- Joined
- Dec 28, 2001
- Messages
- 1,394
I have always loved the knives made by ABS Founder William F. "Bill" Moran. When I started collecting custom made knives my plan was to collect only folders.
Over time I decided to get some straight knives and have been lucky enough to get some knives by Bill Moran. I attended the first two Moran Hammerins and met Mr. Moran. It was a real pleasure to meet him.
I have had these knives for awhile, and though I photographed them myself, I never had any good pictures. Earlier this week I remedied this by taking a trip to Connecticut to the shop of Jim Cooper to have some photographs taken.
Watching Coop shoot knife photos is like watching an ABS Mastersmith forge a knife. There are many complicated tasks but he makes it look easy. He would make very minor adjustments that would show huge results.
I have just received the images and I would like to share them. I am more than happy with them. It was a trip worth taking. I want to thank Jim Cooper for taking time out of his busy schedule to accomodate me. He can work his magic with older knives as well as with new ones.
Here is the first, it has a 7" W2 blade with a sharpened top clip with Crown Stag. It has a Lime Kiln logo and was made sometime in the 1960"s.
The next is a 8 3/8" W2 Bowie with Curley Maple and Bras wrapped. It has a Moran logo which means that it was made sometime after 1973.
This is a 8" W2 ST-23 with Rosewood and Brass. It has a W.F. Moran logo and was made sometime in the 1980's.
Here is a 9 1/4" W2 Speapoint Bowie with Curly Maple with silver wire inlay and a carved steel guard. It has a Moran wood lined leather sheath with a half moon. It also has the W.F. Moran logo and was made I believe in the 1980's.
The last and my favorite is a 9 7/8" 5160 ST-24 with Curley Maple and checkered silver wire inlay. It has a Moran wood lined leather sheath with a half moon. It has the W.F. Moran M.S. logo and was also made in the late 1980's. This knife is lightning quick in the hand and to me the best designed knife that I have seen.
Jim Treacy
Over time I decided to get some straight knives and have been lucky enough to get some knives by Bill Moran. I attended the first two Moran Hammerins and met Mr. Moran. It was a real pleasure to meet him.
I have had these knives for awhile, and though I photographed them myself, I never had any good pictures. Earlier this week I remedied this by taking a trip to Connecticut to the shop of Jim Cooper to have some photographs taken.
Watching Coop shoot knife photos is like watching an ABS Mastersmith forge a knife. There are many complicated tasks but he makes it look easy. He would make very minor adjustments that would show huge results.
I have just received the images and I would like to share them. I am more than happy with them. It was a trip worth taking. I want to thank Jim Cooper for taking time out of his busy schedule to accomodate me. He can work his magic with older knives as well as with new ones.
Here is the first, it has a 7" W2 blade with a sharpened top clip with Crown Stag. It has a Lime Kiln logo and was made sometime in the 1960"s.
The next is a 8 3/8" W2 Bowie with Curley Maple and Bras wrapped. It has a Moran logo which means that it was made sometime after 1973.
This is a 8" W2 ST-23 with Rosewood and Brass. It has a W.F. Moran logo and was made sometime in the 1980's.
Here is a 9 1/4" W2 Speapoint Bowie with Curly Maple with silver wire inlay and a carved steel guard. It has a Moran wood lined leather sheath with a half moon. It also has the W.F. Moran logo and was made I believe in the 1980's.
The last and my favorite is a 9 7/8" 5160 ST-24 with Curley Maple and checkered silver wire inlay. It has a Moran wood lined leather sheath with a half moon. It has the W.F. Moran M.S. logo and was also made in the late 1980's. This knife is lightning quick in the hand and to me the best designed knife that I have seen.
Jim Treacy
:thumbup::thumbup:
