Hobbies?

JK Knives

JK Knives

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Joined
Mar 6, 2001
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I know we are all into knives, but what are your other interests? I enjoy collecting old outdoor books, like fishing, hunting, and woodcraft. I also used to collect old duck decoys and fishing tackle, still have some of them. I`m an antique store and pawn shop junkie, especially the little out of the way ones. What do you guys do?
 
I've always been into woodworking from the time I was in high school. I'd like to build some acoustic guitars one day but the skills it takes are pretty exacting so it's on the back burner for now. I collect small woodworking planes and most of them I use in one way or another. Here are some from my collection:

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I play guitar and bass for fun, do guitar repair and semi-restoration, go backpacking and camping (not as much as I'd like), cook, ride bikes (road and mountain), garden and build guitar effect pedals as a side hobby/job.

Here's a 1950's Harmony stratotone I'm fixing up. It needs a new fingerboard, tuners, electronics, bridge and setup. I got it for next to nothing and it's coming along.

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Here's a funky fuzz pedal with an expression knob (the big one) that a player can adjust with his or her foot on the fly to make some crazy computer game sounds.

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This one is based on a Fender amp circuit.

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Here's my humble workspace where I make small runs of different circuits like these fuzz pedals that took over my life for a while. Stripping and soldering hundreds and hundreds of wires gets tedious after a while. It's still fun though. If it wasn't I wouldn't do it.

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Along the same lines...my hobby is building acoustic guitars. I started almost 4 years ago and I've managed to barely finish one. Worked with a luthier for about 6 months learning the basics and then learned the rest from reading books and everything I can find online.

Constantly making jigs, buying odd tools debating merits of pva glue vs hide glue vs fish glue etc... It is very rewarding, but man-o-man it can take a long time, make you pull your hair out, scream, etc... Seems like you can spend all your time building and rebuilding a jig and then never work on the guitar. But, it is worth it.

Always in search of "tone". A little bit of voodoo, science and engineering. At the end of the day realizing that everyone's ears are different so the tone is subjective.

After saying that, to me, John Greven is a wizard "tonemaster". I'm lucky enough to have met him, toured his shop and purchased two of his guitars. One is a L-00v, which is a clone of a 1934 Gibson L-00. Take a brand new guitar and fill it with vintage mojo and tone and you have it. The other Greven is a 000-nv. It is a clone of a "Golden Era" Martin 000-28. John made mine with Madagascar Rosewood back and sides and a top of Lutz spruce. I just got this guitar last week and WOW! It does not disappoint in terms of tone and playability. The neat thing about acoustic guitars is that they "open up" as they age...meaning their sound typically broadens and develops and changes for the better with time and play. If this guitar does that, I will die with a broad smile on my face. The tone now is wonderful.

If I had my act together, I would have a bladeforums membership and could post pics...for the time being, here is a link to a gallery with this morning's pics. Threw in a picture of a National guitar. I've owned several over the years and this one is stuck with me. If anyone is a fan of Chris Whitley, you can understand why.

http://gallery.me.com/cronen

Chris
(hopefully the link will work...if not, I'll get off my rear and get a proper membership and post some better pics)
 
Let's see... I play bass guitar in band. That's probably my main hobby.
Aside from my wife of course, here's the other love of my life:
My Fender American Deluxe Jazz:
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And my newly finished pedal board:
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Otherwise I like wood carving, though I'm pretty limited in what I can carve.

I've played piano most of my life.

I used to spend a great deal of time messing with Harley Davidson motorcycles, though I've sort of moved away from that in the last couple years (still own my Harley though).
 
Cool info on the acoustic guitars. I've been stockpiling lumber (Sitka, Englemann, Redwood, Cedar, Cocobolo, Ziricote, Claro Walnut, Curly Maple, Padauk, Wenge, Honduran Rosewood, Gabon Ebony, Macassar Ebony, Mahogany, Bloodwood, Koa and a bunch of others I can't recall right now) and have some of it sawn up into bookmatched sets. I'm actually a bit afraid to ruin such beautiful wood, but I'm sure I'll get some done in the next few years. I'd love to make an L-00, Stella-style 12 string, slope-shoulder dreadnaut, Small Jumbo and even an oval hole archtop. I've got most of the books and have read up on it. I've just got to make some shavings...
 
You guys make my hobbies seem awfull boring. What the hell, I`m an old geezer! I probably should include my house as a hobby, it was built in the 1930`s and always needs some "fixin up." I used to be big into guns, now I`ve only got 13. Same with knives, I`ve kept my Buck and Schrade collections, in old time manufacturers display cases, but sold most of my Busse knives (except for some ;)), and all my Bark Rivers.
 
