Ed Fowler fixed blade

but I cannot find direct reference to it on the ABS website, so I do not know who the members include, or why.

"what do you mean by "group dynamics"?

Basically, that like most thriving institutions, the good works that the membership as a whole contribute more memorably and significantly, than focusing on individual acheivement. In other words, there is no single "Best" in the ABS right now, that is more a matter of opinion and perception, than reality.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Just got me to thinking, if he can destroy so many blades through testing, that would lead me to believe that knife making is just a hobby that makes him some cash on the side (which is what I believed, I've always believed that the guy has a great time around knives, but destroying those handmades must cost a small fortune :( ). Anyway, has he always been a knife maker? Did he have a day job, did he win the lottery or some such to support himself, or is he just a frugal man that knows how to control his spending habits and make money last. I realize that he probably has a lot to sustain himself on the Willow Bow, and he really doesn't seem like a materialistic person to me, but he has to have some money to eat and put a roof over his head! Every knife magazine I pick up has him advertising classes at his ranch, I guess that that is a moneymaker, but does the man get a good pension? I mean, is it really possible to make a good living creating custom knives? Still interested in getting a custom pronghorn piece...
 
Call him and ask him, you will find him to be most helpful with your questions.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Just got me to thinking, if he can destroy so many blades through testing, that would lead me to believe that knife making is just a hobby that makes him some cash on the side
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Maybe, maybe not, but remember the prices he charges. This is how he can destroy so many knives. In fact, his knives are more than 1/8th more expensive than similar knives from similarly talented makers.

BTW, all makers do destructive testing. I don't know for a fact that Ed does that more often than others, esp. those mentionned in the last few threads - Meier, Fogg, Clark, Cashen,....

Speaking of commitment to the performance of the forged blade, Howard Clark designed his own alloy and commissioned a foundry for a custom smelt - not a small endeavor by any means. He also wrote a paper on the metalurgy of steel blades.
 
Sorry, I may be wandering off the topic of the thread, with mention of the ABS.. there is a Hall of Fame (google it). To be clear, I'm stating my own personal opinions, which I truly believe. Whether anyone else agrees, or not... after all this is a discussion forum, like our buddy Anthony points out. I do respect other views. So, I will leave some of the discussions for later.

Silenthunter, I have to agree with Steven. Give Ed a call, and good luck with your knife search. Hope you get a good one.

Bill,
Welcome back! I hope you'll be around... I've always enjoyed reading your posts. Keep us up to speed what's going on out West.

DaQo'tah,
Post a picture or two of your knives, I'd like to see them. If I remember, didn't you call it a Targhorn?
David
 
Joss said:
Speaking of commitment to the performance of the forged blade, Howard Clark designed his own alloy and commissioned a foundry for a custom smelt - not a small endeavor by any means. He also wrote a paper on the metalurgy of steel blades.
Click to expand...

Ed did this also. At this time he has 10 tons of a steel that he and Rex Walter designed. It should be interesting to find out if it turns out to be a steel he likes better than 52100.

Most test blades do not go through the same degree of finishing that is done on the blades of finished knives. It would be silly to put even a 1000 grit hand rubbed finish on a blade that was going to be tortured to death. This means that test blades don't cost nearly as much in time as do finished ones. Still though, it does cost a lot to do extensive testing and I am glad that there are makers like Ed, Jerry, Kevin, etc. that are willing to do this. These are the makers that keep pushing back the boundries so that others can benefit from what they have learned.

There is definitely an ABS Hall of Fame, but I can't seem to find out much info on it. I have emailed Jan at the ABS and asked if she could point me in the right direction to find out more about the Hall.
 
2knife said:
Sorry, I may be wandering off the topic of the thread, with mention of the ABS.. there is a Hall of Fame (google it). David
Click to expand...

I googled "ABS Hall of Fame" and came up with the Australian Budgerigar Society Hall of Fame. :D I'm thinking Ed could do without that feathered flock bowing down to akcnowledge his accomplishments. :)

http://www.geocities.com/australianbudgerigarsociety/halloffame.htm

But seriously folks... the search did bring up some photos hosted on knifeart which purport to be from induction ceremonies at an ABS Hall of Fame dinner. With Fisk and Massey and such in attendance, I'm sure this one has something to do with knives. No doubt Jan will help out.

