- Joined
- Jan 19, 2006
- Messages
- 3
Had to make a hard run to the Everglades a few days back. Everglades City, Cholokoskee Ten Thousand Islands . . . A run up to Chatham Bend. . . Smallwood grocery store where Ed Watson was shot full of holes by the townspeople. Headed home late Sunday night. Made it to I-10, North FLA early Monday mornin' , pulled into a roadside park , Sleepin' in the GMC Z-71 Motel. . . Woke up just before daylight surrounded by Nascar car haulers. Spoke with a couple of drivers (haulers, not cup car drivers). Put the z-71 in the West Wind and headed over to ALA to see my good friend Cleston Sinyard- Off the super slab in Pensacola, ran the back roads to Elberta. . . Lookin' forward to a visit with Cleston, his wife Valerie.
With frequent phone calls and not often enough visits, Cleston and I have stayed in fairly close contact. Knowin' Cleston and Val have, for the past few years, fought some tough medical problems, I pulled the Jimmy into Old Nemo Forge and shut her down. Not knowin' what to expect, I'd been prayin' for the best, Cleston had heard me pull in, met me at the door with a strong hand shake (the old man's still got a hell of a grip).Lookin' Cleston over, I could see he's lost weight and possibly due to back surgery, he didn't seem to be the 6'4" I remembered him being. Few minutes of small talk . . . catchin' up. . . We walked out to his shop. . . he showed me the repairs he'd had to do to his 250 lb Little Giant Hammer. Right arm on the hammer had broken, quotin' Cleston, "Bill, you ought to have been here and seen it. Pieces flyin' everywhere, . . . Spring like to have killed me." But. . . Cleston had welded the arm back together got the hammer goin' again, I looked the weldin' over, excellent weldin' job. . . Guess I was sort of stunned, Cleston's in his 80s, last several years fought a lot of sickness, still goin' strong. .. Fightin' life head on . . not askin' for any quarter. A usual two man job, Cleston handled.
Cleston showed me a Mountain Man Bowie he'd just finished. A beautiful knife, goin' to a collector in Texas as soon as he could build the sheath. We talked the better part of the evenin' . . .Phone rang, a hand that has three of Cleston's kninves, ordered one of his "Fore Finger Hunters." Cleston said, "Bill I can't build all the knives I've got orders for. They won't let me quit if I wanted to." Cleston and Val are facin' a hard go. . . Valerie had a heart operation ,died, brought back , not able to do much now. She's always been a strong partner. They are determined to live out their final years in the house they built. Most of Cleston's time is spent takin' care of Val, not much time left for for makin' knives, possibly one to two, hours a day.
Until I met Cleston, I always thought my father and grandfather were the best there ever was at forge weldin'. Workin' with Cleston. . . I believe he could beat them. Day in, Day out, wothout strainin' he welds M42 end mills, 10% cobalt steel, D2, 440c, then welds all of it into a billet.
Some might say the Sinyards are in declinin' health. I don't know how many more knives God will let him make. . . all Cleston will say is, "Bill I had a good run with it. I've made good knives. I have no regrets."
Thanks
Wild Bill Caldwell
With frequent phone calls and not often enough visits, Cleston and I have stayed in fairly close contact. Knowin' Cleston and Val have, for the past few years, fought some tough medical problems, I pulled the Jimmy into Old Nemo Forge and shut her down. Not knowin' what to expect, I'd been prayin' for the best, Cleston had heard me pull in, met me at the door with a strong hand shake (the old man's still got a hell of a grip).Lookin' Cleston over, I could see he's lost weight and possibly due to back surgery, he didn't seem to be the 6'4" I remembered him being. Few minutes of small talk . . . catchin' up. . . We walked out to his shop. . . he showed me the repairs he'd had to do to his 250 lb Little Giant Hammer. Right arm on the hammer had broken, quotin' Cleston, "Bill, you ought to have been here and seen it. Pieces flyin' everywhere, . . . Spring like to have killed me." But. . . Cleston had welded the arm back together got the hammer goin' again, I looked the weldin' over, excellent weldin' job. . . Guess I was sort of stunned, Cleston's in his 80s, last several years fought a lot of sickness, still goin' strong. .. Fightin' life head on . . not askin' for any quarter. A usual two man job, Cleston handled.
Cleston showed me a Mountain Man Bowie he'd just finished. A beautiful knife, goin' to a collector in Texas as soon as he could build the sheath. We talked the better part of the evenin' . . .Phone rang, a hand that has three of Cleston's kninves, ordered one of his "Fore Finger Hunters." Cleston said, "Bill I can't build all the knives I've got orders for. They won't let me quit if I wanted to." Cleston and Val are facin' a hard go. . . Valerie had a heart operation ,died, brought back , not able to do much now. She's always been a strong partner. They are determined to live out their final years in the house they built. Most of Cleston's time is spent takin' care of Val, not much time left for for makin' knives, possibly one to two, hours a day.
Until I met Cleston, I always thought my father and grandfather were the best there ever was at forge weldin'. Workin' with Cleston. . . I believe he could beat them. Day in, Day out, wothout strainin' he welds M42 end mills, 10% cobalt steel, D2, 440c, then welds all of it into a billet.
Some might say the Sinyards are in declinin' health. I don't know how many more knives God will let him make. . . all Cleston will say is, "Bill I had a good run with it. I've made good knives. I have no regrets."
Thanks
Wild Bill Caldwell