I was told so many times that I am crazy that I believed!

D

Dmitry.M

Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Messages
1,008
Ok. I understand that it might be not the best place to erupt myself, but it is all about knifemaking.
I was called crazy many times. For hand forging stainless steel form round stock. For too elaborate knives. For too low prices or for some knives just being presented for free. For bringing small or no money in the family and waisting so much time doing stupid and dirty knifemaking job. It's not all, but finally it's ENOUGH! :grumpy:
I believed that I really am CRAZY. And now it is time to go public with all stupid things I've made so far. I did much more stupid things, but I will put here only what is about knifes, steel and our lovely stuff. So I proudly present my CRAZYNESS.

Next posts will be with more words and some pictures.
 
Hey, there's nothing wrong with crazy as long as it's not dangerous or (seriously) socially offensive in public. Just ask IG! :D
 
You know what? When I was in school my Mom always told me to keep my nose to the grindstone and now that I'm actually doing it, everyone thinks I'm crazy! Watch out what you say to your kids, they might listen.
 
History has proven, time and again, that genius and insanity and are very often intertwined. Judging from the knives I've seen you post here, if in fact you are crazy, I pray that you never find your sanity but rather spiral deeper into your creative madness, feeding less talented souls-- such as mine.
 
Forging SS..... well Gil Hibben used to forge 440c. But that was because it only came in round bar when he started using it. Looking forward to those pics.
 
For two or more years I was spending thousands of dollars and earning cents. I was and still is obesed with knifemaking and everything about it. I could have made hundred of same looking blades, put my name on them and get money for the shop and may be some leftovers for the family.
But no, I was idiot(ans still is) and I was not happy with factory steel.
Ok. I could have buy already made damascus....
Nope, my sick brain told me it is not good enough.
So what an idiot like me could do? Right - to MAKE HIS OWN STEEL...
Am I crazy? SURE!!!!!
I spent 1(one) year developing and designing my own foundry. Again, only completely CRAZY one could think that he can do something different form others. And only completely CRAZY one actualy can. And I did. I took more than one year and quite a bit of money.
Why don't I take good brandmade crusibles for the foundry? Oh yeah, it's not the way for me... I am not normal. So I made hundreds of crusibles untill I got more or less descent results. Again tonns of money and a lot of time just to make a clay pots.
So, what's next. Yeah, the ore... Again money, time, dirt and listening to nobody,

How many times I did a melt? I stoped counting. Some days 2-3 melts. Rain, snow, 15F and wind... nothing can stop an idiot. Sqweesing few more bucks for the fuel and raw materials and irritating the neighbours with flames and smell.
Sometimes I have got an ingot, many times I did not. You can take a look at pics i did not erase in anger. Sometimes I even did not take a pics, I forged ingots right after they solydify.
And by the way, I still do not have an anvil.... just my lovely 15Lb round piece of O1.
But I have my CRAZYNESS... it fuels me up better that any Energizer in the butt.
 
How many times I got "swiss cheese" ingots? I did not count... How many times I did not actually melt anything? A lot of times... How many completely idiotic ideas I checked? Who knows.
How many times I read highly scientific texts form different people? I found most of them a waste.
After a year and a half I got something that could have been forged... I did not know what it is to FORGE THE INGOT...... Stainless steel is piece of cake near the ingot.... you can try....:cool: Oh, you will LOVE IT!
But my CRAZYNESS was sometimes supported with succesfull melts... unfortunately. Because my mental condition became worse... Beer and sex didn't help me anymore. No money for the beer and scandals form my wife.:grumpy:
 
What kind of a metall did I get? All possible kinds of a CRAP. Crunchy like a cracker, chewy like a candy, spotty, and so on. CRAPPY.
Again, unfortunately, for the CRAZY one arguments do not work... So I continued to hammer every single piece I could recover form the crusible... What it looked like? Take a look...
 
Lately I got the piece that is on the picture. That drove me absolutely crazy. Am I happy? Not in a million years...:mad: I am as mad as "hell after the flud"... I spent two years and a lot of other stuff just to get the wild damasscus pattern... that I could have made two years earlier...
What am I going to do now? You will never quess... I am going to make the pattern WORSE. Because no one will believe that this is crucible steel...:mad:

I PUBLICALY ADMIT, THAT I AM CRAZY NOW AND FOREVER. Please do not judge me and do not bug, I might become violent.:grumpy:
 
Dmitry.M said:
Lately I got the piece that is on the picture. That drove me absolutely crazy. Am I happy? Not in a million years...:mad: I am as mad as "hell after the flud"... I spent two years and a lot of other stuff just to get the wild damasscus pattern... that I could have made two years earlier...
What am I going to do now? You will never quess... I am going to make the pattern WORSE. Because no one will believe that this is crucible steel...:mad:

I PUBLICALY ADMIT, THAT I AM CRAZY NOW AND FOREVER. Please do not judge me and do not bug, I might become violent.:grumpy:
Click to expand...


Your damascus skills are better than you think. Take another look at that damascus. It looks like a Vango (spelling) Painting. there is even a screaming face in the center, just above the mid line. Look closely. It's there. Unless I'm crazy too....
 
Ok......now make it into one of your regular knives and charge an obscene amount of money for it:D If a Strider can go for $4500...........................
 
Dmitry.M said:
What kind of a metall did I get? All possible kinds of a CRAP. Crunchy like a cracker, chewy like a candy, spotty, and so on. CRAPPY.
Again, unfortunately, for the CRAZY one arguments do not work... So I continued to hammer every single piece I could recover form the crusible... What it looked like? Take a look...
Click to expand...

That looks like Wootz! Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing! :thumbup:

P.S. I don't think you're crazy, a little nuts ... but not crazy. :D
 
definitely looks like wootz (bulat)
better be careful, Angelsword will try to sue you :o

nice looking work! Of course, I'm crazy too, I burn rocks to make iron.
-Page
 
Flatgrinder !!!!!! Noooooooooooo.....Don't say WOOTZ.
It looks awesome,spectacular,unique,unbelievable, but PLEASE don't say it looks like Wootz.

Dmitry, I think you need to take a break, have some food and sex, then quit slacking off and get back to making more steel.

Stacy
 
fitzo said:
Hey, there's nothing wrong with crazy as long as it's not dangerous or (seriously) socially offensive in public. Just ask IG! :D
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Good one, Mike... but I'll bet the New Bedford P.D. would take issue with your definition of 'dangerous or offensive in public'!:D



Dmitry, I've said it before.... you're ability to push the envelope of reason with your creativity is amazing!
 
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