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Announcer [00:00:03]:
Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast, your weekly dose of knife news and information about knives and knife collecting.

Bob DeMarco [00:00:16]:
Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast. I'm your host, Bob DeMarco. On this edition of the show, I'm speaking with Jared Franklin of Gunfighter Customs. Gunfighter is a company I discovered for myself at blade show this year, drawn in by their decidedly exotic tactical and carryable fixed blade knives. After talking with Jared and his tablemates for a few minutes, it became obvious that gunfighter's aggressive designs are backed by their maker's military pedigree and combat experience. Gunfighter Customs truly live up to their name. Custom making knives designed by customers in addition to their standard catalog offerings. We'll meet Jared and find out about Gunfighter Customs, but first, be sure to like, comment, subscribe, hit the notification bell, and, share the show with a friend.

Bob DeMarco [00:01:03]:
Also, if you wanna help support the show, you can do so by going to the knifejunkie.com /patreon and seeing what we have to offer. Again, that's the knifejunkie.com/patreon.

Announcer [00:01:14]:
The shockwave tactical torch is your ultimate self defense companion, featuring a powerful LED bulb that lasts 100000 hours, a super sharp crenulated bezel, and a built in stun gun delivering 4,500,000 volts. Don't settle for ordinary. Choose the shockwave tactical torch, the knife junkie.com/shockwave.

Bob DeMarco [00:01:35]:
Jared, welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast. It's very nice to have you, sir.

Jarrod Franklin [00:01:39]:
Hi, Bob. Thanks for having me on, man. I appreciate it.

Bob DeMarco [00:01:42]:
Oh, yeah. It's a pleasure. So, funny thing, someone recently, very recently, reached out to me and asked if I knew of anyone who makes custom knives, to customer designs. And you're the first one that popped into my head, and he said, oh, I have a couple by them. And, I will tell you afterward, yeah, I'll tell you afterward who that is. I don't remember right now, but I have it in my email. And I thought that was that was cool because that was one of the first things I learned about you, is that you do that. We'll get to that in a second because I think that's, that's something in short supply out there, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love to see, what they imagine, come out in in someone else's knives.

Bob DeMarco [00:02:26]:
But before we get to that, let me ask, you about you. How did you get into knives?

Jarrod Franklin [00:02:33]:
Well, I kinda was born into it a little bit. My dad is a custom knife maker, and, he's been making knives for 50 some odd years. So, you know, growing up around it, I would, you know, I would always see the finished products of his knives. And, of course, those drew me in. And, when you when you grow up with a knifemaker, you're you're bound to be interested in it. And that's definitely how I got my interest in knives. And I've been, you know, I had a knife in my hand as as soon as I was old enough to walk into the woods. So it's, it's been a lifelong passion of mine.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:16]:
What kind of, knives does your father make and what's his name? We'll plug him right here.

Jarrod Franklin [00:03:22]:
Yeah. His name is Michael Franklin, and he has made knives under Hog Knives and Franklin made knives. So that those are both him. And he makes anything from, you know, fixed blade tactical to, big showy bowies, you know, fancy, pretty materials, and he also makes folders. He's done a little bit of it all. He's even made custom autos, stuff like that. Some some really interesting stuff.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:55]:
Hog knives and Franklin made. I am definitely gonna have to check him out. So you said, from the moment you could walk into the woods, you had a knife in your hand. What were you carrying? Was this something your dad made or, did you was it the case knife handed down by the grandpa?

Jarrod Franklin [00:04:10]:
Well, it's, the the knife that really drew me in and got me for good was this knife right here that I've got. My my dad carried it in the glove box of his truck. And, I remember it was 1992 because he was getting married to my stepmom, and, for whatever reason, I I thought that he should give me a wedding present. You know, I don't know how that happened, but I had in mind that I was gonna, try to get him to give me this night. You know? So that's how I I found my way into this knife. And this is, an old school bayonet that he, did some custom work on to, made some soft ebon. And, you know, as a 8 year old kid, this was, you know, really awesome. So this was the knife I had on me at at most times.

Jarrod Franklin [00:05:14]:
And then from this, I would go from, a lot of cold steel. I would do cold steel machetes and the, the one they marketed as a throwing knife that you could grab the handle with paracord.

Bob DeMarco [00:05:29]:
It's got a ring? It's like a ring dagger?

Jarrod Franklin [00:05:31]:
No. Not that one. It yeah. True Flight. It was the True Flight Thrower, I think, was what it was called. It was a little beefier. And, like I said, it didn't come with scales, so you could you could wrap paracord around it. And I I beat the the ever loving tar out of that knife.

Jarrod Franklin [00:05:48]:
And, as far as I know, it's still around somewhere. I just don't know where.

Bob DeMarco [00:05:53]:
That that bayonet you just showed with the sort of, Rambo style, or or Lyle style serrations on the back and the and the camo paint. That is a really cool knife, and I could see, that sparking an interest. I mean, I know your interest was strong even before that, but that's the kind of knife that every, young boy dreams of having.

Jarrod Franklin [00:06:16]:
Yep. Absolutely. You know, I thought I was, you know, Rambo with this knife as a little kid, so it was the coolest thing in the world to me. And, you know, my dad gave it to me, so it made it even more special.

Bob DeMarco [00:06:29]:
Yeah. So how you you served in the US Marine Corps. Is that correct?

Jarrod Franklin [00:06:36]:
That's right. Yes. I served from 02 to 06, and then, I took a brief stint to go to college from 06 to 08, then I reenlisted and, did 4 more years.

Bob DeMarco [00:06:49]:
Oh, wow. Thank you for your service. Definitely, man. Not only the first time, but then going back. My lord.

Jarrod Franklin [00:06:56]:
Yeah. You're you're most welcome, man. I, I realized I made a mistake. I missed it too much and, you know, with everything still going on, I wanted to get back in there. So I'm glad I did it. I'm really glad.

