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South African knifemaker Helgard Mostert (b. 1965) was born in Reitz, Free State, South Africa. In 1980, he moved to Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province, where he and his family engaged in game farming and professional hunting. This allowed him to understand the importance of a good knife at an early age. He completed army training at 7 South African Infantry Battalion in 1985 when he was 20 years old. Afterwards he earned an agriculture diploma from Potchefstroom Agriculture College in 1987.
In 1990, Helgard married Ida, eventually leading them to relocate to Bela-Bela in Limpopo Province in 2004. Together they started a farm breeding parrots and small antelope, known as the Tiny Ten. Their passion for knifemaking ignited after seeing an article in the local newspaper about the annual knife show for the Knifemakers’ Guild of Southern Africa at the Mosaiek Lifestyle Centre. Seeing the incredible knives on display at the show led Helgard to start experimenting with making his own fixed blade knives. He later honed his skills in slipjoint folder making through a course at Herbst Knives.
At a later Guild show, Helgard and Ida met André and Marietjie Thorburn. To their surprise, the Thorburns live in the same town and they became close friends and Andre became Helgard’s mentor. Under André’s guidance, Helgard learned to create linerlock folders of fantastic quality. Andre and Marietjie encouraged Ida Mostert, a talented artist in her own right, to try her hand at engraving, bulino, and scrimshaw on Helgard’s knives. The results have been incredible!
In 2022, Helgard became a member of the Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa, with Ida joining as an associate member for her engraving. Helgard received the award for Best New Knifemaker at the 2022 Guild show, showing his exceptional progress learning from Andre Thorburn. Together, Helgard and Ida strive for perfection, creating unique, one-of-a-kind art knives. Helgard is dedicated to using only the highest quality materials, including damascus, various cutlery steels, mammoth ivory, and unique exotic woods. The blades are hand ground and liners are typically fileworked by hand. Often the scales, bolsters, and pocket clips are adorned with Ida’s hand engraved artwork or scrimshaw. Since 2022, Helgard and Ida continue running their farm as a full-time job while making knives part-time.
Awards:
Affiliations:
Gladiator Woman Front Flipper with Scrimshaw and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) |
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H-11 Front Flipper with Stainless Damascus, Black Camo FatCarbon, and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-01 Flipper with Arctic Storm FatCarbon and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-02 Celtic Knot Engraved Front Flipper with Copper Flake FatCarbon |
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HI-02 Engraved Front Flipper - "The Rose" with Turkish Walnut (Ceramic IKBS) - M390 |
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HI-02 Front Flipper with Cowgirl Scrimshaw and Engraved Titanium |
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HI-03 Celtic Cross Flipper with Carbon Fiber |
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HI-03 Engraved Front Flipper with Damascus and Ironwood (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-04 Engraved Front Flipper with Purple Dark Matter FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-04 Front Flipper with Copper Dark Matter FatCarbon and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) - M390 |
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HI-04 Front Flipper with Damascus, Maple Burl, and Engraved Titanium |
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HI-05 Engraved Front Flipper with Camo FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) - M390 |
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HI-05 Engraved Front Flipper with Raindrop Copper FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) - M390 |
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HI-05 Front Flipper with Damascus and Micarta (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-06 Engraved Front Flipper with Damascus and Copper Dark Matter FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-07 Engraved Flipper with Copper Snakeskin FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-08 Engraved Flipper with Marble Carbon Fiber - Wolf (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-08 Flipper with Mammoth Molar and Engraved Zirconium (Ceramic IKBS) - Damascus |
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HI-09 "Old School" Front Flipper with Micarta and Scrimshawed Juma |
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HI-11 Front Flipper with Damasteel, Copper Flake Carbon Fiber, and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-12 Front Flipper - Greek Warriors - with Damasteel and Engraved Titanium (Ceramic IKBS) Best Gentleman's Tactical Folder - KGSA Show 2024 |
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HI-AT Engraved Flipper with Micarta (Ceramic IKBS) - M390 |
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HI-AT Front Flipper with Mammoth Molar and Damascus (Ceramic IKBS) |
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HI-AT Mini Flipper with Mammoth Molar and Engraved Zirconium with Gold Inlay (Ceramic IKBS) |
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The Wolf: HI-01 Engraved Flipper with Copper Brain Coral FatCarbon (Ceramic IKBS) |
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