5 from the Grinder – Del Corsi
We are going to take a break from the 2021 new product announcements and bring you all another edition of 5 from the Grinder. This time it is KNIFE Magazine’s own staff correspondent Del Corsi.
Del is an effusively friendly guy, as one would expect from a Canadian maker. His enthusiasm for knives, knifemaking, and knifemakers shows in his creations, both those he grinds, and those he writes.
If you are new to our series and would like to be featured yourself, you can find out more about 5 from the Grinder here.
Without further ado, we give you our friend Del Corsi…
Please introduce yourself and let us know what led you to making/designing knives
Knifemaker, staff correspondent for Knife Magazine, knife lover! While dragging a deer up a hillside by myself years ago I lost my favorite hunting knife. No snow to backtrack, had already dressed the deer so never searched too long. A friend told me about a local custom knifemaker named Steve Price. When I saw what he was making the hook was set! I was logging then, Steve wanted to trade firewood for a knife. A year or so later I had a back surgery, knowing I wanted to make a knife Steve brought me a 3 inch by 21 inch belt sander, some files, along with a profiled drop-point knife. He said “rehabilitate.” And I did! Steve took me under his wing and taught me how to make knives, his specialty was a mirror finish which became my “carrot.”
What knifemaker(s) or designer(s) have had the biggest influence on you? Do you have any mentors?
In addition to collector grade working knives Steve Price made some incredible San Francisco art daggers in the style of Michael Price, I love reaching above my skillset tackling work of this type. A local collector and friend had knives made by Bob Loveless, Charlie Dake, Buster Warenski, and SRJ (Steve Johnson). This friend would let me pick a knife to take home and study in exchange for doing some finishing work on some knives with minor damage. One particular mirror polished knife made by SRJ featured pearl scales, Julie Warenski engrave a mermaid in gold on the bolsters. Legendary bladesmith Brian Lyttle was a great friend and mentor as well, spending time in his shop in High River, Alberta, was always a mind boggling experience.
What is your favorite knife pattern or style from history?
The San Francisco style of knives made by Michael Price and others of that era are my favorite of all. The combination of elegance and artwork in these lethal looking designs are the highest bar of craftsmanship for me. A close second is the bowie knife, which I now pronounce properly!
What is the next big thing in knifemaking? / What direction do you see the industry going?
In my opinion the next big thing in knifemaking will likely be folding knives and their mechanisms. The advent of 3-D printers is allowing makers to go from CAD designs to an actual working model in no time at all. It would previously take days or weeks to produce a working folder prototype out of steel , now it happens in minutes! Custom knives will continue to push the envelope in terms of design and quality as they always do. Knifemaking is extremely popular right now due in part to social media, this has resulted in a plethora of mediums to learn techniques, and share knifemaking methods right at our fingertips! Production knives appear to be trending toward high quality and well made products, consumers have increased their knowledge and expectations. The days of cheap knives being dumped on the market are gone for good – I hope!
Is there a knife from your lineup that you feel best exhibits who you are as a knifemaker/designer in terms of design elements, aesthetic or techniques used?
A mirror finished drop-point with a soldered guard is my signature knife. The fit and finish for this knife always challenges me, it is also the most rewarding. A soldered guard with no gaps whatsoever is a beautiful thing, so too is a mirror finished blade with no orange peeling, ripples, or even the smallest scratch! I also make a collector grade folder that is very popular.
What is your EDC and why?
I always have a folder on my belt, for the last twenty years it has been one given to me by knifemaker Terry Roberts. The scales are jasper from Biggs Canyon in Oregon that I gave to Terry, in return this surprise gift arrived. Almost lost this at an airport once, forgot it was on my belt. I was so fortunate that they allowed me to go back through Customs into the baggage area, the helpful attendants there retrieved my suitcase and let me store it. My other regular “companion” is a Spyderco Salt H1 model that clips nicely inside my pocket. Extremely welcome addition, I walk my dog in an area frequented by bears and the odd cougar. Those serrations on the H1 mean business!
If you want to see more of Del’s work, your best bet is to visit his instagram page: @delsknifeblog. Potential customers can reach him at (2 five 0)-374-0473.
If you are a Knifemaker, and would like to be featured on a future 5 from the Grinder post, visit the link below to find out more and get started.
cmeat
the top pigsticker in the first photo is appealing, not to say, but i like that one. no website, no pricing, undoubtedly spendy. i’d like to see the folders, too.
H. Clay Aalders
Del’s prices are not extreme. In fact he is making me a Canadian Belt Knife. I could think of no more appropriate maker than a fisherman from British Columbia to make one for me.
StuartB
Wow, stunning work! I doubt if I would ever use that mirror finish for cutting anything other than tissues and soft cloth (the scratches – the horror), but those are so beautiful. I would love to see that belt knife when its finished.
