Meet Knifemaker Darrel Ralph And His Masterpieces Of Steel.

Darrel Ralph could have been a lot of things. He chose to be a Wizard, a master of the timeless art of producing some of the most incredibly fine edged weapons that will ever pass before your eyes. A modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci of knives, Ralph possesses the rare ability to envision anything mechanical and transform it into reality with the eye of a true artist. Darrel Ralph does not just make custom knives; he crystallizes them.

To understand Ralph's immense knife-making talents, you have to understand from whence he comes. His technical background reads like that of a NASA scientist. Before he became a full-time knifemaker, he spent over 25 years engineering precision parts for top-shelf Fortune 500 companies, becoming well-versed in metallurgical science, CAD-CAM programming and CNC manufacturing. All of this would more than qualify one for the pursuit of knifemaking, but it does not account for the blademaster's extraordinary sense of design.

Ralph also has a extensive background in art, and it is the melding of these fields that has given him the ability to metamorphose metal and other things earthly into his distinctive knives.

Darrel Ralph resides in Galena, Ohio, with his wife Sharon, three children and a Doberman named Bruno. In addition to making knives, Ralph teaches knifemaking courses at Montgomery College and the prestigious Bill Moran ABS Bladesmith School.

His workshop, filled with lathes, mills and a myriad of tools, is his fantasy world. Unlike bladesmiths of times past, however, Ralph's ideas take shape on a computer before he ever takes to shaping steel.

His interests in art and history have given him a broad palette from which to design his wares. Ralph's designs can vary from primitive to futuristic, and it is not uncommon for him to combine the two. But he also infuses practicality and functionality into his knives, traits he borrows from his technical side.

In fact, Ralph is constantly juxtaposing and juggling polar opposites in his work-- the simple with the complex, the organic with the hi-tech, the past with the future. Once he has satisfied the creative side of his brain, the pragmatic side takes over and he meticulously fabricates and assembles his knives.

Ralph's folders come in two varieties: bad and wicked. Take his Apogee model, for instance. A top seller among custom tactical folders today, the Apogee in its basic form is a pure fighting machine. Featuring titanium handles with a rocksturdy frame lock and standard pocket clip, this knife is as well-built as a tactical folder can be.

The Apogee's action is smooth, and once the blade hits full open, the lock slams it into place with the surety of a bank vault. The shape of the knife's handle fits the hand with great comfort, and its recurvate blade offers miles of cutting surface for ample slice.

When handled, Darrel's knives exude confidence. His blade actions have the feeling of Swiss precision, yet the overall construction feels as solid as a single piece of steel-- both hallmarks of a well-constructed tactical folder.

Dressed up, the Apogee is just plain wicked. Like all of his models, Ralph offers upgraded versions of the knife in a variety of options. The frame can be further enhanced with fly-cut patterns, bright anodized colors and custom overlays. The Apogee's standard blade steel is 420V stainless, but lively patterned Damascus is also available for those who want something more on the wilder side.

Ralph's most recent design is the EDC (Every Day Carry). This model has a blade design very similar to the Apogee, but the handle has a bulbous mid-section that fits the palm of the hand extremely well. The EDC is a frame-lock design as well, and is fitted with a curvaceous pocket clip designed to be not only attractive, but also be functional in that it is virtually snag-proof. It's a small thing, but anyone who has ever had their tactical folder hang-up on retrieval will appreciate this feature.

Those who find production knives more in line with their budget can rejoice. Cutlery manufacturing giant Camillus and Darrel Ralph have teamed up to offer the EDC as a production knife. The prototype versions of the Camillus EDC that were passed around at this year's SHOT Show were a real hit. The production knife will feature Ralph's original design with matte-finish skeletonized stainless steel handles. Better news still, the knife will retail at under $100.

Collector Market

Some of Ralph's designs are geared more to the collector market. Ralph's Scorpion II would no doubt get the job done in a hairy situation, but if you can afford one in Damascus and fossilized walrus ivory, no doubt you could foot the price for one of his base-level tacticals for doing the dirty work.

The Scorpion II, however, is a perfect example of where the high-end folder market is today. Like many of Ralph's offerings, this model is available as an automatic. These are just a few of the designs Ralph produces, but suffice it to say he is equally at home making a folder with historical roots or one with future implications.

Many custom knifemakers have developed a successful design, then milked it for years and even decades, but you won't find Darrel Ralph meandering down this path. Like a true artist, Ralph's next work will be his best work. This rare breed of knifemaker enjoys the thrill of creativity too much, and that spirit won't let him rest. Ever.

Fortunately, there's that practical side to Ralph that keeps him working full-time turning out well-designed, precision-made tactical folders as good as they come.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group

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