Ed Schempp: An American Knifemaking Icon

Ed Schempp is known to most Spyderco enthusiasts as the creator of innovative designs like the Balance™, the Equilibrium™, the Rock™, and the Retract™. More seasoned Spyderco fans may also know him as the mastermind behind many of the unique models in our long-running Ethnic Series. Through his exceptional insights into world history, ethnic cultures, and the nuances of knife performance and design, he created truly remarkable and highly collectible Spyderco models like the Persian, Kris, Barong, Khukuri, EuroEdge™, and Schempp Bowie.

Most recently, Ed, his son Martin, and their extraordinary skills as bladesmiths were instrumental in celebrating Spyderco’s 50^th anniversary by creating the intricately detailed mosaic Damascus for our commemorative Native 5. To truly appreciate the vast knowledge and skill that Ed possesses, it helps to understand his life journey.

Ed Schempp was born in Soap Lake, Washington, in 1952 and grew up in the nearby town of Ephrata. The Schempp family had been wheat farmers for generations and Ed proudly followed in their footsteps, participating in his first harvest at only nine years old. He subsequently spent his life devoted to that noble calling.

A true farm boy, Ed developed an appreciation for knives early on. He began carrying a pocketknife at the tender age of four and, like most kids his age, was also obsessed with Davy Crockett, “King of the Wild Frontier.” During a family vacation to Yellowstone, his father gave him a dollar to spend in the souvenir shop with the warning to “not buy a knife.” Ed pooled that dollar with his own money and promptly bought a Sergeant Preston imitation stag-handled Bowie. According to Davy Crockett lore, the frontiersman had “killed himself a b’ar” when he was only three. Feeling as though he was lagging behind, four-year-old Ed managed to corner a bear cub and was busily poking at him with his Bowie knife when his father intervened, unceremoniously tossing Ed in the direction of their cabin. Ed’s dad followed closely behind and they reached the cabin just seconds before the bear cub’s angry and much larger mother did. It seems Ed’s spirited and individualistic approach to life was clearly evident, even at an early age.

Although he learned to work hard, Ed’s early life on the farm also gave him ample opportunity to explore “boyhood interests” like knife throwing. He learned to swing a hammer by cold forging throwing knives to shape from mild steel. Similarly, he crafted giant throwing stars he called “farmer shuriken” by riveting old sickle blades together into a star shape.

In addition to his own trial-and-error experimentation, life on the farm exposed Ed to a variety of skilled craftsmen. His grandfather made a practice of hiring tradesmen who were frustrated working traditional jobs in town. He wisely identified their specialized skill sets and tailored their responsibilities around the farm to take full advantage of those capabilities. Ed frequently tagged along or lent a hand, in the process learning the fundamentals of woodworking, welding, blacksmithing, casting, and other useful skills.

Similarly, Ed was informally mentored by his family’s landlord, J.G. Duncan, who enjoyed making fillet knives from saw blades. Family friend Boyd Mordhorst, along with gunsmith Bill Wong, taught him the fundamentals of shooting and helped Ed earn his hunter’s safety certification at age 12. Mordhorst, an accomplished woodworker and amateur knifemaker, also taught Ed the importance of craftsmanship and attention to detail. He would later go on to mount the gun turrets on the famed USS Missouri battleship when he worked at the U.S. Naval Station in Bremerton, Washington. When Ed began making knives in earnest as an adult, Mordhorst remained a frequent visitor to his shop.

In February 1970, at the age of 18, Ed left Washington to travel to the Philippines on a Rotary International exchange program.

He lived and studied in Malaybalay, capital of the province of Bukidnon on the island of Mindanao. A gifted athlete in high school, Ed “broke the ice” in his new home by defeating all the local Filipino champions at arm wrestling. Once accepted into the culture, he had the opportunity to travel to many areas of Mindanao and Luzon and learn about the diversity of the country’s regional customs. He was most impressed with the many different styles of bolo knives he saw and the nuances of their use.

