Seattle International knife show.

Hearing there were a lot of kitchen knife buyers interests me more than the number of kitchen knives for sale. Can you expand on that Michael?
 
@Lorien, Thank you so much! Although we really have my sweetheart to thank for taking so many great photos. She was killing it!This weekend's show was really something. It was really great that Andrew won the "Maker's Choice" award, especially when I voted for him. It was so great getting to talk to such a humble and incredibly talented maker that has such an incredible future ahead of him.

@Joss, Saign is incredibly gifted. Though up to the show I'd only met him in passing, getting to spending two whole days side by side the man really enlightened me to the depth of his understanding and the really skill and attention to detail he has.

@Michael, You both are seriously talented and I have absolutely no doubts that your collaboration work is going to make more than a few people's brains explode.

Again if any of you missed any part of the show you can see photos from all three days here.
 
Joss, sorry I didn't run into you man! One more night in Sea Latte, then it's homeward bound. Booze is cheap down here! Gonna take advantage this evening ;)

ps. my big surprise from the show was that Doyle is actually a bespectacled little nerd...I totally thought he'd be some big, strapping savant. Also, I'm a little pissed off with myself about not having gotten any photos of Mirable or Diskin. Those guys fly so far under the radar that the radar pretty much is useless. They're just that cool. That you Matt for keeping my head straight:)
 
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hi, new guy here. It was my first (and hopefully not last) knife show. I picked up a nice little Bill Burke that we used tonight to prep for dinner. Thanks Daniel for organizing this event!
 
No photos of Mirabile's knives? Dang.

Mareko thanks so much for those photos. I ALMOST felt like I was actually there. Your integrals have a unique look to them, I like them a lot.

Also Meers' work is unparalleled. Some of the stuff I've seen is on the level of Virgil England's (IMO). Can't think of anyone who deserved that award more.
 
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Well its back to pounding steel for me. My thought is that this show was a success lots and lots of knife were sold and a lot of happy faces all around. can not wait for next year congrats to all the award winners, the judges got it right all the way around.
 
Looks like a great show. Sorry to have missed this one. There needs to be a "leftovers" thread for some of us to pick up knives, but I suspect if any were left they would be saved for Blade.
 
This was the first knife show I attended... and it was definitely an eye-opener. I saw some fantastic work from a number of folks I wouldn't have expected... and conversely, I saw some surprisingly average work from a few big names. The room seemed fairly busy on Saturday... but everyone, without exception (yes even STeven), was polite, warm and friendly. I regret that I didn't take more photos, but here is what I gathered.

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This here is Stuart Branson. Is was one of the first tables I visited when I entered the room... and I found myself returning several times for the conversation. I've been a fan of Stuart's work -- as posted on this forum -- for awhile, and was a bit disappointed that he didn't have more on his table. The katana pictured was particularly impressive. Cool guy.



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Though the katana was the main attraction for most, I was particularly drawn to this little guy. I think it would be cool if Stuart gets the chance to finish it out with a matching saya.



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I didn't get a chance to meet Mr. Rader -- which is a shame, since his shop is just down the road in Bothell -- but I did get a shot of one of his knives.



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Tony Hughes had a table, and was kind enough to provide some detail on how he heat-colors his nickel-damascus fittings.



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THE ALASKANS ARE HERE!!! I didn't get a chance to talk to Haley, but spent some time conversing with Adam. He's a super laid-back and friendly guy... and checking out his knives in person was one of the things I was most anticipating. :thumbup: We did not become instant Best-Friends-Forever, as I had hoped {sigh}... but maybe next time. :p



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This knife, as you might expect, was beautiful in person... but one thing that surprised me was its sheer size. It's massive. You can see it in Adam's hand in the previous photo. It is visually proportional, but obviously made fore a much bigger dude than me. Shrunk by 15%, this would have been my favorite knife of the show.



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This knife from Adam was also quite massive; but, for some reason, seemed more reasonable to me. Were there less people packed into the room, I would have been tempted to swing it around all barbarian-style. :D



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One of my favorite guys at the show. John Doyle was one of those makers who really surprised me. I've seen some of his knives posted here and there, but photos don't really do them justice. His work is clean, precise and well-executed. On top of that, he's a real genuine dude. I'd have liked to spend more time talking shop with him, but thought I should give other folks a chance. :thumbup:



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This knife is awesome; beautiful Honduran rosewood handle with a super light and fast feel. If I remember correctly, I think that John said the steel is 1075. Top-notch work. Watch out for this guy.



