Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
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- 36,547
I get interviewed every so often and sometimes don't really recall the article they publish. I was doing a search for something and came up with a 2008 article from the local paper. I remember this interviewer coming to my house several times with photographers and doing a group of articles in the newspaper, but don't recall ever seeing this one. I think it ran in the online paper edition.
Nothing all that special, but a fun "Blast from the Past". Her description of my hands, while a bit journalistic, describes most knifemakers.
Deep cracks cover Stacy Apelt’s hands. The creases are stained black, his nails rough and uneven. Deep brown scabs cover fresh wounds, while meaty scars reveal past mishaps.
Apelt’s hands are a testament to his passion. He is a jeweler in Kempsville during the day, but dedicates countless hours on his own time forging custom-made knives at his Norfolk home.
Apelt, 59, began crafting knives as a preteen.
“Every kid wants a sword,” he said. “A male will take a stick, and he sees a sword.
“A neighbor gave me two buckets of old blacksmith tools and taught me how to use them. After that all the neighborhood boys were playing war in the woods with real weapons.
Apelt created swords, spears and knives for his friends. He said the neighborhood mothers always knew where their sons were – in the woods chopping on trees or throwing knives at makeshift targets.
These days, Apelt can be found at Kemps River Shopping Center’s Either Ore Jewelers, where he has worked for 22 years. He is a self-taught jeweler.
“He has a willingness to think outside of the box,” said Either Ore owner Tara Heath, 28. “He can come up with a way to make things work even when other people can’t. He’s very willing to look at things from a third perspective.”
In his off-time, Apelt prefers to create Japanese-style swords and knives.
“The Japanese feel there is a great unity of form and function,” Apelt said. “Every Japanese knife, no matter how beautiful, has a function.”
Each knife begins with an idea sketched onto a yellow note pad. He then forges the blade. Handles are hand-shaped, sanded and polished from wood stabilized with a resin to prevent them from absorbing water and oil. Finishing touches on the handles are added, and the blade is sharpened and polished.
Apelt then hand-makes a sheath from leather or wood.
He designs and stores supplies inside his home in his knife room. The room houses exceedingly rare woods, mammoth and walrus tusks, stingray skin, burl wood, Oosik, hippo teeth, amber and every kind of ivory imaginable.
Blades and handles in various stages of completion fill drawers next to his desk. Piles of yellow note pads hold custom orders and sketches. White cabinets are lined with knives he sells during shows and supplies.
Apelt can complete a simple sword from start to finish in five to 10 hours, while he has spent upward of 700 hours creating intricate swords.
He sells his knives more to fund his projects than to turn a profit. His basic knives run from $60 for a simple fillet knife to $250 for a professional-grade kitchen knife.
Customers have commissioned him to create more expensive knives, including a $2,500 pocket knife with a mother-of-pearl handle, gold and diamond accents, and a Damascus stainless steel blade.
Apelt created a set of knives for Heath and her husband when they married last year. Each knife is custom-sized for him or her.
“There’s just something different about working with a knife that is custom-made for you,” Heath said.
“It’s just not the same as going into a store and buying a knife that there are thousands of. “
Apelt took a significant break from knife-making when he was 18 – and became more interested in girls, cars and a career.
Nine years ago, he found his old equipment and began making knives again. That year he won the Southeast Custom Knife Show’s best new maker award.
He has since won several awards, including the best custom collection at the Shenandoah Valley Custom Knife Show in 2007 and 2008, as well as best pole arm and best Cigar Cutter.
Also in 2007, he was commissioned to help create a gift for Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Jamestown. Apelt crafted the silver top on a replica of the water vessel that King James and Queen Anne gave to Pocahontas.
Apelt specializes in the miniature, fixed blade, folding and art knife categories.
He plans to enter his most elaborate knife in the Blade International show in Atlanta next summer. It consists of a narwhal tooth handle, a stainless Damascus steel blade with 300 layers, eight total carats of diamonds, and yellow, white, green and red gold accents.
“His artistic abilities are completely off the board,” said Don Agee, who lives near Landstown Commons and learned knife-making from Apelt.
