- Joined
- Mar 13, 2002
- Messages
- 2,125
A couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to ask Ed Fowler 10 Questions (which I have copied to post here from his website). He very graciously answered the questions, in detail, as Les has also recently done. Thank you, both Ed and Les! For sharing a wealth of knowledge and experience. Hope everyone enjoys reading these..
Member
10 questions for Ed
« on: January 26, 2008, 11:14:07 AM »
1. How has the business of knifemaking changed, from a maker standpoint, regarding customers, ethics, materials, trends, "popularity" of this or that?, over the past years.* If i walked into a knife show 20 years ago how would it be different?
2. What about the "business" of knifemaking do you enjoy most? , what's the least fun aspect of it? (...answering questions??
3. How much time in a normal day do you spend writing, thinking about knives, talking knives..
4. What was your last conversation with Bill Moran?
5. If you weren't doing the career you have chosen what you do, what would be your next choice of pursuits? ..if you had been elected Sheriff, would you have had time for knives?*
6. How would you characterize your style, how it has changed over the past many years.* What are the most significant steps you have taken? ..and how much have your students helped in realizing your goals? .. how important has Rex been, changing things and moving the Science of it forward?
7. Is there anything missing, or something you would go back to fix, do differently?
8. Any knifemaker in history that you would most aspire to meet, why?
9. How much is edge geometry important to the knife, how thin, or thick the edge, degree angle of sharpening? ..is it of major importance in a good performing knife, more than steel choice or heat treatment?
10. What experiments have failed that you can give examples about, showing what is a good idea that didn't work?
«
Re: 10 questions for Ed
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2008, 03:38:50 PM »
Logged
Ed Fowler
Administrator
Trade Count: (0)
Hero Member
Posts: 773
Re: 10 questions for Ed
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 09:36:00 PM »
1) 20 years ago you would have met Clyde Fisher, George Herron, Bill Moran, Jimmy Lyle, Paul & Edie Burke, Hough Bartrug and his wife Joyce and many of the icons who set the table for us. Many names escape me, seems like my mind tries to block them out. I miss their presence deeply and just think of their faces and knives along with precious time shared. Paul* Basch would have been there buying knives from makers who needed to sell some for money to get home on. Somehow I feel knives were more real, makers who used knives daily or had used them extensively in their youth brought honest working knives of their dreams. Purpose seemed more relevant.
Nature seemed to be present. Palm swells and handles you wanted to caress were more prevalent to my eye. Art knives were there, but had a simple grace and emotion. To me they were beautiful without being too busy, simplistic elegance I guess I would call it.
2) The least fun for me is the organization required. I can't seem to remember names or who ordered what, I write it down and promptly loose it. Without a lady to keep the paper work and organization going I would not exist today. I wish I had a phone I could hear folks talking, some seem to whisper while others I can understand.
The business part I like is meeting folks, talking knives and watching eyes light up when a client finds a knife he loves. I enjoy teaching and the phone calls from clients, readers and makers. Sometimes I am overwhelmed, especially at shows, but I love it.
3) Someone asked Tena if I talked in my sleep, she said yes! I heard that and perked up expecting ?* Then had to laugh when she said "chromium carbides"! I figure most of my time is spend about knives in some form. I look at various aspects of nature and knife is there.
Sometimes it takes a lot of reading to find knife, but recently a book on the Alamo revealed "the men were well armed with rifles, pistols and butcher knives". Later in the same book I was rewarded to read that 52 1/2 dozen butcher knives were in an inventory shipped on Feb 2* 1836 to the Alamo. that was my big prize out of 386 pages.
I try to spend at least 1 hour a day with Henry David Thoreau, but not always.
4) My last conversation with Bill Moran - He was not feeling very well, I tired to call him once a week, we did not talk knives like when we first met but it was good times.
5) At one time I made custom rifles, supreme accuracy was my goal. When the gun control act of 68 became real I knew it would only a a matter of time and my poor records would have me in trouble. I do wish that we had bulls-eyes in the world of knives, along with hitting power and the empirical evaluation firearms are subject to. I never quit knives, always some - from that point on I got serious about making them.* I quit TV long ago and have enough free time to allow for a 40 hour week and still make knives.
