How Bark River Knives Are Made

From the master himself, Mike Stewart walks us through how a Bark River knife is made. This video is the first release in a series of videos that we captured on January 30th, 2018. Still to come we have:
-Differences in Stock Removal vs. Forging
-How Technology Influences Knife Production & Performance
-Handmade Knives: How They Can Still Be Made
-Craftsmen: How Many Hands Does It Take To Make A Knife
-Supplies & Materials
-Convex Edges
-Scandi-Vex Edges
-Mike Stewarts Top Five Models
-Handle Ergonomics: The Coke Challenge
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Links:
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DLT Trading: www.dlttrading.com/
Instagram: / dlttrading
Facebook: / dlttrading

[@Anderixx]

Bark River is the best knife I´ve ever used. I bought a Bravo 1. Greetings from Munich/Germany.

[@TheAcidheat]

hi i bought the same bravo 1 and kephart 4. greetings from Litauen ;) danke

[@maxwell2.2]

Welchen stahl hast du genommen und wie kommst du mit der Scheide klar?

[@Anderixx]

@@maxwell2.2 Elmex Stahl. Und die Scheide ist aus gutem dicken Leder. Erfüllt ihren Dienst tadellos. Ein Feuerstahl von light my fire in der army 2.0 Version passt auch perfekt in die Schlaufe. Messer ist immer noch rattenscharf.

[@nikitaanikin4190]

Hi, Andy! I'm late with a comment. Can I ask you a question? Do you have any legal restrictions on the use/carrying of specific knives (hunting knives, bushcraft knives, etc.)? I heard that the Bark River Bravo 1.25 version was supposedly designed for German users, if I'm not mistaken, then it was possible to carry knives with a blade up to 12 cm without any problems with the law. But recently I heard that the German authorities are going to ban the carrying of any knives (even like harmless Victorinox / Wenger) But since this nonsense confuses me, if it doesn’t bother you, it would be great to hear firsthand how things are.)

[@nikitaanikin4190]

@@maxwell2.2 hahah, it's probably too late and now won't help you, but they use CPM 3V, A2, Elmax, CPM S35VN, S45VN, CPM 154, Cru-Wear, and Magna-Cut.

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

I always thought Barkriver knives where overpriced, I see now why they are so expensive.

[@mikecarr1484]

Love mine. I should have bought one years ago. Best knife ever.

[@seanb6986]

I would absolutely love to work there, that’s my dream job as of now. If there’s an opening, I’ll be working minimum wage 24/7!

[@OSAbsolam]

Mike this is America. Thank you. This is the quality you get with real American made products. Well worth the dollars. These folks work hard to make sure every product is great quality . Thank you Bark River

[@BryanChristopher1776]

Awesome job walking us through the entire process. Really appreciate the emphasis on quality control.Every Bark River knife I have bought was excellent.

[@wayned5872]

Nothing beats great quality control, I'm sold on Bark river now and will be buying a few

[@dennisalexanderhain188]

The bigger, the better...Bark River! Perfect craftsmanship! I love my Gunny Hunter with blue denim micarta.

[@0neTwo3]

This video really needed to be made! Well done.

[@aray9628]

I love BRK hands down everything they do is top notch and amazing!👊👍

[@BOOSTEDLASER]

Great vid, Mike is the best

[@snaponjohn100]

Very impressive! Everyone of mine is perfect. God bless you guys. John

[@pstaehlin]

Excellent! Thank you for this video.

[@joshuagenovese36]

Bark river knives are excellent knives, Well made , tough, And made to be Used. I own three at the moment and enjoy them alot. Easy to sharpen and keep sharp with just a leather strap and some black Bark river compound.

[@olechuga2]

Thank you Mr. Stewart, for your explanation(s) of the step-by-step process in producing your artful weapons. I can now understand the high price-points your weapons command, and how I think those weapons are very well worth their cost(s). Thank you Sir, very much indeed, for your hard work in producing these weapons for us. Oscar

[@richarddavans6128]

Weapons (reed tools) 😉

[@gottfriedschimann7672]

Bark River Knives = bad-ass! I like, i am an fan! Greetings from Germany!

[@TheAcidheat]

danke. greetings from Litauen :)

[@cosmiccharlie8294]

I just got my first two. I like the fact that they are made in the UP by folks like me. I got a Fin and Bone for the kitchen though I will use it to take deer apart. And of course I got a Bravo 1 as well. Both knives are as close to perfect as the Good Lord allows. Now I wish BR would crank out some more large fighters in time for Christmas.

[@matusknives]

Thank you a lot for sharing this.

[@nate1920]

Awesome!

[@GAViN1985]

Legend at work.

[@jayp.2313]

I am glad DLT is doing thease Visio clips .

