What got you interested in becoming a knifemaker!

Originally posted by Kit Carson
I got into it for the hot babes and fast cars :)
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So, how did you make out on it,Kit? I dunno about the hot cars,but you made out grandly on the better half, I understand!
 
Kit, I hope you are going to share cause I have neither :rolleyes:

Oh! John Nelson Cooper got me interested in making knives. Seen his add in Fur Fish & Game mag back in the 60`s. An no I did not buy
one.
 
I started out like GRAYMAKER, making wooden knives. We used popsicle sticks, grinding them on the pavement. Later I made miniature bows and crossbows using large hairpins that I "borrowed" from my mother and sisters. Of course, I never let my parents find out about such activities. My wife has forbidden me from teaching such things to our sons. She did say it was OK to take them to visit local blacksmiths and knifemakers. She has her own collection of knives too, you see.

At about 8-10, my father got me started making model airplanes so I got a whole sucession of X-Acto knives, and the like. Getting some scars taught me to respect and use my knives properly.

About seven years ago, a friend in Vancouver asked me to check out a knife show in Toronto for him, since he was not able to attend. That made me aware of the artistic side of knifemaking. I found knifeforums, then BF. I gravitated to this forum since the atmosphere is so supportive and I had been making stuff ever since I was a kid.

I am now in the process of finishing my second knife. I do most of my work in the prototype shop at work during my lunch hour. That way, my hobby does not take away from my family time. The reactions from my co-workers have ranged from genuine interest "Cool, let me know how it turns out" to sheer ignorance "Are you going to kill someone with that?".

I have another similarity with GRAYMAKER - blowing stuff up :D . We used to get firecrackers from our grandfather. He had connections in Chinatown. Now, I do it professionally, as part of my job as an electronics design engineer. I started with IC's (chips). As my career advanced, I got to blow up bigger and bigger things (AC motor drives and now UPS' up to 100kVA).

Phil
 
I have always liked making things or taking things apart as long as I can remember. My hobbies have ranged quite a bit over my life. Some of them are: race cars, motorcycles, drinking, women, guns, reloading, black powder guns, growing tobacco (not the wacky kind:rolleyes: ), making my own black powder, water cooling computers, making beer, making pure alcohol, etc.

Now I just concentrate on knives and women with a little drinking mixed in to keep my mind straight.:D

Knives came about when I saw a damascus knife on the internet and wondered how it was made. Well that started it and I think it is the best hobby I have had so far. There is just so much to learn and do that I think it will keep me busy for a while. Hell if it weren't for the women and beer, i could probably make three times the knives that I do now, but then where would the fun be?;)
 
You may not believe it but I knew I would eventually become a knifemaker in the moment I found out about the existence of handmade knives, through an article in a gun magazine back in 1986 or 87. I was so fascinated I just knew it before I finished reading the article.
 
I was involved in the rockhound hobby ans did a little silver work.
I thought a knife with a petrified wood handle would be real neat.
I decided to first learn how to make knives.
That was 6-7 years ago.
Still learning.
Since then I have sold all my rocks and lapidary epuipment and am working on selling my silver working stuff.
A petrified wood handle would be to heavy anyway.
My story and I'm sticking to it.
Take Care
TJ
 
Like most of you, I started out carrying a pocketknife when I was seven or eight. I've been facinated by them ever since. When I took my first metal shop class in eighth grade I had a great teacher, Steve Linsday. Mr Linsday taught me the basics of the foundry and the forge, the oxy acetylene torch and the lathe. Then he really set the hook and showed me some custom knives he made. Beautiful hunters that would shave slivers off of cold rolled steel stock. I knew back then that I wanted to be a knifemaker. The start I got in his shop caused me to take every metal working class I could all the way through high school where I ended up as the teacher's aid in the vocational classes. When I left school I went to work as a machinist, but ended up working in production job shops. I HATE repetitive tasks, like drilling the same hole in the same part 10,000 times! So after two years working in the field, I left and went into sales where I've been for the last 20 years.

I never lost the thought of becoming a knifemaker, but it was something I always thought I'd do when I retired. About a year ago my father was diagnosed with a couple different types of cancer and while he's still fighting them, it has made me realize that tomorrow is not guarenteed, and that I might never get old enough to retire. Besides, if I do make it to retirement age, it's unlikely that my eyes will be any better than they are now at 41, so why wait?

I can't call myself a knifemaker yet, although I do have two blades made with a hacksaw and files that are just about ready to go out for heat treat. So far I'm more of a shop maker than a knifemaker as that's what I've been working on for the last six or eight months. If the damn electrician would just show up (he's late again) and finish his part (only a couple hours work left) I could get to painting and my shop would finally be ready for me to pursue my lifelong dream.

The information shared here on these forums has certainly been inspirational and helped push me over the edge to take the plunge.

Thanks guys,

John
 
About 15 years ago I was asked to provide guns for a play where I was already involved. I had so much fun providing all the shotguns, modifying them and making blanks that I'm still at it. I also got to keep the guns to rent again!
Soon people where asking me to supply swords and knives. At the price that they sell for and what the theatres would pay I had to make my own. If you check my web site the first broad swords were made with a side grinder.
The more I learned and more knives I made I became more and more involved. Being retired allows me to spend lots of time, but little money, so I read lots of books and became a daily reader of Knife List and made my home page BladeForums.
I have the usual things along with a Coote grinder and a couple of home made gas forges, tongs, anvils, etc. etc.

If you would like to see what I do check out:
http://www.geocities.com/theatre_weapons/
And the newest:
http://community.webshots.com/album/109903540gpAsXq?192

Still learning, Lynn
 
I always loved knives as long as I can remember, especially customs. Since I am Portuguese, I am to cheap to buy them so I make them.:D :D
 
I suspect that my parents not wanting me running around with sharp objects kinda dit it.

I've been secretly buying knives since I was less than 10yo. Had a drawer at home with my secret stashm of knives. (Don't ask me how a 10year old buys knives...) Then martial arts training particularly with sword stuff really clinched it. My family has a long line of attempted do-it-yourself-ers. We all come from a very academic background and we all absolutely love working with our hands, so the transition to actually making knives, although a very slow process, was a very logical progression. Jason.
 
Nick Wheeler got me into makin Knives. After seein that hot Mama hangin around him, it was forging for me and she's been throwin rocks at him ever since.
 
I got into it for the sexy women, big money, and lavish life-style.

I figured if nothing else, it would be a good prelude to working in the porn inustry.

Nick
 
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