OKCA Eugene Oregon Knife show today! Help...

Thanks for posting the pics, Oregon!
 
Great pics, almost makes me want to go back....almost.;)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Mecha said:
Thanks for posting the pics, Oregon!
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My pleasure Mecha. I love this stuff.

Kohai999 said:
Great pics, almost makes me want to go back....almost.;)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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I thought that you had fallen into a hole STeven. You are in California now. Wonderlust, footloose, land of opportunity. The show has a hollow spot where you used to be. Do you still perform demos? I wish you the best. Your online personality and behavior are a tough bar to rise above, bravo, for setting a high standard.

A few pics of my haul. I was able to have the builder of the 1/2 and 1/2 Buck 500 series salesman sample, Leroy Remer, authenticate it as one of one that he built for Vern Taylor back in the day. I stumbled upon the giant Shilin Cutter (black buffalo horn and bamboo leaf-shaped flat-ground clad blade. It is magnificient, older than I am and the product of Kuo family, the masters of hand building of this traditional Chinese folder that the Japanese find so very attractive. Rarely seen in this hemisphere but still being made by the fifth generation Kuo in Taiwan. A Catargous folding machete w/o guard, tiny Buck 170 folder, and terrific Kershaw 1556. Unseen are two wooden folder kits from Nathan Klecker who was ill during the show so his sis held the table! The pearl on that Buck 532 is gorgeous, traded 2 x 301 BG-42 Buck ivory Micarta for that beauty. Man o man did I have fun. It took me four hours to circle all of the, over 300, tables! I need two days next year, yes I do.

Bram Frank was kind enough to give me a one on one demo of his martial blade craft. Several people in the vicinity were hurt into submission for my impromptu education. He is a fierce champion and I am proud to say that I met and talked with him. What a terrific individual and a highly skilled martial blade artist. He poses here with his typical twinset of practice knife and lethal knife. Thank you Bram.

















Thank you for looking. Everyone with an interest in cutlery should put OKCA on their to do list. These terrific shows won't last forever in this internet environment. Congrats to Dennis Ellingson, you capable genius you. Your shows are outstanding and my yearly high water mark for this hobby. Many thanks.
 
kershawguy said:
You know you want to Steven, it would be good to see you !
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I went to a tool swap on Sunday and got a LNIB 1985-1991 build Victorinox Hunter for $12.00 and a mildly pitted but otherwise cherry Camillus Boy Scout knife in carbon steel for $20.00. If I had found them at the OKCA, the price for the pair would have been around $100.00....not to mention the flights, cost of eating and lodging....

I like the atmosphere of the show, even though is has sort of a flea market feel, and love seeing my friends.......BUT.....the costs associated with two days of the show are over $1,000.00 and I sell very, very little at that show....Blade is in 6 weeks....it's a much better bang for the buck, personally and from a business perspective.

Hope to make it back up to Eugene before the decade ends.

Oregon, you did a much better job of covering the show than I ever did....pat yourself on the back...you deserve it!

I don't do demos anymore...that was a personal favor for Dennis....I still train/cut once a month or so....just enough to keep the cobwebs out.

Have lost contact with my partner-in-crime, Christian Griesi...he was a Shinkendo guy, and very talented at that....couldn't do a demo at the OKCA without him.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
oregon said:
Contact Chairman Dennis Elligson thru OKCA site and he will know. Dennis knows everyone and everything about his show.
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Or not:

"From: ibdennis@okca [mailto:ibdennis@oregonknifeclub.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 5:17 AM
To: 'Hal Zucati'
Subject: RE: Meteorite shown at the April 2015 Eugene Knife show.

When you manage the Show one does not get to see the Show. A fact. Sorry not a clue as to your question.

ibdennis"
 
I find it interesting that being the only throwing knife maker at the whole show, I've yet been able to find a picture of my table that I didn't take.
Guess I'll need to do this for 10 more years or so before anyone cares.
Still, was a good show, did a little better than breaking even though I did get real tired of hearing about "what I throw" and that "it" was usually something like... " a shovel" or "a screwdriver" or "cold steel, cause they're cheap"...
Time to bring back knife throwing as a serious sport.

- Hal Zucati
 
crecent knife works was there a couple years at least.. I bought a few from him in fact.. walk in and farthest row to the right, closest to the corner..

And I agree, it does have a flea market feel... wish it were more custom makers grouped together and not surrounded by a bunch of slip joints and cowboys :o
 
halzucati said:
Or not:

"From: ibdennis@okca [mailto:ibdennis@oregonknifeclub.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 5:17 AM
To: 'Hal Zucati'
Subject: RE: Meteorite shown at the April 2015 Eugene Knife show.

When you manage the Show one does not get to see the Show. A fact. Sorry not a clue as to your question.

ibdennis"
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Sorry that Dennis was no help. He is probably exhausted. However, he did respond to your email. I had a substantial conversation with him at the mini-meet in December but I didn't even have half a chance at a hello Sunday as he launched himself around the venue.

I took about 250 photos of parts of over 300 tables and unless I know the vendor or a vendor in the photo sequence to compare to the table assignments and names I don't have any way to answer your question. I really don't remember where in the building the meteorite was so I can't narrow it down to a column or row. Your phone number indicates that you are located in Stump Town area. You might consider visiting next year with someone to man your table so that you can walk around on Friday before the public get into the room. I've noticed that the vendors are very enthusiastic to claim their spot at this show. Chances are that the meteorite will be back.

