{"id":243643,"date":"2025-09-21T10:21:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T10:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/243643\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T10:21:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T10:21:18","slug":"made-in-tarrant-jeff-davidson-fort-worth-blacksmith-has-been-making-knives-since-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/243643\/","title":{"rendered":"Made in Tarrant: Jeff Davidson, Fort Worth blacksmith, has been making knives since childhood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeff Davidson can make something out of just about any piece of metal. He estimates he started making knives for money in 2002. \u201cBut, really, it\u2019s been a lifelong interest,\u201d he says. Davidson, 38, sat down for an interview with reporter Scott Nishimura at his Fort Worth shop.<\/p>\n

Visit <\/strong>jeffdavidsoncustomknives.com<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>for information on how to buy Jeff\u2019s wares. Davidson plans to exhibit at the Cowtown Custom Knife Show<\/strong><\/a>,10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 27-28, Stampede and Stockman\u2019s Club Rooms, 140 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth. Admission is $10 for one day, and $18 for two days. Find tickets and information <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Davidson shapes a blade Aug. 28, 2025, in his Fort Worth shop. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Scott Nishimura: Tell us how you started in the business.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeff Davidson: <\/strong>There\u2019s a lot to unpack there. Growing up seeing action movies, I was always blown away by the blacksmiths. (On family vacations), we\u2019d go into the souvenir shops, and I realized there\u2019s a stand-alone knife shop in most of these places. I did some little pieces of metal. At 18, I bought my grandfather\u2019s tools. I moved to Wyoming to do an apprenticeship in bladesmithing. I quickly figured out I knew more about making a knife than I did about how to run a business.<\/p>\n

Nishimura: You took a job as a machinist, but were making knives on the side. Then you ran into COVID, which somehow boosted sales of your knives. How did that change things for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>I was selling more knives than I could make. I wasn\u2019t really ready to take the plunge full time with all this. Our sales started to climb. We got a website. Then we got a couple of deals with some really large knife dealers. I thought, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to try this.\u201d I couldn\u2019t keep any inventory.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Davidson poses in his Fort Worth shop Aug. 28, 2025. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Nishimura: You\u2019ve been making knives full time for five years. How many have you made?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>1,500 career, 300 a year now.<\/p>\n

Nishimura: Who\u2019s the customer and how do you sell?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>75% of what I do is me making things that I think the market would like. We\u2019ve kind of backed off the commissioned pieces to a degree. (I sell) 75% through shows and dealers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Davidson shows off a personal project Aug. 28, 2025, in his Fort Worth shop. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Nishimura: Tell us about the process of crafting a knife.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>Every knife has to start with what it\u2019s going to be used for. If you\u2019re trying to make a chef\u2019s knife, go talk to the chefs. Hunting knife, go talk to the hunters.<\/p>\n

Nishimura: What kinds of materials do you use?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>I use what\u2019s called 80CrV2 high-carbon steel. It\u2019s very difficult to break. We\u2019ve got pieces that went to (police or military) in Iraq or Afghanistan. The handle is literally anything you can dream of. Wood, resin, bone.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Davidson shows off a knife Aug. 28, 2025, in his Fort Worth shop. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Nishimura: What do your knives sell for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>$165 to $3,000 or $4,000.<\/p>\n

Nishimura: How many shows do you do a year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>We were doing six to eight a year. Our main one is Blade Show Texas, usually in March. They have a high marketing budget.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Davidson refines a blade Aug. 28, 2025, in his Fort Worth shop. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Nishimura: You do a certain amount of projects for nonprofits. Tell us about those.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davidson: <\/strong>We do things that benefit veterans. My wife and I both come from military families. That\u2019s the main connection there. 9-11 sparked a sense of patriotism in me that I didn\u2019t necessarily have before.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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