Custom F-S Style Knives
On this page are knives/daggers custom handmade by individual makers in a Fairbairn-Sykes style. The people listed here are primarily makers we are acquainted with and whom we have obviously bought knives from. The knives are of the highest quality and materials. Custom knives are one option for fulfilling that dream when an original knife is either unavailable or not affordable.
On this page are knives/daggers custom handmade by individual makers in a Fairbairn-Sykes style. The people listed here are primarily makers we are acquainted with and whom we have obviously bought knives from. The knives are of the highest quality and materials. Custom knives are one option for fulfilling that dream when an original knife is either unavailable or not affordable.
BELOW: www.h-d-g.co.uk More eye candy from maker (HDG) John Hamilton Daggers, Glasgow. I wonder if Fairbairn, Sykes, Yeaton and the boys ever envisioned what a revolution they started and how iconic their designs would become. A double-edged dagger with a square ricasso and curved guard is not unique to the genre' of daggers but it is nonetheless a quintessential design. I have always found the symmetry, economy of design and exquisite balance are what make the Fairbairn Sykes so special.
email for Hamilton Daggers: [email protected]
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Below: An elegant X-Dagger style knife made by Mike Silvey, accomplished knife maker and published author of many books on fighting knives. I am very pleased to now own one of Mike's outstanding knives. He is equally famous for his high quality renditions of Randall, SOG and Scagel knives. Mike's work is flawless in execution. His books ought to be in your library if you consider yourself a serious knife collector. Many of his knives can be found for sale on this website: http://www.militaryfightingknives.com/ and his books are available on Amazon.com and many other websites.
Below: Custom made by a good friend who lives in Arizona. I have not heard from him in years but he made me these two Lord Lovat style daggers as a gift! They are slightly different sized from each other. The blades are hand forged to shape from round stock and heat blued. Incredibly thick spines (over 1/4 inch) make them very rugged and stiletto-like. The handles and guards are aluminum and held in place by a brass top nut. They balance perfectly at the guard. Mike made some other knives for me that are pretty sweet but these two are truly exceptional daggers.
Below: Here is a custom X-Dagger I commissioned. I bought a badly abused 1888 Lee-Metford bayonet blade on Ebay. I asked a good friend and noted knife maker Les George if he would convert it into an X-Dagger for me. Peter Parkinson graciously provided the handle. The bayonet was quite rare, made by a company/man named "Mole." The unusual variation I asked Les to make me was inspired by an original Paisley suicide dagger. The original had a brass screw-apart handle, this one does not. The guard is ground down from the original bayonet guard with an added thumb relief. The blade is 8 1/2 inches long. The finish is the result of a mild acid wash. I have posed it next to an original WW-II Wilkinson F-S for a size comparison. Now I need to make a suitable sheath for it. The Wilkinson is etched on the blade for R.W. Davey.
Below: You can still see the original arsenal markings, of which there are plenty.
Below: Parkinson X-dagger with high polish blade and three inch guard. The center section of the handle is made of imitation Ivory. This knife has the Camp-X style sheath designed for upside down carry under clothing.
Below: Two fine examples of First Pattern knives made by a man in Australia named Bob who wishes to remain anonymous. I am not sure why but I honor his wishes. His knives are among the best of the best made today. I have my eye on another one of his knives. The lower knife had been scoured up by the previous owner trying to sharpen it. I have since polished out the damage. If you are not good at sharpening knives these are not the ones to learn on.
Below: New knives from the Egginton Group in Sheffield, UK. These are the highest grade F-S knives to come out of the UK cutlery trade in many years, perhaps since WW-2. They are not shy about pricing them but they are worth taking a look at as an investment. This Damasteel second and third pattern knives are examples of their new metalworking expertise. http://www.sheffieldcollectableknives.com/
Jean Tanazacq
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"For your eyes and your blog publication, here’s a French modern custom FS knives realised in 1986 by french « ARDENNLAME » Company (www.jean-tanazacq.com).This custom knives company is directed by its founder Jean TANAZACQ, a very famous knives collector and maker in France and Belgium. Right know, it is Nicolas, his soon, who is continuing his father masterpieces in hunting, military and diving hand-grounded custom knives.
