Is it my imagination?

I see that the sticky at the top is now titled "Read Here before asking Basic Questions"

Cool!
(I wonder if folks will actually follow that instruction)

-Page
 
sunshadow said:
I see that the sticky at the top is now titled "Read Here before asking Basic Questions"

Cool!
(I wonder if folks will actually follow that instruction)

-Page
Click to expand...


Now it will get read :D

Reworking the sticky sounds like great idea.
 
Scott,
I think you have a good idea. I hope this helps some of the new folks.

I saw a noob ? earlier today. I decided to google the topic. A very nice tutorial was the very first link on google. Right there, the first topic. When I am looking for some info, I usually look here, but I also use google and other internet search tools and through that I have found just about all the BASIC info I need. Also, I bought a couple of books that helped me. So part of me thinks some of these questions are from laziness, but I'm sure most aren't. I'm sorry for being negative, as Scott said there are some positive aspects of this thread.

Kevin, do you feel like some of the new makers asking questions, just are not doing the research and want a quick answer?

I kind of feel that way as I observe some of these questions.

But, to make sure the right info is being shared, I guess we all need to be there to answer all questions. That is the important thing.
-John
 
I think we are missing one of the more obvious answers

I know it is usually someone else's job to make this pestering request, but...

Kevin Cashen should write a book filled with all the information makers of any level could use to improve their knives.

:D
 
I have seen other places where tutorials are labeled and stickied at the top. This seems like a nice idea, as it doesn't require reading through pages of threads to find a link. Or maybe simply a sticky labeled "Tutorials", that can have simple tutorials added to it, like basic knifemaking, sheathmaking, etc. There are a lot of tutorials around, but you have to know where quite a few of them are. It may be neat to have direct links to them from a sticky.
BTW, thanks all for the help here.
 
Hopefully I will not sound like a jerk like I did in the "let me be the first in 2008" thread.
I think of this site as a sort of Harverd of knifemaking. I have never felt as threatend or encouraged as a knifemaker by anyone or anything as I have on this forum. This is a very good thing. I have been pushed to learn and get better.

This forum is an anti chucklehead tool. I feel that the more time folks who know spend directing newbies on how to do things correctly the better it is for the knifemaking comunity. Also if someone like Kevin answers lots of questions They will get known as the one who knows. I am sure we can all see that this has happened here. The best part of this is what people like Kevin, Met, Bruce, and others teach is more factual than the vodoo that is so much a part of some other knifemaking resources.

Every time someone takes the time to answer a newbie, one on one,` the newbie will be so much more encouraged, and so much more likely to take the information seriously.
Also for the one who answers, they learn better themselves by teaching, and gain some fame by being so helpfull.

As far as the influx of newbies on this site; (1) this site simply has a groing web presence (2) America goes through traditional craft revivals fairly often. Partly because of the econemy and partly because of growing social unrest. It happened in the 60's and is happening now. The number of hobby farms and neo homesteaders is increasing. (3) America is becoming small business crazy. Who knows where this will lead?

It would be good, I think, to have more newbie answers in the sticky, basic stuff.
Personally I started archiving all the good stuff on here on my computer in Word so I have it handy.

Thanks all for being a light in a dark world.
 
Kevin or anyone else for that matter please do not take me the wrong way, I will help anyone that ask a question if its within my scope and only if I can answer it 100%. I fully know that I would not be at the level I am building had my dumb and not so dumb question not been answered by some that where competent and some that where not.

What is important about the information received is what that person does with it, how he incorporates it and makes it work for them. Not all answers have worked for me but it provided me with just enough to improvise and then make it work and some of it is the gospel.

I like Scotts idea but it would be a tough go to compile all that info, vett it and post it in a way that someone would not get lost. Kevin has good points as the information, techniques and procedures change pretty fast while other stuff will never change how does a guy keep up.

Like I said I I once asked Dan gray to change the title of the tutorials at the top so that folks could get at the information, and Kevin I understand its not all 100% but it has help me in my quest and sometime provided enough guidance to find the right answers.

