Cutting Edge Artist

By : Liv Stecker 

The knives that Bill Amoureux makes are more than just tools - they become part of a story to be told and handed down. They bear witness to adventures and escapades, act as accomplices in feats of amazing proportion, and allies in survival situations. He builds a knife not only for its exquisite beauty, but for the performance that could mean the difference between life and death in some cases. 

Bill began knife making when he was 12 years old, as boy in Idaho.  Many years later in Alaska, he opened a shop where he apprenticed under one of the few custom knife makers in the nation at that time. Honing his skill over the decades as he worked out a career with the Burlington Pacific Railroad around the Northwest, Bill developed a following of customers that overwhelmed the one-man production line for some time. Now Bill makes the knives one at a time, custom orders or using new materials that he collects. He sells them as he makes them, and doesn't take outstanding orders since he got frustrated with a six month backlog of waiting customers. 

On most days, you can find Bill in the labyrinth of his cool basement workshop, moving deftly between grinders and buffers and band saws, fitting the perfect bone or wood handle to each carefully styled blade. Rows of sanding belts in every grit imaginable dangle from a rack near the sander, stacks of different thicknesses of steel and drawers of antler and even the odd bone from the genitalia of a Walrus lie waiting for use in Bill’s next undertaking. The dust-covered artist will regale visitors with stories of archaeology in Spain and motorcycle gangs in California, a nod to the varied lifestyle he has lived. 

Over the years, Bill has sold more than 4,300 knives, an average of 100 knives a year. Many of his knives are sold to United States servicemen, both at home and overseas. Building knives for American Soldiers is Bill's favorite outlet. "I want to do anything I can for them since they do so much for us." He says. Hunters and outdoorsmen of all variety, as well as collectors are also among his clientele. His high-quality knives come in handmade sheaths that Bill guarantees personally. If a knife is lost after falling out of the sheath, Bill replaces it for free. In his entire career, he has yet to replace a blade, a nod to his leatherworking skill. 

Every knife that Amoureux makes is unique in it's design and materials. Hand crafted from the tip of the blade to the butt of the handle, he uses various grades of steel and handle materials of all different types. Including fossilized walrus and mastodon ivory, rare specimens out of the far north. His knives are hunting and multi-purpose style, ranging in size and shape depending on the customer and the application, including long rugged Bowie knives, utilitarian throwing knives and smaller concealable blades that hang around the neck. After belonging to the Knife Maker's Guild from 1973-1985, Amoureux left the guild when he felt like it limited his creativity in the craft. 

While Bill's knives are certainly masterful works of art, they are hard core utilitarian as well. They were designed as tools, but double nicely as display pieces. Decades of craftsmanship are apparent in the finished product today as he finishes blades with unique details - some matte finish to avoid the glare of sunlight for military operations, and some polished to a pristine shine. Amoureux keeps a few knives in stock for selling, but does much of his work tailored to specific needs and interests. 

Bill can relate plenty of stories about his knives that happy customers come back to tell him, as well as his own adventures as he has wandered through a wide variety of hobbies and social circles over the years, meeting soldiers from all walks of life and other fascinating clients. 

And life in his knife shop is by no means dull (pun intended). Bill suffered a minor injury when a knife he was polishing bounced off of the buffing machine and into his face, breaking his glasses and lacerating his forehead. Had he not been wearing eye protection there's a good chance that Bill could have lost an eye. Other knife makers have experienced fatal accidents under the same circumstances, including a friend of Bill's, so he counts himself lucky. 

Bill has lived and worked outside of Northport since his railroad retirement in 1990 with his wife of 37 years, Kathy. They travel to knife shows around the U.S., but most of his knife sales happen out of his small shop located next to his house. For entirely hand-crafted knives, his prices are competitive, beginning at $200, and in most cases customers consider them a bargain for the quality and workmanship. While most of his knives are sold in the United States, he does a lot of international business - primarily with U.S. soldiers who are overseas. 

For Bill, knifemaking is a passion that is about the people that he creates the knives for, knowing the importance of the right tool for any specific job. As thanks for his attention to detail and care in craftsmanship, he has received many tokens of thanks from members of the military and other clients, including specialized challenge coins from Navy Seal Team units. The reward in his work is much more about making his customers happy than it is the profit he turns on his one of a kind pieces. They are a representation of the kind of guy that Bill is, tough, interesting and without question, unique.