Cory McAlpin owner
Welcome to my webpage. I have changed it around a little. My name is Cory McAlpin. I got into custom knifemaking a couple of years ago. I soon met Bruce Evans via email then by phone. He gave me lots and lots of sound advice. I met lots of very nice knifemakers on Bladeforums.com . I soon struck up a good friendship with Dave Larsen who was also a beginning knifemaker. Dave and I got together and had a forging party at my house and I also went to his house and had a good day of knife discussion. I met Nathan House, another knifemaker from Bladeforums, and we discovered we shared the same passion for hunting and the outdoors. I was building knives all out for a period of time and coming along very well. I then got burnt out. I decided that for me knifemaking was something I was always gonna enjoy but needed to pace myself. I do not or do not want to make a living making knives. That is not my goal. I do not even plan to supplement my income making knives. I do it as a hobby only.
I have a lovely wife and an awesome son. They both keep my life busy along with my job and hobbies. It means alot when my wife and son awe over a knife I built from an old lawnmower blade or some other piece of junk steel.
My main interest is old hunters. I do like tacticals but only when the mood strikes me. I an avid about the 1st half of last century and the hunting equipment that was used and also to equipment from the 1800s. I hate to say it but I am not into bowies that much and have only built one which I do not have a photo for anymore. I enjoy building knives similar to something a hunter from the early 1920s might have carried along with his side by side shotgun and cardboard shotshells. I have built more hunters than anything else and although I have used synthetic handle materials I prefer natural handle materials. I work only in simple carbon steels and do my own heat treating.
Ok here is my honest opinion; I personally think a carbon steel blade, that even if taken care of will tarnish, has much more character than stainless. I love to see an old knife with stains on the blade. Each stain or slight hint of light rust tells a story of some kind on where that knife has been. Stainless will look as new as the day it was bought with the exception of some scratching and therefore, to me, doesn't show as much character. But let me stress to all who ventured here, This is just the way I feel and I am not slamming stainless steels, as there are many excellent stainless steels on the market that make an excellent blade. Every person has their own opinion and preferences and this is just mine. Well thank you for taking the time and if u want, please feel free to drop me an email. Cory McAlpin
pictures of my work Links to other makers My homebuilt 2x72 grinder Pictures of my shop Sign Guestbook View Guestbook
Some deer recipes for you hunters 