Roger
 
SAMUEL BELL
JEFFERY HARRIS
ALFRED PENDRAY
STEVE SHACKLEFORD
MARGARET MORAN

Seems pretty political, and quite strange to me. I mean nobody has ever mentioned Margaret as an excellent blade forger to me, and I have never seen one of her knives, and Shackleford does not do squat for knives except publish Blade, Samuel Bell has been dead for over 100 years, and was not available to recieve his award.

A better question is, does Ed Fowler feel slighted for not being inducted into the ABS Hall of Fame yet? Or, do we even know that this is the case? I am going to call him and ask him.

He did not answer, but I left a message, I will edit if he calls me back.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Steven,
While I was posting the last response I noticed that Jerry Fisk was perusing the thread for a long time.. for a while I thought he might post an opinion about the ABS question, but he didn't. Personally, I have never heard any complaints from Ed about the issue. Just a thought, an honor he deserves.

Same goes for the Blade Magazine "Hall of Fame".. who's done more for the popularity of Blade amongst readers?
David
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Just got me to thinking, if he can destroy so many blades through testing, that would lead me to believe that knife making is just a hobby that makes him some cash on the side (which is what I believed, I've always believed that the guy has a great time around knives, but destroying those handmades must cost a small fortune :( ). Anyway, has he always been a knife maker? Did he have a day job, did he win the lottery or some such to support himself, or is he just a frugal man that knows how to control his spending habits and make money last. I realize that he probably has a lot to sustain himself on the Willow Bow, and he really doesn't seem like a materialistic person to me, but he has to have some money to eat and put a roof over his head! Every knife magazine I pick up has him advertising classes at his ranch, I guess that that is a moneymaker, but does the man get a good pension? I mean, is it really possible to make a good living creating custom knives? Still interested in getting a custom pronghorn piece...
Click to expand...

Im sure he would probably try to answer your questions about knives and how he makes them. Even reading some of his articles (or his book 'Knife Talk') would probably give you some insight. Im not trying to sound rude, but I suspect questioning his income, pension and money matters probably falls under the 'none of you business' classification.
 
I can tell you from personal knowledge that Ed doesn't feel slighted by not being in the ABS Hall of Fame.

Also, knife making is not a hobby to him. It is a passion. It is also part of how he makes his living. His ranch is certainly not a big money maker.
 
on his dime, and time.

He has not seen the thread yet, I told him of its' existence.

Per usual, he was gracious and giving of his time, a gift not taken lightly.

I asked him about the Hall of Fame, and he said that is is not included amongst the rolls there, and would be honored to be included in the ABS Hall of Fame.

Ed also said that the greatest pleasure for him is when someone picks up one of his knives and falls in love with it.

I told him again of my disdain for brass and begged him to try something different, but he loves it, and that is that. I would say here that catchy rhymes like "brass has no class" are cute, but not something I would say, or write.

Like I said, I hate brass for a whole lot of reasons that I do not need to go into, but Ed loves it, has since he was a kid. To use the above catchy rhyme concerning someones' chosen material is disrespectful, overly simplistic and dismissive. We can agree to disagree, but we should TRY not to be insulting about it, and I am not being hypocritical here, insulting people is just usually a by product of being who I am.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
RogerP said:
Hey Anthony,

Sounds good - except maybe the part about letting Danbo tag along. :p Well, since he also introduced me to Russ' work I suppose I am also in his debt. Are you going to Blade this year?

Bill - I have seen and held the knife that Murray pictured earlier in this thread - it was very well done indeed. While I am no great fan of sheep horn, I have to say that it is one of the most comfortable and secure handles I have ever taken hold of.

Roger
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Roger, I think Dan should come along just to inspect Anthony's toenails and confirm they are as nice as he is claiming... :)
 
Kohai999 I told him again of my disdain for brass and begged him to try something different said:
From the words of Ed Fowler in his books and stuff,,,I think that he would listen to any idea that would give him a better blade....so,,,Perhaps if you could prove that something worked better than Brass, Ed would get interested?....

