By Tim Stetzer
If you're a knife person, you know that knifemakers and knife companies can have a celebrity all their own. It's not uncommon to gain loyal and sometimes even cult-like followings. Heck, some makers even have their own fan clubs.
The Pout House from L.T. Wright Knives is one of those. I'd classify it more like a family than a cult, though. They even have a family reunion of sorts every spring at an event they call The Pouting.
Who is LTWK?
If you aren't familiar with L.T. Wright Knives, they're a small business based out of Wintersville, Ohio. It was started by L.T. Wright (thus the name) who began as a custom knifemaker back in the 1990's. I first met L.T. at a local gun show when he was working by himself, in a small shop in his basement. Times have certainly changed through the years. Now he and his wife Elaine employee 12 people and operate out of nearly 5,000 feet of shop space encompassing two buildings. Despite the growth, all of their knives are still had hand built by L.T. and his crew.
While blade blanks are either water or laser cut, and they do some CNC handle work, everything is assembled by hand. Handles are hand finished, and blades are hand ground and sharpened. They use a variety of steels ranging from 1075 carbon steel, through O1 and A2 tool steels, to Swedish stainless steels like 12c27 and AEB-L, all the way up to premium steels like S35V and MagnaCut. Handles are typically micarta or G10 with a vast array of combinations and options. Heat treat is done by Peter's Heat Treat in Meadville, PA, Kowalski Heat Treating in Cleveland, OH or in LTWK's in-house ovens. Leather sheaths are made by JRE Industries in Schaumberg, Illinois, and Kydex sheaths are made in-house. Everything else is done at the shop in Wintersville.
LTWK primarily focuses on hunting and bushcraft style knives. In fact, the LTWK Bushcrafter is a knife I designed back when they were a two-person shop. It was just a knife I wanted made for me and started out as a custom, but when other folks asking for them, they took off.
Since that time LTWK has added many models to their bushcraft and outdoor lines. Many are in-house designs, but they've also collaborated with outdoor instructors and other subject matter experts. LTWK has even worked with folks from the TV shows Dual Survival, Alone, and Les Stroud of Survivorman. In fact they have an outdoor kitchen knife line made in collaboration with Les and Chef Paul Rogalski based upon their show Wild Harvest.
The Pout House and the Pouting
So that's a brief rundown on LTWK, but what's the Pout House? It’s basically a collector and fan club of folks who are into LTWK knives. The name comes from an outbuilding on L.T.'s family farm. It's also the building you see on the LTWK logo. There's a yearly fee of $30.00 that gives you access to a private forum.
Aside from just having a place to chat with fellow knife enthusiasts and folks from the shop, the Pout House also offers special limited release knives and accessories and access to special semi-custom builds. Their "As You Wish" drops typically center on a specific knife model and then Pout House members get to pick from a variety of steels and handle materials to make the knife their own. The Pout House special logo is a key, and Pout House exclusive knives have the key stamp in addition to the regular LTWK logo.
Members also get sneak peaks at new knives and access to special events like the online "Virtual Vault" sales. Pout House members get early access to new releases and first dibs on slots in LTWK’s knifemaking classes as well. But wait, there's more. In addition to all of the other stuff there are monthly drawings for knives or gear and a yearly drawing for a custom built knife. Not bad for $30.00.
In addition to getting the inside scoop on LTWK, specials releases, and early info on new projects, Pout House members are also invited to the annual Pouting event. The Pouting started about eight years ago as a way for Pout House members to be able to get together with folks from the shop and hang out.
It's a three-day camp out that’s been held at North Bend State Park in Cairo, West Virginia in recent years. The event is hosted by L.T. and his wife Elaine, and generally includes a number of the guys from the shop as well. Glen "Spen" Stelzer (no relation, he spells his last name wrong) from JRE Industries is also a regular. Occasionally there will be other folks from the knife industry there, too.
While it may not be a surprise that a knife-focused event is male dominated, it’s definitely a family-friendly event. Folks bring their spouses and kids so the crowd is a mix of people and ages ranging from grade school kids up to octogenarians. This year’s group was right around 40 people. While the bulk of the attendees are from the east coast, the person who travelled the furthest this year came from Texas.
What Do You Do at a Pouting?
The Pouting is deliberately very low key. It really is a chance to come and relax, hang out with likeminded folks, and meet some of the people who make your favorite knives. There are scheduled events too, though, that you can do if you want to, but there's no pressure to do much of anything.
There are always a few classes taught every year. This year there was an off-road vehicle recovery course, a ham radio class, and a class on lock picking. There are also usually a few contests and chances to win some prizes. There's the annual slingshot contest, sponsored by Simple Shot sling shots, and the best camp dessert contest. There have been camp cooking and fire starting contests in the past as well.
The schedule varies from year to year, but there has been a wine tasting on Friday night at the last couple of Poutings with wine from the local Bonds Creek Winery, and typically at least one communal meal. In the evenings there's always a gathering where the LTWK folks give out prizes ranging from Pout House swag to custom knives. Everyone who attends gets raffle tickets for the drawing. I actually won a Bushcrafter (the knife I designed) which was pretty cool. I'm going to give it to my son rather than giving him one of my hand-me-downs.
Of course everyone at the Pouting gets to check out knives too. Attendees bring their best so you get see some great custom variations.You’ll also find discontinued models, one-offs and all sorts of neat stuff you might not otherwise encounter.
I asked folks to drop their LTWK knives on one of the picnic tables at one point and got more than I bargained for. I was thinking, put the one you were carrying on the table, but folks were excited to show off what they had and ran to their tents and cars and pulled lots out their stashes. It’s a chance to show off what you have to other folks who truly appreciate it.
One of the other fun things at The Pouting is the Trade Blanket. There’s time set aside on Friday and Saturday for folks to lay out all their knives and gear that they want to sell or trade. The bartering is usually pretty hot and heavy as guys get rid of stuff they don't need any more and buy or trade their way into the next thing they must have. It's a great chance to pick up some unique knives, tools, or camping gear. It's also lots of fun to watch the deals get made and see how many times gear changes hand.
How Can I attend?
If you ever wanted to get a chance to meet the folks who make knives, and hang out with other folks into your hobby, then the Pouting is well worth looking at. It really feels more like a big family reunion than a formal event. If camping isn't your thing, North Bend State Park also has a lodge and cabins available as well. All you have to do is sign up for the Pout House and you'll get the details in the forum for next year’s event. I know that's a year off at this point, but you'll have plenty of time before then to get to know the folks in the forum, and maybe pick up some unique knives from the monthly drawings, or limited drops or early access events.
