Announcement: The BladeForums Charity Bowie.

Stephen F

Stephen F

Joined
Sep 28, 2003
Messages
1,235
Announcement:

The BladeForums Charity Bowie: A collaboration between Bladesmiths and Collectors in aid of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (http://www.bcrfcure.org)

Background:

In February 2007 a group of custom knife collectors and enthusiasts put their heads together and designed a Bowie knife over the internet via BladeForums.com. During the process the idea of having the knife made and then sold for charity was tabled. The idea was well received by both makers and collectors alike. This announcement formally launches this project following a few weeks of off line discussions between a smaller group of makers and collectors. There are still a few finer details to be resolved, and we trust all contributors , either financial or in kind, will be patient as this project develops and tries to achieve its ambitious goals.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455291

The Bowie Knife Design:

collaboration-Bowie.jpg



Please note that the Bowie chosen was a Stag Carver handled knife, the Stag has still to be sourced and may alter final dimensions. If suitable Stag cannot be sourced in time the team will switch to a wood handle design.

Goals:
  1. Raise funds for donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
  2. Raise awareness and acceptance of Custom Knives, their makers, collectors and community.

Specific Tasks and Timing:

  1. Collect project funds from BladeForum members who have pledged a contribution to make this project happen;
  2. Have the knife made and available for display at The Blade Show 2007, Atlanta;
  3. Write and have published an article on the process, collectors, makers and knife; (Blade have expressed an interest)
  4. Photograph the knifes construction at each stage of the process with each maker;
  5. Raise funds by the sale of raffle tickets (if permitted) for a chance to win the BladeForums Charity Bowie;
  6. A drawing of the raffle will take place for the winner in October 2007.

Organisation and Format:

There will be a small administration and facilitation team comprising of collectors and enthusiasts. Kevin Jones, Roger Pinnock, and Stephen Foster (additional volunteers may be called upon - let us know if you can help sell tickets etc.)

Photography will be supported by Jim Cooper and Chuck Ward, as well as friends and relatives of the makers.

The Makers:

Jerry Fisk, MS = Forging the Blade;
Dan Farr, JS = Grinding, Heat Treat, and Blade finishing;
Russ Andrews, JS = Guard and Handlework;
Burt Foster, MS = Sheath.

Please join us in extending a huge "Thank You" and in showing our appreciation to these Gentlemen.

We do not need to tell collectors the significance of this collaboration, but the chances of this collaboration of these four superlative makers being repeated are very low. We anticipate a high demand for the raffle tickets.

FAQ's

1) How can I contribute to the initial project fund?
- Please contact any of the 3 admin. team for details. If you voted yes in the "Serious Question" poll, Kevin Jones will contact you via email with details of how to remit your contribution.​
2) If I contribute what will happen to my money?
- Contributions to the project fund will be used to cover out of pocket expenses including, but not limited to, materials, consumables, overhead, admin fees (eg. paypal), purchase of raffle tickets, shipping and handling to and from makers and photographers, production of literature etc. If there are any funds left over they will be added to the final donation arising from ticket sales. No refunds will be made to individual contributors.​
3) If I did not pledge in the original request can I still do so?
- Yes, please contact one of the 3 admin team members.
​
4) Are any of the contributors being compensated for their time?
- No, all makers, photographers and collectors/enthusiasts are donating their time for free.​
5) Why a raffle and not an auction?
- Selecting a suitable venue for an auction within the timing constraints and with a suitably sized attendance has proved difficult. Raffle tickets are easier to co-ordinate, people do not have to be present at the draw, and most importantly, it is anticipated that this knife would fetch a significant price at Auction, a price that may be beyond the budget of many collectors. Therefore to give every collector a fair chance at the knife a raffle was proposed. The legal viability of a raffle has yet to be established.​
6) How much will the raffle tickets cost?
- A final price has not been set but it is expected to be either $5.00 or $10.00 per ticket.​
7) How can I buy raffle tickets?
- We need to finalise these details and whether it is permitted in the coming weeks but we expect to have tickets on sale at major shows and via email and regular mail requests, payment methods are yet to be confirmed. A separate announcement will be made.​
8) When and where will the raffle draw take place?
- Draw will take place October 19th 2007 at Jerry Fisks Micro Show, it will be witnessed by independent collectors, dealers and makers.​
9) Will my contribution or raffle ticket purchase be tax deductible?
- Unfortunately not, the administrative requirements are to too great to make this possible. This will be an informal but charitable project.​


Contact Details:

Stephen (Stephen F): bowiecollector AT mac.com
Roger (Roger P): rogerpinnock AT cogeco.ca
Kevin (Kevin Jones): kj1056 AT aol.com
 
I am very excited about this project and wish to extend my personal thanks to the makers and photographers who have agreed to contribute their time and skill for this worthy cause. A stellar lineup on all fronts. And a special thanks to Stephen for bringing this forward from concept to reality.

