Johann van Deventer (JD Custom Knives)
Johann van Deventer
Johann van Deventer, better known to knife enthusiasts as JD or JD van Deventer, lives and works in South Africa. He is a member of the Knifemakers' Guild of Southern Africa and creates exceptionally well-made custom knives, ranging from fixed blades to folding knives.
Van Deventer was born and raised in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of South Africa. He began his career as a knifemaker in 2005 and joined the country's professional knifemakers' guild just two years later. Johann works as a one-man operation, making not only his knives but also some of the machinery he uses to produce them.
Johann says he draws much of his inspiration from nature, which explains his particular fondness for natural materials. The handles of his fixed-blade knives are made from fine woods, bone, horn, or mammoth ivory. He is equally comfortable working with modern materials, however, and his folders feature carbon fiber, G-10, and Micarta.
For his blades, Johann van Deventer favors Damasteel, his own Damascus patterns, 12C28N steel from Swedish manufacturer Sandvik, and N690 from Austrian steelmaker Böhler-Uddeholm AG. In terms of blade profiles, he tends toward the versatile drop point, usually with a full-width grind and a subtle false edge.
One feature shared by many of van Deventer's models is their pivot system. His folders use the Brazilian IKBS bearing system, which gives them an exceptionally smooth and effortless flipping action. As for locking mechanisms, the South African maker uses both frame locks and liner locks.
It is rare to find a knifemaker whose work ranges in price from around a hundred dollars to several thousand. Johann van Deventer’s collection, however, offers something for almost every budget. You can buy one of his neck knives for around a hundred dollars, or choose a folder whose price runs well into four figures. In either case, you are getting a piece of outstanding hand craftsmanship.
More recently, it has also become possible to buy production knives based on van Deventer's designs. The knifemaker entered into an agreement with British retailer Heinnie Haynes to produce several folder models based on his designs.
Johann van Deventer is not the only South African knifemaker whose customs are part of the selection at the Maria Stalina Knives online-store.
