{"id":13776,"date":"2018-07-06T19:07:41","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T02:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/?p=13776"},"modified":"2026-03-31T17:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T23:08:40","slug":"knife-making-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/blog\/knife-making-community\/","title":{"rendered":"La communaut\u00e9 des fabricants de couteaux dont vous ignoriez l'existence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Small towns are often recognized for community unity and neighbors looking after each other. They also tend to have their cliques, in the way that high schools always have. It can be\u2014if you\u2019ll pardon the on-the-nose metaphor\u2014a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n

These characteristics expressed in the bladesmith community of Wind River Country\/Fremont County are representative of the qualities of small towns. The truth is beautiful and raw: We hold each other up, but that doesn\u2019t mean we all always get along.<\/p>\n

As far as I can tell, the surprisingly extensive community of bladesmiths in Wind River Country\u2019s small towns started with another trait that runs strong in Wyoming: industrial self-starting.<\/p>\n

\"Ed
Ed Fowler talks about one of his knives in his home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ed Fowler didn\u2019t want to live in Wyoming, and he didn\u2019t want to ranch. But he came back to help his family. After a few winters, he was still living outside of Riverton, having fallen in love with the horses, the cattle, the personal space, and the freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started making knives. In the wintertime there isn\u2019t much else to do. I can\u2019t stand television. Haven\u2019t watched television since Ronnie Reagan quit\u2026 So just started reading, started making knives,\u201d he said, as matter-of-factly as he declares anything else Ed chooses to talk about.<\/p>\n

Over countless iterations\u2014fueled by his intellectual curiosity, practical knowledge of ranching, and high expectations\u2014Ed developed a very specific knife with a workhorse of a blade. In fact, he has made his mark on the practice by developing particularly resilient steel. His \u201cno secrets\u201d philosophy translates to a free master class in his discoveries, collaborations, and lab research that made him famous\u2014or infamous\u2014in the bladesmithing world. Spend a few hours with him like I did, and you’ll walk away familiar with terms like \u201cmultiple quench,\u201d \u201c52100 steel,\u201d and \u201cmetallurgy,\u201d as well as a certain intrigue you never had with knives before.<\/p>\n

Ed\u2019s steel isn\u2019t the only part of his knives born of his ingenuity. He makes one particular style of handle on his fixed-blade knives, and it\u2019s for reason: experience.<\/p>\n

\"Ed
One of Ed’s knives. Though the blades differ, the handle style made with ramshorn is consistent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is the safest knife that you can use,\u201d he said, as he pushed the tip up against the edge of his kitchen table. \u201cSee how it turned? It doesn\u2019t bite me. I cannot think of any way to make that knife safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the new techniques in steel selection, bladesmithing, and handle design, Ed brought an evolution to Wind River Country.<\/p>\n

Audra Draper first started working for Ed as a ranch hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went out to the shop one day and the forge was running and I thought, \u2018Oooh I want to play in the fire! I want to make knives, too!\u201d she recalled. She continued: \u201cHe said, \u2018ah, girls can\u2019t make knives.\u2019 So that was pretty much the beginning of that story because then, regardless of anything else I did in my life, I had to prove girls could make knives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed had told me a similar story earlier, but in his version, he said that to goad Audra into giving knifemaking a try.<\/p>\n

The beginning of the story, however the conversation went, leads to Audra Draper<\/a> becoming the world\u2019s first female master bladesmith.<\/p>\n

\"Audra
Audra Draper, of Riverton, is the first female master bladesmith in the world. Photo from draperknives.info<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though Audra and Ed eventually parted ways, they speak of one another with respect. Fondness is in the memories they tell, but there is distance in their language. They still share a commitment to excellence in craftsmanship, fueled by passion for knifemaking. And their stories are inter-woven in the fabric of Wind River Country because they are both teachers at heart. The list of local knifemakers is surprisingly long in this small community.<\/p>\n

