Seth Cosmo Burton has always been interested in knives: even as a kid he carried a hatchet or knife with him and whittled knives out of wood. Since he forged his first ‘real’ finished knife in 1994 from a leaf spring of a 1957 Chevy, Seth has made over 1600 knives including a wide-variety of chef knives, fishing, hunting, utilitarian and art knives.
Seth runs Cosmo Knives out of his shop on Salt Spring Island, B.C. He’s been making knives full time since 1998 when he met and was inspired by master knife maker, Jay Fisher. While on a road trip to New Mexico, Seth was introduced to Jay and spent only a short time in his shop. Jay showed him some of his incredible creations and gave some recommendations about which tools to buy if he wished to pursue the vocation. He was also impressed by the integrity that Jay puts into everything-the blade, handle and sheath, which is something Seth brings to his craft.
When creating knives, Seth puts a lot of research into the function of the blade, as well as the fit and form of the handle. Blades are heat treated in an inert environment, with a triple temper and a sub-zero ice-quench. This helps in keeping edge retention and allows Seth to make a thinner tougher, harder blade. Blade steel Seth uses for his knives are 440C, ATS-34, S30,60.90V,and carbon steels, 1095, 15n20, 5160, LS and Damascus (stainless or carbon).
Seth makes his handles out of the best stable materials from around the world, including semi-precious stones, exotic stabilized woods, horn, antler and bone. Each knife is encased in a leather sheath with embossed patterns. He also makes presentation cases and display stands.
Some of Seth’s tools include a 1.5HP Hard-Core finishing grinder, a custom built 3HP roughing grinder, 12" disk grinder, a 6x48 belt grinder and a 10" buffer with a custom built duel 50 ton press and a 8"X12" rolling mill. In addition he has a custom two burner propane forge, sand blasting cabinet, and heat-treating kiln and diamond lapidary saws. A Boss hand stitcher helps in the leather work.
Recently Seth returned from Japan, which took his craft to an entire new level. There, he visited 14 knife makers and their studios and made two knives with them. Since his return, he’s been utilizing some of their tools and techniques, which is improving his efficiency and the sharpness of his edges.
In the summer, a large portion of Seth’s knife sales are from the Saturday market on Salt Spring where he sells or takes orders. He also sells knives through his website which can be found at www.cosmoknives.com.
