Reese Weiland Timascus Hawkbill 2nd Gen
The Reese Weiland Timascus hawkbill is a button lock automatic with a full Timascus frame. The Timascus is not an inlay or a set of scales. It is the frame itself. Weiland forged the damascus blade in house. It measures 8.25 inches open at 6.4 ounces. Condition is new, direct from the maker.
Most Timascus on a knife is decoration. A clip, a backspacer, a pair of scales over a titanium frame. Machining it into the structural part of the knife is a different job. Very few makers take it on.
This is Weiland’s Hawkbill 2nd Gen. Our guide on how to choose a custom knife covers what separates work at this level from a production automatic.
Reese Weiland, the Godfather of the Automatic
Weiland works out of Riverview, Florida, and the knife community calls him the Godfather of the Automatic. The title is not decorative. He is one of the people who made the modern tactical automatic work.
He has been making knives for decades. Collectors describe him as a maker other makers go to. He solves mechanical problems and does not make noise about it. See his other work on the Reese Weiland Custom Knives brand page.
The Black Knife and the Plunge Lock This Knife Inherits
In 1987 a Florida maker named Ron Miller built a prototype plunge lock automatic. He wanted to sell it to Special Forces reserve troops. The early examples had a serious problem. The blade showed vertical play and the lock would not hold under pressure.
Miller took it to Weiland, a friend who had already helped work out the design. Weiland answered with a set screw adjustment that let a user tune the plunge lock engagement. That fixed the play and made the knife reliable enough to carry. That was one of several contributions that Weiland made to the Black Knife that made it viable for production, and dependable for military use.
By early 1988 they finished the second batch, 25 knives serial numbered 1001 to 1025. Seventeen went privately to reserve members. The remaining eight went on consignment to Charlie Ochs, who marketed it into the defense world. Collectors call it the knife that started the plunge lock automatic.
That matters here because the knife in front of you runs the same kind of mechanism. The button fires it and the button locks it. Weiland is not borrowing that design. He helped make it work. Compare it against his 1989 Wasp, a manual hawkbill from his first Tampa shop.
Reese Weiland Timascus: A Full Frame, Not Just Scales
Timascus is titanium damascus. Tom Ferry, Bill Cottrell and Chuck Bybee created it, and they patented the process in 2005. Two or more titanium alloys go into a sealed box under inert gas. Heat and pressure forge them into one billet.
The colours come from heat and anodizing, not from paint or coating. Different alloys take colour differently. That is why the blues, coppers and greys move across the surface the way they do. No two billets look alike.
Making it is expensive before a maker ever touches it. Alpha Knife Supply, the exclusive dealer, says as much as 80 percent of the starting material ends up as chips. Ten pounds of titanium can finish as a two pound billet.
Machining it is harder still. The billet contains alloys of different hardness. A cutter passes through soft and hard zones in the same pass. That wears tooling fast, and it is why Timascus usually appears as small parts.
A full Timascus frame is the opposite of a small part. The frame carries the pivot, the lock and the load. It has to be machined precisely in a material that fights the tool the whole way. Compare it against the Dichrolam Hawkbill 2nd Gen, the same model in a different handle material.
The Hawkbill Blade and Weiland’s Own Damascus
Weiland forged this damascus himself, in his own shop. That is worth stating plainly, because most custom makers buy billet from a named forge. Making your own means the pattern, the layer count and the heat treat are all one person’s work.
The profile is a hawkbill, which puts the edge on the inside of the curve. A hawkbill cuts by pulling rather than pushing. The curve traps whatever you are cutting and draws it back into the edge as you pull.
Blade length is 3.90 inches with 3.75 inches of cutting edge. Four graduated holes run along the blade near the spine. They take weight out of a blade that would otherwise sit heavy in the hand.
The action is a button lock automatic. Press the button and the blade fires. Press it again and the blade releases so you can close it. One control does both jobs, which is what a plunge lock is for. See our other automatic knives for comparable mechanisms.
Condition and What’s Included with This Reese Weiland Timascus
This knife is new. It came to us direct from Reese Weiland rather than through a collection. It has never been carried or used. The action fires crisply and the lock engages with no play.
We inspect every knife in hand before we photograph it, and we fire every automatic ourselves. Our published grading standards let you check this description against what arrives.
