My Blade Haul

xuesheng

xuesheng

Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Messages
569
I'm a lucky guy. I scored big at the show. It was my first Blade show and I pulled out all the stops! Sorry for the poor pics...

First is Matt Roberts California Buckeye burl bowie. 9.5" of forged W2 with hamon with 416 fittings. It won him the "Best New Maker" award. I almost had to go to the mat with Danbo over this ... but it was worth it :cool:

Next is a Persian fighter by Brion Tomberlin. 8.5" of 1065, water quenched with a French greyed finish and nickel silver pins. Beautiful Ironwood grip.
 
Now for some folders:

Kit Carson large M4 in gnarly crackle mammoth scales, Mike Norris hornet's nest damascus, and orange peel Ti bolsters... thanks Kit!

Ernie Emerson CQC12 - first lottery I've ever hit!!

First collaboration knife by Williams/Cucchiara. Lee made the folder and Matt did the decoration. Marked Williams & Cucchiara #1. Beautiful work!
 
And finally, the Shark by Jim Smyth. 3.75" of S30V. Very unusual styling and bolstered (possibly Jim's last ;) )
-- bolstered, that is!
Update - Jim tells me that this is his first bolstered framelock and there will, eventually, be more to come! I knew he couldn't resist! :D
 
That Roberts knife was not supposed to be on the table.:grumpy: Congratulations on your score!

That, the Carson, and the Williams collab. are all top notch pieces.

How long have you been collecting custom knives?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
So you're the one! :eek: :thumbup: :cool: (refering to Matt's Bowie)
Beautiful Persian Fighter.
Those tactical folders :eek: .Stunning.Congrats on hitting the lottery.

I think ya' hit the lottery with Smyth's Shark as well.Congratulations on your very diverse haul.Outstanding.

Doug:)
 
Kohai999 said:
That Roberts knife was not supposed to be on the table.:grumpy: Congratulations on your score!

That, the Carson, and the Williams collab. are all top notch pieces.

How long have you been collecting custom knives?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Yeah, I heard the story from Matt. Good call on that one! I've been drooling over it ever since it was first posted on this forum. You and I were not the only ones after that baby ;) . No hard feelings, I hope. I've been interested in knives since I was a kid. My collection started with production Emersons, Benchmades and the like. Then I got heavily into Japanese swords, as a result of my martial arts obsession, and I studied nihonto for the last 10 years. They're too damn expensive to buy and trade, so about 2 years ago I focused back on knives, but more serious stuff, and I've been building up a collection of customs ever since. I started with an interest primarily in folders. Now I like a bit of everything, but forged, fixed blades have really gotten my attention more recently. I've only been hanging out on the forums for about 6 months.
 
The two forged fixed blades really float my boat. Matt's knife is terrific and I particularly like the grind on the spine of the Tomberlin. Nice lines on that piece.

Roger
 
xuesheng said:
Yeah, I heard the story from Matt. Good call on that one! I've been drooling over it ever since it was first posted on this forum. You and I were not the only ones after that baby ;) . No hard feelings, I hope.
........Then I got heavily into Japanese swords, as a result of my martial arts obsession, and I studied nihonto for the last 10 years. They're too damn expensive to buy and trade, so about 2 years ago I focused back on knives, I've only been hanging out on the forums for about 6 months.
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1. No hard feelings, it was my fault as much as anything. I was pissed for about 5 minutes. It's ok, I'll probably wind up with one of his JS knives, anyway.;)

2. I have been studying MJER Iaijutsu under Masayuki Shimabukuro Sensei, for over 7 years, do you study? I don't do the nihonto thing, by and large, just nihonto like objects. I have a killer Bradshaw katana for cutting that is a true battle sword.:)

3. The BladeForums is an excellent place to learn, glad you found it!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
1. No hard feelings, it was my fault as much as anything. I was pissed for about 5 minutes. It's ok, I'll probably wind up with one of his JS knives, anyway.;)

2. I have been studying MJER Iaijutsu under Masayuki Shimabukuro Sensei, for over 7 years, do you study? I don't do the nihonto thing, by and large, just nihonto like objects. I have a killer Bradshaw katana for cutting that is a true battle sword.:)

3. The BladeForums is an excellent place to learn, glad you found it!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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1. Cool
2. I used to study Kendo and Kogen Ittoryu Iaijutsu. I gave up the training because I wasn't happy with the level of instruction I was able to get in my area. I practice my kata regularly, but now I'm primarily practicing Chinese arts (Taijiquan and Xingyiquan) and I'm really happy with it. I've found a superb teacher. I've always believed that the teacher is more important than the style. I still study nihonto. I'm involved in a study group that meets several times a year. Fascinating stuff but very complex and tricky to learn.
3. Blade Forums has been great for me! I really appreciate all the valuable info that you guys provide.
Thanks,
Steve
 
xuesheng said:
2...... but now I'm primarily practicing Chinese arts (Taijiquan and Xingyiquan) and I'm really happy with it. I've found a superb teacher. I've always believed that the teacher is more important than the style.
Click to expand...

Check out this gentleman:

http://www.grtc.org/

I got a chance to see his work in Ashokan last year, and he is a top-notch and highly regarded teacher of Chinese styles, as well as a seller of swords and a resource UNPARALLELED in the US for this matter. He works closely with Phillip Tom who is also top notch, specifically in the field of restoration of antique Chinese blades.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I agree. What an excellent haul in every aspect.
 
Lovely score. I'm particularly impressed by the 2 fixed blades and the Carson.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind words! I'm blushing!:o

Kohai999 said:
Check out this gentleman:

http://www.grtc.org/

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Scott Rodell is a great guy. I've talked to him about Chinese swords a few times and I'm on his mailing list. One of these days I might even take a seminar with him - he seems to be an accomplished martial artist. I've been thinking about buying a sword from him but I've decided instead to commission a well known ABS MS to forge a jian-style sword. We worked on the plans a bit in Atlanta. L6, wooden grip, damascus fittings. I think it'll blow away any currently available Chinese made swords or antiques (for my purposes). I'm so excited! :D I'll keep you guys updated as it gets underway, hopefully in the coming year sometime. I don't want to drop any names until I'm sure it'll get off the ground.
 
Love the Roberts and Tomberlin knives. The Carson knife is a beauty as well. When I was collecting tactical folders, his were my favorite. As a matter of fact, they still are.
 
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