Howard Hughes Custom Knife Set

SharpByCoop said:
I don't know that Bill Moran ever attributed himself to the origins of damascus steel here in the US. Nothing I have ever read informed me that. I am more inclined to believe his disciples and followers and maybe writers have built up this 'myth'.

Coop
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Hi Coop! I think you may be right. Back in the early seventies, there were articles galore about Bill Moran being the inventor of damascus suitable for knives, the farther of modern damascus, re-discovered damascus, re-discovered the lost art of welded steel. It was every where. It was as it has always been. The media made the hub-bub about it. Thats how we all came to know the name Moran. That and the exposure he got in How to make knives by Loveless and Barney, in the early 70's. No one questioned it then, but now with world travel being what it is, and the magic of the INTERNET, were a little more informed about the world around us. Oddly enough, if not for all this miss information, there may well have never been a ABS. Mike Lovett
 
I mean to take nothing away from Mr. Moran, his memory nor the ABS. However, it always struck me as odd the association between Mr. Moran and damascus, since I've seen god knows how many damascus barreled shotguns from both the U.S. and Europe dating back to the late 1800's and extending into the 1920's. I always thought that Mr. Moran was credited with popularizing the re-introduction of damascus steel into the craft of the handforged blade and founding the ABS. All hobbies have their heros, legends, myths, etc. They are best taken with a grain of salt. Sort of like the integrity of a well known....ah never mind. :rolleyes:
 
Del Raso Knives said:
Damascus aside, the designs are way to modern to be from the sixties. Sounds like a load of bull to me but am happy to be proved wrong:foot:
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That's the first thing that struck me as well. The knives - particularly the smaller ones - have a very contemporary look to them. Interesting, though. I hope some real light will be shed on this.

Roger
 
RogerP said:
That's the first thing that struck me as well. The knives - particularly the smaller ones - have a very contemporary look to them. Interesting, though. I hope some real light will be shed on this.

Roger
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I'm gonna third this line of thought. Maybe BRL can shed some light. As he says," read the knife", and they're looking pretty darn modern to me.
 
Despite being insane, Hughes did in fact continue his business ventures about until his death, basically buying Vegas from the mob. He is somewhat responsible for the glitzy "family" oriented Vegas we have today. So I wouldn't be suprised if he was lucid enough to commission these knives for his friend.
 
I believe that Bill Moran discovered the Damascus process in his shop on his own. He was too honest to take credit for something he did not do. I also know that others were making Damascus before Bill, they simply did not get together. Bill made his mark in sharing information about what he learned and bringing many others into the world of the forged blade. Bill saw some Damascus blades made during WWII and went to work learning how. He put in a lot of work learning what he taught. Take nothing away from Bill Moran, he was a good hand.

No one man can hold all the knowledge about knives, this is why writers make misleading statements that are repeated and come to be held as truth. Bill shared with others and encouraged all to share.
 
Ed Fowler said:
I believe that Bill Moran discovered the Damascus process in his shop on his own.
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Ed,

Not according to Darryl Meier who spoke to a crowd of 100 folks this past feb. about the origins that he was directly a part of. This information was presented BECAUSE someone wished to know the 'facts' and Bill's name was singled out. See my post #10.

I believe he took some of the info he gleaned from the previous meeting and explored it on his own. Discovered is not the word Darryl would have used.

Of course I wasn't there in 1972.... WhatdoIknow? :foot:

Coop
 
I do not know Coop. I got to know Bill pretty well, he was always absolutely honest with me. Maybe I used the wrong word when I said discovered, developed may be a better word to use. Many knife makers have made discoveries over the centuries working on their own and said WOW.

I also know Darryl Meier and admire him greatly. When I first started working with multiple quench I asked him what he thought, he smiled and said "Shure, Why not?" His comment encouraged me to continue my dreams. Darryl was head and shoulders ahead of anyone else making complex Damascus patterns that I was aware of. He is brilliant and a good hand also.

I give credit to both men. Better knives come only from hard work, dedication and knowledge that develop slowly. Both men share, I like and honor both. God bless them both, their gifts will continue.
 
VERY well put. Thank you.

Coop
 
I am not a very well thought on american knife history but I think that the greatest contribution Bill Moran has made was to test what welds to what well, as well as some pettern cutting techniques that lead to some of the classic patterns, like the ladder and others. not sure if that´s right or not. It´s also very likely he tried the technique he learned in order to perfect it, and in that sense the therm "developed" is very well aplied. But what is something invented but not developed anyway? A good idea without use? Back in the 80´s a similar process took place in Brazil. We had some information on what to do but none spoke english enough to understand it fully, and there was no internet at the time. So some guys just started welding stuff and see what came out. Luciano Dorneles tried to weld for an year before he could get something useful. So I guess all this was a mixture of information that didn´t spread as it should and stories that spread more than they should.
 
Something's off with this. It doesn't add up. Designs look too modern, maker unknown, incorrect number of knives. Sometimes that "ring" of truth is your warning misinterpreted. Once bitten twice shy.
 
I would like to see them closer, has anyone contacted the auction house directly?
 
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