Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine

Blind Horse Knives finding its niche
By Larry Claypool, OVO Editor

STEUBENVILLE, OH — L.T. Wright and Dan Coppins want to sell you a knife. Actually their goal is to sell everyone a knife. A big task, sure it is. But, for this pair of former custom stair builders, they’ve put everything on the line, including their full-time jobs, to build custom knives for a living. In June 2007 Wright and Coppins formed Blind Horse Knives and they haven’t looked back yet. They’re making a living too.
With the help of family members and several veteran knife makers — who didn’t mind sharing trade secrets — Wright and Coppins put their talents together to build custom knives — from scratch. Despite making very sharp objects by hand of tool steel and beautiful handles of various materials, the duo can crank out as many as 100 custom knives in one month.

Custom work, custom building anything can be very tedious work. It’s all about building a perfect piece each time. Wright says that’s what makes a Blind Horse knife so special. “We’re both perfectionists,” said Wright from his home in Steubenville, Ohio where his shop is located. Coppins also has a shop at his home in Cambridge, Ohio. “You know you’re getting a quality knife because our name is on that knife.”

Wright said both he and Coppins formed a personal bond while working for a custom stair company. As they worked together discussions progressed about their desire to be self-employed. They also grew fond of each other’s knowledge, attention to detail and craftsmanship.
The custom knives begin as a steel blank that is sharpened and shaped through multiple steps and hours of grinding and polishing. Handles are also shaped and finished from scratch. Both men work on all steps to finish each knife. Wright says Coppin might be a little better at sharpening the steel. “Dan can out-sharpen me like crazy,” said Wright of his partner.

With both men living about 70 miles apart, Wright said they each work on a group of knives and meet 1-2 times a week to exchange their work and finish items at their respective shops. “We meet at least once a week on (state) Route 22. We have a place that’s halfway. We exchange things we’re working on, talk about things we need to and head home,” said Wright.

Because of Coppins’ hunting background, Blind Horse features a collection of hunting knives. An avid hunter, Coppins grew up in Vermont and moved to Ohio to open a whitetail deer farm near Cambridge. The Blind Horse feature knife is the Whitetail Classic, a 8 1/2 inch knife that retails for $200. They also feature the Large Workhorse knife (8 7/8” for $148) and Small Workhorse (6 3/4”) for $112. A unique Frontier Patch knife, made of 4140 steel, sells for $40 and has an “Ancient Mountainman Technique” blade finish and elk antler handle. The Tiger Knapp 6 3/4” knife also has a unique, rough finish and sells for just $20.
“Whether you have $20 or $500 in your pocket, we have something on our table for everyone,” said Wright. “People use knives everyday. We’re just looking to find our niche.”

That’s why Blind Horse would like to put one of its knifes in everyone’s hands. “We’d like to make kitchen knives and cutlery too. Everyone needs a good set of kitchen knives. We want to be an all-around knife company. Our goal is definitely to become America’s knife company,” added Wright.
While much of Wright and Coppins’ time is spent on making custom knives, they also feature custom repair work, knife sharpening and reconditioning knifes and custom leather and sheath work. Coppins and his wife, Judy, do much of the leather work. They cut and stitch all of their own sheaths. Wright’s wife, Elaine, assists with accounting for the business.

Coppins said their short term goal is to build their own grinder, and someday mass-produce the grinder to fill a void in the industry. “Right now you can buy a belt grinder for $1,200 up to $100,000. We can make a grinder to fill in the middle there. I think we can get a machine to fill that gap,” said Coppins.
The long term goal is to build a “Blind Horse factory” on a farm that would add jobs, according to Wright. “We want to give back. We’d like to get to that point where we could help others. On the farm, we’d like to bring kids in and introduce them to outdoor skills. We want to show them good values,” said Wright.

With Blind Horse based in Ohio, Wright said the company tries to use local businesses, and products, to produce the knives. The steel is heat treated in Meadville, Pa. by Peter’s Heat Treat; the blanks are cut by IGS Laser Cut of Washington, Pa.; laser engraving is provided by Custom Laser Engraving of Imperial, Pa.; black coating is done by KWM Works of Cadiz, Ohio; leather is purchased from Weaver’s Leather of Mt. Hope, Ohio and stamps are made by Buckeye Engraving of Brimfield, Ohio. Locally, Wright says he gets parts and supplies from M & M Hardware of Steubenville and Orme’s Hardware of Cambridge.
To inquire about Blind Horse products, see the Website at www.blindhorseknives.com or call Wright at 740-219-1141 or Coppins at 740-680-2467.