Hey,
Is this Mike Williams from Broken Bow, Oklahoma?
Mike, this is a single open competition instead of one for Bowies and one for camp knives? Ought to be good. The last one I participated in was wide open. Anything from Bowies, to swords, to battle axes. The only restriction was that it couldn't have a motor on it -- no chainsaws!
You guys in the forum should really consider going to one of our (the ABS) Hammer-Ins. They are weekend seminars with instruction from extremely knowlegeable Master Bladesmiths. It's at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Old Washington, Arkansas. It's the same place that Darrel Ralph taught the advanced folder class in March.
There's fun, food, and fellowship, and the Masters share all their info -- there ain't no secrets. Whether your forge blades or not, there is something there for everyone. True, there are forging classes, but there's always other things that are interesting and informative for those that don't forge blades. In the past I've attended classes for handles and guards, soldering guards, hand rubbed finishes, decorative filework, heat treating (carbon steels), basic metallurgy, silver wire inlay, silver tips and throats for sheaths, sheath making -- heck the list goes on forever.
Information about the school, the classes, and the Hammer-Ins can be found at the American Bladesmith Society web site.
http://www.americanbladesmith.com/
Terry Primos
http://www.shreve.net/~primos