Bob DeMarco [00:07:10]:
My in laws, a lot of, marines and and very close friends, and then a lot of knifemakers, that I've had on the show are are marines. It's really a vocation, a trade, an art form that attracts marines. It's pretty interesting. What do you think that's about?

Jarrod Franklin [00:07:31]:
Marines love weapons and, especially knives because, you know, on on the base, we're we're not allowed to, have in possession our own personal firearms, But we we can have our our our blades, albeit, you know, that they have the rules on that about what size of knives you can have in the various and whatnot. But for the most part, you can you can have your knives, and they're readily available on base. You can go to the the PX and and buy k bar. So, you know, that's that's perfect.

Announcer [00:08:06]:
Yeah. I I

Bob DeMarco [00:08:07]:
think there's something, about marines too and the, just from my outsider's perspective, the the spirit of adaptability, just kinda matches with a knife. A knife is kind of a do everything kind of tool, as well as a weapon. And, I I

Announcer [00:08:26]:
don't know. I I it it makes sense

Bob DeMarco [00:08:28]:
to me that marines, tend to be drawn towards it. So when you were serving, what what did you carry, and and how did you use knives, in the

Jarrod Franklin [00:08:38]:
military? When I was serving, most of the time, I had one of my dad's knives on me. I would carry one of his folders. And then anytime we went to the field, and especially when I was deployed in Iraq, I had a big tactical fighter strapped to a thigh rig on my leg. So it was a pretty serious knife. It had a 8 inch blade. Pretty nasty pretty nasty knife. But, and, you know, and as far as using knives in the field, man, we we could use them from anything from, you know, cutting down and clearing bush and trees to dig a fighting hole or open an MREs, which is, to be honest, the the main use of a knife in the field is, I would say, per capita, you know, opening MREs, but, there's always stuff that has to be open. There's always stuff that needs to be cut.

Jarrod Franklin [00:09:34]:
But there's always stuff that needs to be open. There's always things that need to be cut down. So you're always gonna find somebody with a knife in their hand Yeah. Especially in the marines.

Bob DeMarco [00:09:46]:
As a guy who grew up in the eighties, on a steady diet of Arnold Schwarzenegger and, and Sylvester Stallone, and a lot of other movies, like knives were huge in eighties movies. I was under the, the impression that that was, like, the secondary weapon of every, you know, everyone in combat. And then I've realized as I've gotten older and spoken to people, really, it's used for mundane purposes and a lot of, you know, prying things and that and that kind of thing. So a knife better be strong. Do you do you think that your military service, or or let me ask you this. How did your military service, inspire your designs? And let's talk about your design philosophy and what you think a good night for this.

Jarrod Franklin [00:10:32]:
Alright. Well, with, with being a marine, you know, you're you're always gonna have that that fighting spirit, and, it's always in the back of your mind. Combat, you know, what happens if, I get attacked and I'm out at at the store or whatever. So those kind of things come into your mind when you're designing even just a little EDC night. My design philosophy is I I want something, if if at all possible, that I can use in everyday tasks and, to defend myself if need be. And if if I can use it in the woods, with a little bit of bushcraft or whatnot, even better. So I I try to bring as much of all three of that into each knife as I can. You know, I I intend for my knives to be used heavily and often.

Jarrod Franklin [00:11:29]:
So and that's, why I use really good materials because I I want people to use their knives and use them hard.

Bob DeMarco [00:11:37]:
You know, we we see what we wanna see, of course. I I did not think, bushcraft or outdoors at all when I was looking at your at your knives, but now that I think about it, I'm thinking of the one that looked kind of, barong shaped and it has has a little notch on top and on the thumb rest. That one, to me looked very, very tactical when I saw it. But now that

Jarrod Franklin [00:12:00]:
I think about it, that that could be a great sort of field knife. Yes. That you're you're, you're talking about the EPIT model, which I don't happen to have one on me at the moment. But, yes, that knife, one of my my close friends has one. He got the very first one ever made. And, it like you said, it doesn't look like a utilitarian type of knife, but he carries it to work every day. He works, he does construction and and stuff like that. And he says he uses it every day.

Jarrod Franklin [00:12:33]:
So, I mean, I I've seen him open paint cans with it, just all kinds of crazy stuff.

Bob DeMarco [00:12:39]:
Yeah. So I I when I when I pick up a knife, just it's due to my interest, not my lifestyle. But when I pick up a knife, I'm always thinking first of its capabilities as a weapon. And when I look at a knife, that's also how I evaluate it. And when I came to your table, I saw that knife and I saw another knife that I can that I saw, on your Instagram a lot and, man, it's very cool and I'm not sure what it's called, But it has a handle that sort of encapsulates, bookends, the handle, and then and then it has a sort of a Persian y blade that sometimes is double edged. What is that?

Jarrod Franklin [00:13:19]:
That one is called the Murdoch, and, that's another one of Mike Elliott's designs. He's my lead designer and, you know, partner, for lack of a better term. That's, probably one of my favorite designs ever done. But, yeah, that that thing is a beast. It's and even it has, some utilitarian uses as well. You could you could take that thing out and use the crap out of it.

Bob DeMarco [00:13:48]:
Yeah. No doubt. So we're, scrolling through your Instagram here. I see a a gununting. I see some push daggers and then, field knives and all all sorts of, things here. Now, something I mentioned upfront when I say things here, I mean different kinds of designs. When I was, talking about you upfront, I I mentioned your custom knife, making. Like, see, you have your own designs, and then you also have people, you know, anyone I could come to you with a design and and ask you to make it.

Bob DeMarco [00:14:22]:
How how does that work, in comparison with making your own designs?

Jarrod Franklin [00:14:27]:
Well, generally, if someone wants a knife or a design done by me, I'm really easy to get a hold of. Just message me directly and show me your design. And if if you don't feel like your design is is, as good as you want it to be, you can just give me a little sketch and give me the general idea of what you wanna do, and I'll take it and refine it and, you know, show it back to you and see if this, you know, is this what you want? Or, you know, if it's not, I'll I'll change this or that, and we can go back and forth until we get it right. And then, you know, then I'll I'll knock it out.

