Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 38,475
The Harrisonburg show was very good this year. Big crowd and plenty of pocket money.
I sold a lot and traded for nearly as much as I sold. The trades were all so much in my favor I almost felt bad...then I remembered that they were the ones offering the trades to me.
I got a fantastic Michael Wise Naval Bowie and custom sheath in trade for a stack of handle block.
The real deal was a large trade for most of the remaining things that a friend of Ron Frazier's was liquidating for Ron.
I made a trade for three Ron Frazier damascus blades that only need handles. These were in trade for repairing and restoring a huge Randal bowie.(Sadly, Ron is too old and ill to finish anything again).
A nice sword with an ivory block for the handle (it only needs some quillion work and to shape the 1.5X1.5X5" ivory block) - traded for Capt. W.H.Griffin's artillery officers baton/swagger stick ( Civil War- Baltimore Light Artillery ).
Next was ten of my kitchen items ( carving forks, serving pieces, etc.) for a Japanese Wakizashi (probably 1900-1945). The blade is very good and Ron was making some of his fantastic carved leaves and animals hardware to restore the origional saya and tsuka. I can easily finish the work he started. The blade is in fair polish and I will re-do the togi later. It appeared to be a shortened blade from an older katana, with no markings on the nakago. I looks like it has been re-handled at least three times. Before anyone posts - "Don't sand the rust off the tang!", I do togi, and am fully competent to restore the blade to full polish ( and will leave the rust where it should be).
Finally, there was this elephant tusk that the person has ( he didn't bring it with him). The trader wanted me to finish the work on building a special military fighting knife prototype that Ron had applied for a patent on. We will trade a few more things to finish the tusk deal off, but the main part is covered.
There are several good custom knife orders taken,too.
I won the award for "Best High Art Knife".
The only negatives were that a special pen I had made was stolen off the table Saturday. It was turned from a piece of crown stag and made into a twist type cigar pen. While it was a crummy thing for someone to do, I can make another.
Then, sometime Saturday night after close ,and while the dealers were leaving, someone flipped back my table covers and tried to steal the high are knives. I had taken them with me and they were not in the case they opened. They then opened the next case and grabbed two button lock autos. They were nice knives, but there were three knives right next to them worth ten times as much...which they didn't take. I figure they did it super fast as they were leaving the room and only had time to grab the two while no one was looking. If they had had any time to check things over, they could have stolen much,much more.
I don't let other peoples evil contaminate the good in my life, so I will just make a new pen and some more autos...and forgive the low life SOB . He will have to deal with it in time.
One thing for sure is he probably can't sell them at a show that the local dealers go to, because the style of embellishment is totally unique. They would easily recognize the work.
I will change some of my procedures at close up and will lock all cases at night...taking most of the smaller and more valuable knives with me. A few extra minutes putting them back out on the next morning will be a small inconvenience.
The show operators and club members will keep an eye out at shows, and will add more security to watch the tables at their shows as the dealers leave the building.
I sold a lot and traded for nearly as much as I sold. The trades were all so much in my favor I almost felt bad...then I remembered that they were the ones offering the trades to me.
I got a fantastic Michael Wise Naval Bowie and custom sheath in trade for a stack of handle block.
The real deal was a large trade for most of the remaining things that a friend of Ron Frazier's was liquidating for Ron.
I made a trade for three Ron Frazier damascus blades that only need handles. These were in trade for repairing and restoring a huge Randal bowie.(Sadly, Ron is too old and ill to finish anything again).
A nice sword with an ivory block for the handle (it only needs some quillion work and to shape the 1.5X1.5X5" ivory block) - traded for Capt. W.H.Griffin's artillery officers baton/swagger stick ( Civil War- Baltimore Light Artillery ).
Next was ten of my kitchen items ( carving forks, serving pieces, etc.) for a Japanese Wakizashi (probably 1900-1945). The blade is very good and Ron was making some of his fantastic carved leaves and animals hardware to restore the origional saya and tsuka. I can easily finish the work he started. The blade is in fair polish and I will re-do the togi later. It appeared to be a shortened blade from an older katana, with no markings on the nakago. I looks like it has been re-handled at least three times. Before anyone posts - "Don't sand the rust off the tang!", I do togi, and am fully competent to restore the blade to full polish ( and will leave the rust where it should be).
Finally, there was this elephant tusk that the person has ( he didn't bring it with him). The trader wanted me to finish the work on building a special military fighting knife prototype that Ron had applied for a patent on. We will trade a few more things to finish the tusk deal off, but the main part is covered.
There are several good custom knife orders taken,too.
I won the award for "Best High Art Knife".
The only negatives were that a special pen I had made was stolen off the table Saturday. It was turned from a piece of crown stag and made into a twist type cigar pen. While it was a crummy thing for someone to do, I can make another.
Then, sometime Saturday night after close ,and while the dealers were leaving, someone flipped back my table covers and tried to steal the high are knives. I had taken them with me and they were not in the case they opened. They then opened the next case and grabbed two button lock autos. They were nice knives, but there were three knives right next to them worth ten times as much...which they didn't take. I figure they did it super fast as they were leaving the room and only had time to grab the two while no one was looking. If they had had any time to check things over, they could have stolen much,much more.
I don't let other peoples evil contaminate the good in my life, so I will just make a new pen and some more autos...and forgive the low life SOB . He will have to deal with it in time.
One thing for sure is he probably can't sell them at a show that the local dealers go to, because the style of embellishment is totally unique. They would easily recognize the work.
I will change some of my procedures at close up and will lock all cases at night...taking most of the smaller and more valuable knives with me. A few extra minutes putting them back out on the next morning will be a small inconvenience.
The show operators and club members will keep an eye out at shows, and will add more security to watch the tables at their shows as the dealers leave the building.
It sounds like you got some really good finds.
