Cosa Nostra.....

I am still not quite in my "middle period" but About 23 years or so ago, when I was just a lad my uncle (family reunion) pulled out a knife roll, and started showing us all the customs he had made.

His name was Glen Hornby, a custom maker out of California (also LAPD by profession).

His cheapest knife was about $85 and was a skeleton handle combat style with a cord wrapped handle.

He had big knives and small knives.

I decided to start saving for the next family reunion. I bought my first custom the next family reunion. I still have that knife. It is a hunter with stag handle scales.

My dad bought a custom fighter with a stag handle.

Love those knives.


I had a plan in my mind to go an spend some time at Glen's ranch to learn to make knives. He shortly after I graduated from High School, so I never had a chance to learn from him.

I have since (about two years ago) made my first knife. Hand made with a mini hack saw, 5160 steel, shaped with hand files, heat treated in my little round grill, and quenched in oil. Tempered in my oven twice.

I still have the desire, and have a few more in the works.

The knowledge I have gained on here was my starting point! What a great forum.

By profession, I am an attorney (criminal defense). And both busy, and poor!

If I was rich, I would probably stop, or go part time with just a few cases, and set up a nice shop with equipment and really start making knives as a hobby.
 
I have only a vague idea of where I am and how I got here.

That this all has also become my thing is something I'm thankful for every day. I have a few 'my things' which are passions that sustain me and fill me with joy and hope every day. These things have also helped me to see past my own indulgent self loathing and to become a productive human.

I'm currently too busy looking forward to what might come than back at what's brought me to this point. Besides, it's not a very exciting story, and a short one at that.
 
Kohai999 said:
What would you like to see pics of, Gus?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

"Rod Chappel, Keith Coleman, Harold Corby, Frank Dilluvio, Joe Kious, Harvey McBurnette, Corbet Sigman, Ken Steigerwalt....and many others...."
Some of these knives and the shop, with the Harbor Freight bandsaw, if you still have some.
 
GTCknives said:
"Rod Chappel, Keith Coleman, Harold Corby, Frank Dilluvio, Joe Kious, Harvey McBurnette, Corbet Sigman, Ken Steigerwalt....and many others...."
Some of these knives and the shop, with the Harbor Freight bandsaw, if you still have some.
Click to expand...

That is a long time before I had a computer, and I am a notoriously lousy photographer....I'll see what I can put together for you.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
In February 1987 I set up at my second knife show. The Alabama Gun Collector Association show in Bessemer AL.

Two notable events occurred there:

1) At the time I was a 1LT in the US Army....my take home pay was probably about $2,000 at the time. While at this show I was paid a little over $2,000 in cash...$100 bills. Prior to this I had never seen that many $100 bills in my life.

My wife who had gone shopping came back, while I was talking with a customer she whispered in my ear "how is the show going". I reached into my pocket and handed the money to her.

As I continued to talk to the customer in front of me...from behind me I heard (In a very loud voice)..."Oh My God!" It would appear that my wife had never seen that much money all at one time either. To match one months pay in less than 2 days...was a pretty big deal.

2) I met this some what obnoxious but pretty humorous guy selling a lot of Randall's and a good selection of custom knives.

Within a year of meeting him we started setting up next to each other at every show we attended....for the next 22 years.

I'm really looking forward to the next time we can do that again.
 
are awesome!

Everyone has a story to tell about "our thing".....don't be shy, even the people that are normally not "part" of "our thing"....it's an open invitation to claim a piece of "our thing"!:D

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I forgot to add something important! When I was 13 the Crawford Combat folder that was my first custom was given to be as a bribe. My parents didn't wanna keep paying the outrageous cost of the private school I was in for two years so in order to get me back to public school my dad bought me the knife. :) I was pretty shy and needed a push.
 
November 1983 while attending Infantry Office Basic at the beautiful Benning School For Boys. I was killing a Sunday afternoon at the post theater...the movie...Rambo.

The word epiphany is not to strong of a description for what happened to me that day.

In June 1984 I bought my first custom knife...Hollow Handle Survival knife from Robert Parrish...cost $185.00. Wife thought I was insane. BTW...the knife had a killer ROI! :D

May 1985 friend suggests we go to something called...The Blade Show. The habit begins.