“He knows the properties of each type of steel, and knows how to get the maximum out of each type. He uses jewelry techniques to form knives, and is one of the best craftsmen that I have run across.”
Nothing all that special, but a fun "Blast from the Past". Her description of my hands, while a bit journalistic, describes most knifemakers.
Deep cracks cover Stacy Apelt’s hands. The creases are stained black, his nails rough and uneven. Deep brown scabs cover fresh wounds, while meaty scars reveal past mishaps.
Apelt’s hands are a testament to his passion. He is a jeweler in Kempsville during the day, but dedicates countless hours on his own time forging custom-made knives at his Norfolk home.
Apelt, 59, began crafting knives as a preteen.
“Every kid wants a sword,” he said. “A male will take a stick, and he sees a sword.
“A neighbor gave me two buckets of old blacksmith tools and taught me how to use them. After that all the neighborhood boys were playing war in the woods with real weapons.
Apelt created swords, spears and knives for his friends. He said the neighborhood mothers always knew where their sons were – in the woods chopping on trees or throwing knives at makeshift targets.
These days, Apelt can be found at Kemps River Shopping Center’s Either Ore Jewelers, where he has worked for 22 years. He is a self-taught jeweler.
“He has a willingness to think outside of the box,” said Either Ore owner Tara Heath, 28. “He can come up with a way to make things work even when other people can’t. He’s very willing to look at things from a third perspective.”
In his off-time, Apelt prefers to create Japanese-style swords and knives.
“The Japanese feel there is a great unity of form and function,” Apelt said. “Every Japanese knife, no matter how beautiful, has a function.”
Each knife begins with an idea sketched onto a yellow note pad. He then forges the blade. Handles are hand-shaped, sanded and polished from wood stabilized with a resin to prevent them from absorbing water and oil. Finishing touches on the handles are added, and the blade is sharpened and polished.
Apelt then hand-makes a sheath from leather or wood.
He designs and stores supplies inside his home in his knife room. The room houses exceedingly rare woods, mammoth and walrus tusks, stingray skin, burl wood, Oosik, hippo teeth, amber and every kind of ivory imaginable.
Blades and handles in various stages of completion fill drawers next to his desk. Piles of yellow note pads hold custom orders and sketches. White cabinets are lined with knives he sells during shows and supplies.
Apelt can complete a simple sword from start to finish in five to 10 hours, while he has spent upward of 700 hours creating intricate swords.
He sells his knives more to fund his projects than to turn a profit. His basic knives run from $60 for a simple fillet knife to $250 for a professional-grade kitchen knife.
Customers have commissioned him to create more expensive knives, including a $2,500 pocket knife with a mother-of-pearl handle, gold and diamond accents, and a Damascus stainless steel blade.
Apelt created a set of knives for Heath and her husband when they married last year. Each knife is custom-sized for him or her.
“There’s just something different about working with a knife that is custom-made for you,” Heath said.
“It’s just not the same as going into a store and buying a knife that there are thousands of. “
Apelt took a significant break from knife-making when he was 18 – and became more interested in girls, cars and a career.
Nine years ago, he found his old equipment and began making knives again. That year he won the Southeast Custom Knife Show’s best new maker award.
He has since won several awards, including the best custom collection at the Shenandoah Valley Custom Knife Show in 2007 and 2008, as well as best pole arm and best Cigar Cutter.
Also in 2007, he was commissioned to help create a gift for Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Jamestown. Apelt crafted the silver top on a replica of the water vessel that King James and Queen Anne gave to Pocahontas.
Apelt specializes in the miniature, fixed blade, folding and art knife categories.
He plans to enter his most elaborate knife in the Blade International show in Atlanta next summer. It consists of a narwhal tooth handle, a stainless Damascus steel blade with 300 layers, eight total carats of diamonds, and yellow, white, green and red gold accents.
“His artistic abilities are completely off the board,” said Don Agee, who lives near Landstown Commons and learned knife-making from Apelt.
“He knows the properties of each type of steel, and knows how to get the maximum out of each type. He uses jewelry techniques to form knives, and is one of the best craftsmen that I have run across.”