Peter Steyn

I am an Electrician by trade and have always been a 'hands-on' man. At one time I ventured into Furniture making because of my love of woodwork and machining but I have always had an inexplicable attraction to the smell and feel of cold Steel...perhaps this is why my journey into Knifemaking has been so consuming and passionate? In 2003 I underwent a Heart bypass operation and was looking for a hobby to occupy myself, a friend showed me a Handcrafted knife that he had purchased and the search was over! After building my own workshop and most of the basic machines I produced my first knife in 2005 and set myself a goal of achieving membership of the SA Guild of Knifemakers as a priority. I am proud to say I achieved membership in 2006. Last year I retired as a Voting Member of the Guild and am now at the age of 84 I am now on the "Retired Members" list. I produce Fixed Blades and Folding Knives, Friction Folders remain a firm favourite of mine. I am best known for my "Covex" Grind i.e. Concave on the Obverse and Convex on the Reverse which ensures an excellent edge which is easy to maintain. All my knives are my own design, my motto being "Always Original, Never Copied". I prefer working with synthetic handle materials, G10, Carbon Fibre and Micarta. I mostly work with Bohler N690 and have produced a few pieces with Rob Thomas Stainless Damascus. My wife, Joyce, and I were privileged to attend "Blade Show" in Atlanta 8 times where many lasting friendships were forged. We used to attend many South African Shows but now limit our Show attendance to the Bloemfontein Knifemakers Club annual Show held in November every year, I have been a resident of Welkom since 1949 (arriving at the age of 7) so Bloemfontein is an easy drive for us. Thank you for visiting my page.