Growing up on a farm and having a natural interest in weapons, Ed was fascinated with the design variations of the knives and how they were optimized for different functions. While some were pure agrarian tools, others had much more of a martial intent. Similarly, the methods used to wield these bolos varied based on the materials being cut and the design details of each blade style. This remarkable experience gave Ed a unique insight into the functional mechanics of both blade design and cutting technique and ultimately had a profound impact on his approach to knifemaking.

After eight months in the Philippines, the U.S. draft board determined that Ed’s studies there did not qualify him for a college deferment. Because of the slowness of international mail, he received his draft notice several days after his reporting date. He dutifully called the board, made his way back to the U.S., and reported as directed. Ultimately, he was never called to active duty and resumed work on the family farm.

Although Ed crafted his first blade when he was only nine and always maintained an active interest in knives, as an adult, he drifted away from knifemaking for a while. Then, in 1991, he attended the Oregon Knife Collector’s Association (OKCA) show. He was extremely impressed with the craftsmanship of the custom knives he saw there and the welcoming spirit of the knife community. That experience rekindled his interest in crafting knives and he hasn’t looked back since.

To ease into the process, Ed began by purchasing several “kit” blades from Bob Engnath and his company, “Blades ‘n’ Stuff.” They came with Engnath’s Catalog and Instruction Manual featuring Handcrafted Blades by Bob Engnath and Knifemakers’ Supplies, which included several pages of information on the skills of knifemaking. In later years, that remarkable resource would grow to feature 35 pages of knifemaking knowledge and remained a go-to source for Ed’s self-taught knifemaker’s journey.

Ed’s first “kit” knife was a Bub Lum tanto-style blade, which he completed with “an ugly blue Pakkawood handle.” He was very pleased with the way it turned out and thoroughly enjoyed the process, so he ordered some more blades from Engnath. He ultimately completed about 24 blades, steadily improving his skills along the way.

Although he was pleased with his progress, Ed was not content to “make someone else’s knife” and wanted the freedom to design and craft his own from scratch. He bought a 1x42 grinder, modified it to suit his needs, and got to work. Since all Bob Engnath’s blades were flat ground, Ed followed suit. He not only learned to specialize in flat-ground blades, but managed to wear out his first grinder in a year.

To supplement the information in Engnath’s catalog, Ed bought a copy of David Boye’s Step-by-Step Knifemaking and several other books. He also reached out to established custom knifemakers in Washington state to see if any would be willing to teach him their craft. When they declined, he diligently went back to his trial-and-error processes and set his sights on the next OKCA show.

The annual OKCA became a central focus of Ed’s knifemaking journey. 

Two years after his first visit to the show, he entered the “Best New Maker” competition and won. That recognition, along with his affable, easy-going personality, helped him get to know many of the other makers who attended the show. 

Through Wayne Goddard, who hosted a variety of seminars at the show, Ed befriended pioneering knifemakers like Rick Dunkerley, Shane Taylor, Wade Colter, Barry Gallagher, Bob Kramer, Kirk Rexroat, Josh Smith, Phil Wilson, and Devin Thomas, among others. Although his early knives were made by the stock-removal method, his experience blacksmithing on the farm inspired him to “fall in with the forging guys” and fueled his interest in Damascus steel. Ed attended several “hammer-in” events hosted by Master Smith Rick Dunkerley and honed his bladesmithing skills.  He was also invited to participate in the OKCA’s “Midnight Madness” gatherings, during which makers would share their work, critique each other, and discuss their latest knifemaking methods.

In addition to the OKCA show, Ed also branched out to other knife shows. In the mid-1990’s, he exhibited the Southern California Blades Show where he connected with Phil Wilson, a pioneering knifemaker with an exceptional understanding of high-performance heat treating. At the time, Phil and Ed were the only makers using Crucible® Particle Metallurgy (CPM®) steels to craft knives and they grew to become close friends.