Bob DeMarco [00:15:05]:
Do you ever make those if someone comes to you with a design and other people are interested, do you work something out and make those for other people too? Or is this just a private label, private thing?

Jarrod Franklin [00:15:18]:
Yeah. Usually, when when when people send me designs they want made, they'll say, you know, if any, you know, if anybody else wants this, go ahead and do it. But if they don't, I'll ask, you know, if someone else wants 1, I'll say, you know, is it alright if I make you a knife again? And and 9 times out of 10, they're they're okay with it. So and that's happened I don't know how many times. I've I've had a lot of knives go out like that.

Announcer [00:15:41]:
Well, I I I love it. I have, like, I'm sure a

Bob DeMarco [00:15:45]:
lot of people like myself, enthusiasts and collectors, have sketchbooks full of designs they'd love to see or, you know, drawing in all of the in the in the margins of your notepads and stuff. So it's exciting to know that someone can actually take your designs and turn them into something, something real. Okay. So you told us your design philosophy is sort of like it has to be EDC able and useful for the kind of things you always use it for, But also at 7:11 at, 3 AM, it has to be able to show up if someone is trying to mug you, or something like that. So that's kinda your philosophy. What's your what's your design process? Are you a a CAD guy, or do you sit down with a pencil and paper?

Jarrod Franklin [00:16:31]:
I'm, I'm I'm pretty old school when it comes to those kind of things. If if I get an idea that pops into my head, I'll just try to find a clean piece of paper and I get my ruler and a pencil, and I, you know, sit down and and try to draw it out.

Bob DeMarco [00:16:46]:
I was gonna say, so you're one of these guys. You're like a sculptor at heart. You have the steel and you really, you might have a general idea, but you kinda, discover it as you're making it.

Jarrod Franklin [00:16:57]:
Yes, sir. And, you know, if I put it on steel and I cut it out and I don't really like it, you know, sometimes I might just change it as I go. You know, I, I have a pretty good eye when it comes to that kind of thing. And, if if I have something that I don't think looks right, I can generally get it to where I'm happy with it.

Bob DeMarco [00:17:18]:
Okay. So how how do you make them? Tell us your process there.

Jarrod Franklin [00:17:22]:
Alright. I, you know, I I make my template out of either kydex or, like, thin cardboard, And, I'll trace that onto my seal. And I've got a, just a regular angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel. And I clamp my bar of steel to a to a table, and I just go go to town. I just cut it cut it out right there all by hand.

Bob DeMarco [00:17:50]:
Alright. And then and then what?

Jarrod Franklin [00:17:52]:
Then I take it over to the grinder and rough it out. And now I've got a, a grinder that goes horizontal. So I've got one of the new fancy grinders with the VFD and everything.

Bob DeMarco [00:18:03]:
Is that wait. What's what's the VFD? What is that?

Jarrod Franklin [00:18:06]:
Oh, variable. Okay. Yes. The the speed control. So, and then that's new. You know, up until last year, I didn't have any kind of stuff. I just had a homemade 2 by 72 and a 2 by 48, and that was it. But, yeah, that's that's the new baby in the shop.

Jarrod Franklin [00:18:26]:
So I'm pretty happy with that. But, yeah, I, I just grind it to shape and, get it to where I'm happy with it, plot my holes, drill them, and then, do my my jimping and whatnot. And then then I'll start on the the flats, get those to where they're, you know, good 120, 220, and, then it's ready for heat treat.

Bob DeMarco [00:18:50]:
Okay. So you you do your bevels before heat treat. I I I always am interested back and forth. No. I shouldn't say back and forth. Some people do it like you and other people do it after heat treat. I think oftentimes, it depends on the kind of knife they're making, maybe. I know kitchen knives, you don't wanna you don't wanna bevel first because they're sewed aren't thin.

Jarrod Franklin [00:19:13]:
No. Sorry. I I was, I was talking about the the flats, not the actual bevels. You know what I mean? So just the just the flat part of the knife. So I grind I grind my bevels in after the heat treat.

Bob DeMarco [00:19:26]:
You do. Okay. I was gonna say it always Yeah. Yeah. It always makes sense for me for me as a as a someone who doesn't make knives to do it when it's still soft. But, yeah, I I it it seems to make sense if you can manage and you can afford all the belts to do it afterward, so it's you're not getting warpage.

Jarrod Franklin [00:19:46]:
I I like to do it that way. It's, it's more forgiving that way. If you if you take a brand new, 60 grit belt and, you know, get up there with your soft steel, you're, in my experience, you can take away too much material too quickly and, might end up, you know, ruining a blade or whatnot. And then there's the the issue of warpage. If you, you know, if you grind your your blade all the way down to where you need it, as thin as you need it, it's a lot more likely to warp than it is if it if it weren't ground. So that's just the way that, I was taught, and that's the way I do it. So it seems to work pretty well.

Bob DeMarco [00:20:31]:
So what was it like going, from your handmade or your homemade, single speed grinder to the variable speed grinder the horizontal features?

Jarrod Franklin [00:20:41]:
Oh, man. It it was, it well, I was like a kid on Christmas to be to be honest with you. I had used grinders with speed control before, but they were never mine. And it was just once in a blue moon. But but every time I got the opportunity to, I was like, man, this is so cool. I have to have one of these one day. It just it took me a lot longer than than I had planned to get one, but we've got it now and, I'm I'm really happy with it. I couldn't be happier.

Bob DeMarco [00:21:13]:
So what's your setup like?

Jarrod Franklin [00:21:16]:
I can't remember the name of the manufacturer, but I bought a a frame off of usanifemaker.com. And, so it it was pretty well already assembled. So basically, we took it out of the box and put the the frame onto the stand, and then I bought my motor and, speed controller from Whitmer, Whitmer Power Supply, I believe. They're on eBay and I think I bought off their website though. And so, got the motor and the speed controller and, attached the the motor to the frame and and wired it all up. So it wasn't like a like a whole package deal that I that I bought. I kind of pieced it together on my own.

