I think it's time : Another "who the heck are ya post.

Hi, Stefan, I am currently in Fort Smith/Fort Chaffee Arkansas on AC/RC. I am an active duty Infantry Officer in the US Army. I enlisted in the reserves (in order to go through college) back in OCT 1992 and was commissioned active duty Army in May 1998 and have been active ever since. I've been to Iraq before, liked the tea (Chi) and a cinamin drink called Darcin.
Anyways I like motorcycles, I have an Aprilia Factory which is compliments of the Iraq savings program. I also own a KTM 400 SX (I bought used for a good deal) and my race bike which is a SV650 which I also got for a very good deal.
My other hobbies include firearms, photography outside of motorcycles and knife making (if you can call my attempts that?).
I love damascus (I think it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen!) and W2.

I'm trying to learn all I can.

Stefan
 
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I'm Bob Felts, in the Roseville area near Sacramento. New to knifemaking and a longtime woodworker. I am a system administrator for a Christian radio network and have been in both design and IT in the high-tech field for a couple of decades. I designed severe service and air-born valves using Pro/E and Mechanica. Started on the drawing board back in the day. Last tech post was with a hydrogen fuel cell OEM. Lotsa fun in the R&D start-up companies. Enjoy riding Harleys, minister to the outlaw motorcycle world, club member with the Messengers M/C Sacramento chapter.

Just trying to get some knives made without removing anything I will find useful down the road, like my thumbs. I can't say how much I appreciate you guys, who share your craft and experience without reservation. A newbie has a lot of dumb questions that may seem obvious to an experienced smith / maker, but y'all answer with grace and respect. Thanks for that.

Hope to be able to return the favor as I learn and grow in this craft.

Oh yeah, make a fantastic briskit, or anything else on the BBQ - 'Least that's what the survivors say. Ever want to have a BBQ in the Sac area, let me know. Can and will do. Those that ride Harleys (or any American built) get in the front of the chow line. Cagers can stay safely behind the riders. ;)
 
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Hay boys and girls,
I'm Jake Hoback, 26, Olympia WA. grew up in Nevada in the mountains, climbing around and camping out, been in WA since 2001. Been selling knives for 2 years now. Been making them since I was a kid. I used to work at a blacksmith shop in Virginia city NV as a kid in the summer, got me hooked form there on out. Doing some forging work now, mostly stock removal though.

Been working for fish and game for about 5 years now, built turbine engines before that. Always been into fishing, hunting, camping and building stuff. Ive spend allot of time building rock crawlers for the last few years making roll cages and bumpers, and custom link suspensions. Kinda getting out of the rock crawler area know and working on more knives since that mkaes be more money:) since rock crawlers make me no money:barf:
 
Hi all, My name is Andrew Takach, ive been making knives steadily since about 2004, but made a few as a kid. For as long as I can remember I have been attracted to edged weaponry/knives. Collected them from about the age of 6 till i was about 20, then had to start paying bills so no more buying knives.

I am 30 yrs old, and proud father of three children, John soon to be 7,Gwnyeth just turned 5 and Alyx who is and mischievious little girl and soon to be 2.(my lil baby)

I have been a union bricklayer since about 2000, Spent about 3-4 of that working on coke ovens. (hot work!!) and in '04, got laid off for a bit, and decided to do something constructive for a change, and attempt to make knives, well it quickly turned into a full blow addiction, day/night.

Met a guy who I bought some windows off of, and noticed he had a forge and blacksmithing equipt. in his garage, after talking we became friends, and he got me pounding, then found out my pizza guy was a blk smth, and he got me to join the local farm club which had a shop where they met weekly and i made ornamental iron for a bit as well as knives, but that had to end, took up too much knife time!

After absorbing all I could there, my uncle introduced me to a retired maker Tim Nolfi, a burly, brash and very difficult but talanted individual, who took me under his wing and taught me so , so much valuable info, and we became friends as well.

