Though incorporated in 2006, Scrap Yard Knife Company's roots go back much farther. 

Jerry Busse began making knives in the early 1970s.  Jerry put himself through college, obtaining three degrees, by selling his knives.  In 1982 Jerry decided to become a fulltime knifemaker.  A decade later Jerry met Jennifer, a business major at Michigan State.  In 1992 they were married and decide to incorporate Busse Combat Knife Company.

Busse Combat knives quickly became the world leader in extreme performance knives.  By 2002 Jennifer began noticing that while collectors were buying Busse Combat knives by the dozens, the prices seemed to be putting them out of the hands of many individuals they were originally designed for - police and military.  Jennifer approached Jerry with the idea to start a division of Busse Combat which would offer extreme performance knives, only at more affordable prices.  Swamp Rat Knife Works was born.

It was a few years later, in 2006, that Jerry's brother, an MBA-toting high level executive at one of the world's largest computer companies, visited the shop on vacation.  While he was beyond impressed with the success of Busse Combat Knife Company and Swamp Rat Knife Works, he could not get passed the amount of unused materials that the shop was getting rid of.  The dumpsters were full of steels and handle materials that did not quite "measure up" to the extreme criteria set by Busse Combat.  Dan also found several on-site warehouses were stocked to the roof with other materials that were not being used. 

Perhaps it was then that Dan reverted back to his 1970s Busse knife shop persona - "Dan the Hack."  Jerry gave his brother the moniker early on when Dan helped Jerry make knives during their college years.  While Jerry (the perfectionist) strived for superior performance and nothing less, Dan (the penny pincher) made his knives out of anything that would get the job done, regardless of the final fit and finish.  While Jerry would laugh at some of Dan's designs, the blades always performed exceptionally and do so at much less of a cost than Jerry's.

Dan proposed that Busse Combat take on another division... one that would employ many of the materials not currently being utilized by either Busse Combat or Swamp Rat.  Dan stressed the ridiculous affordability that could be offered.  While Jerry believed it to be an incredible idea, he explained to Dan that there was simply no one to head up that project, and that he and Jennifer were too busy running their subsequent companies.

To make a long story short, Dan and his wife Patti packed up the kids and the family dog and moved from Texas back to Ohio. 

Dan and Patti teamed up to form what in now Scrap Yard Knife Company.