Restauration Knife

Restauration Knife, possibly with a piece of deck plank in the handle or wooden box

The knife was important and always with sailors on ships in the 1800s.

Restauration knives are numbered.
They feature a handcrafted wooden handle, hand-forged knife blade, and a handcrafted sheath with Restauration engraved on it.
You can choose if you want a piece of recently replaced deck plank from Restauration embedded in the wooden handle.

Handcrafted wooden box for the knife, or for example, jewelry with a piece of deck plank from Restauration embedded.

The entire knife, sheath, and wooden box are handcrafted in Norway.

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Knife with “Restauration” and either “1825”, “1825-2025” or without on the sheath.
Handcrafted wooden handle, hand-forged blade, and handmade sheath by craftsman/knife maker Gunvald Olufsen in Farsund.
(** More info about how it’s made in the bottom of this page.)

The knife was an essential tool for sailors in the 1800s, which, combined with the sailor’s skill, helped ensure efficient operation and safety on board ships.

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The knives are numbered.

Handcrafted wooden handle in various types of wood and patterns.
(Alternatively, it is possible to have a custom-made handle from wood if you can provide it from the place / family farm your family comes from, Tysvær where Cleng Peerson came from, ….)

Possibility to engrave family names if desired. The picture shows both sheaths with 1825-2025 (at the bottom tip) and without.
Can also be obtained with just 1825 if desired.

Knives are usually available on board the “Restauration” at events, etc., where you can take a closer look at the beautiful craftsmanship.

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John Isaksen received knife number 2 as a gift from Albert Medhaug on September 18, 2023, aboard his pleasure boat in Fairhaven, MASS. The knife had been used by the Norwegian Fisheries and Ocean Minister to open Albert Medhaug’s photo exhibition on board the “Restauration” about the emigration from Karmøy to the USA. John’s parents emigrated from Skudeneshavn and Hidra, Flekkefjord. Born in 1936 in Brooklyn, NY, John grew up in Fairhaven, where he and his father were scallop fishermen. John’s wife, Ellen Risdal Isaksen, born in 1938 in Tarrytown, NY, also has ties to Fairhaven. Her father, Nils, born in 1905, emigrated from Risdal, Skudenes, in 1924. Ellen’s parents, including her father who was a scallop fisherman, moved from New York to Fairhaven.

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If you’re interested in purchasing a unique handmade and numbered piece, contact Restauration Friends Association at post@restauration.no or the knive maker directly at gunvald.olufsen@icloud.com.

Price for the “standard” model is USD 182,5 or NOK 1,950 (+ eventually shipping costs).

Information about the forge and the environment where the knives are made

See photos at the bottom of the article from the forge and the houses built in traditional style with sod roofs (local newspaper Lister24.no).
And in the photos, you’ll find the knifemaker in the forge and knives made by architecture students who regulary visit on student trips. (Article form Lister24.no

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Read more about how the knife accompanied its owner even during the migration to America.