Col. Gary M. Lunsford

JatMat

JatMat

Joined
Aug 26, 2006
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Here are a couple of knives sold by my friend Gary M. Lunsford at Blade. He asked me to post them and ask for comments. He is not at this moment a forum member and these have been sold. All you makers, please chime in.

Thanks,
Jim Todd
BTW: Guess where the green came from.:D
IMG_0157.jpg
 
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Overall the fit and finish appears good.

The pin spacing on the top one seems off, the front pin needs to be more centered in the tang width and moved forward towards the front of the scale.

I like the second one but think that the front pin needs to be centered between the black spacer and front of the scale.

The measurements may be correct but when you add vertical design elements to a handle you have to consider how the brain processes things in space.

Overall I think they're great and those are just things that "I" would change.
 
I was with Gary at BLADE last Friday and Saturday. It was his first year with a table, and IMO, he did really good. Made sales and most importantly, made good contacts and friends for years to come. Gary is self-taught, and makes a good quality, usable knife. As he says, he don't make no art knives; he makes using knives. Bill Jones.
 
I did not see or handle the knives, perhaps the angle of the photo is throwing us off on the pin spacing, I see that too now. Wish I had some flat scans.

Gary recently moved from FL to AL, his wife got a better offer up here and he said he could make knives anywhere.

Glad to hear he made more friends at Blade, perhaps next year will be a better year for all the makers.

Jim
 
Will Leavitt said:
James,
I hope I didn't offend.... you asked for maker's opinions. Pin placement is mainly artistic.
Click to expand...

None taken, He asked for comments, each one is valuable if he is to improve and appeal to more folks. I appreciate it. He will too.

Jim
 
I think both knives look quite good, but agree that from that photo the pin placement is not where i would like to see it. I am in agreement with Will as to where the pins should be placed.
 
I think they look pretty good from what I can see of them... I'll agree on the pins and their placement (needing to be moved), but like it's been said, that's an aesthetic thing.

The only thing I see is that the handles look pretty squared off, and it's usually a bit more comfortable if they are rounded a bit more, but to each his own on that.

For knives of that size, tapered tangs would reduce the size of the handles and the weight (substantially), but once again that's just a preference thing. I don't taper a lot of tangs, but most of my fixed blades are larger these days...

Overall, I think they're pretty eye catching, and they are unique (which is always a bonus). I like the use of the liners and the dovetailing as well... Good choices on complimenting materials as well.



MT
 
Thanks Mark, he will appreciate the suggestions, I like the idea of a tapered tang to lighten it up and the rounding of the handles.

Jim
 
Mark Terrell said:
I think they look pretty good from what I can see of them... I'll agree on the pins and their placement (needing to be moved), but like it's been said, that's an aesthetic thing.

The only thing I see is that the handles look pretty squared off, and it's usually a bit more comfortable if they are rounded a bit more, but to each his own on that.

For knives of that size, tapered tangs would reduce the size of the handles and the weight (substantially), but once again that's just a preference thing. I don't taper a lot of tangs, but most of my fixed blades are larger these days...

Overall, I think they're pretty eye catching, and they are unique (which is always a bonus). I like the use of the liners and the dovetailing as well... Good choices on complimenting materials as well.
MT
Click to expand...

As a low end collector primarily, I offer a different, though not necessarily, contrary perspective. I agree concerning both pin placement and the rounding of handles. With regard to tapered versus not tapered tang, I agree that it's a "preference thing," though some consider it more than that. I happen to prefer a heavier knife in a small knife, so I lean to a thicker steel than needed and don't really care if the tang is tapered or not. On a bigger knife I might prefer a tapered tang to reduce the overall weight of the knife and move the balance forward.

My $0.02.

Paul
 
I just got off the phone with Gary, and he appreciates the input. He does not try to center the pins, just places them where they "look right" on his knife. The placement depends on file work, type of material used for handles, etc. Gary's knives have an unique quality: they "feel" right. Again, thanks for the comments; I hope you have the opportunity to see his work in person. Bill.
 
I had the table right next to Gary at Blade this year so over the three day period I really got to take a look. He is self taught (like me) but has seriously thought out his handle shapes and the different ways that his knives might be held and used. The ones I played with felt balanced and "good in the hand." His knives are made to be used but his handles and spacers and file work make them look much better than "just a user." On top of that he was offering a life time guarantee with all of his knives. Kevin
 
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