How did the ABS show go?

[Bladeandbarrel]

Also, the market is not everything

If you are trying to feed a family, it is.

Shows are important venues to show an artist's range, but I guess I am in the minority when I say I am tiring of most of the heavy embellishment going on. A lot of it reminds of a crown grade Weatherby rifle. Real purty on the outside, but nothing special on the inside.

There are a lot of bladesmiths that don't generally apply a straight/crisp, flat rubbed finish, whose blades are sometimes appallingly dull and their ergonomics stink.

But they sure can embellish their knives.

I often wonder how many of the mosaic damascus safe queens with giraffe bone handles sold at shows will pass the basic ABS performance testing criteria?

 

[Joss]

Also, the market is not everything

If you are trying to feed a family, it is.

No - it's pretty exceptional that choosing between making 1 art knife or 3 users is going to result in a starving family.

As to the rest of your post, I don't especially disagree.

 

[Bailey Bradshaw]

Well I had another very god show in Reno. Attendance was a little off from last year, but it is still a good show. Meeting and conversing with the Kapps was a highlight of the show, as they provided me with a lot of information and encouragement.

Anthony,

I agree with you to a point on the abundance of embelishment. It is an age old argument that many highly embelished knives lack the elements that make them a usefull tool. Quite frankly I get a little tweaked when someone insinuates one of my engraved pieces wouldn't perform as they walk away from the table without asking if it was tested or not. ( I am not insinuating that you have or would ever do that, but it has happened several times at shows).

I have actualy seen many that would not only fail the ABS test, but that wouldn't even make a serviceable knife so I can see where the attitude comes from. From tangs that were about 3" long on a 10" blade to blades that were created just for the unusual. It comes down to a makers dedication to producing KNIVES first and not just knife like canvases for embelishment. My only answer is to ask the maker if the knife was tested, how it is constructed, how big the tang really is and so on. It has to be a case by case basis, and so it should be to avaoid lumping really fine knives into a "pretty is as pretty does" catagory.

As for the return of more simple user grade pieces......I had a hard time selling them compared to more embelished knives in recent years. They still sold, but it was much slower than my higher end pieces. So, feeding the family ( and mine is substantial I might add....4 kids and a few horses), dictated I make what sells for me. The market is dynamic however, and you may very well be signifying an increasing demand for more simplistic pieces.

 

[Thor I am]

This was my first visit to the ABS show in Reno and I thought it was a lot fun. Lots of knife makers whose work I have never seen up close much less got to handle.

It was great getting to spend some time chatting with some smiths I had not met before (like Joe Szilaski, Rik Palm, Matt Diskin, and Shane Taylor) and seeing others again (like Gary House and David Mirabile).

I especially enjoyed meeting Bailey in person and spending what seemed like a long time chatting with both him and Courtney (spelling?). I have a knife on order with him and it was fun to see his work in person. Great variety! Loved the tachi. I was there when the Kapps came by to check it out and Hiroko and I examined the hada and hamon together. Thanks for the hospitality, Bailey, and give my regards to your wife.

Of course, thanks to Steven G. for showing me around as promised.

 

[ralph.merlino]

Anthony.

P,J. Tomes had a beautiful bowie on his table for $750.00. I was told that most the makers had a good show and a few did not make any sales at all.

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

Anthony,

I agree with you to a point on the abundance of embelishment. It is an age old argument that many highly embelished knives lack the elements that make them a usefull tool. Quite frankly I get a little tweaked when someone insinuates one of my engraved pieces wouldn't perform as they walk away from the table without asking if it was tested or not. ( I am not insinuating that you have or would ever do that, but it has happened several times at shows).

I have actualy seen many that would not only fail the ABS test, but that wouldn't even make a serviceable knife so I can see where the attitude comes from. From tangs that were about 3" long on a 10" blade to blades that were created just for the unusual. It comes down to a makers dedication to producing KNIVES first and not just knife like canvases for embelishment. My only answer is to ask the maker if the knife was tested, how it is constructed, how big the tang really is and so on. It has to be a case by case basis, and so it should be to avaoid lumping really fine knives into a "pretty is as pretty does" catagory.

You are right on the money Bailey. Please don't take my comments as offense in regards to "pretty knives". Yours are certainly functional AND pretty. It just seesm to me that many makers are trying to advance their embellishment skills far quicker than their forging skills.