stories from behind the table

I was standing behind my table at Blade Show one year, and this lady walks up holding out a $20 bill and started looking at knives. I asked if I could help her, figured she needed change of something. She says "My husband gave me this and sent me over here to buy something." She was a little disappointed when I said: I'm sorry, but we are all out of t-shirts.
 
I like putting a free sticker on something on my table at shows, just to see how long it takes to give it away.
One year at a Portland Oregon gun show, I set out a belt buckle that had my name on it.
"Doug" The sticker said, Free to a Doug.
On Sunday a couple came by and was discussing the buckle, and asked if it was really free.
I said yes it was, if the husband was a Doug.
He said he wasn't but his brother was.
Seeing how is was Sunday, I said fine it's yours.
They then went on to tell me that the brother was a city policeman in Baker City, OR.
And wondered why I was laughing so hard.

Its not often that you drive 300 miles, to give away something you could have given away at home.

Leadfoot
 
Great thread Dave, thanks everyone for the laughs!

Perhaps it has to do with the size of blades Adam makes but it seems like at BLADE we get at least 15 customers a day that pick up one of his big bowies or choppers and say the exact same 8 words...they get this hardened look on their face, step back from the table into a tough guy stance and declare in Crocodile Dundee speak "That's nowt a kniife, THIS is a kniife!"

-HD
 
Man that is some funny stuff thank you all for the laughs. What no more T shirts
 
If I had a dollar for every time someone gave me the "That's not a knife" Crocodile Dundee crap with one of my swords...

And how about this one guys, "how long did that take you to make?" When I tell them a lifetime, that never seems to work. And if you say, 12 hours, they do the math and figure you are actually making $50 per hour. I tell them it's actually closer to $5 per hour. They don't get it.

And since when is it okay to put a paper coffee cup on a table with thousands of dollars worth of one-of-a-kind custom knives?
 
OK, heres one from New York several years back. I was across from Josh Smith and a guy selling kerambits. I fellow came up to this guys table while the maker was talking to another customer. He picked up a knife in its sheath, put it in his palm and jerked the knife out before anyone could say anything. Blood flew on Joshes table. The guy closed his fist and walked away. Later I was in the bathroom and there was blood everywhere. Back in the show room there was the same person with a huge bandage on his hand and he was looking at kerambits again.
Gary
 
gthouse said:
OK, heres one from New York several years back. I was across from Josh Smith and a guy selling kerambits. I fellow came up to this guys table while the maker was talking to another customer. He picked up a knife in its sheath, put it in his palm and jerked the knife out before anyone could say anything. Blood flew on Joshes table. The guy closed his fist and walked away. Later I was in the bathroom and there was blood everywhere. Back in the show room there was the same person with a huge bandage on his hand and he was looking at kerambits again.
Gary
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Poor Josh! I almost think I remember him telling me a story like that.

This is a great thread Dave!
 
In the late 80's I was selling Spyderco's at a game fair in the north of England.
A fellow comes up to the table and picks up a Rescue. One of the old ones with a G-2 blade and wide serrations.

He asks me if it is sharp and before I could answer he runs his thumb from the choil down the edge of the blade. In a second the blood was all over the table. He had cut himself to the bone.

We took him to the St John's Ambulance and they took him to hospital to have it stitched. As they were carting him off I was tempted to say, "Yes it is sharp!"
 
All these guys cutting themselves a knife shows. Imagine what the same guys would do if guns were loaded at gun shows.

I think most people have never experienced a truly sharp knife. I have acquaintences who think they "know all about knives" and they are continually dragging the edge along their palm or running their thumb right down the edge. They never seem to learn because they seem to always be wearing a bandage. Personally, I hate it when I hurt myself.

Cheers,

TV


Terry Vandeventer
ABS MS
 
Years ago, I finally made it to the Empire Knife Club monthly meeting in Queens, NY.

I'm the FNG as I show up and go right to the first table, manned by a member named John. (Komodo on the forums)

I pick up a large fixed blade in a sheath. It's tight. I wrap my hand around the top of it and finally break it free. :eek: You got it..... :mad:

So as I'm now spewing blood from my thumb pocket, I grab a 'napkin' quickly to stop the bleeding. :D Much better.

