JEAN WILKE – YOUNG BLADESMAN
If you are lucky in life you will find your passion at a young age.
It is not often that you will meet someone with a true passion for the gift they have received. However, Jean Wilke is such a person. At the tender age of just 16 this young man is a knife maker with exceptional skills.
It all started in 2016 when Jean saw the TV reality series Forged in Fire for the first time. He was immediately hooked. Having dyslexia he obviously did not read the warning which said: “Do not try this at home!”
Unlike other teenagers, this was not merely a passing interest, but a burning passion that over time just grew stronger. For his 14th birthday Jean received a special gift from his parents – a half-day course, namely Introduction to Blacksmithing, presented by Dennis Kriel. That was Jean’s first steps as a knife maker and he has not looked back since. Using a coffee-tin forge and a piece of railway track as an anvil, Jean soon produced extraordinary knives and caught the attention of well-known knife makers such as Neels van den Bergh and Etienne Vorster.
After completing a one-day course with Neels in 2016 and a two-day grinding course with Etienne in 2017, the quality of Jean’s knives improved by leaps and bounds. Hungry to learn even more he was constantly watching YouTube videos by international knife makers and always trying something new.
For his 15th birthday, Jean received an anvil, blacksmith
tongs and safety boots from his parents. Definitely not your average gift for a 15 year old!
NOT JUST A HOBBY
But Jean was on track to make knife making more than just a hobby. In April 2017 he made a special knife and participated in the Shave with a Blade event, helping to raise funds for stemcell treatment for renowned knife makers Kevin and Heather Harvey’s niece. It was the first time Jean had ever shaved, and it was with a blade he had made himself! He nearly gave his dad a heart attack!
Shortly afterwards he exhibited his handy work at the Baobab Custom Knife Show for the first time and won the award for the best fixed blade in the novice category. Selling knives left, right and centre, this young man was suddenly on the map. A month later at the Brooklyn Knife Show, he was one of only two knife makers who sold all their knives. That year he also received enough orders to keep him occupied during the entire December school holidays. Still, more orders were pouring in, even from across the border in Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. People in Namibia were especially impressed with his products and mostly ordered camp knives, hunting knives and braai sets.
THE YEAR SO FAR
So far 2018 has been a roller coaster year for Jean. In January he attended a two-week introduction to bladesmithing ABS course with Kevin and Heather Harvey, ABS Master Smiths, and successfully passed the cut and bend test required to complete the course. The quality of his knives rapidly increased after completing the course, and he constantly had to juggle schoolwork, exams and new orders. In April 2018 he was lucky enough to take over a fully-equipped workshop from a retired knife maker. Since then Jean’s family barely sees him as he spends most of his time in his workshop, creating and perfecting new blades.
BROADENING HIS HORIZONS
He has recently broadened his focus from not only making hunting and camp knives, but also making chef’s knives, as he has realised that there is a need for decent affordable knives in the catering market. He has already received his first order from the USA for a set of chef’s knives.
At the age of 17 Jean hopes to become the youngest ever member of the South African Knife Guild. The current record belongs to Tinus Herbst who was accepted at the age of 20. Jean also dreams of becoming one of the youngest Journeymen in the American Bladesmith Society. He has been working tirelessly towards these goals and those who know him are sure that he will become a name to be reckoned with in the knife making world.
Here, in Jean’s own words, is more information about him as a person and knife maker:
How can you claim to be a knife maker at age 16? I feel that I can call myself a knife maker because of all the courses I have completed, research I have done and the time I have put into knife making. I have already completed more than 100 knives, even though I have only been making knives for about two years.
What are your short-, mediumand long-term goals? My short-term goal is to finish school. I find that much harder than making knives! My medium-term goals are to become a member of the South African Knife Makers Guild, and to become a Journeyman in the American Bladesmith Society. Longterm goals are to become a Master Smith in the American Bladesmith Society and to become a fulltime knife maker.
How do you balance your schoolwork and knife making? That’s difficult. My teachers don’t always understand that knife making is my first love. On a serious note though – the most important thing is still my schoolwork, so knife making generally happens on Saturdays and during holidays. Sometimes I might have time during the week if the teachers don’t give us too much homework! I must mention though, »
» that I receive amazing support from all the teachers at Eduplex High School.
Do you have any other hobbies besides knife making? I love playing rugby, with hooker being my favourite position. I also enjoy golf, and my handicap should be lower than the current 18, but I don’t get enough time to play and practise. I am a keen scuba diver. My business name, Fire-Goby-Forge, comes from this hobby, as a fire goby is a small fish found in the waters on the east coast of South Africa. I love seeing this little fish and thought it was a good fit as a name for my business.
Where and how can people get hold of your knives? The best way is to keep track of me on my Fire-Goby-Forge Facebook page. I am also at most of the knife shows in Pretoria. Unfortunately I am not able to make knives on order, as I can’t guarantee delivery dates while I am at school. I have an international marketing manager (my dad) and a marketing manager in Namibia, Morné van der Merwe. He is my best client in Namibia, and between the two of them they sell knives faster than I can make them.
What is your favourite knife to make? I enjoy making camp knives, hunting knives and now also chef’s knives. My two favourite knives are the Harry Wolhuter replica (Google Harry Wolhu- ter’s story – he killed a lion with such a knife) and a knife of my own design called the “User”. This knife can be used as a fighter, a hunter, or even just to slice a tomato. Users are very popular with clients and are some of my bestsellers.
What knife making equipment do you have? I am very lucky. Last year my dad bought me a Herbst Ultimate Grinder, and for my 16th birthday he managed to buy an entire workshop from a retired knife maker! This, together with equipment that I have bought myself such as a drill press, resulted in me having an awesome workshop, to such an extent that other knife makers come to work in my shop.
Do you make the leather sheaths for your knives? I am supposed to do it myself, but at this stage my mom makes all the sheaths for my knives. Sometimes I wonder who enjoys the knife and sheath making the most, my mother or me. Her sheaths are amazing and always compliment the knives.