• Wildomar Conversations: KC Lund Blades

We strive to bring new and interesting stories to you. A couple of months back I was at an event in Temecula where various local chefs were competing against each other. 

While there I was chatting with the various vendors and met KC and Carla Lund of KC Lund Blades.

What a fascinating conversation I'd found myself part of, and learning that they were from The W (Wildomar for the uninitiated 😅) I knew that bringing the story of a local bladesmith to the community would be a great idea. (Maybe I should have gone with the bad pun and said a "sharp idea"? 🤔... yeah, NO!😁)

Anyhoo... KC, currently working as a Deputy of Riverside County Sheriff's Department, first got interested in bladesmithing when he was basically still a kid, it started with the idea of making swords. His inspiration was from scenes he'd seen in "b-movies".

Carla Lund looks on as KC explains molten salts to Bridgette Moore.

From there he went to a custom knife show and met a knife maker named Jim Hrisoulas, author of a book called The Complete Bladesmith.

There were no "master bladesmith" classes, so he's basically self-taught. Being that this was in the pre-internet days, that consisted of countless trips to libraries, joining knife clubs, and picking the brains of those that had decades under their belts.

In the video, KC speaks of different styles of blades and the basics of how he makes them. There are a couple of action shots where you'll see him take the bar of steel from the forge to the hammer, and then begin working on it.

An impressive thing to watch as the hammer meets the heated bar of steel.

Right as Covid was hitting the nation he was finishing up a 500 knife run that he called a backup. A blade that's intended to hide behind a trauma plate on a tactical vest. 

He also makes swords, bare blades, blades fitted out with hilts, and culinary knives. 

He made 800 knives for his friend Adam Perry Lang's restaurant in Hollywood. Wiki gives a quick description: Adam Perry Lang is a classically French-trained chef turned bona fide BBQ expert.

Carla does the marketing, sales, shipping, and all the behind-the-scenes things to complement KC's bladesmithing.

KCLundBlades.Com

More than twenty years ago KC and Carla chose Wildomar as their home specifically so they could build their bladesmithing shop, which is a sight to see for anyone that appreciates a well-put-together workshop. 

A look into the furnace.

Please watch the 10 minute video below to hear all the details and get a peek at KC in action. 

Side note... for those of you that make video. Yes, my color correction skills are woefully underdeveloped. 😅 😁

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"Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or by the handle."

– James Russell Lowell

Wildomar Rap suggests the best way to avoid mishaps with your knife is to leave it in the kitchen drawer when shopping at Stater Brothers. 

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