Hi guys. I'm a new member of Bladeforums. As a matter of fact, this is my first post here. I'm new to knife making, only been at it about 2 years. Only recently have I started forging, so I hope I can learn a lot here.
The reason I'm posting is...I've got a story to tell, and a question or two to ask. I hope you all will indulge me.
I'm basically self-taught in this whole knife making thing. I read books, go online, and I watch YouTube videos. Then I go out to the shop and try things out. Some things work, some don't, but the only way I can learn is by trying; there's no one near me that I can study under.
Anyway, several months ago I ran across some videos about a European bladesmith, a phenomenally talented guy. He's internationally trained, award winning, and his work is just superb. The Old World attention to detail he puts into his work is just amazing.
I watched this documentary and I decided to see if he had a website. It turns out he does, so I decided to write him an email. I wrote to him and told him that I'm a beginning knife maker, and I was amazed at his work. I told him that I want to improve my skills because my oldest son is a US Marine serving in harm's way, and I want to be able to make him a knife that will serve him well in the field.
To my utter shock, this bladesmith wrote back to me. He thanked me for my kind words, and he offered to make my son a knife. I told him I couldn't afford one, but he said he wanted to make my son a knife for free. A couple times a year (he said), he makes a knife for a deserving recipient, free of charge...kind of to generate good karma.
I told him it would be an honor to have him make my son a knife, and he set to work. He sent photos of the knife in progress, the blade after forging, the blade after its protecting coating, the smaller companion blade, the handle, etc. And I sent him photos of my son, training in Africa and now in Afghanistan. I even mailed him a Seasons Greetings card at Christmas.
This bladesmith seemed very friendly, so I asked him questions here and there about forging, steel selection, techniques, and he was always willing to answer my newbie questions. Through the course of our correspondence, he let me know that religiously, he follows a pagan/shamanistic tradition, and his particular deity is an ancient Celtic goddess named Brigid. I never remarked to him about it because it doesn't matter to me. It's his own private business.
This all started last September, and finally, about 3 or 4 weeks ago, he sent me an email with a picture of the completed knife, all ready to go. It was out getting its "sheath system" made, then he'd be shipping it over here to the States. Again, he said that he had asked Brigid's blessing on this knife so it would be a protective talisman for my son as he finds himself in combat.
I wrote back to him, again thanking him for his generosity and telling him that it would be an honor for my son to have this knife from him. And I told him that I'm Catholic and it's interesting that our patron saint of blacksmiths happens to be St. Brigid, isn't that an interesting parallel? I didn't mention God or Jesus or anything like that; it was just like, "Hey isn't this a neat parallel?"
This next part is the God's honest truth and I couldn't make this up if I tried. He wrote right back to me and said, "I'm sick of Christians. I never want to talk to you again. Bye-bye." And that was it. No explanation, no nothing. Just "I hate Christians, deal's off."
Now, it might seem like I'm pissed that my kid doesn't get this awesome free knife, but that's really not it at all. I place a high premium on honor. I suppose I romanticize the notion of a man's word being his bond. And this bladesmith had been talking to me for months about the sacred honor of his ancient craft, about the 12 Laws of Bladesmithing, about how you should "put the same skill into making a knife for a peasant as you would into making a knife for a king"...and in a flash, he withdrew this amazing gift he had offered, presumably because he just REALLY doesn't like Christians.
Is this guy just nuts?
Or did he suddenly realize that he didn't want to *give away* an expensive knife?
Have I read something totally wrong?
I have really been thrown for a loop by this because I think I thought I had found kind of a kindred spirit. I'm a real stickler for details (so is this guy), and I have a strong attachment to the concept of "honor"...doing what's right, helping those less fortunate, chivalry, and above all, keeping your word. This guy's actions really threw me for a loop, and I just thought I'd throw this story out there.
P.S. You may notice that I didn't mention the bladesmith's name. I don't want to do that because part of me is still willing to believe that I might be reading this wrong. Hell, for all I know, the guy might have had a stroke or something, accounting for his strange behavior. And I'd hate to sully his name if I'm wrong about this.
