Knife show stories

Quiet Storm

Quiet Storm

Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
5,757
I just browsed to a few older posts about funny anecdotes and interesting stories related to knife shows. I found 'em to be very entertaining, so I would like to ask if any of you knife show regulars have any stories to share.
 
Well, I dont know about funny or not but shortly after I went full time I went out to the Aniheim CA show. It cost a good deal for me to do the show, and as I said, I was just starting. By Sunday near closing time I still had not sold anything. I was determined not to have a no sale show so when I recognized a collector that I knew walking by I grabbed him. He had never bought anything from me but I knew he bought knives. I told him he could have anything on my table for $100. He picked a ten inch blade ivory handled damascus bowie. That was the only knife the guy ever bought from me but we got to be good friends.
jf
 
The first knife show I attended was a small NCCA show up here in CT. A mix of traditional and antiques and customs, etc. It has it all.

Never been to one, so I was dazzled by it all, and especially th *cost* of some of these customs that folks were willing to pay. ;)

Before leaving, I dragged my buddy over to a table--I believe it was Hank Rummell's--and was able to actually handle this un-frikkin-believably-beautiful birdlike folder. :eek: I was told it was all hand carved with files. Some *German* guy made it. ;) Worth about $3000 !

That particular folder was influential enough to me to hook me in! I left by spending $30 on a CRKT K.I.S.S. folder, but within a month I bought a folder for just under $500. Damn him.

(If you have to ask, you aren't paying attention.) :D

Coop
 
v-man
I will keep you in mind but I hope there won't be a repeat. Sure appreciate the offer though. Be sure and holler at me at the blade show. I think that is what I like about that show, I get to see so many friends.
jf
 
Well, I've got one that wasn't actually a show in the true sense, but is pretty close.

I attended my first Hammer-In at the school at Old Washington, Arkansas in 1996. I had been making knives since 1993, but by stock removal rather than forging. I really didn't know anything about the ABS other than what the letters stood for.

On Sunday mornings there is a show-and-tell period sometimes called a BYOB for "Bring Your Own Bowie" or "Bring Your Own Blade". Back then the BYOB was done in the banquet room of the Best Western Motel in Hope, Arkansas. While it's not a really a show, collectors and dealers do show up and buy blades.

At this particular gathering there were probably a hundred blades or more on display. As I walked around the room I noticed that clearly 75% or more of the knives were turned reverse side up and were stamped 'MS'. These were some of the most beautiful knives I'd ever seen, and there were so many varying styles.

As I made my way around to the last of the knives, I was asked by someone (I wish I could remember who it was), "Well, what do you think"? I responded, "Boy, I don't know who this 'MS' guy is, but he sure does good work, and makes a lot of knives"! :D

Of course, someone pulled me over to the side and whispered that the 'MS' stamp meant that the maker was a Master Smith, and that the maker's mark was on the other side.

####

Here's another that was not me embarrassing myself.

A couple of years ago, I was at the Little Rock, Arkansas show. I was sitting at Jerry Fisk's table and shooting the breeze.

When lunch time rolled around, Jerry asked me if I'd watch his table, and let him go grab a sandwich. I watched the table and occasionally answered questions for potential Fisk Knives customers.

At one point a fellow came by the table and was intently studying Jerry's knives. When he saw the name on one of the knives, he got a big smile on his face, reached out to shake my hand, and said, "I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet you".

It was obvious that he thought I was Fisk. I shook his hand and I've got to tell you, the devil was really trying to get me play this one out. But I remembered my own infamous 'MS' statement from years ago, and how the ABS boy's did not reel me in and make me feel like a fool.

So I quietly explained the situation and told him to be sure and come back by the table later. I know it embarrassed the fellow anyway. He moved on pretty quickly, and I don't remember seeing him again. I do hope that he did get to meet Jerry before the show was over.
 
A couple of years ago I was at the Little Rock, Arkansas show. I was walking around and came to a maker's table. I was intently studying the knives. When I saw the name on one of the blades as being Jerry Fisk's, I got confused. Because surely that wasn't Fisk sitting at the table, but every knife on the table was stamped Fisk's. So I thought this guy must be stamping his counterfeits with Fisk's mark and trying to sell them as the real thing. I got this big smile on my face as an idea popped into my head about how to expose him--I'll pretend I think he's Fisk then whammo sock him with the truth in front of everybody. I reached out to shake his hand and said, "I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet you".

He shook my hand then quietly told me that he was only sitting in for Jerry while Jerry went to grab a sandwich. Boy was egg on my face. I moved on pretty quickly and couldn't even face going back to that table again the rest of the show.

:p ;)
 
OK Mr Grapevine, I'm gullible. Were you giving Mr.Primos static, or was that really you he was talking about?
 
I've got a couple, they're not really funny, just weird.

