A little message I recieved today!

[Lycosa]

This. ^
Thanks all!
Rolf

 

[Doug C]

Hope Jimmy doesn't mind me including the note he sent as well as the images.
Here we go:

Hey Doug,

The knife should be shipped out tomorrow. I didn't bother doing much finishing on the blade since I'll have to do that once it's back to me.

If you remember, I tested it with Shiva's knife without mine having a handle. Here's the way the wrap finished out... with a half-arsed ferric chloride wipe on the blade to show the hamon.

All the best,

Jimmy

So looking forward to this.
Thanks, Jimmy !

Doug

 

[OleyFermo]

Jimmy

Bill and I are friends and he has taught me a lot about what makes a Great Bowie Knife

When we have time, we visit with each other and have even done some hunting together.

I think he likes Sharps Rifles better than knives I know he loves to hunt

Here we are a few years ago

I do talk to him and I will say hello for ya

Thanks, Joe

Looks like you and Bill were having a good time that day! The perfect knife for dressing out something as large as that rug covered mound of meat? A Bowie, of course!

I don't have a Sharps, but I ought to get one since I see it has a "built in excuse" for missed shots just like my original Trapdoor does... that huge outside hammer. When I miss, I "wouldn't have missed" except for that danged two pound hammer swinging over, no sir. My Ruger #1 in 45/70 lacks the hammer so doesn't see much use unless it's blowing a gale and I can use the wind for my excuse

Jimmy

 

[OleyFermo]

Daniel Just shot me a link to this Thread. Jimmy Great to see you here! Win has been very generous to let me handle some of his babies. I look forward to doing the chopping (RyanW = Middle Aged bordering on Old), Hope to get out there around Easter.

Thanks for the kind words regarding my knives. I hope they perform BETTER than they look, that is the goal anyway... I am Elated that you remember "The Knife I am interested in" and my knives will not be within 50 Ft of yours. I may have something to leave with Win as a thank you, he can put it through the paces after I leave.

Ryan Weeks

Hi Ryan

Re my words about your knives: You have mistaken "accuracy" for "kindness" There's nary a kind bone in my body!

No. I havent forgotten the knife you mentioned liking. I get reminded of it everytime I walk around the shop because I have a similar one waiting on me to get the energy to finish it... and one other that I'll finish at some point in the future if I can scrape up some really good energy to put into it. The same search that turned up the knife I've sent off to Doug also turned up a HUGE blade in pattern welded steel that's similar to the one Win has. I think it must be nearly 3 inches wide and over a foot in length... and thick. It's one I had started maybe in the middle 1990's as a true goblin cleaver. I'm strange in that I'll squirrel blades away to wait for the right time to finish them... whatever "the right time" means. I do the same with pattern welded billets that might set around for a week... or a quarter century... before I get an idea of what to do with them, if I don't misplace them or forget about them all together in the meanwhle. My life is filled with surprises of my own making, not all of them bad

Hope you guys have a good time out there with the knives. Looking forward to seeing some pics of the fun, too!

All the best to ya.

Jimmy

 

[Doug C]

Jimmy,

Knife arrived safe and sound today..and shaving sharp, more later or tomorrow.
Gonna' sack out for a little while, long day.

So cool, love the cherry blossom logo on the tang's butt and the great wrap.
Did I mention sharp (and pointy) ?! Thanks for the opportunity to work with it ! :thumbup:


Doug

 

[John Frankl]

Great thread!

Hello again, Jimmy. Still hoping you make it up to MA sometime soon

If not, I may just have to head down south...

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Damn Jimmy, it's great to see you posting frequently. I have always really enjoyed reading the stuff you post. You're a bit of a nut and I like that. I'm also glad to see that you are getting back into your shop. I would love to see the knives you are making now. Please take the time to post some photos.

 

[Doug C]

Jimmy sent these and I forgot to post them.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Thanks for putting them up!

 

[BladeScout]

This thread rates high on the awesomeness rating scale IMO.

Great knife talk, insight into the deep dark recess of the mind of 'Oleg,' great stories of equally great knives knifemakers and last but certainly not least a fantastic hunting pic with some great elements; Mr Bagwells knives, guns and the result of what must have been a fantastic day in the great outdoors.

 

[Doug C]

Jimmy,

Haven't had time to use it all week.
Getting some rope tomorrow, have 2 X 4.
Sorry so long without proper pics.