Here is the thread I was able to dig it up? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=516729&highlight=Paging+Dan+Gray

Great thread kevin
Spencer
 
How Did People Learn How To Make Knives Before The Internet?
I Have Spent The Last Two Years Learning To Make Knives, And Yes I Have Learned Some Things From The Internet, However I Got Past Most Of My Learning Curve With The Help Of A Local Knife Maker. Answers Are Useless Without A Genuine Question. People This Day And Age Are Always Looking For The Quick & Easy Way To Become An Expert At Something. Fortunatly, There Is No Quick & Easy Way To Make Well Executed Knife.
 
stephanfowler said:
Kevin - if i remember correctly the cigar contingent was mostly Matt Gregory, Rick Barrett, Myself and you.....

don't recall any other significant cigar types
Click to expand...

Stephan I actually cannot count all the good cigars I have enjoyed with knife folks over the years, it is just a little less than the drinks I have had while having a great chuckle and chat. I was referring to another time but I remember some more than others; the Partagas Black Label tasted so good because I knew I had stolen Matt’s only one. :D

On the forum thing, I like all forum stuff better than the current printed stuff due to the fact that it is a two way street open to questioning and correcting, I was not referring to any other threads or forums when I lamented the sad state of introduction that the new guys get. I rarely, if ever, recommend knifemaking books or magazines because my conscience and honesty would force me to include something like “except pages 23-25” or “if you tear out chapter six and throw it in the trash”, and then I have a sparked a blood feud with the author or the devotees of that work, so it is best not to discuss them at all. Now I know such comments are only an invitation for the pressure to write my own book, but I don’t feel I should have to write a book for the sole purpose of bringing common sense back to makers. When I do complete a book I am sure I will not waste many pages on why 1084 may make a better knife than used lawnmower blades, or why thickened lard may not be the best quenchant. One has to start somewhere and I need to set my sights little higher if I wish to accomplish much.

I started this thread and others in the past because I really like this forum! I moderate another forum on the internet that is geared specifically to metallurgy in smithing and to be honest I spend twice as much time here as I do there. I have not found another gathering of people more willing to challenge the established dogma and ask their own questions than I find here. Here I can put some heretical data out there and have it questioned, discussed and even tested without being brushed under the rug for not fitting the template of the popular printed bladesmithing venues.

Within weeks in 2008 alone things will start happening in bladesmithing that will almost have to bring long overdue changes to the business. Bladesmithing is ready to join the 21st century and I am excited at the possibilities. When we look back one day we may see a renaissance that was born from the internet and places like this forum, where the old myths and hype were replaced by solid knowledge because a two way dialogue allowed questions to be asked that the same old pop idols could avoid by one way pontification.

And this brings me to my extreme discomfort with being a popular guy myself, this thread and others have some pats on the back for good old Kevin, but at the risk of seeming entirely ungrateful I will say that I despise popularity contests to the point that I would never want to win one. This is the sort of thing that has destroyed our culture from knifemaking all the way to national politics. The slickest talkers and “nicest” guys are elevated to positions of power while truly qualified people are ignored and we all suffer under the used car salesmen without proper consideration to what could have been. Over a beer, face to face, I will be a friend, but here if popularity affects the credibility of the sorely needed facts I would rather just be the nerd from Michigan who seems to make sense.
 
kevin if it helps you any i dont thingk you "cool" you jsut know a boat load more then me about steel and most likly other things

and the best part is you word it so i can sorta understand it and most the time the 3rd or 4th read i think i "get it" then i want to learn more about one thing or the other

i need a steel for dummies book :)
 
I used to moderate some baseball umpiring forums and continue to moderate an umpire Yahoo group. Every year there's a huge influx of "how many strikes are in an out?" "can you explain the difference between type A and type B obstruction?" and it drove most of the experienced umpires crazy and made most of us rather rude to the rookies. For the most part most of us the question answering umpires have withdrawn into private groups to avoid these people, we only invite a select few into our secret societies.

I guess the whole point of of this babble is to say that there's no search function for non-paying members, the search function for paying members (I'll be getting my knifemaker status again soon) is errrrrr less than wonderful and there's no "NEWBIES GET IN HERE" forum unlike some of the other forums. The willingness of the knife community to welcome and assist newbies is one of the great things I love about it.

I'll help out with questions but I ain't as brite oar elokwent as some of yew fellers.

Will
Formerly known as badbamaump
 
Cigars!!!! Cigars!!!! My fiance gave me a new humidor, torch lighter and a roll of CAO Mx2s in maduro for Christmas. She called me at work the other day because I took the last Arturo Fuente out of her purse..... I love this lady, she smokes cigars too! Luckily she doesn't like the larger ring guages that I prefer.