I also have a cuz, who is a member hear, who i talk and learn from frequently. As of now I dont think I have really developed a style that I think I'll be remembered for, but do try and make every knife I finish different from the last, and try to never repeat ideas (when possible)

Thanks to all whom Ive met and had the chance to talk with here, and hope to meet alot more of you at up comming show, there is a tremendous amount of talent here on this forum, and im glad to get to be a part of it!!

thanks and .........hey wake up im done now.....sorry

andrew

p.s. the kids:dont let the innocent faces fool you they were getting ready for church and the only reason they are so passive is because it was christmas morning........they are wild!!!!...........hhhhheeeeelllppp mmeee:eek:
 

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Andrew I'm just happy they all have shoes on :p

They're all good looking younguns but that little one looks like she's a handful, got that "it wasn't me govna, perhaps you would not mind so much as to inquire with someone else if they stole your watch" look on her face :D
 
will,
you dont even know, the boy argues with me like he's 15 and half the time he's right, the middle one she's just a lil sweetie, and that babby well, i dont know she must have eaten something rotten, cause she sure as hell is!!

thanks

ok i wont hog the thread anymore, but i had to show this.....i mean ya''l asked and this is who i am (the kids)
 

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Andrew, one day that baby will write a book and bring up how you wrote she was rotten then posted a picture of her in a diaper covered with (what I pray is mud) holding a bream on an internet knife forum. Then she'll take the book royalties and pay for an army of ninja monkeys to hit you in the head with wiffle ball bats and nerf nunchucks.
 
Hello all, my name is Salem Straub and I live currently in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. I just moved here from a two year stint on Maui as a fire sprinkler fitter apprentice. Work is drying up here, and things aren't cheap in paradise so I will soon be moving back to Washington State. I started making knives and blacksmithing about five years ago (I'm 25 now) and am entirely self taught. By that, I mean I was taught by the written words of many great craftsmen and a lot of trial and error.
Many of those great craftsmen have written on this site. Thank all of you.
I like clean lines, differential heat treating, micarta more and more, cable damascus that I make, and classic fixed blade shapes. I try to be technically versatile, as it's good to make knives to fit a specific task, even if that be general utility. So I'm getting more into stainless steels and hollow grinding on some blades, but I'll always be a fire and forge guy at heart.
I have done some craft fair type traditional hardware smithing and demonstrating, and would like to pursue skills further in the direction of artist blacksmithing, but am kind of torn between that and bladesmithing. I think the latter is currently winning.
I have sold a fair amount of blades here in the islands to sportsmen and I was stoked to hear that one of my bowies actually finished a 3rd place pig in a hunting contest on Kauai! Very nice people to deal with here as well. I'll be back on the mainland soon, rebuilding my shop and making blades like crazy and roadtripping hopefully a little bit, so I may come wending my way through any one of your little corners of America and I'll try to make contact wherever I go. Thanks for reading, and nice to meet all of you.
P.S. I will be in Tonasket, WA (North central Washington) as of this spring and would greatly welcome any fellow knife addicts to visit should you be in the neighborhood.
 
My name is Trent Uhde. I live in Iowa. Married and 2 kids. Been making knives for about 20 years off and on. Lately I do a lot of knives for guys and gals in the sandbox. My wife and I are both veterans. She retired with 22yrs active service. Guess that is why I do so many charity knives to deployed soldiers.
I do a lot of rehandle jobs and sharpening. Make my own sheaths. Use mostly a Grizzly grinder and a Summit mill.
Never posted pics much on here due to dial up but soon will because we now have access to high speed here. Learned so much from everyone here. You are all a great bunch of guys and gals.
 
kungfumo said:
Hay boys and girls,
I'm Jake Hoback, 26, Olympia WA. grew up in Nevada in the mountains, climbing around and camping out, been in WA since 2001. Been selling knives for 2 years now. Been making them since I was a kid. I used to work at a blacksmith shop in Virginia city NV as a kid in the summer, got me hooked form there on out. Doing some forging work now, mostly stock removal though.

Been working for fish and game for about 5 years now, built turbine engines before that. Always been into fishing, hunting, camping and building stuff. Ive spend allot of time building rock crawlers for the last few years making roll cages and bumpers, and custom link suspensions. Kinda getting out of the rock crawler area know and working on more knives since that mkaes be more money:) since rock crawlers make me no money:barf:
Click to expand...

The only thing we ever did in Virginia City was drink and visit the whore house museum . What blacksmith did you work with. I forgot his name but the man who use to own Rigid knives lived in Virginia City.
 
