Wish-Lust: Dwyer Custom Goods knives

I had a good opportunity come my way in regards to some news to share with you all. 
I just got a bundle of pictures and data from a press release from the knifemaking powerhouse of  Dwyer Custom Goods.

Dwyer Custom Goods will be represented at SHOT Show 2016 next week, so it's a perfect time to get to know a very fancy maker.


In particular DCG would like to invite members of the media and discerning custom knife aficionados to come and visit with the "better half" of the Dwyer Custom Goods custom team: Sheila Anders-Stronegger (or as you might better understand: Dwyer Household-6 Actual). 

Mrs. Dwyer began her knife apprenticeship with Duane Dwyer, Mick Strider and other notables in the custom knife making community in 2009 after a career as a model and on television. In 2013 she began building her blades on her own and is now releasing a number of her own designs.

Sheila's knives are all built by hand, from the profiling to the grind. All are smaller than other Dwyer Custom and Strider Knives, and while suitable for a male to carry and fight with, they have an undeniably feminine influence. Her focus is predominantly on the small and concealable.

“I build knives to be beautiful,” says Sheila, whose favourite steels to work with are Damascus and SM-100, “but nasty and dangerous too…a concealable, hard use, capable tool.” I couldn't agree more. As you may have gathered, I much prefer a small quick blade over a big blade, unless I then progress to short swords.

Mrs. Dwyer is passionate about building knives, particularly with regard learning from the artisans around her.

“I started by doing grunt jobs at the shop,” she says. “I’ve done blasting and polishing, the surface grinder and every other machine in the place. That’s how you get there, you start at the ground level and evolve. I love looking at true craftsmanship. I love to learn from other knife makers; how to improve a lock or a way to perfect a finish technique. It brings me joy to learn.”

As you can see, although the learning continues – as it should with any artisan – Mrs. Dwyer’s knives are meticulously crafted and worthy of bearing the DCG name.

Dwyer Custom Goods will be collocated with the Strider Knife booth at the show, though the Dwyers and their staff will frequently be roaming the floor visiting other knife makers and catching up with friends and acquaintances in the industry.

For more  information, or to make an appointment to speak with Mrs. Dwyer, e-mail Dwyer Custom Goods at DDCustomGoods@live.com as her blades are certainly both elegant and deadly looking. Artisinal metalwork just took a step up.

I've gutted to miss yet another US SHOT Show, but have a bunch of friends who are on their way, so look forwards to a detailed brief.

Review: Tactical KeyChain - TKMB

Here is another addition to my EDC out of my pal Brad's workshop. I have a couple of other fancy pens in my collection, with the S&W Tactical Pen, and the Cybernetic Research Labs Tactical Pen. (I also have one of the very fine EDCPen's reviewed, pending release on another site .. .watch this space...). This is a great addition to my collection of titanium tools from Tactial KeyChains, such as the indespensible WTF tool, the very nifty TiPiK lockpicks and the eminently practical TiKey key holder.

This is the TKMB: Precision Machined, which is a small, comfortable, well-balanced, lightweight, strong milled titanium pen.

The TKMB is just 12.5cm (4.9") long and is milled from titanium rod. The tip is milled as well, and press-fitted into the barrel. I tried for ages to dislodge mine, and could not. Brad finally smacked me up-side-the-head and reminded me that the back-cap unscrews to gain access to the insides to refill the pen.
 
Empty, the pen weighs a slight 12g (2.14 US Quarters in weight), and with a refill a mere 17.5grams (3.12 US Quarters in weight).

The working end and tail are machined with threads to take a similarly highly engineered cap, (with or without a magnet, guess which I chose?).


Interestingly, Brad designed these pens to be as slim as possible (thanks to the tremendous machining available to us in the modern equipped world) and to be able to take the "Fineliner" and "Rollerball" refills perfectly, along with Parker, Fisher, Schmidt, Monteverde, Mont Blanc, Caran D'Ache, Cross. I bought and fitted a Parker "Space Pen" refill to mine,along with the included rubber tubing spacer, and the additional 8 mini-magnets.

What's with all the magnets, you might ask?

Between the magnet in the end cap, and the internal magnets, which can be placed in a couple of different configurations, you have the ability to both pick up ferrous materials (dropped screws anyone?) and also being able to place stow and store the pen. I also found that I could retain the clip on the side with the magnet.

Magnets are awesome, and I love it when I can add some to my kit. Another great element of these pens are the groves milled into the sides of both the working end and along the caps. Using the included o-rings, you can customise the grip and balance of the pen. Brilliant for those of us with big hands, and giving you a better fit, in case you are stowing yours in PALS/MOLLE like I do.

 

I have been really pleased with this as both an easily carryable pen, and also the added utility of the magnets, both for picking up items and as a means of placement.

As with all of Brad's work, its highly engineered, thoroughly tested and fir for purpose, and in this case, came with a killer custom anodizing job, (thanks for that!). I even got a second one to give to my partner, because having a reliable pen, is essential, and the titanium body, Parker Space Pen combination was too good not to share!