One of Ed\u2019s newer disciples, Butch Deveraux<\/a>, has a self-imposed allegiance to what Ed taught him. Butch explained that after listening to Ed expound upon his quest for the safest, toughest, sharpest knife, he got sucked in. And he loves that knife.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of pledged myself to Ed. I asked him if he minded if I followed what he was doing,\u201d Butch explained. \u201cI basically vowed to Ed that I would help to continue to strive to make knives better\u2026 I still go down and work with Ed. I work in his shop with him, forging and just of course the friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

He does allow himself a few touches of Butch Deveraux artistic license. They are his knives, after all.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Two of Butch Deveraux’s knives, made in similar style to Ed Fowler’s. Photo courtesy of Butch Devereaux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI have him look my blades over, he always gives me constructive criticism,\u201d Butch added.<\/p>\n

Butch isn\u2019t only keeping life in the Fowler knives line. He also supports a cause close to his heart through the craft. A number of veterans have found the practice of knife making and bladesmithing to be healing. Butch donates to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, for instance by raffling off one of his knives.<\/p>\n

Audra and her husband and fellow knifemaker, Mike, also believe in the power of turning a hunk of metal into something beautiful, tangible, and utilitarian. As much as they enjoy it themselves, both are committed to find ways to best impart that knowledge, focus, and love on students, including military veterans. The Drapers are in the process of expanding their shop to accommodate more frequent and larger classes than the four-day courses they currently offer every couple of months. Part of that plan is making the workspace more inclusive to people in wheelchairs or managing PTSD.<\/p>\n

Students typically stay with Mike and Audra and work long days. They conclude the intensive class with a knife they have fashioned from start to finish under the careful and gregarious guidance of Audra and Mike, gregarious applying more to Audra than Mike.<\/p>\n

\u201cAudra loves people and she\u2019s a good instructor,\u201d Mike said. \u201cI tolerate people and I melt down really quick. We\u2019ve got this little phrase: I keep the wheels on the bus. She\u2019ll sit in here and visit with people in the morning and have coffee and breakfast and I\u2019ll sneak out to the shop and I\u2019ll have the forge out and the propane going and the steel going and everything ready to go and she just walks out there and boom the steel\u2019s hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoom everything\u2019s ready to go!\u201d Audra says at the same time. \u201cBut he likes that. That\u2019s where he\u2019s comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep the wheels on the bus,\u201d Mike said. \u201cHer techniques and her styles of the knives that she builds is so different than mine if I try to get in there to help with instruction\u2014”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do things different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I start to show [students how] to grind a blade a certain way she\u2019ll come in and say, \u2018we don\u2019t do it that way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working on that,\u201d Audra laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working on that a little bit,\u201d Mike echoed.<\/p>\n

\"Mike
Mike and Audra Draper. Photo courtesy of Audra Draper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two complement one another\u2019s styles in the same ways their knives do. Audra\u2019s blades and handles are breathtaking. The Damascus style metal comes to life with patterns flowing through the blade. She constructs her handles from materials like local antelope horn, nickel silver, and ivory. Her signature design flair is leaves, and she likes to throw in opposing, rather than matching, angles.<\/p>\n

Mike, on the other hand, builds more utilitarian\u2014but no less beautiful\u2014folding knives. His machinist background is evidenced by the precision of their parts and their action. The materials are a bit more understated, but their shine highlights the care he takes with their appearance and with their movement.<\/p>\n

Though they have self-imposed his-and-hers sides of the workshop, Mike and Audra speak about one-another\u2019s products with glowing admiration.<\/p>\n

\"Knives
Knives by Audra and Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two also eagerly rattle off a list of local bladesmiths they recommend talking to, but the list runs too long to include everyone in one blog post. So as the Wind River Country knifemaking community grows and changes thanks to people like Ed, Audra, Butch, and Mike, it remains a small town of connected artists, and they remain dedicated to holding one another up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small towns are often recognized for community unity and neighbors looking after each other. They also tend to have their cliques, in the way that high schools always have. It can be\u2014if you\u2019ll pardon the on-the-nose metaphor\u2014a double-edged sword. These characteristics expressed in the bladesmith community of Wind River Country\/Fremont County are representative of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":13780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"community":[],"season":[],"class_list":["post-13776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13776"},{"taxonomy":"community","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community?post=13776"},{"taxonomy":"season","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/windriver.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/season?post=13776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}