[@ThrashRoC]

GREAT Explantation

[@ThrashRoC]

RESPECT for such an achievement, to build up a knife company and to have HUGE success with REAL quality .. The knife is LONG ahead of its reputation. The special thing about today's quality knives is that different steels are used and not everything is produced again and again with 440 C steel (Standardard)

[@Primitivebearknives]

Id love to see how they do stag handles

[@williamjones3603]

I like DLT and how they treated me. Dlt is a good company. I ordered a bark river machete that was clearly bent. There is no way a two eyed person checked that blade. I waited an entire year and was left at a loss without my knife and handle of my choice. I had to order one in an ugly orange handle color. I think they make good products but disappointed with that particular order.

[@mikehagan4320]

All of this would be Great if I could find one or two to Buy. I've almost given up.

[@GetMeThere1]

I'd like to order skeleton versions of some of the small knives, like the ultralight bushcrafter or the mini aurora, to wrap in paracord and use a neck knives. Is it possible to order them skeletonized?

[@motomark9736]

I knew there was a good reason I like his knives better than everyone else's

[@kpusa3278]

Sold!!! Im on the hunt for a bravo 1.25 LT with some type of wood handles possibly Burrell design

[@frankserra6709]

My first Bark River knife was a Gameskeeper II w/Amboynia Burl. I love this knife and see that it is no longer made. I really wish Bark River would reconsider and make another run in 3V. I would then RUN and would buy a couple of them. I now have several Bark River knives. But, this first one holds a Special place in my heart.

[@frankserra6709]

Forgot to mention I bought it from DLT 😁.

[@ThrashRoC]

I ordered a Bark River Aurora II in 3V yesterday and can't wait to hold it in my hands I already own some high-quality knives myself, including an Autine Leuku (Hand-forged by John Neeman the ABSOLUTE most Beautiful knive i´ve ever seen) 3 extrema ratio knives (The Heavy Folder RAO II, Doberman IV and Fulcrum II) A Mora Camping Knive (Cheap but GREAT !!) Of Course some Swiss Army Knives (THE ABSOLUTELY best everyday knife) Opinel No. 12 in Carbone Steel) and a razor-sharp Gränsfors Bruck forest ax There is also an Aurora II and I think it will be a gem in my still small collection.

[@1mataleo1]

I bought one about 3 weeks ago, and I really like it. I wanted an Aurora, but they were sold out, so I bought the Aurora II. I’m glad I did

[@richmichaud85]

Was that a damascus screwdriver used to attach the handles?

[@loboowens5929]

What knife is in the video with the scales attached?

[@housevollmer9106]

Mike just said “CPM steels don’t really polish” Iv found that to not be the case for me!! Mirrors!!

[@rafalotreba6824]

I have bought my Wilderness Explorer. Beautiful knife...but I will disagree in regards to its sharpness. Would I buy Bark River again..? Yes, baby🙂

[@hgncbdfx]

Instead of checking for sharpness, please check for even blade grinds and final pludge grind evenness. Thanks.

[@GetMeThere1]

Earlier Bark River knives I had bought were very sharp right out of the box. Lately, I've had several which were..."OK," but not as sharp as they used to be or as they should be. However, all have come up extremely sharp merely by stropping -- so I don't have serious complaints about sharpness, ultimately.

[@kingsfire6150]

Same experience. Not laser sharp these days but still good working edges without any inconsistencies. Also, the 'plunge' grind on all my bark rivers is just a little bit off. Nothing that affects function but the OCD in me notices them and usually files them even myself best I can.

[@victorricardo9794]

I watch the whole video waiting for him to hack through a side of beef

[@maydaverave]

I think lynn thompson does that with every cold steel knife before shipping

[@bill2747]

First!!!! Great video guys!

[@ertraccia]

That’s not always true: for example, I got a Quartermaster in pre-order and when I received it...the BR Logo on the blade was mostly incomplete and washed out. Not a problem, but it was.

[@1mataleo1]

1mataleo1 I’ve received a mini aurora with uneven plunge lines and an uneven grind height, so I seriously doubt that these knives are being checked 4 or 5 times. If they are, then there are some people not doing their jobs correctly

[@samueljcolombo9528]

Bark River Knives are high quality, they are pricey but you get what you pay for!

[@Jsperal]

What’s the name of that knife?

[@dlttrading]

It's a Bravo Necker

[@Jsperal]

DLT Trading, LLC. Thanks

[@chrisgross5048]

By the way......these knives have black micarta handles....because they're mine!

[@seanoindaugherty308]

Seems like some get through with uneven bevels from what I've seen.

[@jetsgo66]

Seanoin Daugherty the are ground on slack belts so it’s hard to be exact. From what I understand it’s never uneven enough to hinder performance

[@forestmantis1737]

@@jetsgo66 You are right untill we talk about 1-2mm, 3, 4 even 5mm (0,2") is realy unbelivable especialy they claim double (or more) checking processes. But I do have respect to MS and BR generaly. FM

[@WanderingBobAK]

Yup, I'm at 2 for 4. Sent two back to get dialed in. They gladly do it, but you just should have to send it back in to do what was should be done the first time.

