Dan Burke: Born in Cushing Oklahoma in 1941, Dan Burke has been making knives for more than 36 years. His first knife making mentor was legend Jimmy Lile, and when asked which Knife makers he admires most he puts knife making icons Tony Bose and Jess Horn at the top of his list. Tony because he makes the most mechanically perfect slip-joint, according to Dan, and Jess because he did so much to make people aware of slip-joints long before their current popularity.

A retired dealer of Classic English cars, Dan began making slip-joint folders 13 years ago in 1995. Since then his focus and passion have been classic Vintage American knives and Sheffield Exhibition patterns made in England from the late 1800s until 1925. These knives represented the pinnacle of style and craftsmanship in their time, and Dan’s goal has been to match or surpass their best work with modern materials.

Dan loves to use natural handle materials such as Tortoise, Buffalo Horn and Exhibition Grade Pearl, and his favorite steel is BG-42 because in Dan’s opinion it produces the most aggressive edge of any stainless steel he has tested to date.

During the last thirteen years Dan and his knives have been featured in several magazine articles and books. This includes Blade Magazine, Knife World, Knives Illustrated and Tactical knives, as well as several others.

He has been on the front cover of Blade Magazine’s Annual Knife Book and the inside back cover of Blade Magazine. He also won Blade Magazines “Best Folder Maker of the Year” award in 2004 as well as several other awards. Dan also attends the Blade Show each year and will be among the makers represented at the first Boston Art Knife Classic in 2010.

Current delivery time runs from about 3-5 years depending on the model.

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