Tell us a little bit about Blackbird Mfg. and how you got into making weapons? 

I got my first real knife at about five years old and proceeded to cut myself immediately, and the love affair blossomed from there. 
Growing up, my father, a custom knife maker in the early 1990s, exposed me to many different people’s collections. I was always drawn to knuckles and blades because, let’s be honest. That’s just the cool stuff for a kid.

Why brass knuckles?

 To be completely honest, I’m mostly drawn to knuckles for the art and the design. There is a seemingly endless combination of options, different time periods, and cultures.
 Not to mention that even in this modern era, most attempts to search for actual information about past makers are still like chasing ghosts. 

What type of Tooling is required or needed to make these creations?

Well, to start with the cast inside of things 
I use a twin burner furnace, my fabricate, and my flask, which the sand is packed into. Some are made of wood, and some are made of metal. 
 On the finishing side of things, I use a wide variety of files and grinders, as well as an electric-driven micro hammer, to create some of the finishes.  

  
Where do you draw your inspiration from? 

Well, I think my 25-year background in automotive restoration and antiques definitely shows through sometimes. 
I’m also drawn to the ugly ducklings and some of the just plain weird weapons that have been around over the centuries.  

Do you struggle to be creative and original?

To be completely honest, creativity and originality just happens sometimes, in the in between I play around with historical pieces, pictures from museums or antiques that have been preserved. I like to rework some of those, playing with the economics and sizing to make them a little more modern. 
To “Leonard Cohen, if I knew where the good ideas were, I would go there more often.

What makes them unique and so distinct from others? 

For me, I love the beauty of time. I like to try and let things be perfectly imperfect. I’m the only person who touches anything that comes from Blackbird, so each piece reflects what’s going on in my life at the time and how I’m feeling. What am I thinking about? I let each piece become what it wants to be. I’m just a conduit. People who follow my work can usually pick up on that fairly quickly. Nothing is the same, but everything is an echo, but a common thread is the mixing of finishes. Most of my work will feature a heavy texture that gradually fades to a lighter texture, ultimately culminating in a heavy polish.

What does a typical day in the shop look like?

So I’m a 40-hour-week guy for my day job
90% of my work happens after work. I’m a pretty heavy grinder. I produce quite a bit for one person. Most of the time, I will cast 10 to 15 pieces and then spend the next couple of weeks completing all the finishing work. Most of the time, there’s no loud music, headphones, And a lot of audiobooks
That runs the gamut: history, biographies, and some good old fantasy adventures. I try always to stay learning for the most part, so it’s a great way to multitask.

What type of clients does Blackbird Mfg. attract?

My client base is fantastic. 
A lot of collectors and enthusiasts, some EDC guys where it’s not entirely private, and a few professionals’ “occupation redacted.” 

As far as testing goes, I have done and still do quite a bit. Most of the stuff in the prototype phase gets a good run on a heavy bag, and I smash some 2x4s to make sure there are no hotspots. Many people will notice that everything is somewhat faded. The edges are all faded away to almost Nothing, with no sharp spots unless they’re intentional. Knuckles have some unique complications, and finger spread and brace height can make a huge difference. That’s why I do so many styles. Every hand is different, and I always try to take that into consideration.

Often, it’s one of my first questions. What size hand do you have? Are there any old injuries? Boxer fractures? Things like that that I need to try to take into consideration. Given the opportunity, I will usually have people send pictures for reference over the years. I can say I’ve developed an eye for bone structure. I can usually point you in the right direction for style.

So, the set you have in your possession is known as the clever girl, and it’s an off-the-cuff name from a client. It reminded him of a velociraptor.   A 32 Ford door handle inspired the piece itself. It’s a remarkably iconic shape that has run through history. It’s actually more of a pre-war European design lifted by Ford. But the shape crawled into my brain, and it all started coming together economically. It’s very different loading the top portion of the palm more than the bottom. I can say it’s pretty unique to me, going back to the inspiration sometimes; things just happen, and you can’t ask questions. You just go for the ride and see what comes out at the end. 

Are there any big Plans for the future of Blackbird Mfg?

I’ve been working with www.Pvk.com, and some pieces are available through them. They come in an exclusive packaging set. That has really been a fun project to work on. With limited quantities, the customers get something special. I’ve been experimenting with some merchandise ideas, including hoodies and T-shirts, so keep an eye out for them in the future.

Never stop evolving is a big thing for me, as I mentioned earlier. My father was a knife maker while I was growing up, so that’s in my blood. I’ve actually started grinding again, so there will definitely be some blades in the future. I’ve also been working with some of the Spooky OSS and items that we all know in love. Many of them will be appearing on my page soon.  I’ve been doing some shop renovations lately. It’s turning into an art gallery studio, becoming a place I like to spend time in, where things can happen in a more relaxed environment, less chaotic and cluttered. 

And for the SKILLSETFAM, I love fulfilling customer requests. If it’s something I can make happen, I will jump in wholeheartedly.  Blackbird MFG
It’s about all of you. Not me; I’m just a ghost in the machine.