I have exercised my option....

B

Brian.Evans

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Joined
Aug 20, 2011
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3,267
To carry my own knife rather than my pony jack. To be honest, I've never really bonded with my pj. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't everything I'd hoped it would be. I've carried it every day since I got it the last couple days of 2013, but I've never warmed up to it completely.

I have been looking for my zulu spear I made for the last month. I searched everywhere I could think of. I asked the girls and my wife, I even asked my three year old if he had seen it. I never even thought about my 17 year old son. Two days ago I walked into his room, really just to chat with him and his friends and hang out for a bit. They were working on a car stereo harness, stripping wires and so on. Lo and behold, there lay my beautiful second slipjoint I've ever made. Dull as a butter knife, one tiny micro chip up by the tip, but otherwise in pretty good condition. I asked him how long he'd had it and why didn't he tell me he had it!? He said, "you didn't tell me you were looking for it." : facepalm: "I used it as a screwdriver a little bit ago." : double facepalm:

Needless to say, I recovered my property ricky tick and lovingly cradled it downstairs to my workstation. I had put it away a few months ago because I messed up peening the pivot and the pin had slipped sideways a bit and the pivot loosened up a lot. I have a thing about going back and fixing mistakes on my old knives because I think they represent a certain period in my development as a knife maker and I want to stay true to that. However, I really wanted to carry my knife to test its heat treat and figure out where I went right and where I went wrong. I have 12 zulu spears laid out on 3/32" 52100 so I kind of need to do some field research. So, I went ahead and fixed the pivot on my stiddy and cleaned and oiled the joint. I sharpened it right up and put a nice edge by finishing on my fine Arkansas stone.

I didn't realize how much I missed this knife. I love the pattern and the slim feel in my pocket. I can't wait to try making one in jigged bone.

I need to oil and put the pony jack to sleep. I'll keep it because it's nice to have a good backup knife, but I'm glad I found my zulu.
 
To carry my own knife rather than my pony jack. To be honest, I've never really bonded with my pj. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't everything I'd hoped it would be. I've carried it every day since I got it the last couple days of 2013, but I've never warmed up to it completely.

I have been looking for my zulu spear I made for the last month. I searched everywhere I could think of. I asked the girls and my wife, I even asked my three year old if he had seen it. I never even thought about my 17 year old son. Two days ago I walked into his room, really just to chat with him and his friends and hang out for a bit. They were working on a car stereo harness, stripping wires and so on. Lo and behold, there lay my beautiful second slipjoint I've ever made. Dull as a butter knife, one tiny micro chip up by the tip, but otherwise in pretty good condition. I asked him how long he'd had it and why didn't he tell me he had it!? He said, "you didn't tell me you were looking for it." : facepalm: "I used it as a screwdriver a little bit ago." : double facepalm:

Needless to say, I recovered my property ricky tick and lovingly cradled it downstairs to my workstation. I had put it away a few months ago because I messed up peening the pivot and the pin had slipped sideways a bit and the pivot loosened up a lot. I have a thing about going back and fixing mistakes on my old knives because I think they represent a certain period in my development as a knife maker and I want to stay true to that. However, I really wanted to carry my knife to test its heat treat and figure out where I went right and where I went wrong. I have 12 zulu spears laid out on 3/32" 52100 so I kind of need to do some field research. So, I went ahead and fixed the pivot on my stiddy and cleaned and oiled the joint. I sharpened it right up and put a nice edge by finishing on my fine Arkansas stone.

I didn't realize how much I missed this knife. I love the pattern and the slim feel in my pocket. I can't wait to try making one in jigged bone.

I need to oil and put the pony jack to sleep. I'll keep it because it's nice to have a good backup knife, but I'm glad I found my zulu.
 
I knew that was coming. I had to get a new debit card because our cards were compromised in the huge Target debacle, so my Google wallet expired, and my storage plan for my pictures for suspended. I need to get everything updated so I can upload a fresh picture of my zulu.
 
so ...the my little pony show is...over? :eek:
ahh well, as I've heard Carl say a time or two, life is too short to carry an ugly knife :D
 
Glad you found the zulu. Love to see fresh Pics of it.