Jean handmaded a personal custom version of the famous WW2 Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting knife in 1986 in order to commemorate the 40th Anniversary for «Overlord» Operation in Normandy.He called it « SAS Commando Dagger »." submitted by Michel Gassier.
Jean handmaded a personal custom version of the famous WW2 Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting knife in 1986 in order to commemorate the 40th Anniversary for «Overlord» Operation in Normandy.He called it « SAS Commando Dagger »." submitted by Michel Gassier.
Steve Voorhis:
Below: Custom handmade Commando dagger made by Steve Voorhis. Crafted from Stainless steels and Micarta this knife is truly razor sharp and a fine modern representation of the F-S design. The sheath is very well made but I would like to see something a little less bulky. Kydex would make an ideal sheath for combat but it has a disturbing tendency to scratch blades and this blade is mirror polished. Mr. Voohis is also known for his fine Bowie knives and fighting knives in many different styles.
Here is a new maker to me who has shown tremendous talent at producing high quality replicas of both Ek and Randall knives. It is hard to fault anyone who replicates some of the top knife designs ever produced. Greg wrote me this short introduction. "I am a part time maker .
I have been making knives for about five years now. I got my start in the 80's
making knives From file and per made blades . I got back into knife making like
I said five years ago after reading the fifty dollar knife shop. I
have come a long way. I love to make Ek ,Randall, and (Jimmy) Lile style knives ."
I think you will find his work appealing and authentically styled. Come Spring I plan on ordering one of his superb Ek Model II knives. When you order one tell him you saw his work here. I plan on ordering a model 2 Ek as soon as I get the cash together.
I think you will find his work appealing and authentically styled. Come Spring I plan on ordering one of his superb Ek Model II knives. When you order one tell him you saw his work here. I plan on ordering a model 2 Ek as soon as I get the cash together.
Below: Here are some more examples of Greg's Ek reproductions including a boot knife sized Ek Model 1
Peter Parkinson Knives
http://nzknives.co.nz/home.htm
http://nzknives.co.nz/home.htm
Parkinson X-Daggers: I am extremely lucky to have acquired so many of Peter Parkinson's elegant X-Dagger replicas. Shown here is an array of five of them with an all black three-inch guard First Pattern in the center. These needle-tipped blades are especially difficult to grind. Brent Sandow of Auckland, NZ does the grinding and Peter (also of Auckland) hand polishes them. You will note that every blade has a slightly different profile and length as do the originals. The knife on the far left has an ebony handle while the one on the far right has a handle made of Olive wood. No existing originals have this handle treatment but they are visually striking! The Olive wood handled knife also has its blade ground from a Damascus blank. Three of the knives exhibit the straight guard with grooves for thumb placement, a style we have learned WE Fairbairn favored over the "S" guard. When I ordered these knives I requested that type of guard because I find it more functional and less limiting that the "S" guard.
WE Fairbairn was also particularly fond of Colt Model 1911 .45 caliber pistols. This Colt was made in 1918. The unique holster was handmade by Dave Bullard. There is also something unique about this dagger.
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Peter built this knife as a replica of the "Suicide Daggers" with the screw-apart handle which discloses a cavity for a cyanide capsule. This idea was not practical since you either had to take the pill before capture, or else have your knife confiscated by the enemy and lose your pill along with it.
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Below: Illustrated here is perhaps one of the rarest reproduction F~S knives you will see. It is a Parkinson copy of an original Agents Dagger, with a screw-apart handle revealing a cavity for a cyanide capsule. I am not sure how many of these knives Peter made. It is a splendid fighting knife with a beautifully ground blade by Brent Sandow.
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Below: Illustrated here are four new Parkinson Daggers made for members of a Spec-Ops group. Finished in all black they are elegant and lethal. Note that they are fitted with the wider style guards with thumb recesses. This feature allows placement of the user's thumb on the ricasso for a more firm grip and correctly orients the blade in the user's hand.
There are very few modern F~S knives produced of suitable quality. This section of our website will hi-lite those knives we feel accurately reproduce both the quality and aesthetics of a WW-II Commando Knife. For example, the two X-Daggers and P-1 illustrated above were made by Peter Parkinson and Brent Sandow. Peter's early knives were etched with a fern, the national symbol of New Zealand. It has been my great pleasure to be a customer and a close friend to both of these men for several years now.
