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About Larry Gotkin - Artist and Licensed Architect
Larry Gotkin - Artist and Licensed Architect

I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and am a 1981 graduate of the University of Arizona School of Architecture in Tucson. I have been practicing architecture in Tucson since 1981, until retiring in 2023.

Scrimshaw became a hobby after I received a small scrimshawed tooth in 1979. The first piece was a Gerber knife that I rehandled with Micarta.

First Knife

Over the years, I produced many pieces of jewelry and knives, usually tearing commercial knives down and rehandling with Micarta or ivory. A book of knife making taught me the rudiments of acid etching and leather sheath-making. During the eighties, I were purchased, constructed, and sheathed many blades from Bob Engnath's House of Muzzleloading.

I took a hiatus for several years while working full-time as an architect and raising my son. Ten years later, the rusty blade blanks hanging in the workshop — including two more than 10-year-old Engnath blades - finally shamed me into reengaging. One tanto-style blade inspired me to try my own daisho (pair of swords and a tanto).  That and the fact I couldn't afford to buy anyone else's.

My other hobbies include oil painting, acrylics, color pencil drawings, and model-making. I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do, and practice the long and short staff, escrima sticks, and sword.

I took some forging classes at a local community college and challenged myself in late 2009 to begin forging my own blades. These blades are mostly historical in design, as I like to show the hammer marks.

  • Please click the Commissions link here to find out how to commission a custom piece.

    Architecture and award-winning museum-quality custom handmade knives, edged weapons, powder horns, tomahawks, war clubs, jewelry, metal sculpture, cribbage boards, flint and obsidian knives, Japanese swords, menorahs, and more from Tucson, Arizona artist and architect Larry Gotkin.

    About Larry Gotkin
    Artist & Registered AZ Architect, Retired
    Tucson, Arizona
    our twitterour facebook page

    Unique Custom Handmade Items: acid etching, architecture, blades, candle holders, cheese slicers, clasps, cribbage boards, chess setscustom knives, daggers, desk knives, dirks, edged weapons (knives), edged weapons (tomahawks), flint knives, guns, hadseax, handmade knives, Japanese swords, jewelry, katanas, kitchen knives, knife bags, knives, menukis, metal sculpture, obsidian knives, powder horns, powder_horns, puukkos, sax, scramaseax, scramsax, scrimshaw, seax, seaxe, sgian dubhs, skeans, skinners, spears, sword bags, swords, tallit clips, tantos, tomahawks, wakizashis, war clubs, weapons (knives), weapons (tomahawks), weapons (war clubs), yoga pose meditation candles, yoga pose metal sculptures

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    Photography by Larry Gotkin

    © Copyright 2009- Larry Gotkin, All Rights Reserved.

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