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No Knife :-(

Ian I'd be pissed if I was you as well. I hope you don't let a few insensitive and unecessary posts in the gbu drive you away from bf.

I think some people have a hard time differentiating a scammer from someone who is truly injured. There's reason that scammers use the injury excuse... It's because it can happen to good people as well and has a ring of truth to it.
 
S.Alexander said:
It was a defense mechanism. He put his foot in his mouth and was a little embarrassed by it.
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I can understand that. I was primarily confused by the apparent aggression. Nothing about this situation is ideal, but it seems strange to come across a professional that seems to be routing for it not to work out.
 
S.Alexander said:
Ian I'd be pissed if I was you as well. I hope you don't let a few insensitive and unecessary posts in the gbu drive you away from bf.

I think some people have a hard time differentiating a scammer from someone who is truly injured. There's reason that scammers use the injury excuse... It's because it can happen to good people as well and has a ring of truth to it.
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Well, here's the thing... my posting history is here for anyone that wants to look at it. I made mention of my health issues BEFORE any problems started and rarely mentioned before then, maybe only on the maker forum, so saying it is an excuse I used to cover my tail is rather strange IMO.

Either way, THIS is not an excuse:

Screenshot_2015-08-17-09-30-03-1.jpg

It takes months or years for that kind of atrophy to happen. I have less than 1/3 strength in my left (dominant) hand. Some muscles are atrophied as much as 50%. That photo was taken a couple months ago, and it's even worse now.

My hand doesn't work, so I can't work. I don't know if I can say it any more simply. Even typing this, the phone is jumping around like a frog in a frying pan.

That's why I'm not chasing people around and emailing people every five minutes. Every time I try to type it reminds me how screwed I am.


Insipid Moniker said:
I can understand that. I was primarily confused by the apparent aggression. Nothing about this situation is ideal, but it seems strange to come across a professional that seems to be routing for it not to work out.
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Marko is tired of seeing good people get burned and has let it get to him a bit.

It is very hard to part the truth from a sea of lies.
 
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Ian,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues.

Instead of typing look into a dictating program to send emails. I used Dragon and it works well and pretty much is hands free.

Actually I think CHROME has a free dictating software built into it.

Check it out.
 
HallHandmade said:
Well, here's the thing... my posting history is here for anyone that wants to look at it. I made mention of my health issues BEFORE any problems started and rarely mentioned before then, maybe only on the maker forum, so saying it is an excuse I used to cover my tail is rather strange IMO.
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I hear ya. It wouldn't make sense for a scammer to tell you that he is done making knives. He would do the opposite, to string people along and trying to squeeze more money out of the community.

At any rate, I wish you the best and hope that you recover enough to be more comfortable.
 
AVigil said:
Ian,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues.

Instead of typing look into a dictating program to send emails. I used Dragon and it works well and pretty much is hands free.

Actually I think CHROME has a free dictating software built into it.

Check it out.
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Just installed Windows 10 last night, was trying to get Cortana working but damn is that frustrating. Been considering dragon. Old boss used to use it for reports.


Just fyi everyone, AVigil has met me in person and we have discussed my health issues in detail long before any of this crap came up. We are talking a year+ ago before I'd become one of the BF GBU lepers.

I don't want to draw him any further into this than that.

Hell, I haven't been to tru-grit for supplies in months. Last time I got some I had to send my mom and dad down to buy belts for me because I couldn't drive.

S.Alexander said:
I hear ya. It wouldn't make sense for a scammer to tell you that he is done making knives. He would do the opposite, to string people along and trying to squeeze more money out of the community.

At any rate, I wish you the best and hope that you recover enough to be more comfortable.
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I actually stopped selling new blades at the start of April once I knew I was having trouble, so those acting like I was lolly gagging couldn't be further from the truth. My communication has been lacking, but as I said my typing isn't the best these days. I have limited time I can sit at a computer, and handling a mobile is getting harder and harder.

I had some already in-progress orders that came in for payment, but I've been living off savings since late march basically. I didnt call it quits now, I called it quits months ago in reality. The blades in question here were just a small exploratory batch when I thought I was on the mend but wasnt.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
That's more than fair. Apologies to Marko.
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I mean, he hasn't been super nice to me or anything, but I won't refuse to put myself in his shoes.

GBU can be a tough place. I've read through a few threads myself and they can get you down. I've even seen a few regular posters with "GBU PTSD" that had to take a breather lol.
 
Mr Hall, I am sorry to hear of your health troubles. And wdtorque, no one could have been more patient and understanding than you have been.

