Out there. WAY out there.

Lorien

Lorien

Nose to the Grindstone
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 5, 2005
Messages
28,389
This thread is for knife makers and knife collectors alike.

I thought it might be interesting to see where diving in, out of your regular element, might be like.

What is the most different knife from what you'd regularly make or collect? Why did you do it?
What did the experience provide you?
Who helped you make the leap?
When in your career or hobby did this experience occur?
Where are you know with it all?
How do you see your experimentation panning out in your career or hobby?

These are the days of the paradigm shift, and even if the particular experience didn't lead you to a wholesale shift in direction, I am interested to see the results of your experimentation, and I expect other enquiring minds might also.

Thank you in advance for your participation:).
 
I'm going to try knifemaking fulltime for awhile. So things are definately going to change around here. I'm fortunate that my job will let me be off for 90 days with the option to go back to work or go on another 90 day cycle.
These are trying times we're in and I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. One way to find out though. Wish me luck.

PS not sure if this is what you were looking for in response to your thread or strictly knife collecting.
 
Mike Quesenberry said:
PS not sure if this is what you were looking for in response to your thread or strictly knife collecting.
Click to expand...

Firstly, good luck Mike! I wish you well in your endeavour.

Secondly, yes that is what we're looking for here, to some extent.

However, I more had in mind a particular knife that you'd made which is different from any you've made before, and the 'who, what, when, where, why, how' behind the making of said knife.
 
good thread Lorien I will try to add to it at some time but I would like to wish Mike luck in his move to go full time I think about it now and then but do not think I could make the same money I make at blacksmithing. so its when I can find time for now. good Luck Mike.
 
Ok, so here's some more specific questions for the knife makers;

If you took the ABS course and went for your MS, what did making the quillion dagger do for your knife making?

If you decided to make something entirely not a knife, like say a guitar for the first time, how did that experience play out in your knife making?

What is the craziest knife, so different from what you'd regularly make, that you made? Why did you make it and what did you learn from it?

And for the collectors;

Over the course of your knife collecting, have you discovered something different to collect that maybe you never thought you had an interest in? If so, how did that discovery effect your knife collecting? Did your knife collecting lead you to the discovery?

Have you ever inherited a knife or somehow acquired one not through your regular channels, only to find that it lit a spark of interest you hadn't realized was there? What did you learn from this exposure?

***

I know this topic seems a little irregular, but that's the point. These are the days of change and variability, and that's coming from somewhere. Where's it coming from in your blade loving ways?

We are all starting to learn what 'outside the box' really means, and it's the outside the box stuff that this thread is about.

Of course, you don't need to type anything. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!:)
 
What did making the quillion "Art Dagger do for me?" I love that question!
When I made mine it was called the "Early European Quillon Art Dagger".
It absolutely convinced me that never again would anyone dictate to me what "Art" is.
Today it has become known as the jump through the hoop knife, as it should have been called from the start.
 
craziest knife I made...

I made a knife from handmade japanese paper, laminated using epoxy with the edge made of a piece of M2. It taught me that handmade japanese paper is expensive, light, beautiful, and that when a knife is used properly only the edge needs to be made of steel.
bluepaperknife1.jpg

I made it because people used to just nod when I made carbon fiber blades the same way. Using translucent paper laminate they stop and stare, pick it up, hold it to the light, and get into interesting conversations!
 
Last edited:
"Today it has become known as the jump through the hoop knife, as it should have been called from the start. "
__________________
Ed Fowler


Mr. Fowler, I love that! I'm so green at bladesmithing I can't even conceive the Idea of a Dagger!

Lorien, I'm liking this thread!


Steve
--------
Potomac Forge
--------
IN GOD WE TRUST
 
Mr Fowler, I think the quillion dagger is the ABS way of giving you(the maker) a big ol' push. It pushes you to master many different knifemaking disciplines, which in my opinion is exactly what a master bladesmith should be. I would go crazy making the same knife over and over.
 
Mr. Quesenberry

Any knife made without emotion is not art for art comes from within. When a true artist lets someone else dictate what we make we prostitute our values. If you what to make one of everything that is fine, and if this is your life's goal it may be your art. But when we allow others to tell us what and how to make art we forge our own shackles.

Call me Ed and I will call you Mike.
 
Ed
I feel getting your MS stamp is like getting your masters degree in college. There will always be hoops to jump through to get the title. Once you have the title and you have proven your abilities then you should be free to express you inner self.

PS - Damn hoops!
 
Lorien

First I'd like to apologize for sidetracking your thread.

Now to answer some of your originally posted questions. I have always been a fan of Tim Hancocks work and was discussing the difficulties of the quilted handle takedown bowie with a friend, Gary Iames. Gary has been a huge help in my knifemaking career. Whenever I have questions he usually has answers. So we discussed what needed to be done step by step. While building the knife I called him at least once a day if not more trying to keep the steps straight in my head. What it did for me was give me confidence to try just about anything and constantly push myself.





picture.php
 
Lorien: I did not mean to kill your thread, there are many good thoughts in your questionns. Common makers and collectors talk about it.
 
to me, this kind of question is the essential kind of question and also hard to answer in any black and white way. But don't worry, thoughts are all that this thread is about. Not answers:)
 
Cool thread idea Lorien.

From our earlier collecting days a few years back. My wife likes daggers and I saw this Jeff Goforth Arachnid Dagger on a purveyors site. Blue Lapis handle, blued fittings, cool damascus, and nicely done matching sheath where the guard edges line right up on the sides. We don't have "fantasy knives" in our collection but this one is just cool and has really nice materials.

Not like anything else in our collection. Will probably post it on the for sale forum soon (although every time I go to do it we decide to hold on to it for a bit longer).

062.jpg


065.jpg


GoforthArachnid.jpg
 
Ed, do you happen to have photos of your Dagger? Would love to see that.

Rob that damascus is really nice on that one.
 
I'd be sad to see this thread die without at least a few more pictures:(
 
Mike Quesenberry said:
Ed
I feel getting your MS stamp is like getting your masters degree in college. There will always be hoops to jump through to get the title. Once you have the title and you have proven your abilities then you should be free to express you inner self.
Click to expand...

Quite true. And to state the obvious, nobody is forced to get their MS stamp if they feel in any way discomforted by the process.

Roger
 
RogerP said:
Quite true. And to state the obvious, nobody is forced to get their MS stamp if they feel in any way discomforted by the process.

Roger
Click to expand...

You're right, but on the other hand it's like having someone force a specific subject for your thesis. You can just turn your back on that PHD but after all your efforts is that likely to happen? I don't think that style of blade fits into Ed's philosphy of knifemaking but he made it to get his stamp. It may be why he's so adamant on the type of blade he makes nowadays, so it may have served it's purpose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top