and called my regular Dr. and asked if he could perform a full brain scan. They found a large tumor near my Pupitary gland behind my sinuses. So after two more visits to Neurologists they are going to try to set me up for a biopsy early next week and depending on the results of the biopsy, they may go in through my nose and try to remove it. They say it looks like it has been there a while and is slow growing which makes them optimistic. I went in for the operation on December 17th and I was in pre op, on the gurney for six hours awaiting surgery only to be bumped by some emergency cases that were critical. Surgery was rescheduled for the next day December 18th at 11:00. I went in to surgery where the removed a piece of the tumor and sent it to the lab for a quick check to see if it was benign and it was. They are sending it to get a full work up and should have the results next week. They attempted to remove more of the Pupitary tumor, but had to quit due to heavy bleeding due to the asprin that my Dr. had perscribed for me.
I stayed overnight at the hospital and got out on Dec 19th and will have to go back on Jan 5, 2009 to have the rest of the tumor removed.
I do have a few orders, but I do not owe anyone a lot of money waiting on knives to be made. I should have a full recovery and be back to normal, but it could be the middle of Janurary before I am able to get back to work. Please pray for my wife, myself and the rest of my family. I am going into this with a positive outlook as it has definitely changed my life forever.

Bobby

December 2008 update

2008-11-26T08:38:00.005-05:00

A little bit early, but what the heck. I started this blog almost a year ago and have since been trying to figure out how I wanted to incorporate it in to my web site. This is going to be a little easier to keep up with than trying to update my web site every week. This blog will be a way for my customers to keep up with what is going on in my shop on a weekly basis.

2007 has been a rough year as far as personal stuff that has kept me out of the shop for extended periods of time, but everything has been much better and I hope that it continues through 2008.
I guess no one knows what will happen with the current economic crisis that is going on, but I will continue to make knives until people quit sending me money. By that time who know what it going to happen. We can only pray that things change for the better.

I am constantly trying to organize my shop and it's contents to make better use of space and to make all operations of my knifemaking go smoother. I'll work on finding out how to post pictures here on the blog to give you some insight on what goes on inside the Branton Knives shop.
In addition to shop news, I'll be sharing a bit of my personal life such as hobbies and pastimes and other things that give me pleasure.

I am currently working on fighters, chute knives and boot knives and hope to get back on some of my new folder designs before the end of the year. So, stay tuned and I'll try to provide updates weekly to keep everyone up to date on what I am doing.

All the best,

Bobby

Late November / early December update

2008-11-25T20:40:00.000-05:00

New update added

About Bobby

2008-01-31T16:43:00.000-05:00

About Bobby Branton
By Ronald K. White:
As a young man growing up in rural South Carolina, Bobby Branton developed a passion for knives that has stayed with him throughout his adult life. In his younger years, knives were tools used for skinning game, filleting fish and throwing as a means of entertainment. Then in 1983, edged weapons took a different perspective in Bobby's life when he discovered some custom knives in a local shop.

He was amazed at the beauty and craftsmanship of these handcrafted blades and started his own collection. His interest grew so readily that he read every book he could locate on the subject and decided to try his hand at knife making. After constant reading, research and collecting of knives, Bobby reconstructed his shop in order to create these treasured handcrafted knives.Through his research he discovered one common factor, a man named George Herron. He was a master craftsman who had a seven year wait for his custom knives. Mr. Herron soon befriended Bobby and soon a close bond formed between the two craftsman. Bobby purchased knives from him while gaining much advice and valuable pointers. Bobby makes his working knives by the "Stock Removal Method" and by hand forging various metals. His style has obviously been influenced by George Herron and Walter Brend along with forging techniques from well known Master Bladesmith, James Crowell. Bobby has become an expert knifemaker and was awarded his "Journeyman Bladesmith" stamp at the 1992 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia by the American Bladesmith Society.
Bobby met legendary blademaker Harry K. McEvoy in 1987. McEvoy taught Bobby the fine art of handcrafting throwing knives, he also helped design Bobby's first series of throwing knives. Bobby has since designed several models of throwing knives that have been used to win major knife throwing competitions across the country. Another turning point in his career was when Bobby met knife throwing legends Paul LaCross and Kenneth Pierce (Che Che Whitecloud). LaCross was billed as "The Worlds Foremost Knife, Axe and Tomahawk Thrower". It was Paul who taught and motivated Bobby to put together a throwing exhibition which he performs throughout the south east. LaCross retired in 1990 due to health reasons and passed away in 1992. In 1996 with the help of Stephen McEvoy, Kenneth Pierce and his wife Nancy and a few close friends, Bobby was instrumental in reorganizing the American Knife Throwers Alliance and held what has been arguably the first knife and tomahawk throwing only contest in over 20 years.
He has assisted numerous individuals in starting knife throwing contest around the world. in contest Kenneth Pierce still comes down to visit Bobby and his wife Brenda once a year to assist in preparations for the AMERICAN KNIFE THROWERS ALLIANCE National Championships each year and is one of the clubs biggest supporters. Bobby has been promoting the art of knife throwing by giving seminars on the subject of knife throwing since 1996. Also, in 1996 Bobby was awarded the South Carolina State Folk Heritage Award for the work in Bladesmithing and for preserving the traditions of South Carolina. While promoting knife throwing to the general public, Bobby has taught thousands of Boy Scouts and even a number of Army Rangers as well as few celebrities the fine art of knife throwing Over the years Bobby’s knives have been featured in most of the Knives annuals and he and his work have been featured in other publications such as Knife World, Blade Magazine, Tactical Knives, Knives Illustrated and South Carolina Wildlife. Bobby has handcrafted knives for such greats as Paul Lacross, Che Che Whitecloud, Who is billed as "The Fastest Knife Thrower in the World",Knife Throwing great Larry Cisewski and Former Governor of South Carolina Carroll Campbell and The former Governor of Texas George W. Bush, who has gone on to be President of the United States . Bobby's knives are sold and exhibited all over the world with avid consumers in England, Germany, France, Israel, Australia, Japan and Canada. One of Bobby's throwing knives now resides in the world famous Randall knife museum in Orlando Florida. Over the years, Bobby has been a consultant to a number of production companies who sought out his expertise in knife throwing for shows such as Guinness book of world records, Fear factor, That’s Incredible, Maxim magazine and Men's Health magazine. Bobby has authored four articles on the subject for Blade Magazine® and one article for The 5th annual Levine's guide to knives. In addition to making and throwing knives , Bobby has become an "aficionado" of the western arts of whip cracking and traditional archery. As a result of the deaths of Paul LaCross and Harry K. McEvoy, a great loss is felt in the brotherhood of knife throwing and traditional archery. Therefore, Bobby vows to preserve and promote the dying arts of the old West. In his career Bobby has become involved in promoting his craft and keeping tradition alive. He is a member of the following groups and clubs.
More recently, Bobby has been working behind the scenes training actress, Selma Hayek for a Motion picture "Bandidas" that was released in 2006.
Bobby also appeared on The Military Channel series "Weaponology" in January, 2008.

American Knife Throwers Alliance (President)
South Carolina Association of Knifemakers (Past President)
American Bladesmith Society ( Journeyman Smith )

Welcome to Branton Knives

2008-01-31T14:42:00.000-05:00

This blog will be my other little home on the web where you can find up to date information about Branton Knives. I will be posting pics of works in progress and general information about my knives for people who go to my web site and want to interact with me. I will even share information about my hobbies and my family life, my passion for Bluegrass music and my fur kids. I'll try to keep the blog up to date every few days so stick around and enjoy.
Here is a link to some pics of my work.
http://brantonknives.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=5

Bobby Branton