The box is the Certificate of Authenticity. Weiland signed the lid in gold. He wrote the model, the handle material and the blade material in his own hand. It reads Hawkbill 2nd Gen, Timascus Full, Damascus Blade. Read how we handle provenance on pieces that carry a maker’s own label.
- Reese Weiland Hawkbill 2nd Gen automatic
- Signed R.W. Custom Knives box, which serves as the Certificate of Authenticity
- Zippered soft pouch
Reese Weiland Timascus Hawkbill Specifications
We measured this knife in house and fired the action by hand. The model, handle material and blade material come from the maker’s own box label.
- Overall length, open: 8.25 in
- Blade length: 3.90 in
- Cutting edge: 3.75 in
- Closed length: 5 in
- Blade material: Damascus, forged in house by Reese Weiland
- Blade style: Hawkbill
- Blade finish: Etched Damascus pattern
- Lock type: Button lock
- Action: Automatic, fires crisply with the lock engaging and no play
- Deployment: Recessed button
- Frame and handle: Full Timascus
- Pocket clip: None
- Weight: 6.4 oz
- Date made: September 2026
- Country of origin: Riverview, Florida, USA
- Condition: New, unused
- SKU: 00200-RW-HAWKBILL-2NDGEN-TIMASCUS-20260901
This one is new and available now. Browse the rest of our latest arrivals.
Video Description: Full Timascus Hawk
The Reese Weiland Timascus Hawkbill 2nd Gen is a new custom automatic in unused condition. The blade is damascus forged in house by Reese Weiland, 3.90 inches long with 3.75 inches of cutting edge. The profile is a hawkbill with four graduated holes near the spine. The frame and handle are full Timascus. Weiland built it in Riverview, Florida in September 2026.
Deployment is a recessed button and the lock is a button lock. Pressing the button fires the blade, and pressing it again releases the blade to close. There is no pocket clip. Overall length is 8.25 inches open and 5 inches closed, at 6.4 ounces. It ships with the maker’s signed box, which serves as the Certificate of Authenticity, and a zippered soft pouch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Reese Weiland Timascus hawkbill an automatic knife?
Yes. It is a button lock automatic. Pressing the recessed button fires the blade open. Pressing the same button again releases the lock so you can close it by hand. Automatic knives are restricted in some places. The notice at the bottom of this page links to a current state-by-state reference.
How does a button lock automatic close?
The same button does both jobs. A spring loaded plunger drops into a recess in the blade tang when the blade fires. That plunger is the lock. Pressing the button lifts it clear, which frees the blade to fold back into the frame.
What is Timascus, and why does a full frame cost more than scales?
Timascus is titanium damascus, created by Tom Ferry, Bill Cottrell and Chuck Bybee and patented in 2005. Heat, pressure and inert gas forge two or more titanium alloys into a single billet. The colours come from heat and anodizing rather than coating.
The cost comes from waste and from machining. The exclusive dealer says as much as 80 percent of the starting material becomes chips. The billet also mixes alloys of different hardness, which wears cutting tools quickly. Most makers use it for clips and backspacers. Machining a whole frame from it is a much larger commitment.
Who made the damascus on this blade?
Reese Weiland did, in his own shop. Most custom makers buy damascus billet from a named forge and grind it to shape. Weiland forges his own, which means the pattern and the steel are his work as much as the knife is.
What is a hawkbill blade actually for?
A hawkbill puts the edge on the inside of the curve. It cuts on the pull rather than the push. The curve holds what you are cutting instead of letting it slide off the edge. Rope, cordage, strapping and webbing are the traditional uses.
Does this Reese Weiland Timascus come with a Certificate of Authenticity?
Yes. The box is the certificate. Weiland signed the lid in gold ink and wrote the model, the handle material and the blade material by hand. It also ships with a zippered soft pouch.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Reese Weiland Timascus Hawkbill
We inspect every knife in hand, fire every automatic ourselves, and shoot the photographs in house. See what else is available on the Reese Weiland Custom Knives brand page. You can also talk to us about selling your collection.
Automatic Knife Legal Notice
This is an automatic knife. Laws governing purchase, possession, and carry vary by state, county, and municipality.
The buyer must know and follow the laws that apply where they live before ordering. We do not give legal advice. For current state-by-state information, consult the American Knife and Tool Institute.