Roger
 
Magnificent.

Frankly, better than I dreamed it could be.

FWIW, my sincere congratulations, in advance, to the people who made this possible. I am proud to pledge my support -- just waiting for instructions.

At a less formal level -- this will be SWEEEET.
 
This is a great project that many BF members have been involved in and had fun with. In addition, it will give us an opportunity to assist an organization that truly helps many women and their families around the world.

I would like to personally thank our four makers and two photographers for taking time from their busy schedules to help make this worthy cause a reality. And thanks to Stephen for pushing this project along on a daily basis.

I will be contacting each member who has pledged in the next few days to finalize your donation and will provide a complete accounting and reconciliation of all transactions at the close of this project.

I would like to thank all donors in advance for your generosity.

Kevin Jones
 
you DOG!!!!!!! You sure did a good job keeping the part about Senor Fisk and the boys under your hat....good work, my man. I really enjoyed the designing process, and I think the announcement of the "Dream Team" maker's list just guaranteed that this project will be WILDLY succesfull!!!!!:thumbup: :D The choice of a "Southwestern" bowie shape fits right in with Mr. Fisk's preference in bowie styles. This thing should rival any Board knife we have seen.
 
I think that we will be able to sell the hell out of the raffle tickets, ESPECIALLY at the Blade Show.
3 questions.
1. All joking aside about engraving a "breast" logo on the buttcap:D , are the makers touchmarks going to be stamped or etched n the knife?
2. Any thoughts about having Mr. Fisk thrown on some "scratched embellishment"or are we too short on time for that?
3. What is the blade material going to be? Or is that still a secret?:D
 
jdm61 said:
I think that we will be able to sell the hell out of the raffle tickets, ESPECIALLY at the Blade Show.
3 questions.
1. All joking aside about engraving a "breast" logo on the buttcap:D , are the makers touchmarks going to be stamped or etched n the knife?
2. Any thoughts about having Mr. Fisk thrown on some "scratched embellishment"or are we too short on time for that?
3. What is the blade material going to be? Or is that still a secret?:D
Click to expand...

:D Joe ..... My personal view is that the contribution of all the makers is great enough without extremely time consuming engraving .... plus we know engraving is not to everyones taste. To see the work of Jerry, Dan, Russ and Burt combined on one piece will be embellishment enough for many ( I know it is for me).

Its a very good point on the makers marks - there have been suggestions of a one off etch combining all the makers names.

Cheers,

Stephen
 
Great line up of Top Drawer makers.
I have a table at the Oregon Show in April and Blade Show West in September if you would like me help sell raffle tickets.
 
This is a super idea and will be a super knife. A bit late here but I would like to contribute $$, steel or I may be able to provide the stag.
 
Thanks to Jerry, Dan, Russ, Burt, Coop and Chuck for your selfless contribution. I would also like to thank Roger and Kevin for their efforts. My biggest thanks goes to Steven for coming up with this idea, and for putting all that effort into bringing bringing it to fruition. Good on ya, Steven, you are a real class act.

Seeing which makers are going in on the collaboration of this knife, I guess more than one will work out just fine. This is really going to be something.

Has the final choice been made for what materials will be used for this knife? Will this depend on the amount of money raised? Will each person be asked to contribute a predetermined amount?
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Thanks to Jerry, Dan, Russ, Burt, Coop and Chuck for your selfless contribution. I would also like to thank Roger and Kevin for their efforts. My biggest thanks goes to Steven for coming up with this idea, and for putting all that effort into bringing bringing it to fruition. Good on ya, Steven, you are a real class act.

Seeing which makers are going in on the collaboration of this knife, I guess more than one will work out just fine. This is really going to be something.

Has the final choice been made for what materials will be used for this knife? Will this depend on the amount of money raised? Will each person be asked to contribute a predetermined amount?
Click to expand...

Per the group poll, we have decided on Stag for the handle. I believe the steel is still open. No pre determined dollar amount. Any amount is appreciated. Contributions have been in the $20 to $200 range.
 
what a great venture! thanks to stephen, roger and mr jones. and of course to the noble-minded makers mr fisk, mr farr, russ, and burt. you rock! :thumbup:

hans
 
Stephen F said:
I think W2 has been discussed as being a preferred choice ........ but depends on bar size available.

How does that sound?

Cheers,

Stephen
Click to expand...
I just exchanged e-mails with Mr. Fisk about that. I have a number of square and rectangular bars that I got from Don H. that would suit the purpose, so we won't have a prob with the steel.
 
...to be asked to participate in such a worthy and credible project.

I already love my work, even though at times it IS work. This will be an especially important task I will not consider laborious.

Thanks to ALL!

Coop
 
Ok......now that we have gotten the serious business out of the way, should we start a new thread somewhere else so that we can make the inevitable innapropriate jokes about our choice of charity? :p I already have a really dumb one:D
 
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