Business & Merchant

Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 15:50

Knife Business Becomes More Than a Pastime for Eighty Four’s Corbin Shinsky
By Christen M. Stroh

What started out as a hobby is turning out to be a nice source of both income and inspiration for 20-year-old Corbin Shinsky.

Corbin Shinsky displays his handcrafted knives at various gun shows and other venues throughout the year.

Corbin, a Ringgold High School graduate from Eighty Four who is an active member of the military, serving in the Air National Guard at the 171st Air National Guard base out of Pittsburgh, has always had a fascination with knives. He can recall, even as a boy at the age of eight, taking a piece of copper pipe from his father’s supply and fashioning it into a blade.

Corbin’s skills have increased since then, and over the past dozen years, he’s fine-tuned his craft to make custom-made knives that range in size, style, and materials used. For Christmas in December 2015, he felt confident enough in his abilities that he gifted several of his handmade knives to family members, and the response was so great that he decided to try his hand at selling them.

He started with a table at the Washington County gun show in April of 2015 and it has been nonstop since then. Knives by Corbin, as the business is named, has sold, since that gun show, at least 250 knives, with an average of one order per week coming in. Orders tend to increase after Corbin attends a show as well as around the holidays.

“Initially, I just wanted to get my name out there,” said Corbin. “I never expected to be where I am now. The response has been great, and I’m humbled by it, for sure.”

Corbin works on his knives in his shop, a renovated barn on his parents’ property in Eighty Four. A knife with a wooden handle and three-inch blade takes approximately four hours to make from scratch.

The materials Corbin uses can vary, especially for the handles. While he can and does make knives with handles made of wood, he prefers whitetail deer antlers to give his knives a more rustic and more unique look and feel, which also speaks to his love of hunting and the outdoors. Other materials include horseshoe and railroad spikes, elk antlers, and stone inlays. The sheaths, which are handmade as well, are crafted by his father, and are made of tanned leather.

Prices of the knives vary based on the size of the knife and the materials used, and the knives, which are sturdy and durable, are not simply for decoration, though they are certainly pretty enough to be displayed. “My knives are definitely meant to be used,” said Corbin, who takes pride in the fact that all his knives are completely made from scratch; other knife-makers will sometimes make only the handles and will order the blades from a third-party vendor.

So far, news of Corbin’s knives has spread primarily by word of mouth, but the word is definitely out there. Recently, Bushy Run Battlefield placed a sizable order for their gift shop along with Hot Metal Harley Davidson asking for product. Knives by Corbin will be in Murphy Trailer Sales in Indiana, and soon will be in Kane Depot gift shop as well as the Kinzua gift shop. Word of mouth has traveled from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, New York and Colorado!

While Corbin handles making the knives and his father makes the sheaths, his mother, Lorie, is also involved, handling much of the PR for Knives by Corbin. She notes, of Corbin’s success, “As a parent, you always want your children to do well. Corbin amazes his family and friends everyday with his artistic ability. Being 19 and starting a business was wonderful to watch through my eyes. My husband and I cannot be more proud of this fine young man.”

Corbin will continue to display his knives at gun shows, but he’s also lined up some other great events for 2017; he’s been invited to attend all local NRA banquets and has become involved with Pheasants Forever, along with local Elk Foundation. Importantly, he’s already been accepted to set up his display at the Whiskey Rebellion Festival, held in Washington, PA every summer. More information on both where Corbin displays his products and what he makes can be found online at www.knivesbycorbin.net.