RW Wilson Horn Handle trailing point Handmade Knife .  This is an original RW Wilson handmade hunting knife.  Horn handle with black, red and white micarta inlay.  Polished and stamped.  I bought this knife personally directly from RW Wilson.  This is an authentic knife. The blade is 4" long, and the handle is 4" long.  

History of RW Wilson.

RW Wilson began shooting muzzle loader rifles in 1965.  It was suggested by his friends to get the typical tomahawk and knife to go along with it.  What he learned was that there were no knives suitable to his taste.  In 1966, when he finally found one he liked, the price tag of $30 was not acceptable.  In light of his history working at Weirton Steel Mill as a blacksmith’s assistant, he knew that he had the skills to make his own knife at a much lower cost.  So, he set out to accomplish just that.  He put his best craftsmanship into the knife and ended up selling it for $35.  When he made a second to replace the first, it also was purchased.  Before he knew it, he realized he had become a knife-maker.  As he crafted more and more knives, he never sacrificed the craftsmanship, each one being made as though it was for his own use.

     It wasn’t long before RW decided it was time for the tomahawk to complete his muzzleloader set that started this all.  In 1968, the first RW Wilson Tomahawk was made.  Following RW’s typical fashion, each tomahawk was crafted with the highest attention to detail.

The tomahawk took first place as RW Wilson’s passion because of its authentic colonial design.  Each piece brings you back to the “old” days where life was simple, rustic, and pure.  Holding one, you could almost believe you were one of the Native American Indian chiefs who used to bear such a weapon.  In fact, if you were to watch the 1973 Warner Brothers film, “Jeremiah Johnson,” (pictured above) which recaps that time in our nation’s history, you would get to see an actual RW Wilson Tomahawk.  RW was contracted to hand-craft 16 tomahawks for that film.  Only 3 of them were returned to him, one of which still showed a little leftover “blood” from the action. The history didn’t stop there.  For the 150th anniversary of the Texas Rangers, possibly the highest regarded law enforcement agency in our country, 500 of the first-ever commemorative tomahawks were created.  RW crafted each one, his largest order to date, with the “Texas Ranger Star” in the handle.

     In a short time, RW Wilson became a well known name in the knife-making world.  He even became one of the first members of the Knife Maker’s Guild, now a highly coveted achievement by knife makers across the country. After 1973, the demand for RW Wilson Tomahawks became more than he could make at once.  Refusing to sacrifice the quality of his work, or the passion for his craft, he made the decision to stop taking orders.  For close to 30 years, RW Wilson quit making tomahawks.  It was until about 2010 that he began again and has since made more than 30 tomahawks.  Things have changed, of course, since his first methods of tomahawk making.  In the early years, for example, he used sand-cast heads.  Now, he uses die-cast and hand-forged heads that he makes with the help of a craftsman by the name of Bobby Smothers, a student of his whom also makes tomahawks and knives.

     If you want to see RW today, you will find him in one of two places.  He spends most of his retirement days in his little basement garage crafting knives and tomahawks.  The work space is filled with grinders that RW designed and built himself just for his craft.  Again, calling on his experience building machinery for Weirton Steel Corporation, he built the machine that he couldn’t find anywhere else.  To this day, he still claims it’s the best there is.  His students usually agree. “Students?” you may ask.  Yes, students.  RW taught interested craftsmen in his home from time to time.  He had always been asked how he gets such a good polish, or how he gets this piece to do that, and more. He quickly realized that he did a better job at showing than telling, so he began inviting folks over to see it for themselves.  At the present time, RW is not teaching classes anymore.  He is constantly running and moving.  You would never know he is over 70!
​
     This brings us to the second place RW spends time…The Big Shows.  RW travels the country for weeks at a time, setting up his exhibit of custom knives and tomahawks, as well as all of his supplies for fellow craftsmen.  This is where the magic happens.  The knife and gun shows are where RW has met most of his knife-making friends and students.  It is where folks get to see the wonderful pieces of art he creates, and purchase them if they want a piece of history for their own.  Of course, there are many useful knives to choose from, not just display pieces.  It’s all in what you want.  You can even order one custom to your own liking!  But the more details you want, the more money you’ll need to spend because of the amount of craftsmanship that must go into it.  Right now, you could pay anywhere from $150 to $5,000 for just one RW Wilson knife or tomahawk.