Bob DeMarco [00:22:08]:
I love that. I I think I think I would be, what do you call it, predisposed to just buy the whole thing. But I know that that's way more expensive, and I think there's something really cool about about putting together a grinder. I know a lot of people have have built them, from the ground up, and, I think there's something cool about that. When

Announcer [00:22:31]:
I was asking about the setup, I

Bob DeMarco [00:22:33]:
I what I I meant to be more specific. What is your shop like? Like, tell us what your what your working environment and your shop is like.

Jarrod Franklin [00:22:41]:
I gotcha. Well, up until just, 2 years ago, I didn't have a shop. So I would work out of my dad's basement where his shop is at and I had just a table outside of my house. And I would carry all my machines out there, set them up, work outside, and then bring them all back in, when I was done. And I did that for almost 5 years. Then we we moved to Kentucky in 2022. And, I I told my fiance the only way that I was gonna buy a house is if it had a shop already on it. I didn't wanna have to build 1, You know, and it didn't matter what kind of building it was.

Jarrod Franklin [00:23:29]:
As long as it had electricity, it was gonna work. And so that's what I've got. I've got a, a pretty decent sized, just basically a little workshop. And I've got, let's see. I've got 2 2 by 72 grinders and a 2 by 48 with the the 8 inch contact wheel conversion on it. So it's a 2 by 48, but a regular bench grinder. I've got the Harbor Freight mini mill that I do my jimping and stuff on and, a drill press and a band saw and a kiln and that's it. That's that's the shop.

Bob DeMarco [00:24:18]:
And and that's it sounds like that's all you need. I'm I'm sure there's I'm sure you have a a list of things that you'd like to get. But but when you're talking about, the, lugging stuff out, machines out, working outside, bringing it in back and forth for 5 years. That's that's real dedication, and it's also a good, example to people who and I might consider myself, in this category from time to time, who put barriers in their own way, and and blame it on, well, I don't have the right machines. I don't have the perfect setup shop. No ventilation, so, can't do it while you can always bring it outside. Well, you know, and and that is in no way to, criticize people who do that because I do that also. But it it also goes to show if it's important enough, you do do that.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:11]:
And and you don't even think about it. I mean, every time you might be like, oh, this is such a pain. I can't wait till one day. But the fact is you're still doing it. Have you always been someone who's been creative and, like a a hands on kind of builder type person that you'd be kinda willing to go through all this to make knives on the daily?

Jarrod Franklin [00:25:34]:
Yeah. I've I've always been better at artistic type things than, say, athletic type things. You know, I wasn't a sports star or anything like that. You know, I did play sports, but I wasn't that good. But I always drew and stuff like that. And I always loved building stuff with my hands. I was in workshop in high school. I loved building anything really.

Jarrod Franklin [00:26:02]:
But as far as art and building stuff goes, I think knives is where my main interest is with that kind of stuff. So I'm I'm always happy if I get to to work on that. I would do it nonstop every day pretty much.

Bob DeMarco [00:26:24]:
Yeah. Some people, I think you're probably one of these, and I am with my own things, but some people aren't happy unless they've got their, creative pursuits going. And and, sometimes it it it starts small, but it, a small deviation over time, becomes a huge one. And and if you if you have the interest in doing something and making something and creating something, you know, don't don't let the lack of a sweet shop that's already set up, stop you.

Jarrod Franklin [00:26:55]:
You. Yeah. I mean, people would tell me all the time. They would see me outside at night in the winter. You know, I'm I'm wearing full bibs and a face mask and just freezing to death. But I had a knife of me to be made so that that the cold, the rain, nothing nothing was gonna stop me. So I don't know. Looking back on it now, it it I'm I'm glad that it was that way.

Jarrod Franklin [00:27:22]:
I'm I'm happy that I went through that because it it makes me appreciate what I've got now, so much more.

Bob DeMarco [00:27:29]:
Oh, yeah. Was your dad, your father who, was a is a custom knifemaker, was he your main teacher, your main mentor, or did you, pick up pick up others along the way?

Jarrod Franklin [00:27:43]:
Yeah. For for the most part, it was my dad. And, then once, once I had gotten out of the marines, I started, going to work with Sean Kendrick.

Bob DeMarco [00:27:54]:
Oh my gosh. Love his work. Yeah.

Jarrod Franklin [00:27:56]:
Right? Yes. So I was I was beyond lucky on that. I just happened to live right down the road from him, and he knew my dad. That's he he actually went, and and sought some some tutelage from my dad, and he got his start in knife making. And so I think I was, like, 12 years old at that point when I met Sean. And, so naturally when I got out of the marines, I I went to see him and I I I I don't think I had seen his work in maybe 10 or so years. And I was just blown away at how far he'd come. And so, we would hang out and work on weekends and stuff.

Jarrod Franklin [00:28:38]:
And I've learned a lot of stuff from him and and he's helped me out, a great deal along the way. So between him and my dad, I've got the the, you know, the the best mentors that anyone could ask for.

Bob DeMarco [00:28:54]:
Yeah. I mean, really, a great 2 2 people that you can draw knife making information from, technique, that kind of stuff. But, outside of them, what about knife inspiration? Like, who are the people out there, the designers, the makers out there that you admire, that that, that that that also keep you going? Heroes outside of your own circle.

Jarrod Franklin [00:29:22]:
Let's see. Inspirations. I I like a lot of knives. There's so many new makers and new companies out there. It's hard to keep track of. And, I I always go back to micro tech one way or the other. I like their knack a lot. So, I would say I draw some inspiration from them.

Jarrod Franklin [00:29:44]:
Let's see. And again, I'm kinda old school, man. So I I think back in, I like EK knives.

Bob DeMarco [00:29:53]:
Oh, yeah. I like

Jarrod Franklin [00:29:55]:
Yeah. I like Randall knives. I like Daniel Wilde knives. So a lot of my inspirations were, you know, older generation maker.

