Had a long phone talk with a n old friend last week. Cleston Sinyard. . . a man I believe to be the best bladesmith of our time. 1950's to present.
First time I met Sinyard, 20 years or so back in time. . .one of the Alabama gunshows. . I'd laid out all night. . . ragin', drinkin', chasin' Ala. Honky Tonk Hogs. . . hung over to a "fare the well" or possible still some "sheets in the wind," Son, Billy, was settin up our table, I'd walked an aisle or two over, saw knives on a table that stopped me dead still and possibly sobered me up a little bit. Mostly big Bowies, some smaller hunters, hunters forged with a "forefinger pad" forged in front of the gaurd. Forge welded (Damascus) blades. . . the tightest welds I've seen. No gaps, nothin' between layers for the acid to etch out. Acid etchin' forge welded blades can hide a multitude of errrors, bad workmanship, so forth so on. You want to know how good the weldin' is, look at the blade after it's heat treated, before it's acid etched. A good one will lok like a piece of steel, you'll have to look very close to see any layerin'. Harder it is to see the layers, the better the weldin'. when you can forge weld and it takes a strong microscope to see the layers. . you're learnin'. Not just his forge weldin', but what he'd welded. M42 end mills- 10% cobalt end mills. . . everything high carbon. I know of one other bladesmith that could be in Cleston's league forge weldin', Alfred Pendray. Some so called blacksmiths forge weld steels that weld easy, low carbon steel will weld if it touches in the forge, but low carbon will not take and hold an edge, I believe the higher the carbon content, or the more highly alloyed, the more difficult to forge weld. . . done properly. . . without losin' carbon the blade will be better.
But. . . lookin' at Cleston's knives, another thing stands out. . . STYLE. . . Cleston has his own style. . . HIS. . Guitar players like Paul Burlinson. . . Roland Janes. . .Carl Perkins. . . they had their own style. . . never copied anybody. Me? . . . My Abn Ranger model. . . I combined what I thought to be the best of a Randall Model 1 and a Loveless Delaware Maid. . . Spearpoint Bowie? . . . I copied an English Gorge Wolstenholme spear point Bowie from the 1840's. My hunters. . copied Loveless dropped point right down to the forged tapered tang. . . centered with the blade. Sinyard might have been influenced by others. . . but from the first crank turnin' , he had his own style.
NIMO FORGE. . If you're ever interested in seein' a real blacksmith/bladesmith shop and a HAND workin'. . . you'll have to find yourself down around Mobile. . . run I-10 East through the tunnel and over the bay. . . See th Loxley exit, head south. . . Several crooks and turns in the blacktop, then a dirt road all the way to the end. You're dead centered in the Ala. Redneck Riviera, Flagpole, American flag flyin' high. . . you'll see the home he built. . Him and his family. . . Laid the block and brick himself. Built the fireplace, all the carpenter work. I've talked to all his children, all are grown now. . passel of grand-younguns. . . His Children speak fondly of their Childhood. . . About Cleston buyin' the land . . . remodelin' a barn. . they all lived in it till the house was finished, I have a lot of respect for a man like Sinyard- a hand that can build a home that will stand the hurricanes the gulf has thrown at it all these years.
In my mind I can't help but compare the Sinyards to possibly over 95% of bladesmiths today, most have conned their wives into takin' a day job. . convincin' the workin' wives that forged knives are a very important piece in keeping the world turnin' steady and that THEY are the best at forgin' knives. . "just settin' the woods on fire, ain't you boys" . . . I've seen a lot of them come and go in my years playin' this game- quite a few divorces, too. Ran into a lady that had been through this . . . worked several years supportin' husband's forgin habit. Her work set him up in a good shop . . . lots of toolin'. . I ask her . . "Why after all that did you finally leave him?" She said, "Wild Bill, I felt like he was my pimp for several years. I feel a lot better now."
I respect a man like Cleston Sinyard. . . WWII Veteran, European Theater. . . grew up on hard times, fought the bad days, askin' no quarter and ranked at the very top of the bladesmiths. . .RAVE ON SON, GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.
Thanks
Bill Caldwell
Wild Bill Caldwell Tactical Weaponry