The above photo displays a few of Peter's beautiful fine knives, including (top to bottom) copies of: a standard P-1, P-3, a unique damascus bladed P-1, and a nickle-plated P-2.
Below: These are the old, original Parkinson logos. My knives are serial numbered 002.
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Above: Here are three more exquisitely made Parkinson custom knives, from top to bottom: 1st pattern chisel tip, olive wood handle with damascus blade, and a Wood handled"X- Dagger".
Below: Peter Parkinson's new logo
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Below is a needle-tipped first pattern with 3 inch crossguard, all black version from Peter Parkinson. The beautiful sheath is a reproduction of the clandestine type hung upside down from a button.
Chisel Tipped F~S Knives:
Based on the story that came with a P-2 I bought, I decided to make a bold investment in some custom F~S knives. In a move that might cause aficionados to grind their teeth, I designed a version of the F~S that I refer to as a Chisel Tip. The original nickel plated P-2 knife I bought had a broken tip and the story was that it had been purposely broken off by an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) person. This modification was said to have helped the owner probe for mines. I discounted the story and reshaped the tip with a whet stone. As time went by I heard another story like this and it gave me reason to ponder why the owner of my knife had sharpened the tip crosswise instead of reshaping it like I did. This story combined with all of the ones I heard of bent and broken tips, tips dulled to prevent the knives sticking in bones, etc. made me wonder if there wasn’t a better way. The photo below shows my modification. These are specially made blades, not ground off ones, so they are still a full seven inches long.
About this same time a small company developed a unique knife called the "Razel." It was shaped like a short straight razor/chisel. My testing proved that it was both a superb cutting weapon and surprisingly also an excellent stabbing weapon. This was the source of inspiration for my Chisel Tip knives. My Chisel Tip was not modeled after the odd looking Besh Wedge (as some people have thought) whose blades do not cut well nor stab all that well either.
I want to thank the makers, my good friends, Peter Parkinson and Brent Sandow of Auckland New Zealand, for humoring me. All I asked for were a couple test “mules” and what I got were some very nicely made fighting knives! |
Above: Two custom chisel tips flanking a superb P-1 all of Peter Parkinson manufacture. Brent ground the blades, one of them three-sided like a Japanese Yari, and one of then full four-sided as normal. The "yari" style blade actually cut as well as the other normal one. The good news is that there is no danger of bending or snapping off the tip, its already gone! You might also note the notched guards on the two chisel tips. This groove is for your thumb placement to properly align the blade without having to actually look or shift your grip. This also prevents injuring your thumb during a thrust, should the knife meet something impenetrable.
Below: An impressive and broad array of weaponry from the shop of Maestro Paul MacDonald. If you're looking for a Medieval claymore, a Renaissance rapier or an OSS Stiletto contact Paul. This combat "tableware" was on display at a weekend event at Achnacarry, Spean Bridge, Scotland where the Commandos, young and old, gather to celebrate on Remembrance Day. Photo courtesy of Paul MacDonald. One of these days I have to order a BC-41.
Below: A superb recreation of an S.O.E. instructor's covert weapons training kit. By Maestro Paul MacDonald Armouries and company, Edinburgh Scotland
MacDonald First Pattern: The photos below show my personal Paul MacDonald First Pattern which, due to the popularity of his work, took about 4 months from order to delivery. If you want one of Paul MacDonald's or Peter Parkinson's knives I suggest you get on their list. It is well worth the wait and the money to own a fine custom handcrafted Fairbairn. Here is the MacDonald knife posed with an old copy of John Steyer's excellent book, "Cold Steel." To make the cuts suggested in the photos requires a sharp knife. Paul MacDonald's knife arrived sharpened, unlike many modern commercial versions or even a lot of original WW-II issued knives.
MacDonald Throwing Knife:
This man's throwing skills are impressive as is the sticking/penetrating power of Paul MacDonald's throwing knife.
Below: We discovered this second pattern knife lying in the road where it had apparently been run over by a large truck which flattened it! Of course we're just teasing you. This is one of Paul MacDonald's steel, one-piece throwing knives. I cannot wait to give it a toss or two.