Bob DeMarco [00:30:04]:
Do you remember Ntrek Knives? Ntrek?

Jarrod Franklin [00:30:09]:
Ntrek. It sounds familiar, but I can't picture it. You were

Bob DeMarco [00:30:13]:
kinda like tops knives before before tops knives. They were they were pretty cool. But, yeah, I too like the old school makers and, you know, tend to go for that sort of, combatty militaristic look. We're we're, okay, we're flipping through your Instagram. Do you have any knives in person that we could see?

Jarrod Franklin [00:30:36]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I I saw the the scroll going through there and, man, I need to update my social media. I'm really awful about that. A lot of that stuff is really old, but but, no worries. Let's see. This one I think you saw this one at blade, Bob. This is, VC tactical and, MagnaCut.

Jarrod Franklin [00:31:00]:
I really like this model. And this is good for, you know, just everyday type stuff and self defense.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:09]:
So that look is that swedge ground, for double edge if you wanted to?

Jarrod Franklin [00:31:15]:
Yes. That's an option on this blade. This one is ground to where it could be sharpened. I just didn't sharpen it. So if someone bought this knife, I would give them the option of me sharpening it or leaving it the way it is. I think that's a a cool option to have. And these are really cool with the with the double edge. You know, it's really nice for the call grip.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:39]:
Yeah. That's a beauty. I I really like the the overall utility look of that knife, but with that bayonet swedge, that's pretty wicked. What's that one called?

Jarrod Franklin [00:31:51]:
This one is just called the EDC Tactical. EDC Tactical.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:55]:
Now you mentioned this is in MagnaCut. Is is MagnaCut a steel you you particularly like to work in, or, you know, tell tell me about the materials that that really get you going.

Jarrod Franklin [00:32:08]:
Yeah. I have, worked with MagnaCut ever since it came out, and I've I've really enjoyed working with it. I like it a lot. I think it's a great material. I haven't had anybody say, hey, you know, this this knife and magnet cut is dull or bur oak or anything like that. So I have no complaints out of it at all. I think it's a great deal. A lot of, 3 b.

Jarrod Franklin [00:32:34]:
I use a lot of 3 b. Let's see. I use, crew wear. I like crew wear as well. You know, the the the tough steels, they're really where I like to stay.

Bob DeMarco [00:32:49]:
Tough steels, super high end steels and, yeah, MagnaCut. My MagnaCut in my collection is growing, and and I I'm really liking it, from a user's perspective, A super light user's perspective, I have to be a 100% honest, but, still like it. I was gonna ask you, with the with the EDC tactical, if you could hold that up again, real quick. Sure. So we all know and and I am an EDC, carrier, EDCer of fixed blades. And, this one, by the way, looks awesome for that that role. But a big part of it is the sheath. Show us the sheaths and and tell us a little bit about about this because that's oh, yeah.

Jarrod Franklin [00:33:33]:
This is just your standard black kydex sheet. This one doesn't have a belt clip on it, but, I always give the the customer an option of do you wanna wear it in waistband or on waistband or, what position do you wanna wear it in. So I that's that's usually the last thing I do is put the belt clip on. And so this one is just ready waiting for a home. But, you know, just a regular black Patek sheep, and I make those as well. It's probably my least favorite part about my packing, but they have to have a sheep. So

Bob DeMarco [00:34:09]:
that's not the first time I've heard that. But what I love about this, hold that up again, please, if you will,

Announcer [00:34:15]:
is

Bob DeMarco [00:34:15]:
that you can get a 100% full grip on that knife, with the way the sheath is made, pull it out, and have it not have to readjust one iota.

Jarrod Franklin [00:34:25]:
Right. Right. Yep. And, you know, it's got a a little thumb ramp here, so it kinda gives you some purchase on the sheet to pull it out with. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:34:36]:
I like that. ADC tactical. So you you've got the Misfits, skull as your as your logo.

Jarrod Franklin [00:34:43]:
Yes, sir. I've always been a big fan of the Misfits and the old, Marilyn Monroe movies like the the Crimson Ghost. That's where, that's where the skull came from. It's an old movie. And that's and, Danzig was obsessed with Marylin Monroe and I think, you know, that's that's kinda why they chose that as their logo, I think. So I couldn't say what what Dan did, what was going through his mind, but I'm glad he did it.

Bob DeMarco [00:35:15]:
Yeah. It's cool. Behind you on that coffee, but that looks, it looks really cool. Let us let us see a couple of other models. Do you have other other stuff, I guess?

Jarrod Franklin [00:35:25]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I've got this one. This is a a prototype called the close quarters dagger. I believe you saw this one at blade too, Bob. Yep. And this one is CPM Crew Air with, black and red marbled carbon fiber. And it's got, 2 tone finish.

Jarrod Franklin [00:35:48]:
It's double ground, double edged. And we're at about, a 140,000th on the thickness. So a little bit thicker than an 8. It's got a really nice shape to the handle. So

Bob DeMarco [00:36:02]:
Yeah. It's got that Coke bottle.

Jarrod Franklin [00:36:05]:
Yes. Yes. And, up here on the the the top, I can't get that to show up, but it's it's gimped up there as well. Yep. For your reverse grip.

Bob DeMarco [00:36:19]:
That is Yeah.

Jarrod Franklin [00:36:20]:
I like this one a lot.

Bob DeMarco [00:36:22]:
I do too. I'm sorry. Don't put it away yet. Let's see. I wanna look at those bevels. So you did this, this is all freehand grinding?

Jarrod Franklin [00:36:31]:
Yes. I, you know, I don't I don't use any jigs or anything like that. I, I was just taught to grind freehand, and that's just the way I do it.

Bob DeMarco [00:36:40]:
Those grinds look perfect. That is so beautiful. And, you know, we're looking at 44 be you know, 4 perfectly, matching bevels, at least from my view here.

