Ferrum Forge & Mike Gavik
Ferrum Forge & Mike Gavac
Ferrum Forge & Mike Gavac is a collaborative project between the American company Ferrum Forge and Slovenian knifemaker Mike Gavac.
Ferrum Forge was founded by knifemaker Elliot Williamson. Thanks to a grandfather who never believed sharp objects needed to be kept away from children, Elliot got his first knife at the age of four. As he grew older, his fascination with knives only became stronger, and the older he got, the more obvious it became that a truly good knife could never be cheap.
When Elliot began reading magazines devoted to knives and corresponding with fellow enthusiasts on specialized forums, he discovered the vast and fascinating world of professional knifemaking. Williamson was particularly impressed by the work of makers such as Jay Fisher, Don Fogg, and Jim Schmidt. He wanted to follow in their footsteps and make a living creating knives.
Fortunately, Elliot managed to get his brother Chris equally excited about the idea, and the two decided to become business partners. In 2009, the brothers set about converting their garage into a workshop: they pooled their money to purchase their first pieces of equipment and made a few renovations to the space.
They named the company Ferrum Forge Knife Works and decided to specialize in folding EDC knives. The business got off to a good start, and the brothers reinvested most of the income from their custom work back into the workshop. They replaced their metal-cutting bandsaw with a laser cutter, upgraded from a manual milling machine to CNC equipment, and installed an electron-beam melting system.
Modern technology, however, did not eliminate handwork from the production process. Final fitting, assembly, and finishing of their folders are still carried out by the Williamsons themselves.
The brothers favor American steels for their blades and titanium for their handles. Almost all Ferrum Forge knife scales feature anodizing and distinctive, stylish machining.
The Williamsons came across knives with a similar aesthetic by Slovenian knifemaker Mike Gavac, who creates his customs under the Gavko Knives name. The Americans were impressed by Gavac's work, particularly his unconventional approach to blade profiles.
They invited Mike Gavac to design a flipper for them, which was subsequently released as a limited edition under the Ferrum Forge & Mike Gavac name. The model proved successful, receiving a warm reception from the knife community, and the collaboration between these two makers from the Old and New Worlds continued with several more folding knives.
If you would like to learn which other American-made folding knives are available to buy from the Maria Stalina Knives online-store, our manager will be happy to advise you by.
