Scott Helms, working under the shop name WK ForgeWorks, has only been a full-time maker for a year and a half, and only started making knives in 2017 – but in that time he has managed to make a major impression on customers thanks to a user-first mentality and love for the craft in all its forms.
“The first time I got behind an anvil was in 2017,” Helms says. “That was the start of the hobby and the first time I ever moved metal.” In fact, ‘hobby’ is the key word here, because Helms never saw a future where he would be what he is now: a professional knife maker. “It started as a hobby that was meant to pay for itself,” he tells us. “It was never designed to be a business, it was always intended to be fun.” Without the support and suggestions of his wife, Helms may never have taken his first, perhaps most important, step towards the WK ForgeWorks of today: grabbing a table at a nearby arts and crafts show.
“I had no idea what to expect,” Helms recalls. “I had never done anything like that before so I decided to just be myself.” An arts and crafts show may not seem like the traditional venue for selling knives, but in fact Helms sold out on that first show – and did it again the next year, and the next, right up until present day, in fact. “People who bought a knife at that first show come back every year to support me,” says Helm. “Whenever I go to that show I have to be prepared with at least 100 knives.”
After that first major success, Helms added a few more shows to his calendar, continued to accrue customers, and garnered more eyes on his work. In 2019, a mere two years since first moving metal, Helms appeared on an episode Forged in Fire – and, although he did not take the top prize, he says he came out of the experience with something much more valuable: utter faith in the work he was doing. “I went home with zero fear about breaking my knives or testing them past their limit,” Helms recalls. “That’s when I first put my logo on my knives – I finally felt confident enough in them to put my name there.”
That was another step towards the unexpected place Helms finds himself today. In January of 2025, he left his job of 15 years to make knives full time. “Strangely enough I always said I never wanted to do this full time, but I came to the point where I needed to either grow, or draw back on it,” Helms says. “The stars aligned, the world changed.” In 2026, WK ForgeWorks is a small-batch knife shop, with a steady output across seven or so core models in both custom and stock removal tiers. Knives in both tiers are users through and through, but they stand out with some of the most eye-catching color schemes and visual themes in the biz. Looking for a lego-themed sheath? Helms has you covered – just make sure you take the WK ForgeWorks knife in that sheath with you on your next adventure. “If you want to make a knife of mine a case queen, good for you – but please, take it into the woods with you.”
Helms wants to see his knives persist across generations too. “I’m very blessed and grateful to be a part of peoples’ adventures and stories,” he says. “Long after I’m gone, nobody will know my name, but a WK ForgeWorks knife will have gone through several family members’ hands. They won’t remember who made it but they’ll know it was grampa’s knife.”
Knife in Featured Image: WK ForgeWorks Little Bird
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