A while back, the news came out that Great Eastern Cutlery would not be manufacturing any more SFOs (special factory orders) in the future. While I knew that they weren’t taking new dealers for a while, I was surprised to hear that there wouldn’t be Special Factory Orders for the typical dealers and producers. In particular, I was concerned that Charlie Campagna wouldn’t be able to continue his new Waynorth Cutlery brand.
Charlie has produced many of the most popular GEC knives. From TC barlows to Harness Jacks, Charlie’s designs have helped propel GEC to its current stratosphere of popularity. Recently Charlie created his own brand in Waynorth Cutlery. “Waynorth” is what Charlie uses as his online screen name, particularly on BladeForums. A few knives were made under Waynorth Cutlery, with only the #93 Lambfoot and #86 Black Jack having the Waynorth tang stamps.
I personally have been a fan of Charlie and his designs throughout my time as a GEC enthusiast. My first GEC was a TC barlow, and getting to talk with Charlie and see his collection was always a highlight of the yearly Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous. So one of my first thoughts when I realized GEC might not make any more SFOs for Charlie was wondering how I could help keep Waynorth Cutlery active.
The idea came to me to create some non-knife gear related to Waynorth Cutlery. I contacted Charlie to see if he would be alright with me producing some shirts with his Waynorth branding. We had a great conversation wherein he let me know that I had his blessing to go forward with the idea. Fast forward through several months of trying different ideas and designs, till a fellow GEC enthusiast offered to create digital illustration facsimiles of the Waynorth tang stamps. They turned out incredibly great, in my opinion, and I went ahead and set them up for purchase. I had used print on demand services previously both for Knife Thoughts and my normal job, and I am happy with the quality and service provided by Printful.
So, I’m happy to say that Waynorth Cutlery shirts are available now on Knife Thoughts! There are two versions; one in black heather with “OIL THE JOINTS” unframed as on the tangs, and the other in heather dust with “OIL THE JOINTS” framed with an outline. I think both options look great. The Bella + Canvas shirt is soft, comfortable, and fits well to my preferences.
These are not priced to make a huge profit on each shirt, but a portion of the profit from each will go directly to Charlie. I think these offer a great way to show your enthusiasm for Waynorth Cutlery, Charlie, and GEC. So, if you’d like to pick up a Waynorth Cutlery shirt for yourself, go to this link or to the Shop tab in the top menu. I hope you enjoy the shirts and I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!
