5 from the Grinder: Robert Stumphy

Hello Everyone, we are back today with another 5 from the Grinder. Today’s featured maker is Robert Stumphy. I have met Robert, but I don’t know him well. We have some mutual friends in the bushcraft and knifemaking communities, so I feel I ought to know him better.

If you are a maker who would like to be featured in a future 5 from the Grinder, please check out this link for more information. Our queue is fairly loaded at the moment, so it may be a month or two until it runs on the site, but we are getting them out in roughly the order they were received.

Please introduce yourself and let us know what led you to making/designing knives:

I walked into Bill Moran’s shop when i missed the bus home from high school. 30 minutes later I was hooked.

What knifemaker(s) or designer(s) have had the biggest influence on you? Do you have any mentors?

Bill Moran, Jay Hederickson were my biggest influences, and Jay still weighs in on a lot of what i do.

What is your favorite knife pattern or style from history?

Scandinavian Puukko

What is the next big thing in knifemaking? / What direction do you see the industry going?

I would like to say, silver wire inlay and checkering of handles, but who knows what people will want tomorrow?

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?

It like trying to ask who your favorite child is. there are several that i am very proud of, but i would have to say my next one

What is your EDC and why?

my everyday carry, is 3 and a half inch sort of drop point, hollow ground, that i put a liitle silver wire in. hard to describe. it is easier seen and handled in so many different ways