There’s a “wow” factor as the morning sunlight hits one of Rick Schmidt’s cable forged knives, revealing the dramatic pattern created by forge welding the cable strands.

Schmidt’s knives have been catching people’s attention for decades and recently were showcased on the national outdoor stage through an article in the September issue of Petersen’s Hunting Magazine.

That same issue of the magazine has a full-page advertisement for Kimber on the back cover, featuring Schmidt in rugged outdoor gear and a gun over his shoulder. Schmidt, with his quintessential Montana mountain man persona, said with a smile that he just added male model to his resume.

To understand the artistry involved in Schmidt’s handcrafted knives, one has to go back to the beginning when he was a student at Whitefish High School. His father, Raymond Schmidt, operated Track Knives in a backyard shop at the family home in Whitefish.

“I was in that shop after school and on weekends from 1969 through 1974,” Schmidt recalled.

At the time his dad had a crew of seven knife makers who produced roughly 20 knives of various styles each day. All of them were shipped to Ethica Gun Co. in Ethica, New York, which was buying Track Knives’ entire production.

It was in that shop that Schmidt honed his skills as a knife maker. They produced primarily hunting knives, but also made fillet knives, steak knives and other styles. The small company manufactured castrating knives for the Texas Angus Association and a diving knife for Scuba Pro.

Schmidt, 61, worked at Track Knives alongside his father until 1981, when Track Knives was phased out and Schmidt Knives was founded with him, his dad and his brother.

“I’ve been making Schmidt Knives ever since,” he said.

He took a break from the knife business about eight years ago and delved into blacksmith work at his shop just east of Whitefish.

Schmidt followed in his father’s footsteps in more ways than embracing the craft of making knives. His father, who worked as a planer for Plum Creek Timber Co., was a skilled wood carver, floral designer, gardener, hunter and a fisherman with a passion for fly-tying that earned him acclaim in the local newspapers.

“Dad was my brother’s and my best friend,” he recalled. “When we were old enough, probably 5 or 6, he gave up his hunting buddies and took us with. We packed a knife and a lunch and followed him.”

Schmidt also took his cue from his father in finding ways to provide for his family, such as working as a hunting and fly-fishing guide and instructor — and as a skilled caterer — for 25 years.

It was a lifestyle that has allowed him to carve out ample time for hunting and fishing, just like his father had done.

Now that he’s received national recognition for his skill as a knife maker, Schmidt is ready for more calls but says he’s busy enough already without taking on a lot of new customers.

“I’m not going to try to make a knife for everyone,” he said. “Right now I’m taking custom orders. It’s mostly return clients.”

Word of mouth travels a long way in the outdoor world, and knife aficionados find their way to Schmidt’s door. And rightly so. His cable forged knives, crafted from 1-inch steel cable he got from a well-drilling company out of Louisiana, are sheer works of art. The cable strands of steel are forge-welded into blades with an exquisite pattern.

Schmidt also makes knives with the Damascus pattern welding process. Damascus steel originally was used centuries ago to create swords with distinctive patterns of banding and mottling that is reminiscent of flowing water. That same process is used today in knife-making.

“By folding the layers of steel, one being brittle and hard and the other softer and pliable, it creates a hard steel with some flexibility,” Schmidt explained.

He is passing on the trade to his son Jason, who is now “my No. 1 man in the shop,” Schmidt said. “He’s a good hand.”

Schmidt’s wife Linda also is an integral part of the business. She keeps the books, maintains a social media presence for Schmidt Knives (his Instagram handle is @schmidtknivesforge) and is an ardent admirer of her husband’s work.

“He’s creating art pieces,” she said with pride.

Knife making — and working with razor sharp edges — can be a bit hazardous from time to time, Schmidt said, showing the many scars on his hands. One particularly nasty cut on an index finger took 150 stitches to close.

Rather than a belt sander he uses a big stone grinder, mounted in cement and powered by a 5-horsepower motor.

“It’ll grind fingers as well as blades,” Schmidt noted, speaking from experience. “It has no conscience. I’m trying to make the process safer.”

No matter how busy his knife business is, Schmidt makes time for hunting white-tail deer — his favorite hunting passion — and flying-fishing the Flathead River system.

He no longer is in the catering business, though cooking with his wide array of cast iron kettles and pans is another favorite pastime.

Schmidt’s grandsons, McClean, 9, and Schafer, 7, Vandevoort, are the next generation to embrace the Montana way of life that began with their great-grandfather. Whether or not they’ll be knife makers remains to be seen, Schmidt said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com