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Another one of my favorites from John's table. Beautiful Koa and crisp fittings. :thumbup:



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Group shot.



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Group shot at David Anders' table. I really liked the walrus ivory on the middle knife... but the guard just seemed to be visually weighted too much to the rear.



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Kathi Anders showing off the knife in some better lighting. Both she and David were a pleasure to talk to. Kathi says that David refers to his knives as "scrap iron"... yeah right. ;)



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The man. The myth. The Legend...
... Mike Quesenberry.
Enough said.



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If I'm not mistaken, this is the Quesenberry integral dagger that won Best Fixed Blade.



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Another Quesenberry.



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One of my favorite makers and internet educators; Mr. Bruce Bump. He is uber-friendly, talented, and is continually sharing his knowledge with knifemaking community. I wish that I had gotten more time to chat with him, but he was a popular guy on Saturday.



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Dave Lisch. This guy is a hoot. I wish I could have made it down to the pre-funk that he hosted on Friday night. Sounds like it was a blast.



Other Stuff
  • Bumped into the eccentric Salem Straub briefly, but didn't get to peek into his mysterious briefcase.
  • Really wanted to pick up some of that reasonably-priced Koa and Mango, but didn't have enough cash on me.
  • Was cool to talk to "the-other-Burke"... Mr. Bill Burke.
  • Bumped into Lorien... but don't think he recognized me. No mistaking him though... looked like he'd just fallen down a mountain on his bike.
  • Was really blown away by the originality of the work on Andrew Meers' table. That young man is an ARTIST, with a capital A... and also the other letters are capitals.
  • I was hoping to see Wheeler there, but no luck.

Looking forward to next year.

Erin
 
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yes will take pics tonight. But, Bill can vouch for me :)

Yep I will vouch for him.

I had a wonderful time this weekend.got to meet and shake hand and put faces to some great people, Jon, Lorien,Erin, Stewart and a host of others. Thanks for stopping by you guys.

The Friday pre-funk at Dave Lisch's was stellar, Thanks Dave for having me and for letting play on your baby. By the way there is a present for you in the sheet forge at the end of the layout table.

Lorien, thanks for the great conversation.

Joss sorry I missed you.

I am really looking forward to next year.
 
Lorien, I was quite surprised as well. This weekend was the first time I had saw John in almost 2 years. Boy I cannot believe how frail looking he has become. When John still lived in Montana he would wrestle grizzly bears just for fun. We might need to start a fund to get him back in fighting shape.:D

ps. my big surprise from the show was that Doyle is actually a bespectacled little nerd...I totally thought he'd be some big, strapping savant. Also, I'm a little pissed off with myself about not having gotten any photos of Mirable or Diskin. Those guys fly so far under the radar that the radar pretty much is useless. They're just that cool. That you Matt for keeping my head straight

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I would also say the show was successful as there were buyers in the room. It was busy almost all day Saturday, so much so it was loud. There were actually 4 smaller rooms of knifemaker tables that gave it a more private atmosphere.
I sold a couple folders before getting a call from daughter Krista, with contractions every 11 minutes. Kaye and I managed to last until after the social hour and headed back home arriving at 4:30 am just to find it was a false alarm. OMG!
 
i was going to ask for the BABY report. Oh well it will happen, probably not soon enough for your daughter though.
 
I would like to thank Daniel, and Bill Burke for their time and effort on this show. Above and beyond expectations. I had nice sales to new customers. I really enjoyed meeting new makers and old friends.
There are many new makers that I enjoyed conversations with. It was refreshing to see so many new faces in the buying public. Getting to meet people like Lorien, Mark and his fiancé , Salem and many others was great for me. Pre Funk at the forge is not to be missed if you are there next year. Thanks David and Andria.
My table is paid for 2015, and I will wait for Loriens thread if he has time.
Thanks again BTB and your family for your support.
Gary
 
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Though the katana was the main attraction for most, I was particularly drawn to this little guy. I think it would be cool if Stuart gets the chance to finish it out with a matching saya.

Yeah, well..., let's just say that little guy didn't go home with Stuart and will be getting a nice little display stand for on my coffee table :-)
 
as requested
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close up:
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and a couple others I picked up from Daniel O'Malley a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm a fan of Bill's work!

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Cub, I am a Bill Burke fan also. Make sure you use them. It is the way to get the most enjoy out of a BTB. Kitchen or field.
Gary
 
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