Heads up from Brazil!

If I misread your intent then I apologize.

It was this comment, specifically, that I sought to address: "I just don't think that we should be helping them become better, sharing secrets and all that."

I do very strongly believe that the sharing of knowledge between two diverse groups of knifemakers is a huge positive for all collectors. Jerry Fisk has himself been able to grow as an artist and craftsman in part due to what he has learned from the Brazilian bladesmiths. I would not suggest to him that he limit himself in this regard due only to misplaced pride and arrogance.
 
Hey Ari, i've been looking at those guys for a while now and plan on picking up some of their work. Thanks for the heads up and its too bad some moron had to hijack your thread to express his prejudice opinion, but like they say-opinions are like A---------- :rolleyes:
 
Hi,

First, I think Steven has a misguided idea of what drives economic success. Protectionism - whether by law or by self-imposed rules - only weakens economies. A little bit less attachment to Keynes and a little better understanding of David Ricardo would go a long way to dissipate that misunderstatement.

Second, knowledge sharing benefits everyone. If some of the Japanese makers had not shared some of their secrets, people like Don Fogg and Howard Clark wouldn't be doing what they're doing. Note that there's been significant cross-polenization going the other way too, and that the way it should be.

Third, I don't see the logic of favoring Americans - why not limit your little circle further, to Texans only, or whatever? Obviously, this is absurd. America isn't a tribe - it's an ideal, that people are born equal and are judged not on where they were born but on what they can do. As for me, I will keep on judging who to buy based on the quality of their work.

JD
 
I still love that piece. I also admire the craftsman, no matter if he was from Brazil or China. Really. :)

Off topic: Boy, KnifeArt has stepped up the photography of late. All of their current stuff is well lit and nicely displayed.

Coop
 
Kohai999 said:
on so many levels.

Call me xenophobic, but I really, really do not see any point in acquiring custom knives from any place but the USA, if you are an American.

We taught the rest of the world how to make custom knives, IMHO, and I have historical references for this.

I say keep it here. (and am not saying this to start a flame war, if you disagree, so be it)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...
Well, I agree with Steve. You guys should confine your buying to makers that live close to you. You're driving up the prices on the world markets something awful. It's getting harder for me to find bargains!

;)
 
SharpByCoop said:
I still love that piece. I also admire the craftsman, no matter if he was from Brazil or China. Really. :)

Off topic: Boy, KnifeArt has stepped up the photography of late. All of their current stuff is well lit and nicely displayed.

Coop
Click to expand...

Coop, I thought I was the only one that noticed KA's photography improving, in fact, when I last spoke to Larry a couple of months ago, I complimented him on what I felt were much better pictures starting about 6-8 months ago, he thanked me and said nobody else had noticed, but that they had in fact around that time invested in a new "studio" and were putting more effort into the pictures, and as a wise man always says: "It costs you money not to have your knives nicely photographed." :)

Stinky, thanks for the support, but I wouldn't say Steven is a moron, just extremely outspoken and not quite as tactful as some of us. :) He believes what he believes right or wrong, sticks to it, and I can respect his beliefs even if I often disagree, as I clearly do here. What makes our country great and the microcosm of knife forums as well, is that we can all share our opinions without fear of being beaten to death. :)
 
Back on topic, that is a stunning specimen of a damascus integral... Just look at the matching sheath with the throat, chape and clip. My only worry would be that throat scraping the guard. I bet he's made it so you don't have to worry about it though. :)
Ricard Vilar's knives on knifeart are all very appealing, as well.
 
Not sure the ferrule is integral. It looks like a piece of straight laminate to me.
 
I really like the style of the knife and the whole package, but I'm still trying to get a feel for the fit and finish of this piece.

I see some f&f areas on the knife that might be a concern for me on a $1500 knife. Maybe it's just the pictures.
 
RWS, what specifically are you concerned about. The only thing I see is what might be either a small flux flaw near the tip, or it could very well be some dirt/dust that wasn't removed prior to the picture being taken, other than that, I can't see anything wrong.

The 10.5" damascus/stag integral Dorneles I recently picked up is definitely solid MS quality, though Luciano may be the best of the group, hard to say.
 
I picked up one of Ricardo Vilar's integral camp/bowie knives more than a year ago, before too many here had really heard of these makers. It was a smoking deal for a fully forged ten inch differentially hardened 52100 blade back then. It's really a nice, balanced piece, both physically (feels right and light in the hand) and aesthetically, all the way around. I like it partly because, unlike many of the offerings coming from their shop today, it has a full tang that flares and obviously becomes the blade, and is fully visible all the way through the handle. I can tell it took a lot of skill, time and work to create it, and although my collection favors large fixed-blade knives, this one is really different!

James
 
Hello James, I remember when you bought that Vilar knife from my website, and from that on, we have been friends, just as a lot of you in this thread.

I don´t post on Blade Forums regularly, but wanted to see if there was anything on it about our boys in Atlanta this year and I came to find this thread.

So please excuse me all good people (and good costumers cause I have a few in this thread) for getting back to the point that Mr. Garsson have started.

I don´t think it´s right that you preach such things when we gladly accept american products in our countrie, and around the world, even though it is a fact that lots of those products are praticaly shoven up our markets with dumping techniques. We buy Nike shoes (made in the east as a matter of fact, but the money goes to the USA) we use Colgate toothpaste, we buy McDonalds burgers, we even have Budweiser beer to drink in Brazil. If you want to talk plain economics, without all the wonderfull sharing and great friendships we developed over time and mutual support, that´s fine with me.

