Pleasant Surprises!

[ed_is_dead]

Some years back, Ken Erickson and I were having a phone conversation and he mentioned to me that he couldn't figure out what he wanted to build next. I started flipping through an old Remington catalog while we spoke, and then sent him an illustration of a locking whittler I had come across.
I told him, "If you want a challenge, build that. That should keep you going for a while." And then I promptly forgot about it.

Ken and I were planning on meeting up at the Blade Show that year, (he had been to our home previously), and I told him I'd see him in a few months.

Anyway, I went up to his room on the Thursday evening before the show opened and he told me he had something he wanted to show me.

And this is what he had up his sleeve...

(To say that I was 'stunned' would be to minimize my amazement...)


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Built entirely from scratch without any plans or blueprints. It shows Ken's true creative genius. I can point to others of Ken's that I could say similar things about...but this was just a jaw dropping achievement imho, considering it was built from looking at an old black and white illustration from a catalog.

Every now and again something like this comes along and I lose ten minutes just drinking in the details. What a flagrant display of craftsmanship. Enjoy it!

 

[JPD1998]

I had very low expectations buying a 10$ Cold Steel knife, but it turned out to be well made knife with a very thin blade.
So, a few months later I bought a real Okapi and based on most reviews, I had an even lower expectation, but that one is nice too.
The carbon steel blade sharpens up really well, and it's not bad looking for a $20 knife.