Stomper said:
You guys make my hobbies seem awfull boring. What the hell, I`m an old geezer!
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Don't worry John, you aren't the only one. :D I can't pass up a used book store or antique shop without checking it out.

Jeff
 
My hobbie are all over the board.
I collect knives, specializing in those of Peter Bauchop. I also like Buck, especially the older ones (remember the yellow boxes?)
I like to attend gun shows and knife shows.
I also like guns (shooting, etc), especially big bores.

I like fox body mustangs, currently have a mint 1989 5.0.
Most of my friends have at least one made between 1982-1990.
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Reading, movies, watching Firefly and Serenity (again)
Attending Sci-fi conventions, horror nconventions, Chiller theatre.
Anime and graphic novels.
Wife is into vampires, I prefer zombies and the survival-type genre.

The world of cryptozoology. The wife and I are amateur cryptozoologists.
We enjoy going to places where unusual or cryptid occurances have taken place, such as Point Pleasant, Lizzie Borden house, Monroeville Mall, etc.
Here is a picture of the Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, Va:
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Oh, and we collect shelties. Got three of them so far.
 
my main hobbies include knives, guns, guitars.

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Some of my stuff...not pictured is my mesa boogie rectoverb combo and pedals...
 
John, You rock!

Mustangs are the only true muscle car. I have had a 83, 85, and 89. Stopped there, as that is the top of the foodchain, In my humble opinion.

However, the new body style simply is gorgeous. They look so much like the Boss 302's, it's scary. I will get one, one of these days. I also will eventually have a Boss 302, as well.
 
We`ve had a 1992 GT, a 2001 GT, and now the 2006. None were ever driven in snow, they are kind of our toys. I drive the Ranger, and my wife has an AWD Equinox.
 
John,
My Mustang is like a big matchbox car. I have a Jeep Cherokee that has been my daily driver since 2000. That's when I retired the Mustang.
It has a lot of engine mods (Gerber performance did most of the work), and I have beefed up the suspension a bit. Replaced the seats with flofit seats (the dudes that make the Saleen mustang seats).
Had it repainted and the body gone over a few years back. Black Polymer self-healing paint, like on my CZ75. Cool, huh?
The Stang used to be an all-weather beast, but not since the Jeep. Now, it has not seen snow or even rain since the repaint. It's for fun driving, and for just lookin' at. It has it's own garage, which also houses parts, etc.
 
Mine is collecting crazy crawlers fishing lures from the 1940's, camping, Fishing.
ice fishing and bow hunting.
vern

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BarberFobic1992 said:
PB, what is the plane with the german writing on it, it looks a little odd.
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It's a bronze tiny violin-maker's plane that is touted as "The world's smallest plane" by the company that makes it. I got it as a gift but I think you can find them at some violin maker's websites. The box is solid ebony with a boxwood sliding lid (with the writing on it) and the plane itself fits inside a carved recess. The plane on top of the box is only about as big as a pinto bean. It has a wooden wedge to hold the blade in position and it actually works. Pretty cool really, but not practical at all.
 
I have a few different hobbies
The outdoor ones(hunting, hiking, fishing, archery...etc)
Computer stuff( but not much anymore)
I've always had interest in motor sports but never got into it but that should change soon.
those are the main ones.
 
Well, I am slowly (very slowly) teaching myself to forge knives. I love making things with my hands. I enjoy wood working, gold prospecting (my dad got me into that), fishing, shooting, I used to be very involved in Aikido, I do a little bit of leather working, I have two aquariums and a pond, I have always liked landscaping and gardening, I have a bit of a green thumb. I unfortunately don't practice any of these hobbies regulary, unless you count reading and researching for the forging which I tend to do endlessly. Oh yeah and I am currently trying to learn to play the ukulele (with no prior music experience at all, I am musically illiterate, but it is entertaining)
 
C Bryant said:
Well, I am slowly (very slowly) teaching myself to forge knives. I love making things with my hands. I enjoy wood working, gold prospecting (my dad got me into that), fishing, shooting, I used to be very involved in Aikido, I do a little bit of leather working, I have two aquariums and a pond, I have always liked landscaping and gardening, I have a bit of a green thumb. I unfortunately don't practice any of these hobbies regulary, unless you count reading and researching for the forging which I tend to do endlessly. Oh yeah and I am currently trying to learn to play the ukulele (with no prior music experience at all, I am musically illiterate, but it is entertaining)
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I want to pan for gold so bad. I bought a gold pan last year , theres just no gold in Missouri.

I like treasure hunting. I have a metal detector and have found some good stuff including three gold rings. Heck with it , Im going right now.The weather is right.
 
Just got back from metal detecting.Only found 53 cents. Did find a 1909 vdb penny. A first for my collection.
 
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