Jarrod Franklin [00:36:53]:
Yeah. They're they're, you know, probably within a thousandth or 2 thousandths of each other. And this is one of the the hardest blades for me to do, is a is a double edged dagger because of that, you know, getting everything lined up. But

Bob DeMarco [00:37:09]:
You know what I like about this this blade? I keep interrupting you, man. I'm sorry.

Announcer [00:37:14]:
No. No. I I I see a dagger. I get excited.

Bob DeMarco [00:37:18]:
So what I really like about this blade is that it it it looks pretty small, like 3 and a half inches or 3 inches, something like that, But it's so wide that, you know, you that that width of the blade really maximizes any sort of, you know, puncture you're gonna do with it or any sort of thrust. You're just gonna get maximum damage out of that and,

Jarrod Franklin [00:37:41]:
or maximum effect, let's

Bob DeMarco [00:37:42]:
say, out of that.

Jarrod Franklin [00:37:43]:
And Right. Yes.

Bob DeMarco [00:37:45]:
I love that. It it reminds me of, of the Italian cinquedilla, you know, with the really wide blade that looks like a pizza slice almost, but it has that same effect, like a little big knife.

Jarrod Franklin [00:37:58]:
That was kinda the idea behind this one was the, you know, the mechanical advantage of this short, fat, pointy blade, was for it to be nice and strong and stout. But like you said, it's gonna make a pretty gnarly puncture wound. And, you know, could be very useful if you needed to, you know, dig a hole in the ground or something like that. But, you know, and as far as the blade being short, it's, you know, if you're in close, you don't want a super long blade, you know. You know, maybe want something a little shorter, more maneuverable.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:34]:
Yeah.

Jarrod Franklin [00:38:34]:
Not to not get caught or or, you know, bang on something. But yeah. That that was the the whole purpose for for this knife was, close quarters type stuff.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:46]:
I think people think, you know, in in an era where there aren't too many knife fights, I guess, compared to the rest of history, people think of duels. You know? That's not a fighting knife. It's too small. Like, no. No. No. We're not we're not, we're not squaring off, squaring up a gun where there's someone jumping on you, and and you can just barely get this thing out of the sheath. Well, if it's 7, 8, 9 inches, it's, you know, gonna be a lot harder to remove and to get in where you need it to go.

Jarrod Franklin [00:39:16]:
Yep. Absolutely. And like you said, that was, that was my thinking on this one. I keep put I keep trying to put it away.

Bob DeMarco [00:39:26]:
Yeah. Don't you don't have to. Yeah. It's really nice. So do you do big combat, bigger combat things? I know I've seen a lot of the and what really, what really gets me are the small things that I know I could carry on me all the time.

Jarrod Franklin [00:39:40]:
Yep.

Bob DeMarco [00:39:40]:
But I also love and collect larger, you know, combat and field knives. What do you do in in that sort of realm?

Jarrod Franklin [00:39:48]:
Well, like I said in in the beginning, I I love making stuff for EBC, but that that's not all I do. I mean, I've made some ridiculously big nods. Did you see the gnuicing that I had at the late?

Bob DeMarco [00:40:01]:
Yes. I did. Yes. And we saw that when we were scrolling through the Instagram.

Jarrod Franklin [00:40:06]:
Okay. Cool. I'm actually got this dagger that I just finished up. This is this is a 7 inch, double edged, double ground dagger that I just finished up for a buddy of mine, Wyatt. And this is gonna be her first knife from from me.

Bob DeMarco [00:40:27]:
That is so cool. That is beautiful. I love that.

Jarrod Franklin [00:40:31]:
Thank you. Thank you.

Bob DeMarco [00:40:33]:
I love that this dagger has, a finger choils. You can kinda wrap your finger around the the guard. Mhmm. That is nice. Right.

Jarrod Franklin [00:40:43]:
And this this rip is really positive. I don't know. It would take a lot to get this out of your hands, and it just feels really good. So I wanted to add that option in there. You know, and it it looks really cool too, and it it gives you an opportunity to to make your yards, you know, nice and even and away from your cutting edge. So I I like the way it came together.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:09]:
Is this something, that will that is a regular model or will become 1?

Jarrod Franklin [00:41:14]:
This is actually the very first one, and, it it will be available for order if anybody wanted 1.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:22]:
Yeah. I could see that going like gangbusters. What's the blade length you said?

Jarrod Franklin [00:41:27]:
It's it's 7 inches, I think. Pretty sure. 7 inches. And the overall length on it is 12.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:34]:
Now this one is, it has a very pretty and beautiful sort of purple pine cone handle. Is that pine cone?

Jarrod Franklin [00:41:42]:
Yes. And and these were chosen by, by, my buddy's wife herself, and I ordered them and and put them on for her.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:52]:
That's very cool. And, you know, you could also see this with, like, green micarta or something. It looks like Oh, yeah. Looks like a classic combat knife.

Jarrod Franklin [00:42:00]:
Right. Right. If I made one for myself, you know, I'd probably maybe do, like you said, some some micarta or carbon fiber and maybe a a darker finish, an etch finish maybe.

Bob DeMarco [00:42:12]:
So how long have you been, how long have you been at Gunfighter Customs? How long has this been a business for you?

Jarrod Franklin [00:42:19]:
Let's see. I I wanna say we started in late 2017, and then things kinda got going more in 2018. So it's been longer than I think. Like, for me, it's only been a couple years, but it's in reality, it's been more like 6 years. So I would say about 6 years, I've been making under gunfighter customs.

Bob DeMarco [00:42:46]:
And, what has been your, well, before I ask you that, Gunfighter Customs, obviously, not knife fighter customs are is the name referring to your military past?

Jarrod Franklin [00:42:59]:
Yes. And in the beginning, and really still, I'm mainly making knives for for veterans and, so my thought was, I'm making knives for all these gun fighters. Why not call it gunfighter customs? And, that that name seems to seems to go along well with veteran community and they kinda get it. So it would work.

