Recently my friend Sverre Solgård sent me photos of a custom folding knife that was made for him by puukkoseppamestari Pekka Tuominen. It’s a special knife that is a custom version of a production knife Pekka designed for Spyderco. It’s called the Nilakka, named after a lake in Finland. Spyderco asked Pekka to design this knife as sort of a folding puukko featuring the aesthetics and elegance of the classic Finnish puukko.
The knife Pekka designed for Spyderco uses machined G10 scales, stainless steel liners and CPM S30V stainless steel for the blade. Sverre liked Pekka’s design so much he asked him to make one as a custom order and the result is the beautiful piece featured in this post.
Sverre Solgård:
“Once I saw the Spyderco Nilakka folding knife, I knew I had to have one. I’ve been using Spyderco knives since the mid 90`s, and the Scandinavian look of the Nilakka model was appealing. Although I have always enjoyed the old Spydercos, the finish of my new one was not as expected. The first thing I did was to disassemble the knife, polish all the parts and edges and lubricate them to make them run smoother. Also I dyed the G10 scales black. Once assembled again, it worked just fine and have been a companion for many fishing trips.
The original Nilakka knife made by Pekka Tuominen, has the same Scandinavian design, but with superb craftsmanship. (The hole in the blade is patented by Spyderco and Pekka uses this feature by license. ) This handmade version is something completely different from the Spyderco version so I finally asked Pekka to make one for me. Luckily he did.
The one he made has a blade of superior quality, RWL34 steel. I have used this steel in many other knives earlier, and it is super tough. The handle is made from moose antlers with a beautiful blue-grey and cream white hue. The liners are titanium, and the action is very smooth indeed. It feels rock solid and the finish is just stunning.”
Here are some photos of the Nilakka and also some scenes from Norway where Sverre lives. I always enjoy his photographs of Norway and asked him for some photos to include in this post.
nordiska knivar 