Hi:
My name is Brian Davis I am 36 and live in a small twon in central Texas.
I have worked around heavy equipment and machinery all my life.Untill
I became disabled I have a brain tumor that was found in 1998.I had sugery
in 99 and worked till 2000,Thats when I became disabled.

Any Who I like fishing,hunting.anything outdoors but when I found
knife making I was hooked for life.I have been a knife maker for 2 years
and love it.
 
Hello my name is Jason Byers and I live in western NC about a rock throw away from GA in a small community named Pine Log. I was in the Navy for 6 years as a Data Systems Tech on board the USS Constellation an aircraft carrier. When I got out I came back home and now work for the local power company in the broadband services department as an IT type guy. About the same job as I had in the Navy so I was lucky there. I'm getting my real tools together to make knives but I've tinkered around for a little while. Can't really call myself a good knife maker just yet but I'm having fun trying. Some equipment I have is a homemade propane forge, a small anvil, Hitachi drill press, 4X36 sander with a 8in disk sander, 1X30 Harbor freight sander, 2X72 KMG with the flat platen and small wheel. I just have a small shop in my basement right now but I'm having a lot of fun.
 
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My name is Frank Aguirre and I am married to my beautiful patient wife Mary and have three kids, Martin(7), Frankie(6) and Alyssa(2). I've been working as a Project Manager in a Networking Systems company for six years now. My projects consist of Data cabling, Fiber Optic Cabling and Wireless installations. Hunting, fishing, and knife making are my favorite past times. I especially love to go fishing with the wife and kids.
 
Its nice to meet you all. Thanks for keeping this thread alive by introducing yourselves. Welcome to our disfunctional knifemaking family. Post often.
 
My Name is Nathan Gould, i'm 18 years old and I live in Southend near London in the UK. I've been interested in knives since i was about 10, but only really been interested in making them since i was about 15, i've been making objects which could loosely be described as knives since i was about 16, but theer's still plenty more to learn.

it's been nice reading about all of you guys across the pond, one day i'll come over to Blade and meet you all there.

Nathan
 
Hey all, my name is Brad Voyles. I'm 44 and a father of 4 (two girls and two boys, oldest starting college and the youngest starting Kgarten next year, what was I thinkin???) all with the same Woman. Been married for 20 years. I grew up in West Texas and wish I was still there.

Been in Law Enforcement for 19 years, most of it in the "tactical" field. That explains my initial interest in those types of knives. I have carried and used one almost daily for many years. However my interests have expanded considerably now.

My first knife was hammered out of a large nail when I was 8 yrs old. It was how I got my first stitches. Unfortunately it was gone when we got home. Mom threw it out into the pasture and it was never seen again! Wish I had it now though. It wasn't even finished yet!!!

I have been grinding on what some "might" call knives for a couple of years now but always wanted to forge them. I got a chance to try it about a month ago and it felt good somehow??? It didn't look good, it just felt good. I will continue working with the hope of somehow making it look good too someday. I have very little equipment (and skills to match) but I use what I have of both.

I would like to attend a course in forging in the future. Ed Fowlers sure sounds like a good one....but college is very expensive these days and I have more kids headed that way. (He lives up the road from my in-laws though, maybe one day I drive over there and say hello)

I sure have enjoyed reading this thread.....thanks for starting it.....and thanks for all the info here in the forums....Hope to meet any of you folks sometime. Good Luck to All!!!

Brad
 
Hello,

My name is Chris Humiston, I'm 49 years old, happily married for 25 years this year. I have 2 daughters, one is 24 and the other is 18.

I grew up on a small farm in Ohio and was raised there by my Great Grandparents. My first knive was a 3 blade Case XX Whittler that my Gramps gave me when I was 9. I sure wish I still had it. I have loved guns, knives and the outdoors all my life.

I retired from the USAF after 26 years in 2005 and am now working for US Customs and Border Protection in Southern california.

I am just getting started making knives. I made a knife from a file in High School and wish I would have pursued it more when I was younger. I have made a couple of knives from blades I bought from various web sites. I am getting ready to cut out and start grinding on my first knife from scratch this week! I will take some pictures and post them after I get started.

Thanks for Listening,
Chris
 
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