Dangerous Curves Ahead – A Joint Damascus Knife Project

Heather Harvey’s Damascus Knife

The humble beginnings. Making use of whatever we could.

Heather & Audra would like to thank their husbands Kevin and Mike for all their support and help in this endeavor. A big thank you to the people of the PIT, for welcoming Heather and Kevin with open arms. Thank you to our gopher Alex Felix, for providing all organic curves he could find and who could forget the President of the Fan Club, Margret Taylor.

Heavin (Heather and Kevin Harvey) ABS Master Bladesmiths
Phone: 013 253 0914
Vox: 087 808 4413
Fax: 086 524 2209
Skype: mastersmiths
www.heavinforge.co.za Heavin@heavinforge.co.za

“The Pit” is a dangerous place, just the name should send shivers down your spine. The name conjures up a place where gladiators do horrible things to each other. Well I had heard about “The Pit” and what went on there in the the Renaissance Waverly Hotel during the annual Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia. I had heard about big deals being done there between knifemakers and collectors. I had heard about the non-stop partying that went on dure the entire Blade Show in “The Pit”. I even believed the stories of Blade Show groupies not getting hotel rooms, but just hanging out in… “The Pit”.  I had even heard on good authority of a dare that was made in “The Pit” for a certain bladesmith to brown-eye everyone present while going up in the glass clad elevator!

For the first few years of my attending the Blade Show I had only looked in at “The Pit” but something magical happened in that lovely location on June 6 2004. My good friend and fellow lady Master Bladesmith with the ABS, Audra Draper and her husband Mike, invited Kevin and I in for a drink in “The Pit”. It is always easier to enter these scary places with a friend and some backup. We stepped in and were not pounced upon by any gladiators, but by friendly faces with offers of drinks. I nervously kept and eye on that glass clad elevator all evening.

We are simple folk from rural Africa who do not spend much time in bars, especially ones with the reputation like “The Pit”. Alcohol soon settled the nerves and an excess of that with the knowledge that we didn’t have to drive home (on the wrong side of the road – we drive on the left) soon prompted Audra and I to desigh a set of knives which we have callled “Dangerous Curves Ahead”.

We had a lot of help from people that I didn’t even know, luckily Audra knew them and they were all very friendly, free with drinks and ideas! A leaf from the shrubbery and wine glass soon became drawing tools and, what seemed like a great design then, was born, witnessed by many and approved by Audra and myself.

A warning to other knifemakers, do not design anything under the influence of alcohol, it may look good, but be almost impossible to make! Well it took many years for us to complete the knives, I made mine first and realized that it was not and easy knife to make. A big integral Damascus knife with impossible curves, but that was what it was about – dangerous curves! Lots of love Heather

Along with this beautiful boxed set of Damascus knives, there is the original pattern, and a hand-made book that Heather Harvey created.