Text below is from Jimmy:

Blade will get sharper if someone wants to spend the time with finer grit hones. This is my standard "working edge" that all knives leave the shop with and was put on with a 1200 grit diamond hone in about two minutes then buffed. Stropping works just as well, or maybe a bit better, than buffing... but I was too lazy to strop the thing.

If you remember, I tested it with Shiva's knife without mine having a handle. Here's the way the wrap finished out... with a half-arsed ferric chloride wipe on the blade to show the hamon.

Doug

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

I am very proud to say that I showed my wife the pics and she said "Wow, is that a Fikes knife!"

 

[BladeScout]

Jimmy,

Haven't had time to use it all week.
Getting some rope tomorrow, have 2 X 4.
Sorry so long without proper pics.

Text below is from Jimmy:

Blade will get sharper if someone wants to spend the time with finer grit hones. This is my standard "working edge" that all knives leave the shop with and was put on with a 1200 grit diamond hone in about two minutes then buffed. Stropping works just as well, or maybe a bit better, than buffing... but I was too lazy to strop the thing.

If you remember, I tested it with Shiva's knife without mine having a handle. Here's the way the wrap finished out... with a half-arsed ferric chloride wipe on the blade to show the hamon.

Doug

Looks great.
Id like one of those - its exactly the blade configuration, that I like and have toyed with getting.
I like those simple lines with no guard and the way, the handle flows into the blade.

 

[JParanee]

Looks really good

Congrats buddy

 

[Doug C]

Hi Jimmy,

Did some rope cutting Friday.
I know you used 3/4" rope for the Shiva test but my buddy Mark had some 1" that I didn't think you'd mind me using
so I used that w/pine board underneath.
Sliced very, very well. 100 cuts and it didn't really need to be stropped but I did any way w/smooth side of a guitar strap strop (no compound).
Cut 60 more and hand got tired.

Will chop some doug fir 2 X 4 s in the next couple of days.
You emailed me back after I emailed you yesterday and told me to have fun with it and I am.
Hand's a little sore, probably because I haven't done this in a while but this is a blast.

Thanks again,

Doug

 

[OleyFermo]

Great thread!

Hello again, Jimmy. Still hoping you make it up to MA sometime soon

If not, I may just have to head down south...

Hey John,

Good to see you here. I'm so banged up it looks like my traveling days are over. Too bad, because I wanted to visit MA one more time at least and even get to see you while I was there. No such luck. Just head on down this way. Be sure to do it soon, because once the temps get a bit hotter than they are now I intend to be put in the freezer for the summer. I'm not exactly a fan of hot weather, nosiree.

Jimmy

 

[OleyFermo]

Damn Jimmy, it's great to see you posting frequently. I have always really enjoyed reading the stuff you post. You're a bit of a nut and I like that. I'm also glad to see that you are getting back into your shop. I would love to see the knives you are making now. Please take the time to post some photos.

Hi Keith,

Yes!! Once again I have arisen like some maniacal, heat 'n hammer zombie to stalk through my shop looking for brains to eat. I think one good blast to the head will put me down for good and the world will be a safer place.

I'll be more than happy to send along some knife pics if I can get any made. The wheels clicking over in my addled brain are making a sound like "Southwestern Bowie" or something along those lines

I've been putting a lot of my (very limited) energy these past two years into teaching rather than forging, but that's about to come to an end... or maybe I should say a beginning, since my pupils (my wife, Maggie, her friend, Dorothy, and a long time buddy of mine, Chris) are going to be making knives in the shop beginning very shortly. My job is going to be to try to fill some of my old orders before I fall over on my face permanently. The aforemention crew can supply the new stuff going off into the future under Fikes Knives II. Their blades will l be just as good as my mine since I did teach them, after all... but their blades may be prettier. They're so efficient I believe they're even going to get a "knifemaker's membership" here. Maggie and Chris have been trying to get me to write some stuff for a blog, but that's going slowly. I'm even tired of talking, if you can believe that.

Hope you've been doing well, Keith. Always a pleasure talking with you.

Jimmy

 

[OleyFermo]

I am very proud to say that I showed my wife the pics and she said "Wow, is that a Fikes knife!"

Hi Daniel,

Give that lady a hug and a thank you from me, would you please. When my wife, Maggie, sees one of my knives she usually asks, "Who made that, lazybones?" Then she tells me to go feed the chickens.

Jimmy ForgottenmorethanIeverknew

 

[OleyFermo]

Looks really good

Congrats buddy

Thank'ee, Sir.

Jimmy

 

[Dawkind]

Just to add to the excitement!!!!!! Pictures of previous endeavors by Mr. Fikes.......what a way to go.