Plain economics: if some Brazilian makers can make better and cheaper knives than some American makers, the solution to your problem is not buying Brazilian products? Let me tell you story. Until 1988 brazilian cars were crap. I mean, even the cars that Chevrolet and Ford made and sold here were real crap. Then we got a crazy president that compared in public our cars to horse powered veicles, and he took all the import taxes down for cars. In months our marked was filled with cheap, but with good quality, japanese cars. What happens next? In the next five years our industry made itsefl better and now we have good cars in a much better price we had at that time. In that way, if you want to think plain economics, we are helping to develop the knife business in the USA by introducing new styles and techniques WICH WE GLADLY SHARE WITH ALL AMERICANS, or anyone willing to learn from any place in the world, for that matter.

Now, back to the way I really think, this economic argument is all nonsense. We are not hurting the American knifemakers share of the market, nor it is our intention to do that.

I am really sorry to say that, but this sounds like plain prejudice to me, though I respect your choice of not buying knives made in Brazil and will never be offering you one from my website. Believe dude, I really want to be wrong when I bring the word prejudice into this thread!

I will leave you with a very important thing to think about:

Quote from Mr. Garsson:
"Like who you want, love who you want, it is STILL a country that has democratic principles and values freedom."

Good thing you highlighted the word "STILL" cause that´s exactly the point. Where will you be at in the future with an atitude like that? Can you see that this word can be used in two diferent directions here? I am not saying Mr. Garsson you used it one way or another, it doesn´t matter acctualy what was his intention when he wrote that, but think about the ways this frase can be interpreted and you WILL SEE SOMETHING REALLY SCARY!

I am really sad about this.

Yours,

Jefferson Lewis Velasco
www.brazilianbladesmiths.com.br
info@brazilianbladesmiths.com.br
 
I may be guilty of that. I never said that Brazilian knives were crap, and never said that Brazilians should not make knives, or should not sell them to American Collectors.

Having handled knives from makers all over the world (even at Blade, handled a Brazilian knife that Danbo picked up) I prefer knives from American makers living in America. Maybe I should not say these things? I don't know, I do know that I am not singling Brazilians out. I treated pretty much everybody that I met at Blade with the same respect and courtesy.

Frankly, I am pretty sorry that I piped up publicly in the first place, but I thought that we could have some discussion on the subject. I did with Sean McIntyre and Doug Timbs at Blade, and I thought it was all good, they seemed to as well.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Well I guess Mr. Garsson that you are certainly entitled to your opinion, being that we do live in America and I glad of it. I consider Ricardo and Luciano friends and exceptional makers, And Rodrigo whom I met at Blade an extremely nice and talented bladesmith. I wish I could have grabbed up all their knives. To single out something because it is un american is in my opinion severly limiting oneself and ones education. If I ever get the opportunity to visit Ricardo, Luciano, and Rodrigo in Brazil I will jump on it, and bring home fond memories and hopefully some of their exceptional blades. You are entitled to what you believe, but as an ABS smith I think this thinking is opposite of the reason the ABS was founded. To spread and share knowledge about the forged blade and its history. And for your information other cultures were forging blades before the USA even became a country.
Sincerely,
Brion Tomberlin
ABS Journeyman smith
 
Steven, Your combination of "Ugly American" and Zen Warrior
is fascinating.

Keep your sword in its scabbard, practice the dying art, and
protect your iaijutsu instructor from assassination (for selling the secret
knowledge to non-Japanese).

Chris
Student of the Gibe
 
Mr Garsson, I really dont want to banter words with you, because I know it wont do any good, but I would like to remind any who may be inclined to share your closed minded views of one important fact(as opposed to OPINION).

We are all inextricably connected to other cultures. There is no pure race and borders are geographical markers.

There is nobody more rooted in the South than me, but my family tree has several forks. I consider that a good thing. :) Heck, my wife is from South America. I have made it known to Ricardo that he and his Brasilian buddies are welcome in my shop and in my home anytime. I have relatives that dont have this option! I've held their knives and they are superb. More importantly , they are people I'd be proud to call my friends.

My membership in the knifemaking world (I emphasize the word WORLD) has opened many doors for me. I dont see any wisdom in intentionally closing them with a destructive way of thinking. Lin
 
Reading Mr Garsson's slant, I better sell all those Aussie Bowies right away. :D
"No not the blond hoard from down under"
Randy
 
The Statue of Liberty was designed by a frenchman and made in that country.

Italy has an artistic and cultural heritage that the United States of America would be lucky to have even half of.

Native people all over the world have produced cultural artifacts in the past and continue to produce artwork of a high standard.

Much colonial architecture has its roots in european architecture theory. Should Thomas Jefferson be thought less of for designing and building Monticello?

Lastly, pattern welded steel, that old standby of the American Art Knife (trademark?), is uniquely un-American being as it has its origins somewhere in Persia back in the Silk Road days....

I see no such thing as an American knife actually. Just knives. and knifemakers. If a maker is from a country different to my own and can inpart a bit of his culture in a blade, how wonderful. And appropriate.

How appropriate to an artform as universal and ancient as this one that makers from all over the world can start with the same basic design and end with a finished product so diferent, so unique to themselves and their cultural perspective.

I don't understand the reasoning behind buying only from American makers or the thought that american makers taught the rest of the world how to make custom knives simply because of the amount of exceptional makers coming out of the USA in the last 60 to 70 years.

I submit that without makers from other parts of the world and the tribal makers of old there would be no such thing as the "American knifemaker". Or that, if there were, the craft would be far behind what it is now.
 
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