My Origin
My name is Wesley Barron. You might have seen me on History channel's “Forged in Fire: Knife or Death” season 2 episode 12 or “Forged in Fire” season 7 episode 10. I'm an apprentice ABS bladesmith and I’m the owner and founder of Str8 2 tha Point (Straight to the Point) Cutlery. I grew up (and still reside) in Georgia. I was a boy scout and I am a martial artist which means I'm very familiar with a multitude of different edged blades and their uses. Because of my background, I guess you could say, I’ve always needed a good blade in one way or another.
How I Got Into Knifemaking
I’ve always been a crafty person. I can still remember making and modifying toys and whittling weapons I'd seen in movies. Fast forward about a decade - I saw a video online of a guy making a shiv out of a butter knife, so of course I had to try it. After a lot of sweat, blood, tears, and butter knives (Sorry, Mom) I finally created something that kind of resembled a knife. One of my first attempts at forging was in my backyard using electrical conduit pipe. I didn't have an actual forge so I used my parents' brick grill for heat and an old plastic bucket for quenching. To my family's surprise (especially my sister's) I was able to shape that piece of pipe into a knife. The rest, as they say, is history .
What's Martial Arts Got To Do With It?
I’ve always had a fascination with blade-wielding warriors such as gladiators, knights, ninjas, berserkers, Native American warriors, Rajput, samurai, Cossack and musketeers. This (along with my intolerance for bullies) is one of the main reasons I got Involved in martial arts. Over a period of around 13 years, I've trained and/or studied Shotokan karate, Native American martial arts, a pinch of Krav Maga, a smidgen of European sword fighting and a bit of kali. I've also tried various forms of marksmanship. The knowledge I’ve earned from over the years is what I put into every knife I make.
My style comes from the ill mind of a nerd mixed with a graffiti artist and martial artist. It all starts with me, a pen and paper. However, the design evolves and develops as I make the blade. I always finish each blade with an edge. My goal for each design is that it looks good and performs as well as possible.