Below: Paul's exceptional rendition of the OSS Stiletto including the Pancake Flapper sheath that is so desirable with collectors.
I first became aware of Paul MacDonald while researching the elusive Fairbairn Cobra Fighting Knife. The trail led to MacDonald Armouries in Edinburgh, Scotland. Over a short span of time we emailed back and forth and I placed an order for a Cobra. At that time Maestro MacDonald was just gettiing his line of F~S established. Now I am anxiously awaiting a copy of his First Pattern, like the one shown here.
Some more MacDonald steel to salivate over, First and Second Patterns.
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This First Pattern (Left) displays the MacDonalds attention to detail and it fairly exudes the essence of a wartime P-1. MacDonald Armouries also produces custom swords of any period and dirks and daggers. They offer one of the finest examples of a Ballock Dagger that I have ever seen. MacDonald also makes some excellent copies of the P-2 in three finish combinations. Paul's Second Pattern (Below) is as good as they get.
Below: Here is Paul's new etched logo.
A little something extra I asked Maestro MacDonald to add to my order. An accurate copy of a WW-II S.O.E. thumb dagger. Note that it is single edged as opposed to the standard thumb dagger.
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More Knives by my old Friend Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous
Anonymous:
Created by a very good friend, he preferred to remain anonymous, and take no credit for these fine knives. They are obviously F~S inspired and like Fairbairn he spent a lot of time making sure they had a perfect balance. Some of them use hi-tech materials combined with plain old carbon steels. Two of them have handles made of old walrus ivory. One has a leather washer handle and the others use either steel or aluminum. for handles and guards The steel ferrules and pommels were lathe turned from old shot out rifle barrels.
Created by a very good friend, he preferred to remain anonymous, and take no credit for these fine knives. They are obviously F~S inspired and like Fairbairn he spent a lot of time making sure they had a perfect balance. Some of them use hi-tech materials combined with plain old carbon steels. Two of them have handles made of old walrus ivory. One has a leather washer handle and the others use either steel or aluminum. for handles and guards The steel ferrules and pommels were lathe turned from old shot out rifle barrels.
The leather handled knife below left is a collaborative effort between myself and the knife maker. It has excellent blade geometry for slashing and is a vast improvement over the typical F-S in that regard. The blade size and shape turned out to be similar to the Applegate-Fairbairn. His wife asked him to get it out of the house because she felt it was too vicious looking.
Below: The following two daggers are my friend's interpretation of the small Lovat dagger in two different sizes. The blades are hand forged from round stock and very robust. The handles and guards are aluminum as were the original Wilkinson Lovat knives.
Some More Odds and Ends of Modern Knives
The Besh Wedge:
Undoubtedly an innovative design, the Besh Wedge has been applied to a number of knives including this long bladed dagger. Available in either carbon steel or Titanium, fully serrated or partially serrated it provides the buyer with numerous choices. In my search for a better fighting dagger I decided to buy one. The sheath design is also unusual, perhaps unnecessarily so. I have not found many plastic-type sheaths to hold up under constant wear. I believe that the titanium version was especially designed as a non-magnetic option for EOD personnel. There is no fair way to compare this design to anything else on the market. It is an indestructible weapon and would work well as a prying tool.
Right: Strider Dagger: The photo of this knife was provided by a visitor to our site. It is a modern, custom version of the Marine Corps Raider by Strider knives. These are a very rare knife even now and finding one is difficult. Extremely well made and infinitely more rugged than the original WW-II versions. Strider knives are known throughout the knife world for their high quality. Somehow Commando Daggers and 1911s just naturally go together. I wish I could afford one of these daggersnto add to my collection |
Black Devil:
I believe this is the correct name of this knife. I bought it from a good friend in Scotland who has since dropped off the radar. It is a stout knife with a solid blade of a P-1 style and a turned steel handle. The handle is unusually slender and completely smooth. The blade ricasso is deeply stamped with what appears to be the letters MUL. The handle is stamped with the initials "BD." Above: I have never seen another knife of this make or style. The crossguard is steel and slightly "S" curved like a P-1. I assume it to be a British made item.
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