The reason I'm posting is...I've got a story to tell, and a question or two to ask. I hope you all will indulge me.
I'm basically self-taught in this whole knife making thing. I read books, go online, and I watch YouTube videos. Then I go out to the shop and try things out. Some things work, some don't, but the only way I can learn is by trying; there's no one near me that I can study under.
Anyway, several months ago I ran across some videos about a European bladesmith, a phenomenally talented guy. He's internationally trained, award winning, and his work is just superb. The Old World attention to detail he puts into his work is just amazing.
I watched this documentary and I decided to see if he had a website. It turns out he does, so I decided to write him an email. I wrote to him and told him that I'm a beginning knife maker, and I was amazed at his work. I told him that I want to improve my skills because my oldest son is a US Marine serving in harm's way, and I want to be able to make him a knife that will serve him well in the field.
To my utter shock, this bladesmith wrote back to me. He thanked me for my kind words, and he offered to make my son a knife. I told him I couldn't afford one, but he said he wanted to make my son a knife for free. A couple times a year (he said), he makes a knife for a deserving recipient, free of charge...kind of to generate good karma.
I told him it would be an honor to have him make my son a knife, and he set to work. He sent photos of the knife in progress, the blade after forging, the blade after its protecting coating, the smaller companion blade, the handle, etc. And I sent him photos of my son, training in Africa and now in Afghanistan. I even mailed him a Seasons Greetings card at Christmas.
This bladesmith seemed very friendly, so I asked him questions here and there about forging, steel selection, techniques, and he was always willing to answer my newbie questions. Through the course of our correspondence, he let me know that religiously, he follows a pagan/shamanistic tradition, and his particular deity is an ancient Celtic goddess named Brigid. I never remarked to him about it because it doesn't matter to me. It's his own private business.
This all started last September, and finally, about 3 or 4 weeks ago, he sent me an email with a picture of the completed knife, all ready to go. It was out getting its "sheath system" made, then he'd be shipping it over here to the States. Again, he said that he had asked Brigid's blessing on this knife so it would be a protective talisman for my son as he finds himself in combat.
I wrote back to him, again thanking him for his generosity and telling him that it would be an honor for my son to have this knife from him. And I told him that I'm Catholic and it's interesting that our patron saint of blacksmiths happens to be St. Brigid, isn't that an interesting parallel? I didn't mention God or Jesus or anything like that; it was just like, "Hey isn't this a neat parallel?"
This next part is the God's honest truth and I couldn't make this up if I tried. He wrote right back to me and said, "I'm sick of Christians. I never want to talk to you again. Bye-bye." And that was it. No explanation, no nothing. Just "I hate Christians, deal's off."
Now, it might seem like I'm pissed that my kid doesn't get this awesome free knife, but that's really not it at all. I place a high premium on honor. I suppose I romanticize the notion of a man's word being his bond. And this bladesmith had been talking to me for months about the sacred honor of his ancient craft, about the 12 Laws of Bladesmithing, about how you should "put the same skill into making a knife for a peasant as you would into making a knife for a king"...and in a flash, he withdrew this amazing gift he had offered, presumably because he just REALLY doesn't like Christians.
Is this guy just nuts?
Or did he suddenly realize that he didn't want to *give away* an expensive knife?
Have I read something totally wrong?
I have really been thrown for a loop by this because I think I thought I had found kind of a kindred spirit. I'm a real stickler for details (so is this guy), and I have a strong attachment to the concept of "honor"...doing what's right, helping those less fortunate, chivalry, and above all, keeping your word. This guy's actions really threw me for a loop, and I just thought I'd throw this story out there.
P.S. You may notice that I didn't mention the bladesmith's name. I don't want to do that because part of me is still willing to believe that I might be reading this wrong. Hell, for all I know, the guy might have had a stroke or something, accounting for his strange behavior. And I'd hate to sully his name if I'm wrong about this.
