Early Durrell Johnson Custom Damascus Hunting Knife!

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Offered for your consideration is a gorgeous custom Damascus hunting knife made by long-time knifemaker Durrell Johnson. Johnson's knives are very rare and seldom offered for sale. Even doing a Google search will likely not result in any available examples. This despite the fact that this maker made well over 100 knives per year for several decades. Durrell Carmon Johnson is not your average knifemaker. A blacksmith and knifemaker by trade, Mr. Johnson has been making knives since his teens. He sold his first knife in 1957 and was a long-time member of the Knifemakers Guild. Having spent his professional career in Florida, Mr. Johnson is well respected and well known in the knifemaking community. He has been associated with some of the biggest names in knifemaking and his knives have impressed some of the very best, including the likes of Bo Randall among others. Mr. Johnson's knives are all hand forged and hand forged to him has a different meaning than most makers. Truly a master knifemaker, he forged his blades by hand in a coal-fired forge. As he recently explained to me: " that blade was forged with a 3-lb hammer and my right arm." While many of the most talented makers forged their own blades, most did so in a gas-fired forge and used a trip hammer for the pounding. In his later years he started forging his own Damascus. Due to health issues, Mr. Johnson has not many any knives since the early or mid 1990's. The skill and craftsmanship that Mr. Johnson imparted on his knives is of a level that is rarely seen. His favored steels were 52100 ball-bearing steel and O-1 tool steel. He told me that he was very particular about his steel and that all of his O-1 he purchased from Sheffield, England. He explained that he used one of his large bowies for a demonstration at a Florida show w the Randall rep. provided a Randall knife which he chopped in half with his bowie. T's no question that he loves knives and he loves to talk knives. This blade is hand forged Damascus in a catagory of its own. Mr. Johnson forged this piece in his coal forged and while the few makers who do forge their own blades usually will grind them to shape, Mr. Johnson forged his blades to shape using the grinder only to impart the grind lines and take off the rough edges. The talent required to do this is nearly a lost art and even these who may have the talent will generally opt for the speed of the grinder. His Damascus is a blend of 52100 ball bearing steel, 1018, and wrought iron. While Mr. Johnson specialized in highly detailed and highly finished knives, including Scagels that were so true to form that even many experts couldn't differenciate them from the originals, this knife is of a simple design and is one of the first Damacus blades that he made. This piece was made in the early eighties, about two years before the brochure was published. The looks to have seen a little use, but has never been sharpened. T is a light ding on one of the brass bolsters that can be seen in one of the photos. T are also a few dark areas on the canvas Micarta scales and a small defect on top of the handle as pictured. This defect is shallow and about the size of a BB. The blade is masterfully forged and the grind is elegant and precise. The ricasso is stamped "Carmon", as were all of his knives, however, this piece was made before he got his one-piece stamp and all the letters were stamped individually. You will see very few Johnson knives with this stamp. The handle is of early-style canvas Micarta and is exceptionally well done. This Micarta has a "depth" that I've not seen on Micarta of this type. Under a loupe it looks as though you're just looking at fabric and all the thread can be seen clearly. Mr. Johnson explained that he never had any "fancy" grinding equipment and all his handles were shaped on just a standard bench grinder. The knife has a practical, working knife-type design, yet retains a sophisticated appearance. The balance is perfect. The balanc... read more

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