Who do you look up to? Who inspired you most?

[12345678910]

Bob Loveless. I learned how to make knives from his book, "How to make knives". Back in the late 70's there was very little information on knifemaking. No YouTube videos, etc.
I never met the man, but I learned from his book.

I read the book, but his video was so much much more. Very interesting process.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I'm revisiting this thread with a more detailed post. I am older and tend to wax poetic, so bear with me.

I will truly say my greatest influence was my grandfather - Leland Johnson Stacy. He never made a knife, and probably knew nothing about blacksmithing.
He had an unratable IQ, and was a physicist by age 16. Einstein was one of his friends. He introduced me to Einstein when I was 2 years old, but I don't recall him more than a smiling face with crazy hair.
Grandpa Stacy started teaching me math at age 2 and by age 5, I could do algebra. He made his extensive library available to me anytime I wanted to pull out a book off his shelves. When I took a book that was far beyond my comprehension, he would explain the subject in ways that I could understand, then he would start to teach me the way he taught the same thing to other physicists. Eventually, he didn't have to dumb it down at all. When I took an 1890's book on "Shop Formulae and Practices", I found a section on forging and it had drawings and info on the equipment as well as procedures for shaping metal. I took tools from his garage, made a forge, and then made a knife (1961). That was the beginning of my knifemaking life. He couldn't teach me anything about forging, but he told me what metallurgy he knew. He encouraged me to read what I could find at the public library, and then took me to The Norfolk College of William and Mary (now ODU), where he was a professor emeritus. They had a good library with books on metallurgy and blacksmithing. I read them all. Sadly, he died in '65. I still have his slide rule in my shop.

As to knifemaking influences:
When I started making knives, there were no known knifemakers ... well, none anyone ever met unless they lived in the same county. Even then, there probably were only 20 custom makers in the whole USA. Bill Moran had just started as a full time knifemaker the year I made my first knife. No one had written a book on knifemaking. The first knifemaking video was 40 years away. I had to teach myself. It was slow, and I didn't know good from bad. An old gentleman from South Carolina gave me blacksmithing tools and showed me some things. I guess Mr. Jones was my first knife instructor.

Fast forward to the 90's and I met Bill Moran. He was kind and always friendly. Around the same time, I met Ron Frazer. A true renaissance man with so many talents. He could make anything by hand. He didn't own any machine tools besides a grinder and a small table saw. Like Bill, Ron was self taught. I think that was a common bond between us.

About 30 years ago, I met Dave Catoe here in Norfolk. He is a quiet man but very talented. We both say we learned a lot from each other. I think that is true.

Kevin Cashen was a big source of information and lively discussions ... online, by email, and at Ashokan. He put up with me even though I wear a cowboy hat.

65 years after my first knife ... I am learning from people I never met, or only met at a show briefly. I credit Bladeforums for my most influential source. There is so much information here. Even a Newbie who asks a question that is completely off is a source of learning, as I may spend hours reading up on a specific thing before answering him or her. It was here I learned no one has called the structure in a hamon Troosite since 1940. Larrin and Hoss have been a great source of technical info to me.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Mike Snody is such a huge influence, his high energy style and unique knives really got me into knifemaking.

My Dad - he made a knife as a kid and I always wanted to from a young age

 

[godogs57]

I was fortunate to know George Herron. Big inspiration and help

 

[William Schrade]

< That guy. Since I was a kid I always wanted to make knives. Only took 58 years.

 

[Cf3]

I'm revisiting this thread with a more detailed post. I am older and tend to wax poetic, so bear with me.

I will truly say my greatest influence was my grandfather - Leland Johnson Stacy. He never made a knife, and probably knew nothing about blacksmithing.
He had an unratable IQ, and was a physicist by age 16. Einstein was one of his friends. He introduced me to Einstein when I was 2 years old, but I don't recall him more than a smiling face with crazy hair.
Grandpa Stacy started teaching me math at age 2 and by age 5, I could do algebra. He made his extensive library available to me anytime I wanted to pull out a book off his shelves. When I took a book that was far beyond my comprehension, he would explain the subject in ways that I could understand, then he would start to teach me the way he taught the same thing to other physicists. Eventually, he didn't have to dumb it down at all. When I took an 1890's book on "Shop Formulae and Practices", I found a section on forging and it had drawings and info on the equipment as well as procedures for shaping metal. I took tools from his garage, made a forge, and then made a knife (1961). That was the beginning of my knifemaking life. He couldn't teach me anything about forging, but he told me what metallurgy he knew. He encouraged me to read what I could find at the public library, and then took me to The Norfolk College of William and Mary (now ODU), where he was a professor emeritus. They had a good library with books on metallurgy and blacksmithing. I read them all. Sadly, he died in '65. I still have his slide rule in my shop.

As to knifemaking influences:
When I started making knives, there were no known knifemakers ... well, none anyone ever met unless they lived in the same county. Even then, there probably were only 20 custom makers in the whole USA. Bill Moran had just started as a full time knifemaker the year I made my first knife. No one had written a book on knifemaking. The first knifemaking video was 40 years away. I had to teach myself. It was slow, and I didn't know good from bad. An old gentleman from South Carolina gave me blacksmithing tools and showed me some things. I guess Mr. Jones was my first knife instructor.

Fast forward to the 90's and I met Bill Moran. He was kind and always friendly. Around the same time, I met Ron Frazer. A true renaissance man with so many talents. He could make anything by hand. He didn't own any machine tools besides a grinder and a small table saw. Like Bill, Ron was self taught. I think that was a common bond between us.

About 30 years ago, I met Dave Catoe here in Norfolk. He is a quiet man but very talented. We both say we learned a lot from each other. I think that is true.

Kevin Cashen was a big source of information and lively discussions ... online, by email, and at Ashokan. He put up with me even though I wear a cowboy hat.

65 years after my first knife ... I am learning from people I never met, or only met at a show briefly. I credit Bladeforums for my most influential source. There is so much information here. Even a Newbie who asks a question that is completely off is a source of learning, as I may spend hours reading up on a specific thing before answering him or her. It was here I learned no one has called the structure in a hamon Troosite since 1940. Larrin and Hoss have been a great source of technical info to me.

That is awesome!!!!!!

 

[Retired Spook]

Chief Plenty Coups

 

[Fiddleback]

Tom Krein and Scott Gossman helped me a lot. Stacey right here helped me a lot. Carl Rechsteiner was and is a great friend and huge help.

And I learned a LOT from teaching knifemaking and have been blessed to have had a bunch of great apprentices.

AND I also feel blessed to have been mentioned in this thread. Thank you.