Guess who?

[Lorien]

oh, and I thought I should add the following from the email I received from John;

As for the clip, it is Titanium, I cut them from .040" Titanium sheet and bend them myself. I tried the blanks and they didn't save me any work since I was re-shaping them to what I wanted and still had to drill the holes. This way it's easy for me to adjust the length to suit the knife when I'm cutting them out.

 

[Lorien]

Well, I sent my John Smith knife back to John for some scrutiny just before Christmas, and guess what showed up just now!

Anyway, it was pretty exciting to get my knife back, as my expectations were pretty high based on this email I received from Mr. Smith;

Hi Lorien,
I shipped your knife today via insured priority mail.

The main thing that started the lock problem was that some previous owner had put the wrong thickness washers back in the knife.
They should have been .020" thick but instead were replaced with .015" washers. This allowed the frames to pinch together at the front causing the action to be tight and also prevented the lock from engaging the correct depth.

I suspect it has been thru a few owners over time as they didn't know what the blade material was.


The blade is Stellite 6K, which made the price $575 when it was made.

I originally made the knife for Bob Neal as a special order for one of his customers. It is a model 2, which I made in a Tanto blade and a modified spear point like yours.


I re-surfaced the lock bar with Tungsten Carbide, replaced the washers with the correct thickness bronze washers, re-finished the blade tip and bead blasted the frame.

It should be good as new and the action is set like original.

Also you mentioned you were interested in making a folder so I included a working drawing of basically the same knife and included a certificate for your knife.


Let me know when the knife arrives If you don't mind and if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

John W. Smith went well above and beyond, and this is a singular experience of majorly exceptional warranty service. Actually, it goes well beyond warranty servicing, as John dealt with problems not of his making, ie; this knife was NOT defective, and he also did extra stuff.

I really, really appreciate him sharing his blue print with me as well. I simply told him I'd like to make a folder some time, and he went and helped me get started in a way that gives me a super head start.

As far as I'm concerned, John W. Smith will forever be my go-to guy if I find myself wanting more folding knives. He gets an A+++ rating from this EXTREMELY satisfied customer!

PS. I forgot to add, this knife is incredibly smooth, and the lockup is vaultlike!

 

[Kohai999]

As far as I'm concerned, John W. Smith will forever be my go-to guy if I find myself wanting more folding knives. He gets an A+++ rating from this EXTREMELY satisfied customer!

PS. I forgot to add, this knife is incredibly smooth, and the lockup is vaultlike!

I'm sure that John will be absolutely tickled to hear you say that, Lorien....(insert sarcasm) yunno, he's really hurting for work.

You are learning....TRY to be as good of a customer as John is a maker. That is, don't assume things, and don't be afraid to "waste a maker's time". The maker will let you know when they have to get off the phone or if something you are requesting is unreasonable, if they are worth their salt.

That Stellite is soft, btw, compared to say S30V, highest RC at around 47. It does best with soft media(flesh, muscle, tendon), if you cut hardwood, bone or come in contact with metal you will likely roll the edge and have a terrible time bringing it back up. It is INCREDIBLY corrosion resistant.

When I post up that R.J. Martin and J.W. Smith are(imo) the best tactical makers out there, it isn't because they gave me cupcake recipes.....it's because after YEARS of quietly kicking butt, they deserve a shoutout.

Enjoy your refurbished knife, and if you haven't given John any money, a restaurant gift card or something like that would, I'm sure, be appreciated.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Lorien]

thanks Steven, I appreciate your advice and the info provided.
I have some cupcake recipes for you!

 

[NickWheeler]

John is a maker to look up to for MANY reasons. Not only can he make the full spectrum of knives, from basic "true-grit" type of tacticals through the very ornate high end art gallery pieces... he proves himself a professional in everything he does. This is a great example!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Now that I'm finally starting to get my act together, I hope that someday I can consistently hold myself to the very high standards that John holds himself to.

 

[Kohai999]

John is a maker to look up to for MANY reasons. Not only can he make the full spectrum of knives, from basic "true-grit" type of tacticals through the very ornate high end art gallery pieces... he proves himself a professional in everything he does. This is a great example!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Now that I'm finally starting to get my act together, I hope that someday I can consistently hold myself to the very high standards that John holds himself to.

One of the reasons to look up to John, Nick, is that he is quite tall.

I spoke to John about you at the very first AKI that I went to.....

He would tell you....make knives. Amongst the best things, is John produces. He takes great pride in this, up to and including having the Doctor make him a splint for broken fingers so he could still work.

He apologetically indicated at that time that he could not make damascus, due to the fingers.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Lorien]

One of the reasons to look up to John, Nick, is that he is quite tall.

this is why I look up to so many people, they don't need to be tall either. Average height is pretty tall to me

And, dangit, I think I just went and bought another Smith. Yeah, just now huh. Timing is everything and all things happen when they should. It's so nice when these things aren't things that suck.

 

[Kevin Jones]

Knifemaker's going above and beyond really enhance the experience of knife collecting even when it's someone else's knife.

Lorien no one can turn a simple box opening into an amazing journey like you can.

 

[Lorien]

every moment is an amazing journey!

 

[Jon Brand]

This is excellent. And another JWS huh?!!

 

[Lorien]

yup, another one!
This is a beautiful little knife. The handle is probably the most comfortable handle of a folding knife this size I've come across. Love the Ti backspacer as well. Not sure what kind of steel the blade is made from yet, but the clip on this one is definitely steel. Amazing precision and finish.

Guess I now have a JWS collection And I got two knives for the price of one brand new one:thumbup:

According to John W. Smith;

"The knife in the photo is a model FL-1 and was made around 10 years ago, it's the first framelock design I made."

Ps. this little knife had been resharpened and was left with a really coarse edge bevel finish. I like a nice polished edge so I've started away at it with a Spyderco fine ceramic profile rod. My guess on the steel type here is ATS34/154CM. When I hear back from John regarding the steel used, I'll let you know if I was right.

Anyone wanna guess what kind of steel?