Couple’s unique art a cut above the rest
Hennie van Aarde and his wife, Elaine, work together to create unique, handmade knives and sheaths.
POLOKWANE – Hennie, an avid hunter, started making the knives after he retired as a hobby to keep himself busy. Elaine makes the sheaths or pockets for each knife.
“My wife, Elaine, saw I was just whittling the days away and she recommended that I find something to occupy my time with. Because I grew up on a farm, I know how to hunt and fish and I decided to put these skills to good use by creating unique knives,” Hennie explained.
When he first started making knives, he admits that his skills were lacking and he decided to enroll in a knifemaking course in Pretoria in order to perfect his craft.
After he completed the course, he bought specialised machines to assist him with making knives and to date, he has made 287 knives which he says can be used for almost any purpose.
“I use high quality steel from Sweden. It takes around a day to make one knife.,” he explained.
His special handmade knives are priced between R950 to R1 300. He can also do engravings and each knife comes with a special handmade pocket.
