Local artisan Jon Bardal of Niverville has recently turned his hobby of custom knife-making into a business.
“It was only after a few friends and neighbors saw my knives and inquired about buying them that Signy Rose Steel was born last October,” says Bardal, who creates all of his custom knives in his garage. As the business continues to grow, he has plans in place to build a hobby shop in his backyard. “After the passing of my mother last year, I took a leave of absence from my day job as a journeyman electrician. From my grieving and soul-searching came a new hobby. I have always loved woodworking in my spare time. One day I woke up and thought, I have all the tools necessary, so let’s give it a try!”
To date, Bardal has created 13 custom knives. He builds knives from scratch and sells his own designs. He also creates custom orders for customers.
“I can make knives one of three ways,” he says. “One, I order a blank blade and create the handle for it. Two, I cut out a blade from a steel bar or upcycled steel such as a saw or lawnmower blade. Three, I make my own blade by forging metal and repurposing it. All my handles are custom and my own design. I use deer/elk antler, a variety of woods, or a process of upcycling t-shirts and pants called micarta to make a layered/pressed epoxy resin block. I can also revitalize existing knives by sharpening, cleaning, and/or creating new handles for them.”
For hunters or fishermen who skin and gut their own game to people who simply enjoy collecting knives, a custom knife is special. To be able to buy from a local artisan and talk through the process is a big reason Bardal does what he does.
“The most difficult knife I created was my custom camp knife, for which I used all hand tools, before I purchased my belt grinder, and only a handmade coffee can forge.”
Bardal also created a handle made out of deer antler and brass for a customer.
Signy Rose Steel will have a booth set up this February at the St. Valentine’s Horror Con in Winnipeg, as well as the Spring Fling Artisan Show in Niverville this May.