As a farmer, Ed was used to working 3,000 hours during the nine-month growing season. During the winter months, he wanted to stay productive, so he devoted himself to knifemaking and, more specifically, the art of mosaic Damascus steel. Interestingly, his previous experience on the farm gave him a unique “edge” in that pursuit.

In 1968, Ed began doing powder hard facing on the wear parts of combines. This process melts high-alloy powdered steel and fuses it to machine parts to recondition them and extend their service life. Ed worked with local welding company to learn the process for his own combines but soon found himself doing it for other farmers as well. Initially, he used elemental powders with 80% carbide bound in a nickel matrix. Later, he began adding chromium to achieve a mix of 50% chrome, 40% carbide, and 10% nickel. In doing so, he functionally created a 300-series stainless steel matrix to hold the carbides, resulting in superior retention for the carbides and excellent wear resistance.

For years, Ed bought the individual powders for his formula and mixed them himself. One day, he visited the supply store to stock up and discovered they had created a pre-mixed powder based on his buying patterns. He had unknowingly become a pioneer in his approach to powder metal refacing and had set the standard of excellence in his community.

In 1999, Ed took his knowledge of powdered metal and applied it to knifemaking. He tracked down a source of 1018 steel powder and convinced them to sell him 750 pounds of it. By industrial standards, this was a small amount. For Ed’s purposes, however, it was far more than he needed. He promptly contacted his friend, Damascus artisan Devin Thomas, and offered him the rest. Devin promptly bought it and began selling it at the OKCA show. At the same time, Ed began forging with the powder, adding carbon and manganese to achieve various degrees of color contrast. Collectively, these efforts popularized the practice of forging canister Damascus steel.

In the late 1990’s, Al Barton, a Master Smith from California, started a cutting competition at the OKCA.

Ed was intrigued by the idea and thought it sounded like fun. It also reminded him of the lessons he had learned about bolo knives and cutting technique during his time in the Philippines. He promptly designed and crafted a knife that incorporated features that would ultimately become his signature design elements, most notably a “dropped” handle that maintained a natural wrist angle and maximized engagement of the edge. Ed entered the competition and handily won it five years in a row. The OKCA cutting competition would later inspire the International Cutting Competition Trail and BladeSports International, Inc.

After dominating the OKCA cutting competition, Ed received a visit from Spyderco co-founder Sal Glesser, who stopped by his table at the show.

Sal asked permission to examine Ed’s competition knife and promptly produced a loupe to examine the edge. He also asked a litany of questions about the design and Ed’s approach to knifemaking, all of which Ed answered in detail. Ed also explained that, for as long as he had been attending the OKCA show, the show “goodie bag” always included a generous gift from Spyderco. He felt indebted to Sal for that kindness and wanted to repay it.

Sal then examined several folding knives that Ed had displayed on his table. They were, in fact, the first five folders Ed had ever made, and all proudly showcased his mosaic Damascus steel. Impressed with their meticulous craftsmanship and the intricate patterns of the steel, Sal immediately placed an order for a custom folder. What he received, however, was a lot more.

In the weeks after the show, Ed set about forging mosaic Damascus that incorporated the Spyderco “bug” logo. He then used that steel for the bolsters on two handmade folding knives and a hand-forged belt buckle. He placed everything in a box labeled “The Arachnid Aviary” and sent to Sal. Sal was so impressed with the “bug-themed” Damascus that he commissioned 680 more pairs of those bolsters to feature on Spyderco’s 25^th anniversary Delica® commemorative knife.

That project also marked the beginning of a long and productive collaborative relationship and close friendship that has spanned over 25 years.

Ed Schempp is an extraordinarily humble man with incredibly broad knowledge on all things related to knives and knifemaking. His unique “Progressive Kinetic Folder Design System,” aka the “Shake and Bake” approach to folding knife design, has yielded some of the most remarkable models in Spyderco’s production history. We are extremely honored to work with him and to have him represent us to the knife community. He is truly one of a kind.