The Riff
“Shaping a knife edge is actually a lot like shaping a surfboard.”
Let’s back up. I first met Peyton AKA “The Scientist” of Freestyle Engineering at a shooting class near Los Angeles in 2021.
We got along well - we bonded over our love/hate relationship with Escape From Tarkov and making things. I quickly found out that he was a craftsman and an engineer. One day he would be shaping foam, laying fiberglass and painting a surfboard. The next day you could find him bending guitar pedal boxes or wiring an amplifier. Later in the week he might be powder coating the guitar pedal and upholstering the amp. Seeing his workspace(s) and his creations demonstrated an impressive blend of style and technicality.
More of a Renaissance Man than a specialist, he takes what he learns from one discipline and applies it to the others. The immense scale of his general knowledge in engineering, manufacturing, fabrication and artistry makes him especially skilled at making ideas come to life.
Most recently he had the idea of making himself a knife. Instead of making one knife and calling it good, I watched him (via snapchat) dive deep into the world of knives - steel types, heat treating, metal chemistry, sharpening and grip materials. I watched him make a ton of knives and learn new lessons and best practices after each knife was made. Eventually, I asked him to make me a knife for my plate carrier and he did. After receiving it and showing it to The Dirty Boys, we were all impressed. It’s been a goal of ours to get a custom knife out to the public and we decided that he had the tools and the skill to make it happen. I immediately started jamming with Peyton on what we were looking for in a kit knife. Conveniently, we got leave and I decided to go up to his place to finalize our design and document the process.
It all starts with a sketch. He’s accumulated a crazy amount of exotic protractors and measuring devices to assist the drafting process for shapes and edges.
After the initial shape was made and the finger ring was drill pressed, he went into the thumb grooves and minor details.
Using the belt sander, the initial edge was laid down.
Next up was heat treating and quenching the steel, “That makes the carbon content of the steel cool at an extreme rate creating an immense amount of tension, which makes the blade tougher and less brittle.” - P Dawg
Applying the Supergrip Black powdercoat
Post final heat treat and powdercoat curing, we mocked up the laser etching and laid down our design.
Back at the belt sander for the final edge.
Lastly, stropping the edge with a chemical compound on leather to really get the sharpness we want. He said “The nicest leather I have is on this guitar strap.” Mixing disciplines.
And lastly, forming the ranger green kydex.
Introducing The Riff
The Essential kit knife
Hand crafted 1/8” 1084 high carbon steel
2.5” drop point blade in a 6” package
Black Supergrip Powdercoat
Ranger Green kydex sheath
Laser engraved logo
Laser engraved edition of 10
