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This article is about the specific company. For the generic type of Sword, see Sword.

SH Knives Exporter is a Pakistani Knives, Axes And Swords Maker Company. This company has a long history through five generations.

SH Knives Exporter

SH KNIVES EXPORTER
Company type	Corporation
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	01/01/1987
Founder	Muhammad Altaf Awan
Headquarters	Wazirabad, Gujranwala , Pakistan
Area served	Industrial
Key people	Muhammad Altaf Awan , CEO; Khurshid Awan
Products	Knives, Axes and Swords
Brands	SH Knives Exporter
Revenue	Rs. 1,000,000
Owner	Saud Ali
Number of employees	About 20
Website	www.twitter.com/shknivesexporte

Our History

I started making knives as a hobby back in the 1980s. One of the first knives I made was a fighter with desert ironwood handle. Among some of the first knives were filet knives, kitchen knives like paring, butcher,and slicing knives. One of those knives started out as a bait cutting knife to use when we were in the commercial deep sea fishing business in Florida. It is now being used in my kitchen to cut up vegetables. In 1990, we moved from our native Florida to Southern Missouri. During this time, I began making knives full time. These knives were mainly hunting style knives along with a few custom bowies. In the beginning my tang stamp was my initials DH, but in 1996 I changed it to a sunfish stamp designed by my wife. In 1994, I began making slip joint folding knives in the old traditional patterns. This is where the classic traditional sunfish pattern comes in. The sunfish was one of the first knife patterns I made. At the knife shows, I became known as 'The Sunfish Man'. From that name came my forge name and later, my website name of "Sunfish Forge". With each order for a folder I began to evolve into more of my own designs, moving into making more art knives, automatics, and solid 18K Gold knives. Around 2003, I started making forged bowies and fixed blades again with both traditional damascus blades and also carbon steel blades with vivid hamons-temper lines. I began making my own damascus in 1994; starting out with trips to the National Ornamental Metals Museum in Memphis, TN. With help from my Memphis friends, I was able to make my first damascus. In 1999, I built my current shop. It has enough room in the back for 3 Little Giant powerhammers - a 25 lb. and two 100 lbs.; a forging area with 2 gas forges and a 24 ton press. With this equipment I am able to forge traditional damascus along with mosaic damascus for all of my knives. While visiting my website, check out the custom knife galleries, both the folder and bowie / fixed blade galleries. Also, I have a 3 page shop tour of my current shop to view. And recently I have added to the shop tour, a photo tutorial page on how I forge a blade on a Little Giant Powerhammer. If you are going to any custom knife shows this year, I have a list of a few custom knife shows I will be exhibiting at, with knives for sale at these shows. Look for these on my knife show page. Links to all of these pages are at the bottom and also at the top of this page.

What is a Custom Knife?

A custom knife is a term used to describe a handmade knife made by an individual Damascus Knives Shop.

What is Damascus Steel?

The process was first seen in Persia around 500 BC and used to produce welded blades. The laminate composition of a Damascus Steel blade is attained by alternating layers of soft malleable wrought iron and a hard enable and temper-able steel with a high carbon content. The steel portion of the blade gives it strength and the ability to hold a fine edge, while the iron provides elasticity so it won’t break when struck. The layering of the steel patterns revealed by etching the surface has been refined into a decorative art. Today the pattern-welding technique is used for the most exclusive knives and swords. The material choice is limited to steel types which are hot workable enough and possible to weld by forging. Stainless grades or tool steels are very difficult to work in this respect, and mainly only low alloy carbon steels have been use.

Is your knife sharp?

Magazine test - Slice a folded magazine page. A sharp blade will easily slice the paper, a dull blade will not. Food test - The ultimate edge will grab onto the skin of a tomato or onion. If the blade slides off the edge (or pressure is required), it's dull.

Honing Your knife Step-by-Step

is to align the blade's edge and increases efficiency. The trick is the right pressure and the right angle. Pressure - Grab your knife by the handle and press the blade on a kitchen scale until you reach 4 - 6lbs of pressure. Angle - Hold the blade against the hone and place a matchbook in between the hone and the blade (10 - 15 degree angle). See image (left) as a guide. 1) Anchor the tip of the hone on a cutting board. 2) Place the edge of the blade against the hone at a 10 - 15 degree angle. 3) Put your finger at the heel of the blade, and press into the steel. 4) Keeping the angle, pull the blade down in an arching motion from heel to tip. 5) Repeat 4 - 8 times on each side of the blade, moving from moderate pressure (4 - 6lbs) to lighter pressure. 6) When finished, do the magazine test or onion test to check your work.

Make your knife Sharpe Using a Water Stone, Step-by-Step

Preparing the Wet Stone Determine if your stone needs to be soaked by squirting water on the surface -- if it absorbs then it needs to soak: - Submerge the stone in water for 10 minutes. - When the bubbles stop, take the stone out of the water and set the stone on a flat surface. The Chosera and Super Stones found at our store do not require soaking.* Simply wet the stone's surface, and you're ready to go. The Chosera 400 grit stone may absorb a little more water. Stoning the Blade Use the same 10 - 15 degree angle as with the hone. If you're right handed, hold the handle in your right hand and spread your left fingers across the blade for even pressure. Keeping that angle, move the blade straight back and forth or make an arcing motion across the stone (pull the knife towards you, heel to tip, making a swooping motion on the stone). Start with about 4 - 6lbs and end with about 2 - 3lbs of even pressure across the blade. Flip the blade and repeat on the other side. When you can feel the wire edge, it's time to move to a finer grit stone to polish.

Polishing the Blade

With a finer grit stone, repeat as above, lightening pressure as you go. After using the finer grit stone and while it is still wet, scrub it with the Nagura Stone to create a slurry on the surface for extra polish. Then, repeat as above with light pressure. When you're finished, wipe the metal residue off of your blade, rinse and dry the stones.

Caring for your Carbon Blades

It's very important to wash and hand-dry thoroughly after each use. Carbon has a tendency to react with acid, so it's good practice to wipe the blade with a towel in between foods. As the steel is exposed to different elements, it will begin to naturally oxidize, or patina. Over time, this patina will act as a protective layer against rusting and discoloration.

Removing Rust, Water Stains or Unwanted Patina from your Knives

First, you can take a used 3M™ scrubbing sponge (a new one would be too abrasive) with a little bit of detergent and rub lengthwise*. If that doesn't work, take the same used sponge and use a powdered scrubbing compound like Bon Ami® or Comet® If that still doesn't work, use a NEW 3M™ scrubbing sponge with cleaning compound. Beyond that, you will need to use a Polishing Kit.