Almost Ready To Ship - 2013

Congrats TLA and Curth - I saw your stuff in process last Sunday when Cooper and I visited the shop - they both came out beautifully!

best

mqqn
 
The picture of my hatchet looks great and it's perfect timing as I fly back home from work on Monday so I will have some time off to get to use it. I want to thank John for making this hatchet with the subtle changes.

Tony
 
Custom for SaintlyBrees in ironwood



JK PS Knife for SaintlyBrees in ironwood



Hunters Hatchet for SaintlyBrees in ironwood



Small Tanto for MT2525 in bloodwood

 
That much ironwood in one go, i think I'm hypnotized "must.have.iornwood..."

great work as always
 
Fine lookin' group there. Great lines on the custom. What are the specs?

Jeff
 
jds1 said:
Fine lookin' group there. Great lines on the custom. What are the specs?

Jeff
Click to expand...

Lol! The story behind that knife...

There is an ole original, hardcore cowboy/blacksmith here in Chama. Great guy. I went to him before I knew of John. What I wanted to do was recreate a knife that my grandfather made and carried as long as I knew him (he died when I was still a child). So I went to Curtis Green (the blacksmith) with a rough idea for a primitive knife that "approximated" what I remembered from my grandfather through a child's eyes and discussion with my 92 yo Mom. It was a knife that grand dad made from stuff he had around the farm as was common in those days. He carried it with him constantly. Unfortunately, no one in the family knows what happened to the actual knife. So I decided to have something similar made.

I left much of the exact dimensions up to Curtis, just giving him the appearance specifics that I remembered from the knife. After getting the finished knife, I decided that I also wanted a more modern version so I sent the primitive knife to John and told him to do his magic and use his talents to create a more modern version with a full tang and ironwood handles. I also told John to use his substantial artistic talents to do whatever he thought necessary to make the knife functional and comfortable. Looks like he did a great job with that. ;)

Bottom line - John has both knives right now so I can't measure it for you, but it is about a 6" blade (maybe a tad smaller?), IIRC. I'll post in here again with dimensions when I receive them.

Here is a picture of the primitive version that Curtis made for me:

P1010295.jpg
 
KYenglish said:
That much ironwood in one go, i think I'm hypnotized "must.have.iornwood..."

great work as always
Click to expand...

I'm trying to keep my JK Collection (I've got 4 pieces now - that is a collection! :D ) all in ironwood. A matching set, if you will. As long as John still offers ironwood, every thing I get from him will be handled in that material. Costs a bit more, but looks fantastic and worth every penny IMHO. :)
 
That's a great story and I really like both versions of the remake.

Jeff
 
I really like the Saintly Brees Custom - that looks like a great all around knife, it just looks like it is very useable as well as a beauty!

best

mqqn
 
mqqn said:
I really like the Saintly Brees Custom - that looks like a great all around knife, it just looks like it is very useable as well as a beauty!

best

mqqn
Click to expand...

Thanks, Andy. John did a great job with it. Can't wait to get my hands on it. I'll post some pics with some comparisons to other knives when I get it in.

Usability is something I really wanted in the knife. Grand dad used it for everything - in the fields with his crops, scavenging for edibles in the woods, slaughtering his livestock, skinning game, and even at the dinner table. I remember him pulling it out of the sheath and using it to carve a chicken at the table then wiping it off and putting it right back in the sheath. Today we might consider that disgusting, but those were different times and different attitudes.

He was a subsistence farmer and literally lived off of the land. So they made do with what they had. Grandma had one (!) kitchen knife. The family of 10 kids shared table knives and just a couple of metal serving spoons. But she did have a whole drawer full of wooden spoons that Grand dad carved for her. Outhouse, thundermugs (aka chamber pots), pot-bellied stove, the real deal. They didn't even have electricity until my Uncle put it in for him and the family pitched in to pay for the monthly bill. He traded butter, milk, eggs, honey, or whatever he had, for coffee or durable goods.

Quite a guy and that knife got a ton of use. I wish I knew where the original knife went. I've got a feeling that when he passed and Grandma moved to live with my Aunt that the knife was left behind. :(

Edit:
Sorry for rambling on so much...
 
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I got my package from John this morning! Wow. I love all 3 pieces (custom, hatchet, & supporters knife) and the ironwood handle on the custom is simply spectacular. Unfortunately I am also heading out for the next 2 days so I won't be able to post pics or take the time to do them justice until I return. But I'll start a thread and talk about all 3 pieces when I get back in town.

And just a heads-up - you guys who ordered the supporters knife are going to love it. Sturdy, heavy duty and a much better fit in the hand than I expected for a small knife. This is a very special little dude. If you haven't ordered one, you're missing out. I predict that mine will see a lot of use.

More in a new thread when I return on Friday. Thanks, John! Great work as usual. :thumbup:
 
The Tool in green canvas micarta for rileybassman1



JK PS Knife in tiger maple with red liners for Ray Settanta



JK PS Knife in black canvas micarta with red liners for jds1



JK PS Knife in oak with red liners for shaymanx

 
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