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About UsWe are a small family owned and operated knife shop located at mile marker 76 of the Sterling Highway.
We specialize in Handmade knives by Paul Walsh, 3rd generation Alaskan Knife Maker. We offer most factory knife brands to include Knives of Alaska, Buck, Bubba Blades, Victorinox, Schrade, Cold Steel, Case, Gerber, SOG, Spyderco, Elk Ridge, CRKT, Boker, Mora, MTech Outdoor Edge and many others. We also offer professional sharpening while you wait of all knives, axes, hatchets, ulu's and machete's. |
Our History |
Paul is a 3rd generation knife maker raised in his grandfathers knife shop. His grandfather Irvin Campbell started the family business, "IRBI KNIVES", in 1968 while working on the north slope as an oil field welder. In his spare time on the slope he made his first knife out of a 12" Cresent wrench. He forged it into a blade and made a kitchen set for his wife, Paul's grandmother Clara Campbell. That started the family business.
In 1971 Irvin and his son Virgil built their shop at mile marker 20 of the Seward highway across from Kenai Lake. Paul remembers growing up in this shop listening intensely to his grandfathers countless stories. Stories about his Golden Eagle "Gamma", running a trap line across Kenai lake, raising 7 children in Idaho and many others. All this while looking at the beautiful works of art his grandfather had created and find the correct sheath for the knife someone just purchase. He remembers how excited he felt when someone would fall in love with one of the knives and how he dreamed of the day when someone was falling in love with a knife he made. In 1982 Paul, his mom and grandparents left Alaska on the next adventure. They moved to the Ozarks of Missouri. Irvin was a survivalist and wanted to build a bomb shelter out of a 400 foot deep cave. Paul and his mother Roni went along to help out. This was a culture shock to a young boy that had never been outside of Alaska. Paul and his mother stayed about a year before they moved to Boise Idaho where Paul finished school and made a home raising his children and grandchildren. Paul started making knives in 2010 after several careers as a pipe welder followed by 14 years as a land developer in the Boise area. When the real estate market crashed in 2008 Paul decide he want to do something he always dreamed about, making knives. He called his uncle Virgil Campbell who was and is now running the IRBI knife shop in Moose Pass. Virgil and Irvin had made a video for Paul's other uncle, Walter Campell, they called it "Knife Making 101 the Campbell way". Virgil sent the VHS to Paul who would watch a step and duplicate it in his shop in Idaho. Eventually Paul got to the point he could make something that resembled a knife. In 2012 Paul's uncle Walter called to inform him that he was going to retire and asked if Paul wanted to purchase his shop on the Sterling Highway that he and his wife, Paul's aunt Connie had built in 1997. So in 2013 Paul took over operation the family knife shop on the Sterling Highway. Paul and his sheath maker, Bob McCusker would come up from Idaho and run the shop from May to September. In 2016 Paul decided he needed to relocate to Alaska and run the shop year round. He now has set up the back room to make knives. This has been the most rewarding career Paul has ever had. He loves the interaction with people in the small shop. Meeting people from all over the world, telling them his history and showing off his now works of art. The most rewarding is help dads or grandfathers pick out the perfect knife for their children or grandchildren. It reminds Paul of the days he and his grandfather where bonding in the family shop in Moose Pass. |
