Hello! My name is troy DuPont. i was born in 1967 and grew up in chaska, MN. ‘How the name came about’ the name maniac came from a former boss of mine at my first machining job. he was amazed by my ability to make prototype parts without a blueprint at rapid speeds. so, when it came time to name my knife-making journey, maniac machining fit perfectly. i’m really not crazy. i’ve been a machinist for over 35 years. working in various small shops and with large companies.

i’m a dinosaur, very stuck on the way things were made in this country 90 years ago. products were made to last over 100 years, built with quality, character, elegance, and pride. in my opinion over the years all of that has gone away! however, when you pick up one of my knives you instantly feel that feeling of quality in your hand. every knife is meticulously hand-crafted using manual machines! no cnc machines in the maniac machining shop!

my father was an over-the-top gun and knife enthusiast. i guess you could say i was born with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. i was walking the gun and knife show floors as soon as i learned to walk. i have always been fascinated with knives. especially switchblades. they are so much cooler than a fixed blade or pocket knife because they actually do something with the touch of a button! how cool is that?!

at 9 years old my dad introduced me to knife making. to this day, when i grind deer horn the smell brings me right back to the old musty basement where my knife making journey started. i continued to hone my skills; regrinding old butcher knives into sleek daggers and hunting knives. breaking old wood grips off folders and giving them stag or micarta grips. god, i miss those young first years.

i started maniac machining in the basement of my house in 1998. starting out by converting buck knives and various other brands into automatics. to this day i still think i had the coolest release button than any of the other shops converting bucks. i did that for a steady 5 years strong.

Then it tapered off. my marriage was coming to an end, and i divorced my wife. I sold my machinery and from there i started a battle with alcoholism. i thank god every day for standing by my side and pulling me out of that dark period of my life. yet, through all the ups and downs my love for knife building never left my mind. i was always building a knife prototype in my head, or racking my brain coming up with new and unique desgins.

in 2021 sober me opened maniac machining for the second chapter. i took some ideas i thought about over the years and put them to work on the knife building bench. this go around i have my own design – complete and built!

The maniac stinger – it even has a safety, somthing ive always wanted to put on my conversion knives back in the day. the stinger is a beautifully built hand-made automatic. this one is garunteed to last over 100 years!

the bottom line – when you get a knife from maniac machining, you are getting a top of the line custom hand-made knife with no shortcuts. i love building knives and wouldn’t trade a day in the maniac machining shop for anything. this is my therapy – this is my world to create the finest knives on the planet. built with old-world craftsmanship, and old-world pride – in the usa!