Oh, sorry, that's not a napkin? It's your chamois? Uhhhh-ohhh... :thumbdn:

Not even two minutes into my adventure, and I'm sure he's still remarking of what a DOPE this new guy was.... ;)

(I've since made amends and attempted to regain my dignity. Not quite there yet.... :))

Coop
 
NickWheeler said:
That's an awesome story Michael :D

I see that I'm going to have to follow Danbo around for eternity to point out that he keeps stealing my Indian Metallurgist story whenever a thread like this comes up!!! :eek: :grumpy: :rolleyes: :p :)
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That ole Indian dude must get around, is all I can say. :p:D
 
Ed Fowler related to me that once he was doing a show by himself and needed to use the restroom. He asked a young kid to watch his table for a short time until he got back. When Ed returned the young kid proudly announced that he had sold a knife for him, then he handed him $5.00.

Ed asked the young kid to point out the man to him, but he was long gone. I guess he got the best deal at the show.

Hoss
 
I was one of the dopes behind the table at a show once....

I saw a guy with alot of really nice high end folders. One of the cheaper blades on the table was one of those old Timberline Timberlite things. It was a really neat knife and in my price range as a 16 year old kid. Maybe $30.

I had some trouble getting the thing to close. It has one of those weird Neeley locks that you have to pull outward to get it to close. The guy behind the table demonstrated the mechanism, and handed it back to me. When I tried, I pulled that blade right across my index finger. Bled all over the place.

On a side note, i really hate going to shows and seeing people just grab something up off of someones table without asking. Just grab, glance at it, say somethin stupid and roughly put it back down and piss off. I always ask, and with some knives I know not to even dare.
 
Harvey Dean, Neely and myself were at a knife and gun show sharing a table in Austin Texas just to get out a bit years ago. Some guy was looking at Harveys knives and projectile vomited half chewed hot dogs on his table and knives.
 
fisk said:
Harvey Dean, Neely and myself were at a knife and gun show sharing a table in Austin Texas just to get out a bit years ago. Some guy was looking at Harveys knives and projectile vomited half chewed hot dogs on his table and knives.
Click to expand...

Fisk for the win.

unbelievable! lol :p
 
fisk said:
Harvey Dean, Neely and myself were at a knife and gun show sharing a table in Austin Texas just to get out a bit years ago. Some guy was looking at Harveys knives and projectile vomited half chewed hot dogs on his table and knives.
Click to expand...

That one will be hard to beat.:barf: :barf: :barf: :barf: :barf:
 
Since the window of my shop has a sign stating "Knives Made Daily", there are a number of people who upon entering will say, "Let me see you make a knife.". A friend once gave me an alternative to explaining the length of time involved.

His suggestion: Make a few quick passes on the belt grinder to a worn out file and quickly stick the tang into a corn cob while saying, " There, you saw me make a knife." :)All this time I've been thinking that it took much longer.
 
Again at Blade show, I had a Guardian Angel Flipper TEST knife made by Flavio Ikoma to test the IKBS, proving the bearings worked fine in sand/mud/prying/run over by car/etc…it was a completely finished knife with no edge. Flavio was there at the show, but out wandering around as he usually does. I had one of his new flippers in my pocket, a real one, that just happened to have similar color overlays. I had been playing with that all morning...

So I see Flavio approaching the table...I pick up the test knife, flip it open with too much wrist like folks tend to do and ‘accidentally’ sent it across the table and onto the concrete floor with a clatter…everyone around us stops and looks, I exclaim ‘Oh Shit!’ and Flavio’s eyes were the size of dinner plates! LOL! He figures out soon enough that it’s the test knife, maybe because the rest of us are laughing our asses off! Flavio wanted to slap me of course. LOL!

Needless to say, we had a LOT of fun throwing that knife to the ground over the course of the weekend. Hmm, I think I know where that knife is…
 
fisk said:
Harvey Dean, Neely and myself were at a knife and gun show sharing a table in Austin Texas just to get out a bit years ago. Some guy was looking at Harveys knives and projectile vomited half chewed hot dogs on his table and knives.
Click to expand...

thats exactly what im talkin about LOL
 
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