A native Texan of many diverse interests, Leon Treiber enjoys hunting, fishing, gun smithing, scuba diving, photography and flying his own private airplane

-- to name just a few.

     In the beginning, making knives was yet another hobby he discovered he could accomplish the art of quickly. But, in 1991, his passion for perfection and an aptitude for the knife-making trade grabbed and held his interest and he settled into being a serious maker of what now has become known as his trademark folders. In the ensuing 14 years, his work has sparked an enthusiasm among collectors and sportsmen, alike.  Blade magazine, Knives Illustrated, the Knives’ yearly book and the “Points of Interest V” book by Jim Weyer, all have highlighted his knives in their publications.

     A member of the Knifemakers Guild since 1995 and a voting member since 1997, Treiber makes the effort to leave his custom-made knife shop in Ingram, Texas, behind and head for the road to exhibit in at least five knife shows a year across the nation.

     Like his life, Treiber's knife designs embrace variety. He uses D2, 440C, ATS 34,  Stainless  Damascus, and all CPM steels for blade materials, while his handles are made from many different resources -- running the gamut from stag and giraffe bone to woods, pearls and the ivories of walrus and mammoth. He has also been known to set off his designs with ruby and turquoise accents.

     While Treiber himself carefully hand files patterns into his knives’ back edges and also uses a panagraph machine to create seamless inlays of silver or ivory, he also relies on a couple of trusted outside sources to lend an artistic balance.

     One such collaborator is Linda Karst Stone, of Kerrville, who has performed talented scrimshaw designs on what have become some of Treiber’s most impressive works.

     No matter which knife he happens to be working on -- a custom order for a customer or a new style he's putting together for the first time -- Treiber pays the greatest attention to detail. Each piece that leaves his shop must be the finest, hand-made creation possible.