May 1986...same friend and wives go to Blade Show. Wives give us 4 hours at the show..while they go shopping. 8 hours later...wives pissed...but husbands happy...and broke. :D

I start selling knives at Ft. Campbell. At dinner one night with previous mentioned friend and his wife...his wife suggested that if I made selling the knives a business...I could start to write expenses off! On Sept 6th 1986 after meeting with my first CPA...Robertson's Custom Cutlery is born.
 
I actually got introduced to knife collecting by circumstance but quickly became obsessed with it as a result of the friendly and hospitable nature of the makers and knife people in general. My collecting background was in classic cars, where it seems more about “just the cars” rather than the people or comradely.

I was in Atlanta on business, finished up early in the Cobb area so rather than wait for my flight at the airport I decided to drop into the Blade Show (2001, I believe). I was of course amazed upon walking through the doors.
I became even more amazed when Daniel Winkler and Karen Shook spent about 45 minutes with me talking about custom knives in general then about the particular style they have become famous for. Same thing when I went to Jay and Nancy Hendrickson’s table. Then upon seeing Larry Bailey’s beautiful ABS hunter display I was hooked.

Months latter I went to the Harrisonburg Va. Show where I actually met Larry Bailey this time and talked knives with him and actually purchased my first collector knife latter on that afternoon.

I had been reading up on several makers and Jerry Fisk’s work particularly interested me, so one Saturday afternoon I decided, since now my officially being a collector with my one knife, to give Jerry a call. Much to my surprise, considering him being one of the top knifemakers in the world, he answered the phone and talked knives with me for quite some time and we arranged to meet at the Blade Show a few weeks later. As a result Jerry and I have become very good friends and Jerry’s knives make up much of my collection. At that same Blade Show I again went to visit with Jay and Nancy Hendrickson, only this time Bill Moran joined into the conversation since he had the table next to the Hendrickson’s. At another Blade Show David Anders offered to take me to one of the ivory vendor’s booths and give me a few pointers. That ended up being a complete lesson on ancient ivory that has benefited me to this day.

So it’s always been as much about the people as the knives to me.
 
Kohai999 said:
are awesome!

Everyone has a story to tell about "our thing".....don't be shy, even the people that are normally not "part" of "our thing"....it's an open invitation to claim a piece of "our thing"!:D

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Come on, folks. Even I posted!:eek:
 
Kohai999 said:
are awesome!

Everyone has a story to tell about "our thing".....don't be shy, even the people that are normally not "part" of "our thing"....it's an open invitation to claim a piece of "our thing"!:D

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Come on, folks. Even I posted!:eek:
 
I've owned knives since my dad bought me my first swiss army knife at 8 years old (I still have it too), mostly Buck and Gerber

my first experience with custom knives was in 2003 when a friend of mine from church Paul Basal (yes, of Dark Ops) invited me to come to the Blade show with him and meet Paul Chen.
At the time Paul Basal worked with Brigade Quartermasters and I had been making them custom Bokken to sell.

At the show I met Larry Harley and he invited me to his hammerin the next year which I went to and met Mike Blue, Randal Graham, Ron Clairborne, Wes Byrd, James Gibson, Alan Longmire and several others who convinced me that knifemaking is pretty much the best thing ever.

The next year I had the honor of giving Don Fogg a ride from the airport in Atl to Larrys hammerin and it was truly a perspective changing experience spending many many hours with someone of Dons unique talent.


My first ever Custom was a Randal Graham Katana, and I started buying Tac folders in just the past couple years
 
Interesting reading, folks!

My first show as an exhibitor was very memorable. After being full time and selling to the locals for 4 years, I did my first show in St.Louis (1995). I had enough money to get there and pay for the hotel, but not enough to get home. Like Les, I had never had that much cash at one time, sold around 30 knives. Came home and started booking shows all around the Mid-West :)
 
No, I had a little more cash than that one other time, and this is the strangest knife event I've had.

Around a year earlier (94), had a guy comes into the shop (yes, had inventory and a sign on the road), he was pretty drunk, loud and obnoxious. I had 40-50 knives displayed and my Dad had well over 100 (his famous $10 knives). This guy proceeded to buy every knife in the shop!