Remember the brass on the Fowler knife is there to make the big guard,,,,,it's the finger guard thats the important part,,,the Ed Fowler video makes it clear to us that Ed thinks the finger guard is a very very important part of his knife design,,,,it's not there by accident, it's there for a reason,

And lets face it, 3/4 inch Brass is easy to work with and yet it is thick and big enough to use in the design of the Pronhorn guard,,,,So if you want something else to replace the brass, you need to sell it to him as "better".......

But what works down as easy as brass, Can give Ed the same type of finger guard in the end,,,but looks better to your eyes????
Click to expand...
 
A big block of 303 or 416 stainless can be had, and although is a bit of a pain more to work, is a totally acceptable guard material.

I don't like grinding brass, and I do like grinding stainless steel, it is tougher, so gives me more "feel". If you need more metal taken off quicker, switch belts. I am not opposed to sterling silver, either and could provide that.

No, I am not a knifemaker, but I have made knives, and I have been playing with a belt grinder for almost 10 years.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Did I win the lottery or have a big pension? No, I drive a 1979 Ford 1/2 ton 4wd with over 350,000 miles on it. She has known two engins, two transmissions and one replaced front end and three windshields. My son gave me the pickup and I would not trade it straight up for any new one.
My dog Abraham and I live simply, beef comes from the ranch, used to be any cow that died, the last beef was a prime steer, just because I was married at the time.

Most of what I buy comes from the pawn shop, flea market or local auction. I would have it no other way.

I do have a considerable investment in our knife research, First it was me alone, then Wayne Goddard and I met, soon the late Dick IIams joined me, then Bill Burke, Rex Walter and Doc., Shane Justice, Eldon Perkins and now we have 8 new members in what may soon be known as the High Performance Knife Association or what ever name we chose. All have devoted time and effort and cash to build what the future may one day reveal.

I live simply, no TV or other garbage to distract. Knives and the search for my personal Excalibur is my obcession. I have fought for the Willow Bow, and my dreams about knives. Like any rancher I have a loan at the bank, they have been my pardner through thick and thin. Most of you would laugh at my yearly income when it comes to cash, but the riches I know from sharing with others in the world of knives is priceless.

I dearly love my freedom to make what I wish to make and am highly gratefull to those who have and continue to contribute to the development of the High Performance Knife. Without your support it could not happen.

Bill Moran taught me well, sharing all the knowledge I could absorb at the time, but most importantly leaving me with more questions than answers and a hunger to find those answers. For me the end of the rainbow is my shop, dog, horse and the Excalibur we seek. I will not live to see her, but just maybe one of our students or the next generation of students will know her. I hope the quest never ends, for then we have no where to go.

I thank you for the many kind thoughts in this discussion.

Take Care
 
Thanks for responding Mr. Fowler. I'm not a knifemaker, can barely sharpen a knife. But I've read your articles and books and admire your knives. I never really knew the type of performance that a good knife could give until I read Knife Talk.

Having you involved in these forums is great. Its like having Roger Clemons answer your questions about how to throw a split finger fastball!
 
I guess I should have worded my question better, I just wanted to know how one survives making knives for a living. It's a lot different out here on the east coast, you either have to have at least a 60000 a year job to even own a shack, or you have to live in an apartment building! The cost of living west of the Mississippi has really called to me! Before I call Mr Fowler up and waste his time with my limited knowledge of knives and knife making, I am going to read up on it a bit. I've been meaning to get the book the FIFTY DOLLAR KNIFE SHOP, and both of Ed's books, I think I'll order those today. If it's okay to jaw with you when I have a little more to bring to the conversation, Mr Fowler, I would like to talk with you. What really got me interested in the man's artwork was the fact that he knows so much and he is a great storyteller, he writes often of the "lady knife's siren call", and I have developed that for some pieces, and I can't shake that song from my head when it comes to one of his pronghorns. Also, after reading Blade for about a year, I have decided that I might want to make knives myself. I am going to think long and hard about it, read some books, talk to Mr Fowler if it's okay, and try my hand at simple blade kits. Thanks for all of the comments and opinions, some of you think he charges too much, some think that he doesn't get enough recognition. I appreciate the honest commentary and the comments from the maker himself. Once again, I apologize if I offended Ed, if I didn't I still apologize, it wasn't any of my business, it wasn't my intent to find out his annual income etc.

Thanks
Dan
 
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