Photos by JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Matt Roberts learned knife-making skills at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Arkansas. His knives range in price from $250 to $1,000.

Matt Roberts shapes a knife on a belt sander in Floyd, where his workshop is located.

| Mary Hardbarger

mary.hardbarger@roanoke.com, 381-1679

FLOYD -- The smell of smoldering steel filled the room as bright orange sparks plummeted to the concrete floor.

The hum of a window fan was interrupted by the ear-piercing and skin-tingling sound of metal on metal.

Matt Roberts remained oblivious to this environment while taking precise and mechanical swings at a piece of steel in his hand.

One by one, each hit began to transform the scorching piece of metal into a makeshift knife. After every few whacks, the knife was placed back into the homemade furnace fueled by propane, air and a hair dryer.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of dress shoes, the 29-year-old didn't quite come off as a rugged knife maker that one might imagine.

In fact, knife making is just a hobby of Roberts -- his occupation is a criminal defense attorney.

"I think I'm the only lawyer on Earth who makes knives," he said.

Born in northwest Ohio, Roberts graduated from Xavier University and then went to law school at the University of Toledo.

Today, he lives in Christiansburg, has a law practice in Blacksburg and has a workshop in Floyd..

With a family background in law -- his grandfather is a judge and his father is a lawyer -- Roberts sought out knife skills on his own. While growing up, he started to collect knives, and it wasn't until college that he realized that knives could be made by hand.

"All little boys love knives," Roberts said.

Roberts learned knife-making skills at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Arkansas.

His newfound hobby would later go on to pay for his three years of law school.

Roberts said it took him awhile to catch on to the trade.

"The first couple of years I was making awful knives," he said. "You've got to practice, like anything else, to get better."

Today, his practice has paid off, and he's selling knives like crazy even though he still insists he's never made the "perfect" knife.

"They're always flawed," he said. "I want them to come out perfect, but they never do."

Despite what he calls "flawed," his knives are beautiful and very popular, especially overseas. He has knives in 25 countries.

His knives are currently back-ordered about a year. They range in price from $250 to $1,000, depending on size, shape and complexity, and are mostly bought by collectors.

Because of the economic downturn, Roberts said most buyers are purchasing entry-level knives as opposed to his larger, more detailed pieces.

A couple of years ago, he entered the Atlanta Blade Show and won the title of "Best New Maker."

The process for making a knife is long and labor intensive.

Roberts starts out with a sketch of a knife and then transfers it onto a piece of cardboard. From there, he goes on to create both traditional Japanese- and classic American-style knives.

Robert's work space -- a garage owned by his girlfriend's family -- is packed with equipment.

There's the $10,000 pneumatic forging hammer, the abrasive grinder, the heat-treating oven and containers full of wood and steel. All are used to make small knives to long, swordlike daggers.

From the smooth, sanded wood handles to the intricate patterns adorned on the blades, each knife is unique and 100 percent handmade.

Although still young and energetic, Roberts admits he's getting a little old for the knife-making business.

The heavy machinery, pounding hammers and scorching heat have taken a toll on him, especially his hands.

"It takes a lot out of me," Roberts said. "I've put a lot into it ... a lot of time and a lot of my life."

Roberts said he'll continue to make knives, especially since he said he's making more from his hobby than his actual job.

"I've made more knives than I can count," he said.

Kim Sherman has been dating Roberts for about 18 months, and in that time, she has seen his determination and his artistic abilities.

"You either have it or you don't," Sherman said about Roberts' skills. "And he has it."

Sherman said that his leadership abilities and dedication to his work have led to his success.

"When he's not making knives, he's looking at knife magazines or showing me a new knife," she said.

Online: www.robertsknives.com