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Knifemaker Robert Appleby
By Del Corsi
Robert Appleby makes such a wide variety of knives it makes it almost a challenge to decide which knife, or knives you want! One thing really jumped out at me when looking at all the numerous models he makes, and that was the high quality of his work. The only thing I noticed that overshadowed the excellence found in his knifemaking was the pride in his voice when discussing the knives. It didn’t take long while interviewing Robert to learn how important sole authorship is to him. Doing every step of the knifemaking process himself brings a high level of satisfaction to this talented knifemaker. His talent certainly allows him to achieve this goal.
That talent is really evident in Bob’s exceptional ability for creating his version of antique bowies and daggers. He treats us with an exceptional look at the past, while highlighting the way he showcases those knives in a modern way. His technique of honoring the past and present is incredible, something worth emphasizing as we look at his award winning knives.
By now, most of the regular Knife Magazine readers know my fascination for Steven (SRJ) Johnson and Robert (RWL) Loveless style knives. I’m adding another name to that list after seeing several Appleby versions of the Loveless style knives. Especially stunning is Bob’s take on the Loveless Big Bear model. He holds nothing back, most of those Big Bear blades that I have seen come complete with his signature mirror polish. Seeing his knives in person, maybe at a show, would certainly be the best way to fully appreciate the collector grade quality of this maker’s work!
Bob points to 1995 as when his knifemaking career really began. I go into more detail on this later, but the journey down that road essentially began when he was discharged from the United States Air Force in 1992. One of the first things he did at that time was to order two books from Paladin Press; The Complete Bladesmith and The Master Bladesmith by Jim Hrisoulas. Appleby explained, “I read each book at least a dozen times, then I bought How To Make Knives by Richard Barney and Bob Loveless – and studied it. I couldn’t afford to buy equipment back then so it was primarily hand tools, or equipment I managed to cobble together, but I kept plugging away at it.” At this point I need to mention how fascinating it is to have knifemakers highlight the struggles they face, as well as mentioning the triumphs in their knifemaking journey.
I love how Bob’s determination never waned. Despite climbing a big hill in the beginning, he knew what the goal was and kept it in sight. He had no problem identifying the frustration of learning on his own, “I kept throwing things in the scrap bucket, and in the beginning almost everything went in there! When the project failed I would go back to the books to see where I went wrong, then go back at it. When I really got stuck I would find a knifemaker from the Knives annual knifemaker index that was actually doing the sort of work that I was aiming for. I’d give them a phone call (there was no internet back then), introduce myself and tell them what I was trying to do. I would explain my issues and pick their brain. Most of the time they were gracious and took the time to help a fella out. I am very thankful and appreciate all the makers who took the time to help a new guy out, even recently with a certain maker sharing patterns and specs – I will be forever grateful!”
So cool to know that even great knifemakers have a “scrap bucket,” and that in the beginning, almost everything he made went into it! It is important for new knifemakers to learn from their mistakes and keep going, something Bob mentioned when I asked about the high level of quality he now achieves in his work.
The first knife Bob Appleby ever made was forged in an old coal fired forge using a railroad spike for his steel. The grinder used was an old Foley-Belsaw with a 1 inch by 42 inch belt. He doesn’t have the knife or even a picture today, but the experience left him feeling pretty pleased with his accomplishment. He did have some related experience forging ornamental ironwork but mostly gave that up as he dove into knifemaking.
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