They may come close, but no two I.R.B.I. Knives are exactly alike.  Because each knife is one-of-a-kind, we don’t have any patterns or a catalog, but we do have quite an extensive photo gallery that should give you a taste of the many possibilities available.

While the bulk of the knives we make are custom orders, we try to keep our shelves stocked with non-custom orders.  If you’re in the shop, you can pick out a knife from our display, or build your knife from the bottom up.  You get to pick out the handle, draw out a blade design, and make note of any special touches you’d like. And now you can do it without leaving the comfort of your home.  Tell us what you’d like your knife to look like and request a quote.

Standard Blades

Most of our blades are cut out of solid (non-laminated) chainsaw guide bars, but we also use 1095, 5160, and 52100 high carbon steel. 

The rough blade blanks are hammer forged

and ground into shape before being

hot-stamped with the maker’s name. 

After being paired with a handle, the blades

are completed.

The cutting edge of our blades are tempered

harder than the back  of the blade, greatly

increasing strength of the knife and making

for a cutting edge that retains its sharpness.  We get many compliments on

the edge holding quality of the blades.  Take a closer look at the knife making process.

Damascus Blades

We also make a variety of Damascus blades using traditional Damascus techniques, wire cable, and powdered steel.

Handles

We use a wide range of natural materials for our handles, including moose antler, caribou antler, Dall sheep horn, Alaskan coral, fossilized ivory and bone, oosik, musk ox horn, antelope horn, deer antler, elk antler, impala horn, mammoth ivory, animal leg bones, oryx horn, and stag horn. Some customers like to bring in a piece of horn or antler from an animal they’ve harvested for an extra personalized touch.

In addition, we typically have a variety of 40-50 types of hardwoods, which may include algerita, birch burl, bocote, bubinga, cholla cactus, cocobolo, ebony, goncoloalves, desert ironwood, kingwood, koa, oak, osage orange, myrtle, pink ivory, rosewood, teak, walnut, and zebrawood.

Knife Care

Our knives are made of carbon steel, so care must be taken to

prevent rusting.

1. •Keep the blade lightly coated with gun oil or a silicone based
   oil (not 3-in-1) between uses.
   

2. •Don’t store your I.R.B.I. Knife in a wet sheath.
   

3. •If you live in a humid area, we recommend storing your knife
   outside the sheath completely to avoid rusting from condensation. 
   

4. •Do not wash your I.R.B.I. Knife in the dishwasher.  Dry the knife immediately after washing.
   

5. •We recommend using a diamond whetstone to keep your I.R.B.I. Knife at its sharpest.  If you don’t feel comfortable sharpening your knife yourself, stop by the shop to have it sharpened any time for free.
   

6. •Read more about caring for you I.R.B.I. sheath.
   

Guarantee

We have good news for those of you who already own knives made by Virgil or Irvin!  Hunter Campbell has been making knives since 2004, and now that the next generation is working, our lifetime guarantee has been extended.