Profiles

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

It is more of a pet peeve, but I thought I would post a comment on filling out your profiles.

Fill out all the information.
Fill it out accurately. While, "In the Great American Desert", sound poetic, it is not much help to someone who wants to know where you are.Same goes for, "Texas, Michigan,etc." It is a very long drive across some states. " San Antonio Texas, Detroit Michigan" is much more useful.
Give your age. There are 14 year old makers who turn out a good knife and 72 year old newbies who are still getting into it.No shame or discredit on this forum for being either one.
Tell us something about yourself. Twenty or thirty words can help people know a lot about you. "I am a professional Goldsmith who has been fascinated with making knives since I was a kid.I'm married and have three grown kids.I used to be in Chemical Research ."

The cyber world is full of many types of people. Some serious and some (many?) not. We seem to be lucky here on bladeforums that most of the wannabees,fakes,and phonies quickly drop out of sight ( or go gar fishing). By filling out your profiles ( or finishing filling them out now) you provide more clarity and honesty between people who only know each other online. It is also a good way to get an email saying, " I saw your post about..XYZ.. ,and noticed you are in Hampton, VA. I'm right across the river.......come on over one Saturday and lets pound out some blades/HT that knife/show you how to/you some 1084/....etc."

Go to the Who the heck are you? thread and post a more detailed introduction.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=498438

Thanks for being here on bladeforums. It is the community that make this place great.
Stacy

 

[Bruce Bump]

I for one always read the profile before giving out secrets that took me years to learn. I joined here in 1999 and have seen beginner makers progress in this craft all the way to ABS Mastersmiths. Every Blade magazine has some of "Our Own" members work in them. I keep saying to myself "I remember when".

There is a wealth of information right here and its all free. I think the people in this craft are crazy sometimes for giving it away to anybody that clicks in. The people that are brave enough to register with their profiles filled out are the more serious ones and are more likely to get a more detailed answer.

When I started making knives I had to learn it on my own because nobody had computers. Here we are more of a family mind set and feel comfortable with sharing our knives and even showing and telling about mistakes. I have a big box of mistakes I should show sometime. You would get a kick out of it.

Stacy is so generous and will even talk about his genuine profession at times. He is a gold/silver smith and one of the finest I've ever seen. You don't get access to that information just anywhere. It wouldnt take a minute for everybody within the sound of this thread to update.

 

[dsgibbs1]

As a new person here. I would like to say I'm sorry for my lack of dilligence. I had not filled out my profile. That is now fixed. I would also like to thank all the makers who take the time to answer those of us who ask millions of questions. I know that the time and effort that you, the makers, have put in to learn this craft is monumental. I will be the first to admit that I ask alot of questions. Usually after looking for the answer first. So thanks for all of your help. Thanks for your future help. Lord knows I will be asking more questions. Have a good day.
Sincerely,
Dwayne Gibbs

 

[LCoop]

Point well taken, I guess I was guility as charged. I honestly didn't remember seeing where you entered more than name, etc. when I registered but I've find it now! I'd like to say thanks for all I've learned here mainly just reading posts. Only been at this about a year now and am loving making knives. As Bruce Bump stated I can't imagine learning all this info just before the computer age. I check in here daily and try to soak up as much knowledge as I can and truly do appreciate you fine folks answering the newbie questions.

 

[richard j]

sometimes i wont answer if i dont see anything in a persons profile. if a person posts a good question i will suggest they fill out their profile and answer their question if possible.
also i check to see if the person accepts email's. sometimes i'll answer a question by email instead of posting an answer.

 

[Steven Penner]

Thanks for that reminder.

I have to admit that I was going to both fill out my profile more, and post in the who are you thread, but got stuck between my do it later tendencies and my general distrust of releasing personal information.

As Stacey and Bruce both mentioned, the profile info is important. In absence of actually meeting everyone, it’s all we have to get to know each other.

I have been a member here for a couple of years, and a lurker for much longer. I feel I have gotten to know many people and I love fact that everyone shares their knowledge so freely because of our shared interest in sharp steel, despite the fact that we are all potential competitors for client cash. I know of very few areas where this is so.

I have received a lot of help in this forum, both directly when I post a question myself and indirectly by reading all other posts. I especially love the resources that I have been pointed to. The sticky thread “*** Newbies Good Info Here***”, as well as the books DVD’s and web tutorials that are mentioned and linked to, have increased my knowledge and skills tremendously. When I have knowledge and or opinions relating to a post, I try to contribute as much as I can.

I always check to see who I am speaking or listening to. I find that it helps me to gain perspective of how the poster is thinking and helps me to decide what kind of details to include when I am writing a response.

I always try to include links with photos; so everyone can see what I mean. It takes me quite a while to write up a good detailed reply and check my facts before I post it. As Bruce mentioned, I put more effort into writing a good reply for those I recognize.

Sometimes I will try to PM or email a member with specific info that relates only to them, but if PM’s and emails are declined, then it won’t work.

I hae included more profile details and will try to write a “who are ya” post sometime soon.

or go gar fishing

 

[Leu Custom]

sometimes i wont answer if i dont see anything in a persons profile. if a person posts a good question i will suggest they fill out their profile and answer their question if possible.
also i check to see if the person accepts email's. sometimes i'll answer a question by email instead of posting an answer.

I remember you did that to me Richard! Back in the day! haha! Which was only last year LOL. hrmmm...i think I have my profile filled out. Maybe I outta put more than just Southern California......

Thanks!

Pohan