synthesist
So many knives so little time
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2004
- Messages
- 933
First an admission
I admit to an inordinate affection for 2, relatively, rare styles of slipjoints: Orange Blossoms ( okay gunstocks too ) and locking whittlers.
I have few old Orange Blossoms and several locking Whittlers including a custom Bob Enders' w/Mammoth Ivory Slabs. Few makers attempt these styles. The Boses are notable for their locking whittlers and C. Gray Taylor and Dan Burke for their gentleman's knives. I keep my eyes open just the same, you never know what may pop up.
I was flipping through my new copy of the 2008 Knives Annual and there was a lovely Dan Burke/Simon Lyntton Orange Blossom and several C. Gray Taylor knives. I was stunned by the Orange Blossom. In a previous thread I described and posted a pic or 2 of what an Orange Blossom looks like when taken apart and why they are so often found with broken springs.
I had to call Dan Burke to tell him how nice that little knife was. What a nice man. We had an hour long conversation and only ended it because it was getting so late.
He described how he came to make his first Orange Blossom, which involved a threat from a client/friend (Famous Kachina maker Darrell Parker) to take apart a "gorgeous" Remington Orange Blossom to provide a pattern. He spoke about the spacer separating the 2 small blades, which tapers to .004" (eeek!) and the tolerances (.0005") of some of the parts, why he uses BG42 as his steel of choice and that 50RC is the ideal hardness for springs on these kinds of knives. I learned a lot in that hour.
Then I received the December 2007 issue of The Blade and there on the final page was another of his knives, a 6 bladed, fluted ivory, smoker's knife. Wow!
I love these kinds of knives and am in awe of the men who make them. Someday I'd like to take a crack at one of them.
Syn
I admit to an inordinate affection for 2, relatively, rare styles of slipjoints: Orange Blossoms ( okay gunstocks too ) and locking whittlers.
I have few old Orange Blossoms and several locking Whittlers including a custom Bob Enders' w/Mammoth Ivory Slabs. Few makers attempt these styles. The Boses are notable for their locking whittlers and C. Gray Taylor and Dan Burke for their gentleman's knives. I keep my eyes open just the same, you never know what may pop up.
I was flipping through my new copy of the 2008 Knives Annual and there was a lovely Dan Burke/Simon Lyntton Orange Blossom and several C. Gray Taylor knives. I was stunned by the Orange Blossom. In a previous thread I described and posted a pic or 2 of what an Orange Blossom looks like when taken apart and why they are so often found with broken springs.
I had to call Dan Burke to tell him how nice that little knife was. What a nice man. We had an hour long conversation and only ended it because it was getting so late.
He described how he came to make his first Orange Blossom, which involved a threat from a client/friend (Famous Kachina maker Darrell Parker) to take apart a "gorgeous" Remington Orange Blossom to provide a pattern. He spoke about the spacer separating the 2 small blades, which tapers to .004" (eeek!) and the tolerances (.0005") of some of the parts, why he uses BG42 as his steel of choice and that 50RC is the ideal hardness for springs on these kinds of knives. I learned a lot in that hour.
Then I received the December 2007 issue of The Blade and there on the final page was another of his knives, a 6 bladed, fluted ivory, smoker's knife. Wow!
I love these kinds of knives and am in awe of the men who make them. Someday I'd like to take a crack at one of them.
Syn