6) Somewhere I still have the first knife I ever made, it was out of wood made some time in the 40's. My father had purchased a power jig saw and I went to work on a 1 x 2 piece of pine. I can see the knives I make in that knife. The guard is on upside down and it is pretty crude but much of what I make follows that dream. When I started playing with multiple quench a very short comment by Daryl Meier gave me confidence to face the critics and continue, "Of course it will work"! Henry David Thoreau continues to inspire me. One of the members of this form stated one of my knives looked "organic" and in one word put all my thoughts together.
Bill Moran was my most significant guide into the world of knives. His introduction into forging and the vast unknowns that awaited to be explored set the table. There is still much to learn. Paul Burke was another who contributed greatly, he would ask me a question that sounded pretty simplistic at the time, but it would stick in my mind, then I would realise what he actually said and my knives got better.
My students, other makers, clients and visitors who share thoughts with
me have contributed greatly and continue to do so. Their enthusiasm provides a great deal of my emotion to seek more.
Rex has been and continues to be the greatest source of support and knowledge. He explains the science behind the art and continues to open new frontiers that await our visit. My switch to 52100 was probably the most significant event and when Rex talked me into working with exclusively with one pour of high quality steel my dreams of Excalibur took the next giant step.
Critics of my work have also provided inspiration. Most have no idea what we are doing, but once in a while they will make a comment that opens another door.
7) I made a lot of mistakes, but they were all part of learning about lady knife. Just like the kid learning to skate the skills must be learned one step at a time. We learn from our mistakes when we question all we do.
Joseph English, Michael Price's father, Rudy Ruana, some Philippine blade smiths and the man behind the Ames edged weapons are some I would love to learn from. The resources Paul Wellman talked to about judging quality bladesmiths and the blade smith who told him about multiple heats when he researched "The Iron Mistress" was very knowledgeable.
9) Knowledge of the steel you chose, complete command of that steel and all the materials you work with set the table for knives suited to their task. When considering edge or blade geometry, the first question is "what for". Just like the birds that fly or the fish that swim, there are a lot of similarities between species, each is special and individuals of the same species vary also. I believe great knives know complex geometry supporting the work they are intended to do. There is a lot more to it than a simple statement (17 degrees).
10) Many experiments did not work as I had hoped they would, but each taught us a lesson, some we probably have not realized as of yet.
I regret the time I put into Damascus trying to make it cut, wasted a lot of time, but I learned from the experience and did achieve some success. Chain saw Damascus was the best cutting material, 10,000 layers does not cut better than 60.
Member
10 questions for Ed
« on: January 26, 2008, 11:14:07 AM »
1. How has the business of knifemaking changed, from a maker standpoint, regarding customers, ethics, materials, trends, "popularity" of this or that?, over the past years.* If i walked into a knife show 20 years ago how would it be different?
2. What about the "business" of knifemaking do you enjoy most? , what's the least fun aspect of it? (...answering questions??
3. How much time in a normal day do you spend writing, thinking about knives, talking knives..
4. What was your last conversation with Bill Moran?
5. If you weren't doing the career you have chosen what you do, what would be your next choice of pursuits? ..if you had been elected Sheriff, would you have had time for knives?*
6. How would you characterize your style, how it has changed over the past many years.* What are the most significant steps you have taken? ..and how much have your students helped in realizing your goals? .. how important has Rex been, changing things and moving the Science of it forward?
7. Is there anything missing, or something you would go back to fix, do differently?
8. Any knifemaker in history that you would most aspire to meet, why?
9. How much is edge geometry important to the knife, how thin, or thick the edge, degree angle of sharpening? ..is it of major importance in a good performing knife, more than steel choice or heat treatment?
10. What experiments have failed that you can give examples about, showing what is a good idea that didn't work?
«
Re: 10 questions for Ed
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2008, 03:38:50 PM »
Logged
Ed Fowler
Administrator
Trade Count: (0)
Hero Member
Posts: 773
Re: 10 questions for Ed
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 09:36:00 PM »
1) 20 years ago you would have met Clyde Fisher, George Herron, Bill Moran, Jimmy Lyle, Paul & Edie Burke, Hough Bartrug and his wife Joyce and many of the icons who set the table for us. Many names escape me, seems like my mind tries to block them out. I miss their presence deeply and just think of their faces and knives along with precious time shared. Paul* Basch would have been there buying knives from makers who needed to sell some for money to get home on. Somehow I feel knives were more real, makers who used knives daily or had used them extensively in their youth brought honest working knives of their dreams. Purpose seemed more relevant.