Perhaps something to consider if any more paid buyers are awaiting sheaths:
If I were the buyer, I would have agreed to a slight price break in exchange for not receiving a sheath. It's easy enough to have one made somewhere else if Mr Hall is unable. Personally, I would put my HallHandmade knife in a display case and it would never need a sheath. :)

I don't mean to butt in, just wanted to offer a suggestion for resolving any outstanding issues while taking Mr Hall's health-related limitations into account.
 
I wanted to comment on the specific issue that was raised in this thread about sheaths to be completed. Ian Hall is certainly not the only custom knife maker here on this forum or elsewhere who posts a knife for sale with the understanding a custom sheath to be made to the buyers specifications. I have purchased several custom knives on the forum from different makers with that same arrangement and as a southpaw this has been a preferred arrangement for me. This practice is not unusual on the exchange although lengthy delays related to the making of the sheath are a separate matter entirely.

This is all a shame and I hope that all the customers affected the best in getting it all worked out to their satisfaction. Ian is most certainly a very talented maker who has worked very hard to build an excellent and well deserved reputation. I appreciate his straightforwardness in addressing his health related setbacks and wish him all the best in his recovery. Perhaps there is an aspiring maker in his area that might be willing to lend a hand in exchange for some mentoring.
 
Mr. Hall, my wish for you is that your health stabilizes to the point that you are no longer suffering as you do now. Nothing is right when you don't have your health. As an avid GBU reader, I have seen plenty of scammers. Pessimism and disbelief is the primary operating principal for many posters. I have read the whole thread, and not being personally affected, or knowing for certain what is true, I believe that you, perhaps could have headed-off some of your current difficulties with better communication, but I do not see you as a scammer. I see you as sincerely trying to resolve this so that you can get back to your primary concern, which is managing your health issues.

You are clearly very talented. I hope you can recover sufficiently, so that you can get your life back. Prayers and best wishes, sir.
 
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Brisket said:
I wanted to comment on the specific issue that was raised in this thread about sheaths to be completed. Ian Hall is certainly not the only custom knife maker here on this forum or elsewhere who posts a knife for sale with the understanding a custom sheath to be made to the buyers specifications. I have purchased several custom knives on the forum from different makers with that same arrangement and as a southpaw this has been a preferred arrangement for me. This practice is not unusual on the exchange although lengthy delays related to the making of the sheath are a separate matter entirely.

This is all a shame and I hope that all the customers affected the best in getting it all worked out to their satisfaction. Ian is most certainly a very talented maker who has worked very hard to build an excellent and well deserved reputation. I appreciate his straightforwardness in addressing his health related setbacks and wish him all the best in his recovery. Perhaps there is an aspiring maker in his area that might be willing to lend a hand in exchange for some mentoring.
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I am left handed also which is the primary factor in my refusal to give up the very bothersome business of a custom sheath for every knife.

I have gone to great personal expense to do this over the past couple years. It costs more time, more money, and more drama to give customers pretty much free rein on their sheath decision. I've had some real curveballs thrown at me, and almost never charge extra.

It would be MUCH easier for me to just say "you don't like the sheath? Well eff you then."

My health has caused an ethics breach and I have willfully and gladly apologized for such. That doesn't make it okay to take something I do at great expense specifically for the benefit of my customers, and then try to twist it around into "selling unfinished knives".

I'm sorry but I have to say it is willful ignorance for the purpose of recreational indignation. Nothing more.

cigarrodog said:
Mr. Hall, my wish for you is that your health stabilizes to the point that you are no longer suffering as you do now. Nothing is right when you don't have your health. As an avid GBU reader, I have seen plenty of scammers. Pessimism and disbelief is the primary operating principal for many posters. I have read the whole thread, and not being personally affected, or knowing for certain what is true, I believe that you, perhaps could have headed-off some of your current difficulties with better communication, but I do not see you as a scammer. I see you as sincerely trying to resolve this so that you can get back to your primary concern, which is managing your health issues.

You are clearly very talented. I hope you can recover sufficiently, so that you can get your life back. Prayers and best wishes, sir.
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I definitely could have done better on communication and this likely would not have happened at all. Unfortunately it did.

It was a lesson learned, but not the lesson everyone would assume. There will be changes to how I do things if I come back to this.

For now I'm going to try and utilize the several months of leave I've set up, to the best of my ability.
 
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Good luck Ian

Hope your health returns.....................

I know what it is like to have an injury impact your life. I know how hard life can get when your health goes South.
 
I see my package has been scanned by the post office.
I'll post again when I receive it, but it looks like Ian is making good on his obligations.

View attachment 570122
 
Don't give up Ian. Smoke up for you, I know first hand how devastating illnesses involving skeletal muscles and debilitating, depressing, and damn painful it can be.
 
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