Seamount Knife Works :: About

Thank you for your interest in SEAMOUNT KNIFE WORKS. What follows will give you an introduction to me and my custom knives.

I'm Phil Wilson, a Mechanical Engineer with some formal training in Art. This is an unusual combination but has given me the background to be able to combine the best of form and function into a usable tool. I like to think of it as "Engineered" sculpture.

Knife performance is fundamental in my work. I strive to use the very best materials with the emphasis on state of the art blade steels and heat treating. All of my knives are intended for actual use in the field. I believe in sole authorship, that is the total process of knife making is done by me in my shop.

I start with blade steel bar stock and do all the grinding, machining and heat treating. The average knife has about $40 of materials and expended small tools and takes from 8 to 20 hours to complete.

The standard designs have all been field tested by me under actual hunting and fishing conditions. I also get very good feed back from hunting outfitters, commercial fishermen, avid sports men and women and Chefs who are actually using SEAMOUNT KNIVES. If you currently have or end up with one of my knives I would very much appreciate knowing about your experiences with it.

As the name SEAMOUNT implies I make knives for use in saltwater fishing (SEA), Big Game hunting (MOUNT), and also for kitchen use. Fillet knives are a natural niche for me because I am an avid saltwater fisherman. Salt water fishing knives live a very hard life. They are subjected to an extremely corrosive environment, must be tough, hold an edge while being used on abrasive skinned fish like Sturgeon, Sharks, Halibut and Stripped Bass. This interest and specialty has challenged me to use materials and develop heat treating techniques to meet these very demanding requirements.

The same materials and techniques can be applied to Big Game Hunting Knives. Environmental changes from cold and dry, to very wet and humid, are common in hunting camps. Edge holding is mandatory because sharpening is very inconvenient to do while field dressing an animal at night in the middle of a driving snow storm.

This year I entered into collaboration with Spyderco Knives. They are producing a very good reproduction of my South Fork design. They are using CPM S90V for the blade steel and green G10 for the handle scales. It is an excellent knife for the price considering the blade steel and the quality of the construction.

Two years ago Spyderco introduced another of my designs called the Sprig. It is a Bird and Trout knife and useful for small game as well as general fishing and outdoor applications.

Blade steel is CPM S90V with a green G10 handle similar to the South Fork. The blade is ground thinner than the South Fork in keeping with the intended lighter use.

See the articles section and the Spyderco catalog and Spyderco website for more information on these knives