I understand about the pony jack. There are some knives that look great and I am excited to buy. But when I actually carry them, somehow they aren't quite right for me. Sometimes I can put my finger on why. Sometimes I can't. But there are some knives that are nice knives, but just aren't right for me.

Edited to add: seems to be a double thread. Going to merge this one with the other.
 
I've also had the experience where you just don't really "bond" with a knife for whatever reason. No harm, pass it along and continue "the quest" for The One.
 
never mind... I don't want to make it onto the naughty list...

You really do need to reestablish your picture posting abilities, though.
 
WA, I want to hear what you had to say, email me. I don't have a naughty list. Lol.

Got the picture thing corrected. Here's an old pic, I'll post an updated one in the morning. Sick little girl I'm keeping watch over right now.

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Doing some work.

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Glad you found it.That is a great knife.
I hate losing stuff.
Pardon my ignorance but what is "facepalm" ?Is it talk to the hand type gesture or Is it palm into face type impact? I know what I'd feel like doing if my stuff gets misused without asking and not replaced in exact condition.I call it the brain rattle.
Hope you wee'd on those blisters to make em tough.
 
meako said:
Glad you found it.That is a great knife.
I hate losing stuff.
Pardon my ignorance but what is "facepalm" ?Is it talk to the hand type gesture or Is it palm into face type impact? I know what I'd feel like doing if my stuff gets misused without asking and not replaced in exact condition.I call it the brain rattle.
Hope you wee'd on those blisters to make em tough.
Click to expand...

facepalm on youtube

Quite different than napalm....
 
Meako, what's all this about wee'ng on blisters? New one on me.

Sorry about the double thread Frank. Don't know what happened there.
 
Very glad you found it! How many knives have you made now?

FWIW I agree with Frank about some knives not being a good match for a certain person. It happens to me all the time. Even if the knife is very nice.

What is it that you like about carrying the knife you made yourself that you prefer? :)

Kevin
 
Kevin, I've had to take some time off making knives to take care of my family. The past few months have been one long run of sickness it seems. My wife has finally gotten a diagnosis and started on medicine to knock her immune system out! Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully the kids and flu are done too for a while. The littles run my wife and I into the ground morning to night, but they are getting older, so hopefully that will help too.

I'm focusing on pocket knives now. Specifically, I'm trying to figure out a good process and make clean knives. I've decided to only make zulu patterns, mostly because it will remove one variable in my learning curve. Hopefully I can get rid of the little mistakes I keep making working from different patterns. I've tried and thrown away six or seven knives because there was no reason completing something not worth carrying. I'm refusing to waste additional materials and time chasing a design that I've messed up on.

The zulu spear is about the perfect knife I'm my opinion, probably because it looks a lot like the Schrade SP3 my dad has carried my entire life. I carried on for a lot of years. The zulu looks very similar, but is a slipjoint instead of a lock back.

I'm taking some more pictures, I'll post them later.
 
I hope the illnesses subside and you have some time to begin learning where you left off.

I hope the learning curve doesn't keep you from trying again.

I think it would be a challenge to try to learn it all at once. I hope to see your name along with the great makers.

I look forward to seeing a finished knife that you are proud to show off!

Kevin
 
Thanks Kevin. I appreciate the sentiments.

The learning curve will never keep me from trying again. I may really want to quit, but I'm way too stubborn to give up.

Here are a couple of pictures with number 2 on top of the steel for numbers 3-14.

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Number 2 is A2 steel. The ones ready to cut out are 52100. A2 doesn't patina like 1095 for sure. I love the steel, but I'm interested to try 52100. I think John Lloyd uses it often. Maybe I'll pick his brain.
 
Metal cutting band saw to get close then abrasives the rest of the way.

I've been told it takes 25 slipjoints to make something worth selling. I thought that seemed high initially, now I wonder if that might not be a bit low.....the things make me want to throw things ......a lot.
 
Your first two look great. If your production goes like mine, you should easily net 50cents to a dollar an hour. Hang in there friend!
 
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