Bob DeMarco [00:43:27]:
So what about running a small business and and and, oh, I like what you're turning in your hand. We're gonna look at that in a second, but let me ask you what it what it's like running no. No. No. Hold it in

Jarrod Franklin [00:43:38]:
your hand. Don't put it there.

Bob DeMarco [00:43:39]:
What it's like running a small business in knives? Is this, what what what's the what's that world like?

Jarrod Franklin [00:43:47]:
Man, it it's not easy. It's, it's it's hectic. It's stressful. With the the materials I use, I I spend a lot of money, so there's not an awful lot of profit. And, you know, at this point, it's just basically paying the bills. Now, I'm yeah. It it it gets tight from from time to time. But, I've I've been able to have enough business to pay the bills and, you know, put food in the kid's mouth.

Jarrod Franklin [00:44:22]:
So I, you know, I can't complain one bit.

Bob DeMarco [00:44:25]:
That's that's that's amazing. That's what I was, hoping to hear because, not only are, you know, were you showing a good example in, you know, lugging your stuff out for 5 years and being devoted to that, but, this also shows how that pays off. You're you're that's your living. And and that's awesome. Okay. Enough of my philosophizing. Let me see this. This looks amazing.

Bob DeMarco [00:44:49]:
Double edge let's let's hear about this.

Jarrod Franklin [00:44:52]:
This one is the gunfire model and this one is another one of Mike Elliott's designs. That's actually Mike Elliott's logo right here. You see the ME. This one is an M390 and is a chisel grime. And I've got black sheer touch d ten with red d ten liner. Let's see. We've got jimping going up the thumb ramp and then on the downside as well, and then some here in the belly of the handle. So you've got a really nice grip on this thing.

Jarrod Franklin [00:45:30]:
And it is really small, really compact, really light, and it's not coming out of your hand.

Bob DeMarco [00:45:38]:
Yeah. That thing is super cool.

Jarrod Franklin [00:45:41]:
Yes. And that it is wicked, Especially these these thin ones with the chisel grind, man. These things are just like scalpels. You look at it wrong, it'll cut you.

Bob DeMarco [00:45:54]:
This knife reminds me of a very, of one that got away from the old days of Cold Steel, the Desperado. Do you remember the Desperado? It had an egg egg shaped handle, but a vachero blade. And, man, they discontinued that in the early 2000, and I've always regretted that. The blade is obviously nothing like that, but the spirit of it, that that handle buries in there. There's no way anyone who knows what they're doing could possibly leverage that out of your hand. There's no exposed pommel or any any extra room. And then and then what protrudes from the from the fist is this gnarly pointed double edge, with the point incidentally reaching out, right where it needs to be for a back fist.

Jarrod Franklin [00:46:38]:
Right.

Bob DeMarco [00:46:38]:
Yeah. That is amazing. I love that. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah.

Jarrod Franklin [00:46:42]:
This thing is definitely one of my top five models that we do. I just love this.

Bob DeMarco [00:46:50]:
What's it called again? Because I this is gonna get me in trouble.

Jarrod Franklin [00:46:54]:
This one is called the gunfighter, and this one was designed to be used in conjunction with your pistol. So you would have this in your off hand and you, you know, draw your pistol with your strong hand. And then if your pistol runs dry or malfunctions or whatnot, you can go to this in your your, left hand or whichever hand you're off hand. Or you can actually use it with your pistol if you want to. I mean, you have it ready in your hand.

Bob DeMarco [00:47:28]:
Anything else you can show us?

Jarrod Franklin [00:47:30]:
Oh, let's see. I've got a brand new model. This one we are calling the the Reaper. And this is another Mike Elliott design. And this one, I can see here woah. So the sharp edge is here where, you know, you would probably think it was gonna be on this side. But this one is meant for, like, pulling towards you. So like this.

Jarrod Franklin [00:48:09]:
Mhmm.

Bob DeMarco [00:48:09]:
Yeah. That that that pick all sort of edge in?

Jarrod Franklin [00:48:13]:
Right. Right. And then in traditional grip, you're gonna be right here with your, and the, you know, the the front edge is sharp and then here's your live edge and then this side is not sharp.

Bob DeMarco [00:48:28]:
So it's for that that old heave ho they they used to teach in, the marine corps and the army with the with the k bar with the edge up, you know, when you have it in forward grip. Edge up, jam it in, pull it up. Mhmm. Yep. That's pretty wicked. That's a very unique looking blade. I I I really dig that. Sort of a tanto.

Bob DeMarco [00:48:50]:
I mean, it is a it is a tanto. It's just, a tip down edging, style tanto. What this is called the Reaper, you say?

Jarrod Franklin [00:48:58]:
Yes. Like you said, I I can't think of a knife that I know of that has a blade shape like this. Yeah. So I'm I'm pretty stoked about this one, and this is the the very first one that I've ever done. And I just finished it I just finished it up yesterday so that I can have it for tonight.

Bob DeMarco [00:49:17]:
Oh, nice.

Jarrod Franklin [00:49:18]:
Yeah. Oh,

Bob DeMarco [00:49:19]:
nice. Oh, well, let's see the handle.

Jarrod Franklin [00:49:21]:
And so the handle is kinda like the Murdoch you were talking about where it kind of encapsulates your your finger there, and you've got some jumping up here. So you're you're gonna get a really nice solid grip, and the retention on this thing is, is top notch.

Bob DeMarco [00:49:41]:
It and the, and the other knife you mentioned oh, I'm such a space cadet. What what did you say the other name was called the other knife? The Murdoch. Yeah. This and the Murdoch, have very Filipino style handles. I mean, I'm looking at some of the knives back here behind me with the with the the overall curve in the handle and then

Jarrod Franklin [00:50:01]:
the hook and the bird's beak and

Bob DeMarco [00:50:03]:
the pinky choil and all that.

Jarrod Franklin [00:50:05]:
Yes. No. Mike is big into, PCK, and I've done some training myself in PTK. So a lot of the, right. So a lot of the blades you're gonna see are are inspired by by that kind of thinking and, you know, fighting form.

