The term uparmored (or up-armoured) is an adjective, primarily used in a military context, that describes original armor upgraded or enhanced typically involves adding extra protection (appliqué armor), often in response t0 IEDs, blast fragmentation, or small arms fire
Up-Armored Knives
Established in 2005 and still making knives one at a time by hand. No jigs, CNC or milling machines. Just good old fashioned hand craftmanship.
We strive to build each blade to highest possible quality.
Out of necessity I started camo coating my own sniper equipment in 2001. Other snipers on my team as well as other police department snipers took notice of my ability and I began working on their equipment. As my skills improved, I began developing my own patterns and soon after, my skull patterns emerged. Obviously, being a law enforcement officer, guns and knives are part of my basic tools of the trade. Myself, like many fellow officers, have a passion for both. It wasn’t long before cops, Military personnel and collectors started sending their knives to me to coat and Up-Armored was born. After working on many high-end knives I decided to try my own hand at knife making. After a few years of making and giving away more knives than I can remember, in 2005 I added custom knives to my Up-Armored lineup. As a part time knife maker, I turnout around about 75 knives a year. The majority of my knives are tactical/E.D.C. and bush craft style knives made from a variety of steels which I can get hair popping sharp with a convex edge. The Up-Armored Silent Sheaths are constructed by lining Kydex with leather or commercial synthetic suede. This both eliminates scratches and rattles associated with the Kydex.
In 2017 I retired from law enforcement after 25 years of service and worked a few years for KA-BAR knives as a custom knife builder and designer. Up-Armored knives continued during this time but the coating services aspect was eliminated to focus on knife building. My wife Sue, joined Up-Armored and started making custom hybrid epoxy scales as an option for our customers. In 2020, Sue and I decided to live our dream so we purchased a campground in Western Tennessee where we live today and continue making knives to order.
William (Will) Welling
Up-Armored Knives