Have you had that Perdomo Presidente or w/e in triple maduro???? Great stick
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
Partagas Black Label tasted so good because I knew I had stolen Matt’s only one. :D
Click to expand...


BASTID!:D


I'd have gladly given up a box of those sticks for the camaraderie you showed me at Harley's, Kevin... may there be many more good times with good people in the future (excluding the Chinese food from Japan we had... or was it Japanese food from China?).
:D
 
scottickes said:
One way would be to have a team of people put the thread together, with the team contributing to the actual content. Maybe we could form a team here, and put together "THE ULTIMATE NEWBIE QUESTIONS ANSWERED THREAD". This would be much different than the current stickie, in that it would be labeled in such a way that the newbie would recongnize it immediately as likely to contain HIS answers, without wading through some of the technical, more advanced stuff that he isn't ready for yet that is also contained in that thread. The content would be aimed at the newbie type questions only, and would be basic questions and answers, or basic type statements of fact. It would contain a section of advice for the best way for a newbie to start on a limited budget, since that seems to be what many new makers are in need of. Hopefully it would be a thread that can only be edited by a certain group of well established BF members from that team or added to the team later (if this is possible). In this way it would be a growing, living type of thread, without all the extraneous comments. Basic straight forward advice and information for newbies. A way for the seasoned makers to give a gift of ourselves to the newbies and encourage them as soon as they sign up and find out shop talk forum.

Anyone that would like to be part of that team, please email me at scott.ickes@timken.com or PM me here at BF. I would be willing to type up and retype up the content in a word format and email it back and forth to team members until we all agree that it is ready to be added as a thread. I could start the dialogue with the team by typing up a basic preliminary draft to get the ideas on format and content going and email it out to the team members. I feel a cross section of 4 or 5 seasoned makers would make for a great team.

What do all of you think of this idea? Good idea? Bad idea?
Click to expand...

I had this idea a while ago, in reference to knife-knuttery in general, but it will work equally (if not more so!) well in this arena: a freakin' WIKI!

Google it or whatever... It sounds like EXACTLY what you're looking for, you can link it from BF, and you can maybe even open it up to the consumers (People like Nozh, who does crazy sharpening stuff), not just the makers!
 
butcher_block said:
i need a steel for dummies book :)
Click to expand...

Did you get a copy of "Tool Steel Simplified" that Kevin recommended a few weeks ago? It's widely available cheaply used, especially the older editions.

I'm most of the way through it and have learned a lot. I did spend a little more and get the 1979 (?) fourth edition. Probably doesn't make too much difference but I'm glad I did. It goes all the way up to discussing powder metallurgy steels as R&D stuff that is still to expensive for production.
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
And this brings me to my extreme discomfort with being a popular guy myself, this thread and others have some pats on the back for good old Kevin, but at the risk of seeming entirely ungrateful I will say that I despise popularity contests to the point that I would never want to win one. This is the sort of thing that has destroyed our culture from knifemaking all the way to national politics. The slickest talkers and “nicest” guys are elevated to positions of power while truly qualified people are ignored and we all suffer under the used car salesmen without proper consideration to what could have been. Over a beer, face to face, I will be a friend, but here if popularity affects the credibility of the sorely needed facts I would rather just be the nerd from Michigan who seems to make sense.
Click to expand...

Kevin,
I don't look at it as a popularity thing. I look at it as a "respect" thing. I have great respect for you and your thoughts because of the effort you've made to learn "the reality" of this craft, instead of just following "the voodoo" non-factual, handed down because this or that guy does it this way. You've researched your topics intensively and that brings respect for your insights.

Are you popular? Yes. But more importantly, you are respected!
 
SAR said:
Like I said I I once asked Dan gray to change the title of the tutorials at the top so that folks could get at the information, Here is the thread I was able to dig it up? http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=516729&highlight=Paging+Dan+Gray

Great thread kevin
Spencer
Click to expand...

Spencer I'm sorry I didn't look into that more if even I saw it but in the same breath I can't change titles only the mods can when and if they if fit to do so..
and I've been time stricken bad the last year to do much on anything..
I wouldn't even have seen this if it weren't for me asking in my own thread why it was changed, Mike let me know why and where it's been talked about.. I'm thinking some the new guys won't read it some what more than once anyway still :D
 
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