Del Corsi
Feel free to call my cell just to talk or check out prices. You are likely qualify for the family rate. The only “spendy” knives are the specialty projects like Clay’s Belt Knife! 🙂
Hocky
I am interested in the “3 x 21 grinder” you mention. What make and model is it? Oh, the knives shown are unique, especially those which have a “cut-out ricasso, top and bottom”. Is that an aesthetic touch? It certainly gives the blade a pronounced look which flows through the handle. I reckon your mirror finish makes a good signal reflector should a bear or “Odd Cougar” cross your path . . . Hocky
Del Corsi
The 3″ X 21″ was a Sears brand, standard model. Clamped it on the porch and ground that first blade. So cool you mentioned the cut-out on my most popular working knife. This is the first and only model I have designed totally by myself. Solely for function, you can rest your thumb or index finger on either dip when field dressing and skinning an animal. So many hunters love this feature, it also allows you to choke up when reaching inside the cavity for safer control. The mirror finish does have it’s downside on working knives, but I love your “signal reflector” idea! Thanks for the comments.
Hocky
Del: The “grip” on a knife and control of the blade are important features to me. Regarding the “dips”, are they smooth or do they have some texture? I understand the “choking up” aspect of your design.In late 1975, I was at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton, WA) for a few months. (Navy days). I took some trips to Vancouver, BC and the Ketchikan Pennisula. I did not get into the interior of the Canadian wilderness! A high school classmate was the harbor master at Homer, Alaska back then. Are you a native of this area? Hocky
Del Corsi
The dips are smooth, can texture, however most seem to prefer them smooth. The custom variations, like the smaller sized model featured in that photo, are always encouraged. I am in the interior, just under 4 hours from Vancouver. Would like to hear more about your Navy days, the Ketchikan Peninsula sounds fascinating as well. If you ever head up to “Couver” , as Bud Lang used to call it, let me know. You could head up and tour the interior. Our W.C.K.A. puts on a great show in April, likely 2022 for the next one, hopefully!
Hocky
Thanks for the invite, Del. I am hoping to visit Portland, OR, later this year and head up to Puyallup, WA, to see Steve Showalter, a bladesmith I met at the Bill Moran Foundation All-Forge Knife Show in 2019. I just might keep heading “North to Alaska” and beyond! Does “WCKA” mean: Western Canada Knife Association? Those “Navy days” (when I was “22”) were full of adventure for this Marylander. I had an apartment in Silverdale (near Poulsbo (sp?) right on Puget Sound. That water is COLD! Whenever I wasn’t at the shipyard, I rode the ferry to Seattle or I went west to the Olympia National Park. Went to “Couver” and played rugby with the crazy Canadians. Get this, a young Dorothy Stratton worked the ice cream store in Vancouver near the rugby field. I think she was “16” or thereabouts. Years later, the tragedy of her death shook me a bit. On a brighter note, “Bud Lang” rings a bell, but I can not place his name. I reckon he is a knifemaker? I own an old and very unique bone-handled knife with the sole mark of “LANG” on the blade . . . I’ve had it for many, many years. Wouldn’t it be a small world if your “Bud Lang” was the maker! Hocky
Del Corsi
A great mentor and friend, Bud Lang was editor of Knives Illustrated for many years. He came to B,C., toured around the Province doing shop tours with me. I wrote scores of stories for Bud until he left K.I. Not sure if your maker’s mark is his? He did make scores of kit knives as stories for the magazine. Correct for the W.C.K.A., I am a founding member, our regular show is usually end of April in Kamloops. My cell is listed on the 5F.T.G. post, text me your email, we will keep in touch and see how close you get this Summer. Short bike ride to Puyallup!
Hocky
I will send you a photo of my “LANG’. I believe it is a “kit knife”. You will see in the photo that it has a unique “long punch w/a twist” on the spine. Now, I remember “Bud Lang” and “KI”. That magazine has suffered since his departure years ago! I am pretty much a dedicated “Knife” person and on occasion I will borrow a “Blade” from somebody at the Moran Forge. Now, I have to look up “Kamloops” in my Rand McNally atlas. Hocky
Del Corsi
Bud was like Mark, really appreciated custom knifemakers and knifemaking. He looked after the suppliers with the regular kit knife stories. This also got more people interested in making their own knives. Bud travelled the Pacific Northwest in the 1960s shooting and writing about cars he said, hot rod mags were his thing. When we first met at a show in Vegas, he told me “Couver” was one of his favorite destinations during that period. As for knives,I still have a kit knife issue from 1997 that Bud included with an issue. A friend from California, knifemaker Ralph Freer, put mammoth scales on a kit blade I custom ground and sold back then. Ralph helped Bud with a few kits from others too. Mine was featured on the cover, which was cool.
Hocky
Del: That phone number, (2-five-0) 374-0473 is an International call for me and my cell service does not have that. I want to send you the photos of the “LANG” knife. Would you please give me an e-mail address? Or, my cell phone is (240) 527-5409 if you want to keep your e-mail address private. Oh, I went to your Instagram page hoping to find some contact info; however, I am not the best at social media. Thanks, Hocky
Del Corsi
Will message you the info, would love to see the Bud’s knife.