My first showing was at a local gun "and knife" show. The only knives there were really really cheap imported crap...so my $120 knives were just OUTRAGEOUS!!! To think I'd be so selfish and proud...;)

One fellow walked up that I actually knew, but hadn't seen since I was about 14 (I was 22). He looked over my display that showed one of my Paul Bos heat-treated ATS blades that had been pounded through (cutting edge to cutting edge) a Gerber knife. He then looked over all of my other knives and said, "What's this about?" I didn't understand. He said, "Well, none of these other knives would do that." Of course they would I told him. "No, these other knives are different, they would never do that...are you some kind of liar."

This was with several people looking on, I was mortified and slightly angry.

"I put my name on these, I wouldn't do that if I didn't believe in them," I said. He proceeded to tell me that I could fill other people's ears full of bull$hit and such, but couldn't fool an old Indian (which he is by the way). Then he picked up the display blade and one of the others...flicked them with his finger while holding them close to his ear. "See, these don't have good sound...they're different. I'm an old Indian, I can hear good steel."

And to think I had forgotten about the old "flick it and listen test!!!"

Not too long after that, a fella came by and picked up the most expensive knife on my table...it was $300. "What would you say if I offered you $45 for this?" He was very serious.

I told him I had more than that in materials, and that I could not sell it that cheap. He then told me he could go to Wal-Mart and buy one just as good for $30. Again, I was mortified and speechless.

The gun dealer next to me looked at him, and said, "Well, take your cheap f***ing a$$ to Wal-Mart then!!!"

I was even more mortified at the moment, but have always gotten a good chuckle out of it since.

Nick
 
LMOA! Funny stuff.

Nick,

You have my sympathy for having to put up with that crap. You also have my respect for handling it as you did. If you see some idiot strolling up to your table in Atlanta and lowballing your prices, it'll be me ;)
 
At a gun and knife show some bunch of years ago I was trying to sell a knife or two. I was asking the absurdly high price of $50 for forged hunters. I am always open for a good trade and a guy wanted to know if I was interested in a trade for a nice rifle. I said sure bring it by. In a while he showed up a Sears&Roebuck single shot 22 that was so worn out it rattled; rusty, pitted, with a split stock. Being a nicer guy back then I asked what he had in mind. I can still hear those words today;" I'll let this baby go for two of those little huntin' knives there." It went downhill fast. In parting he loudly stated that nobody in his right mind would ask $50 for a knife and that I would find more pre-64 70's for fifty bucks than I would ever find knife buyers for that price. I thought those guys were going to tar and feather me. Eastern Oklahoma was not a mecca for custom knives back then. mike
 
I was at the last FKA show and a customer came to my table and found a knife he liked.Said he would be back,and back he came about 10 times.He was trying to decide between my knife and a friends.So back and forth he went till the show was closing and he showed to buy my knife,as we were packing to go upstairs for our business meeting.He then proceeds to pull out a roll of $1.00 bills to pay me.I know it all spends the same and I was happy to sell this man a knife but my friend and I sure got a chuckle.Dave :D
 
This didn't happen at a show, but some of my fellow officers and I were shooting the breeze outside our HQ before shift when an office worker stopped and was listening. We were discussing knives and the office worker spoke up and asked me if I was the knifemaker he was hearing about. I told him,yes, I am. This guy knew nothing about knives and even less about custom knives. He then proceeded to tell me he would like me to make a couple of hunting knives for a benefit auction he wanted to have, and a couple of my knives would probably bring him 50 or 75 bucks. The guy had never even seen one of my knives, nor had any clue as to value. I was kind of stunned, embarrassed, and at loss for words. My buddies standing by were as dumbfounded as I was by this guy. One of them spoke up and informed him of custom value and told him to go to K-Mart if he wanted cheap knives for an auction, plus the fact he just embarrassed and insulted me because he was just plain dumb. I felt kind of sorry for the guy, and informed the fellow I'd rather donate money than give my work away, and no hard feelings intended. The benefit was for a good cause, but he needed to learn the value of something before auctioning it. I also invited him by for a shop visit so he would have a better understanding of making knives. He left with a bandaid on his feelings, and hopefully a bit wiser. I guess he didn't get a whole lot wiser. He never did visit my shop, and was fired about 3 weeks later for incompetence. It must be the gene pool.
 
Mentor and friend Bruce Crawley cracked up every maker within ear shot several times with his twisted witt at a show a few years ago. With a background in die polishing, Bruce had the habit of mirror polishing every knife he made.
After admiring his work sooner or later some buyer would say " great looking knives mate but do they cut?" Bruce would tell them "take your pick mate, you can shave with every one of them" Bruce would then pick a knife at random, hold it in front of his face in place of a mirror and then proceed to shave with a disposable razor he would pull from his back pocket.
:rolleyes: :D
 
This was at the Blade show last year. John Fitch, Harvey Dean, Mike Fletcher and several friends and I were standing around telling jokes and lies. The subject turned to some Lady that had become offended at the sight of ivory and that we must all be poachers. Fitch speaks up and states " If I ruled the world there would be no more ivory problem! I would kill all the elephants and take the ivory...no more problem." I replied.."well Mr. President...what do you plan to do about prostitution?"


The look on John's face was priceless
 
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