I got very interested in custom knives about 8 years ago when I saw a copy of Blade magazine featuring the knives Daniel Winkler made for the movie 'Last of the Mohicans'. That was my wake up call to the world of hand-made knives as Art. I read Blade on and off for several more years, and then sort of lost interest in knives for a while (I carried a Gerber LST everyday, however).
In 1996 while on vacation with my family in the Yellowstone area, I went into Seldom Seen knives, a custom knife shop in West Yellowstone Montana. I got to handle some extraordinary knives for the first time in my life. A rancher was buying his 12 year son an incredible custom stockman knife. I ended up buying my first custom knife, a 4 inch random damascus fixed blade knife with engraved brass bolsters and beautiful burnt jigged bone scales. I told myself at the time that this would be my last custom knife. I could not see ever needing another. I thought I had found perfection at last. Hah!
That fall, I went to my first knife show, the annual Chesapeake show in Timonium MD. I spent all day there, collecting business cards and talking to folks like Don Fogg. I was hooked. At the end of the day, I made the rounds looking to finally buy at least one of the beautiful knives I had seen. All gone. Lesson learned. I did end up going home with a really nice 3 inch diff tempered knife forged from a file by Tim Morgan. At that time, I thought $85 was a lot for a knife. Hah again!
Anyway, I have been hooked ever since. I scour all the major custom web sites several times a week, read the big three knife rags (Blade, Knives Illustrated, and Knife World), and hang out here. I attend the Chesapeake show every year in December. And am looking forward to a weekend hanging out with local makers at the Appalachian Knifemakers Rendezvous in the Spring. I even took the train up to the NY show a couple of weeks ago. It was time well spent. My focus that day was on meeting makers and forumites. The knives were sort of secondary (I had a fundage shortage). I was much more interested in people that day, than things.
I enjoy looking at knives, and reading about knives as much as owning knives. Searching for that next perfect piece is a lot of fun. I am even enjoying waiting for three pieces I have on order. These are Tim Herman plain sliver folder, a PJ Tomes two-bladed 'moose' folder in stag, and Schuyler Lovestrand hunter.
My tastes seem to be changing. Initially, I collected mostly forged fixed blade hunters. But recently I have purchased some stock removal pieces (Denning, Lovestrand, and Warenski). My new focus seems to be on natural handle materials (mammoth ivory and pearl) on small lock-back gents folders. I have an all damascus and Mammoth ivory lockback made by Daniel Winkler that I got a few months ago. The only knife I bought at the NY custom show was a small 3-inch mid-lock folder with a 420V flat ground blade, and outstanding pearl scales made by ABS Mastersmith PJ Tomes. It is my new daily carry knife. I haven't abandoned my interest in forged knives, but I appreciate stock removal pieces now as well. I'm sure I will develop other curious twists on this knife addiction in the future. There are still lots of different styles of knives to collect and admire.
So I don't think I will ever lose my passion for knives again. It may wane and ebb, but this addiction is here to stay. There is so much to see, and learn, and enjoy in the world of knives that one can never know everything. Learning about new things never gets boring for me. I am very grateful to have found BladeForums so I can share my interest with other passionate people.
Paracelsus
My Knives
[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 11-21-2000).]