He would round up a dozen or so and make me an offer. I would counter and he would say "lets flip a coin". I would agree and usually win the toss. This went on for about 30 minutes and didn't stop until every knife in the shop was bought. He even bought the knife I was working on, and another that wasn't finish. Was a bit under $4000 cash :eek: I just sat there with a hand full of money, wondering what I would start working on next. Then took the rest of the day off :D

Found out later he had won the lottery.
 
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OK, I'll play. I've owned knives since my Dad gave me my first folder, a cheap, single blade slipjoint, probably when I was 5 or 6, which was later followed by a boy scout type multiblade that's still in an old shoebox in my parents' basement -- most likely a bit rusty since they live only a mile from the Pacific Ocean. Bought my first "good" knife, a Buck slimline trapper while I was in high school (maybe 1971 or so); still own that knife. I also bought a bunch of cheap, crap knives during that time period.

Skip forward to the late 90's and my wife telling me I needed a hobby, only to realize I had one and didn't realize it, accumulating a bunch of knives over the years and finding excuses to buy new ones. Found this place in 1999 and realized just what I had been drooling over when I'd visit the Gun Exchange in San Francisco during the 70's and 80's. Moved to Virginia in 2001 and started going to the SECKS and Blade. I really miss the SECKS; it attracted some good makers, but wasn't as crowded and hectic as Blade.
My first Blade Show just completely blew my mind and there's been no going back (mentally); my wife I have made the drive down to Atlanta every year since 2002; my 3 year old son has now been 4 times (granted, he didn't have much of a view in 2007).
 
I'm currently making knives on my mom and dad's back porch with a Harbor Freight bandsaw, a Coote grinder and other equipment. I destroy knives, throw knives, and live knives. I drink alot of beer and have the occasional tryst with the fairer sex.

:D:p

For as long as I can remember I've loved knives. The men in my family are outdoorsmen, and talk of guns and knives has been a constant in my household. Dad taught me how to sharpen knives as a kid, and I was putting hair popping edges on any edged tool I could get my hands before I reached middle school. I drooled over every knife magazine and catalog I could get my hands on.

Shortly after that I was making a dollar here and there fixing broken blades, and refurbishing old knives for people. I paid my dues to my Aikido dojo by doing tsukamaki for the advanced students' swords. I've always read blade magazine etc, and admire custom knives and knifemakers but never had the drive to try my own knives until I picked up the $50 Knife Shop by Wayne Goddard.

The first real knife show I attended was in Louisville Ky maybe 5 years ago. I met AT Barr of Nicholasville Ky, handled many of the different custom pieces on his table, and talked shop. Very nice man, and those custom knives were so unlike any of the production stuff I was used to. He had a folder on his table that I still dream about. It was just butter smooth. After that, I was officially hooked.

Since then I have collected various tools and ruined way more knives than I have successfully produced, but I still keep hacking. I learn stuff every day.

I'm a young man, and I'm reading alot of the older fellas having great success in their later years with knives. I hope stories like that ring as true for me.
 
STeven, l like the new openness you share.
I grew up in Kansas and didnt get into knives until cub scouts. Dad taught boy scouts and was the worst example of any scout leader ever. He taught us how to smoke grape vines one campout. Everybody smokes something back then. I remember getting into trouble at school by cleaning my fingernails in class and the teacher took my knife away until after class.

In 1970 I began riding and repairing motorcycles full time. It had been a hobby until that time. I spent close to 30 years at it and took up knife making as a hobby and tried to teach it to boys in the scouts around 1986. I was a Royal Ranger Scout leader for 10 years and stepped down. They dont have a very long attention span. Was thrilled to sell my first one for $25 in 1986, continued making them for extra money to buy tools. I got burned out on motorcycles and closed my own bike shop in 1998 and went full time into knife making. It was "feast or famine" and I took a couple part time jobs to pay the bills and keep Kaye off my back. Loved every minute and still do.

I started making cut,n,shoot knives in 2001 and have only made about one per year it seems. They take so long to invent that its back to the "feast or famine" lifestyle problem at times. Theres not enough hours in the day. Love to make bowies and lately slip joints. Eventually want to engrave my own work. Leaning toward smaller more complicated designs and have trouble making two alike now. Living the dream.
 
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