Nature seemed to be present. Palm swells and handles you wanted to caress were more prevalent to my eye. Art knives were there, but had a simple grace and emotion. To me they were beautiful without being too busy, simplistic elegance I guess I would call it.
2) The least fun for me is the organization required. I can't seem to remember names or who ordered what, I write it down and promptly loose it. Without a lady to keep the paper work and organization going I would not exist today. I wish I had a phone I could hear folks talking, some seem to whisper while others I can understand.
The business part I like is meeting folks, talking knives and watching eyes light up when a client finds a knife he loves. I enjoy teaching and the phone calls from clients, readers and makers. Sometimes I am overwhelmed, especially at shows, but I love it.
3) Someone asked Tena if I talked in my sleep, she said yes! I heard that and perked up expecting ?* Then had to laugh when she said "chromium carbides"! I figure most of my time is spend about knives in some form. I look at various aspects of nature and knife is there.
Sometimes it takes a lot of reading to find knife, but recently a book on the Alamo revealed "the men were well armed with rifles, pistols and butcher knives". Later in the same book I was rewarded to read that 52 1/2 dozen butcher knives were in an inventory shipped on Feb 2* 1836 to the Alamo. that was my big prize out of 386 pages.
I try to spend at least 1 hour a day with Henry David Thoreau, but not always.
4) My last conversation with Bill Moran - He was not feeling very well, I tired to call him once a week, we did not talk knives like when we first met but it was good times.
5) At one time I made custom rifles, supreme accuracy was my goal. When the gun control act of 68 became real I knew it would only a a matter of time and my poor records would have me in trouble. I do wish that we had bulls-eyes in the world of knives, along with hitting power and the empirical evaluation firearms are subject to. I never quit knives, always some - from that point on I got serious about making them.* I quit TV long ago and have enough free time to allow for a 40 hour week and still make knives.
6) Somewhere I still have the first knife I ever made, it was out of wood made some time in the 40's. My father had purchased a power jig saw and I went to work on a 1 x 2 piece of pine. I can see the knives I make in that knife. The guard is on upside down and it is pretty crude but much of what I make follows that dream. When I started playing with multiple quench a very short comment by Daryl Meier gave me confidence to face the critics and continue, "Of course it will work"! Henry David Thoreau continues to inspire me. One of the members of this form stated one of my knives looked "organic" and in one word put all my thoughts together.
Bill Moran was my most significant guide into the world of knives. His introduction into forging and the vast unknowns that awaited to be explored set the table. There is still much to learn. Paul Burke was another who contributed greatly, he would ask me a question that sounded pretty simplistic at the time, but it would stick in my mind, then I would realise what he actually said and my knives got better.
My students, other makers, clients and visitors who share thoughts with
me have contributed greatly and continue to do so. Their enthusiasm provides a great deal of my emotion to seek more.
Rex has been and continues to be the greatest source of support and knowledge. He explains the science behind the art and continues to open new frontiers that await our visit. My switch to 52100 was probably the most significant event and when Rex talked me into working with exclusively with one pour of high quality steel my dreams of Excalibur took the next giant step.
Critics of my work have also provided inspiration. Most have no idea what we are doing, but once in a while they will make a comment that opens another door.
7) I made a lot of mistakes, but they were all part of learning about lady knife. Just like the kid learning to skate the skills must be learned one step at a time. We learn from our mistakes when we question all we do.
Joseph English, Michael Price's father, Rudy Ruana, some Philippine blade smiths and the man behind the Ames edged weapons are some I would love to learn from. The resources Paul Wellman talked to about judging quality bladesmiths and the blade smith who told him about multiple heats when he researched "The Iron Mistress" was very knowledgeable.
9) Knowledge of the steel you chose, complete command of that steel and all the materials you work with set the table for knives suited to their task. When considering edge or blade geometry, the first question is "what for". Just like the birds that fly or the fish that swim, there are a lot of similarities between species, each is special and individuals of the same species vary also. I believe great knives know complex geometry supporting the work they are intended to do. There is a lot more to it than a simple statement (17 degrees).
10) Many experiments did not work as I had hoped they would, but each taught us a lesson, some we probably have not realized as of yet.
I regret the time I put into Damascus trying to make it cut, wasted a lot of time, but I learned from the experience and did achieve some success. Chain saw Damascus was the best cutting material, 10,000 layers does not cut better than 60.
Last edited:
