FOG HORN 2014

Twobirds Flying Publication

Copyright 2014, Towbirds Flying Publication. All Rights Reserved.
Thomas R. Bender Custom Knife Maker
By: Sal Palma



This has to be one of the more difficult articles
Ive had to write simply because there is so
much to talk about. So, I think Ill kick it off by
saying that unless you are an entertainment
industry insider, it is unlikely that youre familiar
with Tom Bender. Yet, this Van Nuys resident is
a talkative and engaging individual with an
amazing resume. I truly enjoy chatting with Tom
because he is such a down to earth friendly guy
that will talk your ear off. He also retains a
fabulously modest charter in spite of making his
Thomas R. Bender Custom Knife Maker
2014

Copyright 2014, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

living in an industry permeated by flamboyance,
pomposity and artificiality.
It would literally require a three page document
to list his work but Ill give just a few of the
movies.

Pirates of the Caribbean Black Powder
Transformers 2 Armorer
Chicago Overcoat Armorer
G Force Gun Tech
Wanted Gun Tech-Chicago
Death Sentence FX Tech
Transformers FX Powder
What Love Is Armorer
The Last Sentinel Armorer
Life and Death of Bobby Z Armorer
Miami Vice Armorer
Mission Impossible III Asst. Armorer
War of the Worlds Armorer
40 Year Old Virgin Propmaker

Its safe to say that Tom knows weapons,
explosives and props, and its with this
background he ventures into the mystical and
spiritual world of custom blades.
Readers, familiar with my edged weapon
reviews, know I often refer to knife makers as a
fusion of artisan, alchemist and shaman. In the
more extreme cases, these immensely creative
people remind me of sitting with a hippie in the
Height Ashbury discussing the meaning of life
and Ravi Shankar
1
plucking away at the sitar in
the background. Tom doesnt fit that bill; hes a
considerably more pragmatic guy.

1
Ravi Shankar
Given his lifelong work on the KA-BOOM side
of filmmaking, his affinity for stout knives
should not be surprising.
The keen eye will also spot the influence of
Japanese, Chinese and Cossack Shashka blade
styles in his creations.
When asked about metallurgy, Tom reveals his
steel preferences



I like to use a few different steels; 1080+
CruForgeV, 01 tool steel and 5160. I now
have a difficult time getting the sizes I like in
the 1080+ and CruForgeV. I always loved
working with tool steel. I like to double
temper the 1080+ and 01 and triple temper
the 5160 and CruForgeV

All of his knives are constructed from high
carbon steel and feature a full tang design.
Blade thickness is no less than 3/16 of an inch
but more often inch, so owners can expect a
Rockwell Hardness index of 55-57.
Im a huge fan of high carbon steels over the
more exotic formulations, for working knives,
because it strikes an excellent balance between
corrosion resistance, edge retention, hardness
and ease of sharpening.
Thomas R. Bender Custom Knife Maker
2014

Copyright 2014, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

Unique to Toms work is the complete absence
of grinding; Tom cuts then hones the chisel
knife edge by hand. Furthermore, nowhere in
the fabrication process does he use a buffing
wheel; all polishing is performed by hand. His
old world approach to bladesmithing supports
his philosophy and personal desires

As far as where I want to go with my
blades, now thats tough. Ive always been
word of mouth and never a big producer. I
am very old school with what I make and
one at a time
I dont know where this will lead but some
of those that have my blades dont want me
to stop. I guess I wont.

The working nature of his blades dictates an
abundance of jimping and Tom hand cuts
serrations along the top and bottom sides of
the tang.



When discussing his overall design concept,
Tom is quick to point out

I will only make full tang blades and will
cut serrations along the tang for grip and
leave the heads of the screws exposed to aid
in the gripping also. This was input of a
young man that worked out of Fort Bragg
due to his special situation. I also like to
keep the butt so that it can be gripped and
thrust as with a Shashka



Tom also likes using G10 for his handle material.
Each scale is cut and fitted over the full tang to
create a gripping surface with outstanding
control with or without a gloved hand.
All of his creations feature a flush pummel
drilled to accept 550 paracord.
As I mentioned before, if you want a Thomas R
Bender blade youll need to stand in line, but
your first step is to contact him via e-mail at
bendersu@earthlink.net
Youll go through a validation process before
you get to chat with Tom.
Tom Bender is an artisan and a wealth of
information; not to mention one heck of a nice
man.

-SP