Bob DeMarco [00:50:25]:
Hence, the gununting that I saw at Blade Show. That was so cool. The gununting is the big, curved sickle shaped sword that it's not that big, actually, that they use in the the special marines use it in the south, and they they're still fighting. They're still engaging people, with, blades, which is pretty pretty amazing. What do you what do you see as the future of gunfighter, customs? Like, how how would you like to see, the company, exist over time?

Jarrod Franklin [00:50:54]:
I, I'm planning to this year. I've got some some big blades, like big in size blades that I've got to get finished up. And as soon as that is done, I'm going to make a make another folder. So we're gonna try to break into folders and, maybe even possibly do some some laser cut blanks for my fixed blades, you know, get big big orders of those if if need be. But what I'd really like to do is just keep doing what I'm doing now, just to a bigger base of people, of customers. I'm I'm not real sure that I wanna get huge and and do all the the c and c stuff and, get into all that kind of stuff. That's just not really what what I'm thinking about doing. It it could happen if need be, I guess, but that's not really where, where my head's at with it.

Jarrod Franklin [00:51:59]:
I kinda like to stay, you know, hands on and a 100% handmade.

Bob DeMarco [00:52:04]:
Yeah. It seems like that's a huge central aspect to to gunfighter customs is the handmade aspect and the 1 by 1 aspect. The the idea of having blanks cut out water jet or laser cut, I think that's just efficiency. That doesn't take away from, from from any of it being handmade. But, yeah, I I think that that's, you know, that's what part of what the charm of your knives are. You can, you know, the the fact that they're, so tactical, kind of, you know, but yet so, not doted over, but they're very beautifully made, I guess I should say. So kind of, you know, you can imagine the ugly purpose, but there are beautiful words. What what is your fantasy? Wait.

Bob DeMarco [00:52:54]:
No. No. What were you gonna say first?

Jarrod Franklin [00:52:56]:
I I like to say that, my knives are are also art, you know, not not just a knife, but I I like to think that this is my form of art.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:07]:
Yeah. And you can you can see it in the in the finish work. I mean, whether or not you designed it, you know, you can tell in the making of it and in the execution. What I was gonna ask you, I got cut, I cut myself off at a at a weird moment.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:22]:
what is your fantasy blade to make? Like, what is the thing that you would love to make? A sword or or something?

Jarrod Franklin [00:53:30]:
Man, that's a that's a good question. I would, for myself or to sell?

Bob DeMarco [00:53:41]:
For yourself. And and there there are no limits in terms of, like, you don't have a big enough kiln to heat treat or anything like that. Don't worry about that. We'll take care of it.

Jarrod Franklin [00:53:50]:
Well, I've been thinking about that and I think that if I had to make mine for myself, it would be the the tertia, which is the good news. I've I've wanted one of those ever since I made the first one. It is it's just absolutely cool. I mean, when you see it in real life, like, you know, it's just impressive and it has a lot of utilitarian use. And I like to go camping and stuff like that. So it would be right there with me cutting down trees and doing that kind of stuff and and, you know, I can train with it, all that kind of good stuff.

Bob DeMarco [00:54:32]:
Cutting down trees and scaring the bears away.

Jarrod Franklin [00:54:36]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:54:37]:
Well, Jared, it's been really nice talking to with you and catching up with you, and, I'm I'm I'm I'm I love all the designs I've seen, but just seeing the gunfighter you just had out, looks like, man, that's a sweet knife. I I really love the look of that, and it looks so easy to carry. Some people are, intimidated by carrying fixed blade knives, but the knife you were just showing off, the gunfighter just hold it up before I let you go real quick so people can see it again. Yes, sir. With that small, short curved handle, if you carry in the waistband, that's gonna be so kind on your love handles. Believe me. And, just small pocketable. Of course, it's, an aggressive design.

Bob DeMarco [00:55:22]:
You could use it that way, but, also, it would make a great EDC.

Jarrod Franklin [00:55:26]:
So Oh, absolutely. This thing is perfect for opening Amazon packages and all kinds of stuff.

Bob DeMarco [00:55:32]:
Yeah. It's a little honey. Alright. Well, thanks so much, Jared, for coming on the Knife Junkie podcast. I really appreciate it, and, we will talk to you soon. I can't wait to get one of your knives in hand and show it off to the world.

Jarrod Franklin [00:55:45]:
Man, thank you so much for having me. It's, it's been an honor.

Bob DeMarco [00:55:48]:
It's my pleasure. Take care, sir. Thank you.

Announcer [00:55:51]:
Adventure delivered. Your monthly subscription for hand picked outdoor, survival, EDC, and other cool gear from our expert team of outdoor professionals. The knifejunkie.com/battlebox.

Bob DeMarco [00:56:04]:
There he goes, ladies and gentlemen. Jared Franklin of Gunfighter Customs. Go to his, Instagram page, Gunfighter Customs, and pore over those pictures. They're awesome. It's really cool to see one off knife designs as well as, the recurring, the recurring models in their different treatments. That gunfighter is a little honey that just captured captured my heart. Alright. Be sure to join us on Sunday for another great conversation, Thursday night for Thursday night live, Thursday night knives, our livestream, and Wednesday for the midweek supplemental.

Bob DeMarco [00:56:38]:
For Jim working his magic behind the switcher, I'm Bob DeMarco saying until next time, don't take dull for an answer.

Announcer [00:56:45]:
Thanks for listening to the Knife Junkie podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review at review the podcast.com. For show notes for today's episode, additional resources, and to listen to past episodes, visit our website, the knifejunkie.com. You can also watch our latest videos on YouTube at the knifejunkie.com/youtube. Check out some great knife photos on the knifejunkie.com/instagram, and join our Facebook group at the knifejunkie.com/facebook. And if you have a question or comment, email them to bob at the knifejunkie dotcom or call our 247 listener line at 724-466-4487. And you may hear your comment or question answered on an upcoming episode of the Knife Junkie podcast.