Passing on the knowledge and THANK YOU FORUMS!

cbr900son

cbr900son

Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
1,010
So I do a lot of charity knives and also use knife making to minister to teens :eek:. LOL i know it sounds weird but if you can't get a young fellow to come to your shop to make his own knife then well you got problems. I work with the high school age youth at my church and a lot of times when I see a youth having problems etc Ill invite them over to check out the shop and make a knife. Well the other day I was doing just that and while getting into it and getting in that "zone" (both the youth and me) it was quite for a few seconds and he started talking to me. His voice sounded serious so I knew this was that 3-5 minutes of serious time you get with a youth before they close themselves back off. Well he started talking about how he has a problem with weed and Lortab (pain pills). I had a very crazy childhood and pretty much been there and done that with most things any youth could imagine so we had a serious talk for a few minutes and it ended with a god loves you and he smiled witch signals to me he took that statemetn to heart and not looked at it as a cheesy speech. Shortly after that he finished hand sanding his kniofe for pre-heat treat and as I was explaining what happens during the process and the flash point on oils and other random bits of info I realized something. I semi-know what Im doing and saying:eek::confused::p:). Over that past few years and after reading these forums (paticularly the shop talk) Ive learned so much that I actually had enough knowledge to pass something on lol. I know Im far from a professional or one of the greats when it comes o knifemaking but I love making knives and love trying and practicing new things and the fact that it has become a tool to help the kids out with (who would have thought) makes it that much more valuable to me! so from the bottom of my heart i want to say to ALL of yall

THANK YOU


Sincerely
William Bishop
 
William, I too have had several kids from a youth program through the shop. All I can say is that the investment you are putting into those kids, using the gifts you have been given, will surely pay off both in this life and the next.
 
I have a few kids(and adults) who come by the shop. One boy, in particular, has social issues. He sat and watched the first few times. Now he is right in there and even helps others with their projects. His father says this is a HUGE step for him. I don't do it through any organization/group but pick up folks doing public demos and such.

The members here at Blade Forums have also taught me quite a bit. Thanks!!
 
Great post!! I have to get on the bandwagon. I have a few local's that have come from a shady background that i invited over as a start a new hobby/rehab kinda thing. Working out great so far :) Lot's came from this forum :)
 
It seems like the people who have the biggest problems benefit the most. I think it is due to being something that is not easy or quick and that you can really get into and work hard on and have something that will last a long time to be proud of!
 
Very cool William! Good for you, hope what you do helps some of these kids.:thumbup:

It's funny that I saw this thread today. My shop is in my garage, and in nice weather the door is always open. We live in the suburbs, but very close to the gangs and violence of North Richmond/Oakland and over the years the bad element has made it's way closer and closer to us. I'm usually very wary of people walking through the neighborhood, and my guard is constantly up these days.

Today, however.....a young kid who says he's nineteen and who I've seen before in the neighborhood just walked up the driveway and introduced himself to me. He said he noticed I had some kind of workshop and was curious about what I was building. I immediately tried to figure out if he was casing my shop for stuff to steal when I wasn't there, but he actually seemed pretty genuine. He said he was on his way to his friend's house, a known meth house, and he was definitely under the influence of something, but he also talked about his uncle in the marines, his love of camping and hunting, and was fairly knowledgeable about knives. Who knows, maybe I can help this kid out in some way, but part of me worries that it will just end badly. I don't know, it's hard to know what to think in this situation.

William, I give you a lot of credit for reaching out to the youth in your community. I wish I could do it without reservation, but it's not easy.
 
William, thank you for sharing. It is always good to hear stories like these when we are bombarded by the negative side of life by media on a daily basis. This forum is a great source of knowledge, and sharing. I can only hope it continues being so for the many ages to come.

jonnymac44 said:
... I wish I could do it without reservation, but it's not easy.
Click to expand...

Johnny, don't be too hard on yourself, you live in a tough area. I try not to even stop for gas when heading through there.
 
jonnymac44 said:
Very cool William! Good for you, hope what you do helps some of these kids.:thumbup:

It's funny that I saw this thread today. My shop is in my garage, and in nice weather the door is always open. We live in the suburbs, but very close to the gangs and violence of North Richmond/Oakland and over the years the bad element has made it's way closer and closer to us. I'm usually very wary of people walking through the neighborhood, and my guard is constantly up these days.

Today, however.....a young kid who says he's nineteen and who I've seen before in the neighborhood just walked up the driveway and introduced himself to me. He said he noticed I had some kind of workshop and was curious about what I was building. I immediately tried to figure out if he was casing my shop for stuff to steal when I wasn't there, but he actually seemed pretty genuine. He said he was on his way to his friend's house, a known meth house, and he was definitely under the influence of something, but he also talked about his uncle in the marines, his love of camping and hunting, and was fairly knowledgeable about knives. Who knows, maybe I can help this kid out in some way, but part of me worries that it will just end badly. I don't know, it's hard to know what to think in this situation.

William, I give you a lot of credit for reaching out to the youth in your community. I wish I could do it without reservation, but it's not easy.
Click to expand...
One piece of advice I follow is just make the offer if you feel comfortable with it and let them come to you. Wether it be knife making or religion I never force it. Too easy to scare people away. I laugh cause at 33 I realized my grandfather was right "Kids just need something to keep them busy to stay out of trouble".

P.S. My shop is also in my garage (actually my whole garage is my shop thanks to the wife lol) with it open when I'm working and I get a a good bit of kids always curious about what I'm doing. LOL can't wait till I can find a affordable anvil so I can start forging cause I bet that will really get their attention lol.
 
cbr900son said:
I laugh cause at 33 I realized my grandfather was right "Kids just need something to keep them busy to stay out of trouble".
Click to expand...

Funny how the sage advice of elders that seems so simple and perhaps anachronistic actually turns out to be insightful... when you're mature enough to understand it. ;)

What a pity I thought I knew everything when I was getting that advice from my elders. I might have benefited from it... if I'd paid attention.
 
right on William, I'm right there with you man and thankful for the forums and all they contain- good, bad or indifferent.
If you can twist a lightbulb here and there, you're doin pretty good.
 
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