Had you provided Dennis with a photo it would have given him context in cutlery and table layout. Dennis is a knife guy and such clues could have jogged him memory. A rock in a room with 100,000 items is not that noticeable. It took me 5 and 1/2 hours just to go around the room once. I think that it was my son who spotted the rock. I'll quiz him. I wish that I had a way to label each photo with the table row and column. Once every 5 years I get a question like yours and I would like to have a quick answer. Do you have any ideas?

How much would such a meteorite be worth do you think (I'll guess thousands of dollars)? Are you a serious buyer? Chances are that the vendor will show up at other venues and perhaps in your neck of the woods.
 
There's an idea, group the booths by sections...
But then some people would never venture past.
No complaints other than those stated.
I had a good time.
- Hal Zucati
 
oregon said:
Sorry that Dennis was no help. He is probably exhausted. However, he did respond to your email. I had a substantial conversation with him at the mini-meet in December but I didn't even have half a chance at a hello Sunday as he launched himself around the venue.

I took about 250 photos of parts of over 300 tables and unless I know the vendor or a vendor in the photo sequence to compare to the table assignments and names I don't have any way to answer your question. I really don't remember where in the building the meteorite was so I can't narrow it down to a column or row. Your phone number indicates that you are located in Stump Town area. You might consider visiting next year with someone to man your table so that you can walk around on Friday before the public get into the room. I've noticed that the vendors are very enthusiastic to claim their spot at this show. Chances are that the meteorite will be back.

Had you provided Dennis with a photo it would have given him context in cutlery and table layout. Dennis is a knife guy and such clues could have jogged him memory. A rock in a room with 100,000 items is not that noticeable. It took me 5 and 1/2 hours just to go around the room once. I think that it was my son who spotted the rock. I'll quiz him. I wish that I had a way to label each photo with the table row and column. Once every 5 years I get a question like yours and I would like to have a quick answer. Do you have any ideas?

How much would such a meteorite be worth do you think (I'll guess thousands of dollars)? Are you a serious buyer? Chances are that the vendor will show up at other venues and perhaps in your neck of the woods.
Click to expand...



Oregon,
I was at my table 100% of all three days from 8:00am till closing each day. And by I, I mean either myself or my wife.
I talked with three photographers (ones with big expensive cameras and telephoto lenses) personally and my wife did as well.
In every case it was clear to eveyone in the conversation who we were and who they were and that they were "taking photo's " of everything! Smile smile.

Libra Knives was in booth B01 on the end corner by the entry, right behind the Grateful edge sharpening guys.

After talking with the photographers personally not one of them took a picture (while I was there) that I'm aware of. And one even went so far as to say my work was "irrelevant" in the scope of so much "real knife art". So.... I get it.
We were the dull knives at the knife show... And the newcomers, and the only ones selling throwing knives, (minus the few randal and other scattered throwers out in the hall I saw)... we were the only throwing knife makers there for sure.

All I'm saying is that it seemed like we were being deliberately ignored either on purpose, or by accident because of all the " real art knives"...

I had the same experience at the Kelso Knife show last year... photographer came aournd and took pictures of the booths on either side of us, and wouldn't even look at our table....

I'm sure I'm imagining the slight, but it sure felt like one.

As for the meteroite... I did send a picture to Denis, and his reply was clear... he had other things to worry about, which I understand, and is fine... can't expect him to know every bit of stuff that gets brought in... Just as long as it's there shapyly by 8:00am and does not leave till closing, then it's get the hell out time... we're letting loose the dogs.. .bark, bark, bark...

As I said. I had a good time, was just a bit miffed that nobody with cameras thought anything we'd done was picture worthy...
 
Here,
I'll just stop whining that nobody took my picture and provide one of my own.
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Thanks for the photos Oregon; first time I missed the show in 14 years, which sucked!

Still, great photos; brings back great memories... :D
 
Thank you for the kind words MP. Sorry you missed it. Next year.

OKCA high points for me over the years: Met and had substantial conversations with the legends: Chuck Buck (you are missed, God rest your soul), Joe Houser, Leroy Remer and his crew, Dennis Ellingsen, Bernard Levine, Bruce Dollinger, Butch Vallotton, Wayne Goddard, Bram Frank, Steven Garson, Howard Hoskins, Sal Glesser, Ed Schempp and James Gedlicks to name just a few. Heck, master smith Bronk (Bronkhorst), 30 years of custom knife making, taught me to sharpen a knife my first visit to OKCA.

It is hard for me to have more fun standing up than a day of total cutlery immersion at the annual OKCA. Dennis Ellingsen, Chairman of OKCA, gets 1/2 a beer when we next meet for his fantastic shows. This was OKCA's 40th year at the Lane Events Center. Bravo! I had a dream where I, or perhaps someone with better taste in cutlery, enjoyed a day at the show wearing virtual reality capture gear enabling everyone with VR playback ability, wherever or whenever, one way to enjoy the show. I would love to be able to re-live each show I've attended. Love it. These shows appear to be disappearing from what I read on the forums. Perhaps new technology could help keep them alive. I still need cutlery added to my collection so I am guaranteed to attend 2016 OKCA.
 
I agree with Hal, I also think that we need a knife throwing tournament or at minimum at least a demo on throwing to get people interested.
 
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