[@TheRollingBasti]

I received knives from Bark River that were not that sharp... :-(

[@grizzlycountry1030]

*My problem with BARK RIVER KNIVES is their micarta is too slick. Now SURVIVE KNIVES has a great grippy micarta, BUT I don't care entirely for their knife designs/shapes. If Bark RIVER would get the micarta that SURVIVE KNIVES uses then they would have the best product out there.*

[@ynotjf]

Well where does the blade blank come from? Does BR cut this out of steel sheets or do they buy blanks? What about the heat treat? I actually lost some respect for BRK after watching this.. there finish work looks awesome but what about the STEEL??

[@dlttrading]

Bark River sources sheets of steel from from steel providers and has the material waterjet with the design they are producing for whichever run they are making. They are not buying blanks like you would purchase from Texas Knifemaker Supply. Bark River produces everything from the CAD the design of the model to machining the corby bolts.

[@ynotjf]

DLT Trading, LLC. - Thank You for your response. Good explanation and I feel better about the BRK process. So I’m just guessing but sounds like water jet, primary grind, heat treat all happen before this video starting point which basically shows handle & finish process. Thanks Again

[@dlttrading]

@@ynotjf That's correct. The heat treat are handled by specialists who can execute it in the volume required for Bark River's needs, same with the water jet and surface grinding. Ultimately this translates to a better price for customers without degrading the quality or performance of the knives.

[@oldmanstoner4153]

So basically what I'm seeing is assembly line knives being sold at Custom Knife Price? Where am I wrong? For the price of a Bark River (excellent knife no doubt) I can go to a custom maker such as WC or others an have one made for probably less? I'm confused on why I would buy a Bark River? Several Bark Rivers interested me but out of stock, just like a Custom Maker (wait list) once again, I don't get it?

[@dlttrading]

I guess it depends on what you consider a "custom price" to be for a knife, but $200-$300 dollars is typically the average price for a Bark River Knife. It doesn't sound like you own any Bark River knives, so it would probably be hard for you to make a fair comparison, so we recommend that you seek out reviews and videos of customers using Bark River knives. Additionally, I don't know many well known custom makers that are producing commissioned models for the amount you state. Who is WC? What custom knife makers can you recommend that produce a 3V knife for less than a Bark River? We would love to see their work. If you are able to commission and purchase a custom knife for that price we fully recommend it, that sounds like a great value. Bark River produce their knives in batches, as Mike said in the video. When popular models are produced and sold out there is a wait time before you can purchase that model again.

[@11bangxiaolaohu]

DLT Trading, LLC. Well said

[@ZoneCrasher]

So he has never mentioned how the blanks are made and scales are shaped? Those are more important than assembling and polishing IMO.

[@kriskabin]

Ya, do they order the blade blanks from some other company?

[@misty671]

Nice walk through of how a small scale knife is made. The only part I don’t like is all the inspection. How often is a knife rejected in the second, third or forth inspection. I love the quality and craftsmanship of hand made things but in today’s manufacturing world multiple inspections is a waste.

[@figueredoruley8050]

Make it wooden with the help of the woodglut instructions.

[@jediflip3239]

Benchmade should take a page out of bark river's book... Benchmades factory edges are absolute garbage.

[@mikehowitt3614]

Step 1. Steal our designs from other people Step 2.???

[@merlynquasar6214]

Mike Howitt what design have they stolen?

[@bushmon8954]

I would also like to know. I like a lot of their designs so if I could find original stuff would be great

[@josephtousignant7318]

I own a few Bark River Knives, and just ordered a BRK Mini Kephart. This video was very interesting, and I especially took note of your mentioning 8-10 times how many inspections are done along the way, by MANY individuals. If a problem is caught the knife is sent back for corrective action. But with all that said, I remembered a video on youtube, where a BRK knife still got through to a customer with an obvious flaw that would have been an easy fix, but still was missed all along the way even to the final inspection (link below). kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqCqdKqEeL2dbLc Had this been my purchase, I would have fixed it with careful sanding on my Foredom Flexible shaft machine and 1/2 inch diameter drum sander, with a final hand finish in that area. Most folks would not have the tools or inclination probably, but it does show no matter what safeguards are set up and in place, compound human errors can sometimes sneak through anyway. But hmmm, now that I've thought about it a bit more, I doubt I'd ever fix that knife because it sure is a Super RARE Bark River Knife to have any issue like that. Might be worth a fortune someday! 🙂 BTW, ALL of my BRK's have been as perfect as I'd like, And for sure the BRK Convex grind is the best in the business! I'm a fussy ex-jewelry repairman and diamond setter, now retired from that work after 35 years and into another field still working with my hands making Titanium Rod Self Defense Yawara Sticks. But even after all of that, even I'm not perfect, and not ashamed to admit it. BUT,... I'm STILL Damn Close🙂 Cheers, Joe T