Pics for Aldo

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
2,331
Let me begin by telling you all what a fantastic guy Aldo Bruno is, in case you didn't already know!

I am a minister who focuses on kids who fall between the cracks of life. Usually they are boys who don't have fathers around an no one to teach them to work with their hands.

The New Jersey Steel Baron contacted me and wanted to help in my effort to teach these boys how to make knives. I have the bare essential tools (Craftsman 2x42, home made forge, etc) but was lacking in quality steel that was easy to work with. Long story short, Aldo sent me quite a load of Kelly Couples 1080 steel with the promise that I would send pictures.

I would have had these pictures up earlier (as they were taken last winter) but I moved in January and have been getting everything set back up. Anyways, here are pictures of Nik, a kid who's dad is in prison, and his mom takes to the bottle pretty heavily. He has a busted lip in the picture... he said he fell on his bed frame but who really knows.

We worked on two knives that day. he wanted a good hunting knife and also wanted to make a spike knife he had seen before. We started at 9 am and finished at 8 pm. He was so proud of his knives... like he hadn't ever been proud of anything before.

I didn't get the picture of his final 1080 knife, but there are pics of it being made.

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Finished Spike Knife after a VERY long day
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Comments welcome
Thanks, God bless!
Jason
 
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Great looking knife he put together there!! :thumbup: Tell him to smile a bit more after completing a great project like that :D. And good on ya for doing what you are with the kids.
 
The "I made it myself " feeling is real self esteem not the phoney stuff the give them in school !! People seem to always remember those things they made as a kid many years later.
 
I think that is a brilliant smile. The made it myself feeling is spectacular but really in this case for that kid , it is also about that someone valued him enough to do something with him and teach him something and believe that he could do it. The knife is pretty cool Jason but for that kid you are the real treasure. Though being an adolescent I understand he is unlikely to admit that now. It isnt about the knife really, its about the relationship with you and hey thanks for making my day.
 
That boy will never be the same. And I mean that in the very best way.

Keep up the good work.
 
I notified Aldo about your post... He's off hunting for more steel or something and not readily able to get here. But he has the link.
 
I can tell you from first hand experience that that kid will never forget the lessons and time you have given him, just awesome. God bless.
 
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