Things that make you cringe

R

Rob!

Joined
Feb 9, 2000
Messages
1,865
A few days back, George Tichbourne mentioned the thrill (and I think fear) of cutting into a very expensive piece of damascus. I could empathize a bit because I had just laid down thousands of dollars for a whole Thuya burl and then cut it up to see what it looked like inside. I was doing CPR on myself as each slice came off and it took a case of exlax to get things moving again!
eek.gif


I'd like to hear the stories of others who have experienced similar thrills.

Rob!



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Rob Ridley
Ranger Original Handcrafted Knives
 
Rob! you wild man
smile.gif
Could it be you needed the ex-lax cuz yer just plain gettin old?
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Regards,

Hugh

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President of Knifemakers Anonymous - "The sickness can be cured!" Call 1-800-cutfingers
 
I got that feeling when I was in the last stages of my first Custom order.
I had to stop My hands from shaking as I put on the final edge. I really felt good when It was done though, probobly the greatest part though was hearing that the customer was happy with his knife!!!

BTW hows the Burl look????

L8R Eric
 
Rob-

Beautiful Thuya!!! When can I expect my free sample?
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Where did you pick that up? I saw one like that on anexotichardwood.com for like $2300 (ouch!!!)

It's in good hands with Mike.

Yes, I have experienced this.

Everytime I cut into a piece of damascus my heart rate jumps up 20 bpm.

I am working on an order where the customer gave me a piece of Myrtle wood that his uncle (now passed away) cut from a tree in his yard and gave to him like 28 years ago! The only piece left from the whole tree. That was a good 30 bpm increase when I took that to the bandsaw.

And I made a knife for a relative (a wealthy/older one) that gave me a solid brick of gold and another of silver for handle fittings. I had drop clothes all over the shop to make sure not a speck of dust was missed.

Suddenly I am realizing I take on projects that aren't neccessarily wise choices.

Nick

 
I wish there was more of it. As outlandish as it sounds at first, when you realize that it was just part of a wealth of stuff that my Grandma received when her brother passed on, it tones back down to reality.

My great-grandfather owned a saw-mill and when they sold it off they put all their money in stocks and timber...you know the ones that were little way back when... like Exxon, WeyerHauser, and First Community Bank.

So by the time I came around, things like stashes of silver or gold were normal.

Now if only I weren't so far down the line
wink.gif


I have to think twice before I'll spend $1. Oh well.

Nick
 
I went the thuya burl route a couple of years ago. The man said "Put your money on the table and I will cut it for you" Those few minutes watching a man saw up a burl that I had paid so much money for hoping that the pattern that I had seen on the surface went all the way through. It did and I started breathing again.

I get the same way cutting into mammoth.

I guess that that is the exciting part of knifemaking. The rush when its over is about the same as the rush that I used to get motorcycle racing when the starters flag dropped.




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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com


 
Well it didn't involve any of the financial risks you guys have just mentioned. But I just took the first serious step into customizing one of my favorite old knives yesterday ( delica 98) and reground the blade and cut the handle off. No real risk since the knife was pretty well worn but I had that "hope I don't f*** this up feeling". I didn't want to ruin it since it was still usable.
I don't have the greatest set of tools in the world yet and I kind of get that feeling everytime I start in with a power tool wether its the drill press, saw, or grinder.Don't want to mess up a knife doing the next step after I've spent so much time getting it to where it is.

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It'll feel better when it stops hurting.
 
I use alot of meteorite in my knives, where my materials cost anywhere from $0.25/gm up to $30/gm. I spent (and still spend) alot of time making sure everything is just right before starting my cuts....and I've still screwed up....Ackkk. My scrap is REAL expensive, and I tend to keep magnets around to collect the bandsaw and grinder cutting on iron meteorites. I guess that is getting pretty extreme. I once got in a hurry to finsh a knife with stone meteorite handles. Because of the rush and trying to be too frugal with the material, I ended up making 3 sets of scales just to complete one knife (I was REALLY bummed). However, I do get some great looks from people who visit my shop and see meteorite and mammoth ivory laying around in the dust.
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http://hiwaay.net/~dfronfld

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George, I tend to buy my iron meteorites as 6-12 lb individuals and then cut them up into the sizes I need (yes, I have a lot invested in them). If you do a websearch on "meteorites", or start at www.meteorite.com (they have a good dealer listing) there are lots of dealers who can get you what you need. Not cheap, but available.

Dan

dfronfld@hiwaay.net http://hiwaay.net/~dfronfld

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