Morseth Knives

I think about knives a lot. A family friend gave me his father’s Morseth knife for Christmas and it has sparked many new knife thoughts. I recently read the Keen Edge of Perfection book on the history of Morseth Knives and it provided some interesting insights. I mainly want to organize my own observations in this post. I would also love to try and make a Morseth style knife for myself just to learn.

Handles

I think the handles on the Morseth Knives made by Harry and Steve are one of the strongest points of those knives. The shape and visual appeal are really incredible. The handles are comfortable and ensure a good grip. When Dozier started making Morseth knives he made the handles different. There is nothing wrong with that, but they really look like Dozier handles. I guess part of the reason for the difference in shape is that Dozier used a 2x72 like we are used to today, but Harry and Steve used a rounded grinding stone to shape the space between the guard and handle. They mostly used Sanbar Stag antler and vulcanized spacers with brass or nickel silver guards. The end of the hidden tang is threaded and a brass pommel fastener holds the whole thing together. Apparently Harry also made a broaching machine to cut the slots in the handles and dies to cut out spacer material.

Blades:

One thing that really stands out is the Morseth Blades. They were premade in Norway then shipped to the US. They used a laminated steel with a high carbon piece in the middle and two mild pieces on the outside. Harry asked them to be tempered so the inside steel was 62 HRC! The laminated steel lets you have a really hard blade in the middle, but the mild outside allows the blade to flex without chipping. There are picture from an old Morseth ad where one of the knives is bent 90 degrees in a vice. The blanks were cut out with a giant die cutting machine and some of them were pre ground in Norway.

I also think that all the original knife shapes that Harry and Steve used look great. They are very classic and timeless designs.

Grind

Most of the knives have a hollow grind. Harry and Steve used water cooled grinding stones to cut the bevels. I guess they used home made wooden wheels with glued on abrasive grit to polish the hollows. To modern senses I think the grinding looks a little rough. There are still some big gouge marks from the wheel in the hollows. At the same time they are still completely functional knives so who cares I guess.

Sheath

The Morseth sheaths were ahead of their time. They shaped a piece of vuclanized fiber to retain the knife like a modern kydex sheath, but the outside looks like a more traditional sheath design. I guess they were a pain to make and took almost as much money and time to produce as the knives. I love that sheath design though!

I guess I feel weirdly connected Morseth Knives as a Washington Native who now makes knives. The history and knives themselves are inspiring me right now.