"Master Don's" knives, Is this guy for real?

Chiro, thanks for the correction. I was basing this primarily on a discussion I had with a friend awhile ago who said that he used to use a 1" thick mild steel plate for forging, so I assumed anvils would probably be fairly soft. However I would guess that if they are harder on the outside it would still not be anywhere near 66 RC so as to get the required impact toughness.

-Cliff
 
My problem with his claims aren't that any one of them is insane. And his blades don't look bad, he certainly knows how to finish them fairly well. My problem with his claims are the combination of them, saddled with a "No returns" policy.
The anvil claim is actually one that holds water. Especially when you consider that he didn't mention the type of anvil. I've been using a 55# cast iron anvil lately. It's almost exponentially softer than my RR track. I was thinking of making a viking sword from 5160, and "testing it on the anvil". The thing is, if I'm going to waste an anvil, even a crappy one, you can be damn sure I'm going to get pictures of that, and put them on my website. Same with a flex test. And if I have a knife that will do both, I would want to make sure that everyone knows it. I'd show before and after photos, and brag my fool head off, since I haven't yet made a knife that can perform like that. But these are also things that we know to be possible with a high carbon blade, well made and heat treated. It's his unlikely combination of performance claims, with his unlikely alloy claims that I find difficult to believe. It's his marketing approach and assumed title that I just find galling.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
Any time someone puts MASTER in front of there name ,don't walk RUN away as fast as you can .
 
It has been around ten years or so, give or take a couple of years either way, but I have seen this guy at a couple of gun shows.

The first time I seen him he was indeed taking a hammer and beating a knife accross an anvil, and he was shaving metal. There was an elbow room crowd around his table, and when the demo was over, most every one began moving on. I happened to be behind a guy who was holding a toddler in one hand, and leading another small child by the hand.
This guy with the two kids stopped and asked to handle one of "Master Don's" knifes. I don't remember the price at the time but I think it was around one hundred dollars. The guy with the kids said thanks, but I can't afford one right now. "Master Don" handed him back the kife he had been admiring and told him to keep it. Again, I dont't remember the exact words, but he said something like that he was a christian, and beleived the man should have the kife wether he could afford it or not, that everyone should have at least one good knife, and that he gives one away at every show.


Then he said to everyone around, and to know one in particular, "I am tired and am leaving", and began packing up to leave.

The next time I seen him, wich was at least several months later, even though I really didn't have an extra one hundred dollars in "fun money" I bought one from him. I never really used it for anything, as I had some knives better suited for hunting and such, and felt kind of guilty for spending the money that I really should have used for family stuff, so I sold it.

It wasn't the sharpest knife I had, and I was affraid to try and sharpen it as I might mess up whatever "magic" it had.


Anyway, thats my "Master Don" story. I still know the guy I sold it to, and may try to look him up some day, and check on the knife. I have been cutious ever since what I let get away.

Thanks for letting me ramble!
 
There are a number of entertaining claims on that website, but just one obviously false claim is sufficient to collapse his credibility.

... whittled on files ... The knives remained undamaged.
Click to expand...

No steel can whittle a file. (If one could we'd make files out of it -- numerous people would wait in line to pay $28 per inch for a steel file that hard....)

Of course, you could anneal a file and then it would be as soft as mild steel, and look just the same as before....

Only a stage magician would think of that, though. Hmm ... he never does say what he's a "master" of, does he?

-Cougar Allen :{)


[This message has been edited by Cougar Allen (edited 01 October 1999).]
 
Again, this guy doesn't seem to be claiming anything that far out of the ordinary except that he claims his steel will do all these things in the same knife. The one that caught my eye was where he claimed to have stabbed his knives through Kevlar vests. I was under the impression that just about any knife can be stabbed through any soft body armor because it's just not designed to stop a knife.
In fact, in last year's Darwin Awards there was a young Marine(?) who died in an argument over whether their issue knife, a bayonet I guess, would penetrate body armor. Apparently, the guy who thought it would penetrate put on the vest and allowed the other guy to stab him, then promptly died of stupidity.
 
It does not surprise me that there are people out there playing on the ignorance of the masses. Hmm..almost a political statement.....

Anyone notice the rockwell on his knives...66? Yeesh....Where is the patent # on the metal he is using?

oh well...at least he is not president..

YeK
 
How about if some of us chipped in and bought one of the "Master's" knives for Cliff to test? I would be willing to part with a few $ for this. If 20 of us each chipped in $7--$10.00 we could buy one of this guy's creations and learn the truth.

--Mike L.

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Real men ride Moto Guzzis!
 
Well, let's not get carried away! Let's ask for a free one first!
smile.gif
Tell him to think of all the free publicity and advertising he'll get when his knives beat all others! No doubt we'd all be lined up aroud the block to buy one!

I'll pitch in if he won't give us one.
 
I'm in for a few bucks, But who are we going to get to test it?
smile.gif


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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
 
If it gets Cliff's "Stamp" of approval, I will place an order immediately.

If we could present M. Don with a list of people willing to do the same, that would be considerable leverage in receiving a test specimen.

No denying that sculpted hollow grind is beautiful...
 
I'd chip in. I'd love to see a fully hardened file get whittled. I'd even buy one (a small one) if it holds up to his claims. And yes, that "Computer generated" grind is very nice.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
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