Seattle Knife Show

[Gib Curry]

This is going to be fun. Today was only the prefunction for the two day First Annual Seattle Knife Show. Check out http://seattleknifeshow.com/ for a list of the knife makers with tables at the show….

Today was at a local forge. SWEET.

Had a great conversation about sharpness with Andy DesRosiers of http://www.alaskablades.com while he handforged a blade out of an old cone shaped roller bearing. Hammered it to an edge that needed just a few minutes refinement on belt to be shave-sharp. Forge, hammer, quench — photo of finished product tomorrow.

On the way in I noticed the guy hosting the snack table cutting veggies with a nice looking chef’s knife. A little later he came and stood next to me.

The setting evoked a sweeping history of sharpness in our conversation. Several times we laughed, “Yes! Exactly, you get it!” Hammering out a sharp-witted conversation while a smith hammers out a blade goes back millennia and certainly forges good connection.

So, finally we introduce ourselves. He’s a knife maker, of course. And definitely was already on my list of must see tables. Mareko Maumasi… https://www.facebook.com/MaumasiFireArts

I am so looking forward to tomorrow…

more later…

Attachments:

• seattleknifeshowhammer.jpg
• seattleknifeshowforge.jpg
• seattleknifeshowquench.jpg

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Mark76]

Nice! One day I’m going to learn to forge blades…

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Leo Barr]

Great info there Gib- sounds like bladesmithing has now been added to your knife interests roller bearings and coil springs make good knives one day I should like to have a go at that it seems much more inspiring than cutting a knife out of an old file with an angle grinder .

Leo Nav

[Gib Curry]

Great info there Gib- sounds like bladesmithing has now been added to your knife interests roller bearings and coil springs make good knives one day I should like to have a go at that it seems much more inspiring than cutting a knife out of an old file with an angle grinder .

Leo Nav

Someday, were the time to magically open up, I’d try my hand at making a knife. It would probably be a copy of a classic Loveless or his modified wharncliffe “city” knife.

No, my real interests lie elsewhere.

Forging is, by observation, hard, loud, hot work. I like the “roughness” of the finish. DesRosiers said the roughness camouflages the refinement that’s truly in the metal and the worked edge. The hammered texture somehow evokes the ancient history of knives and humans.

The same way kitchen cutlery and art knives speak of the refinement of the human character.

To see the process gives me a better insight and information into what I enjoy doing — sharpening. Don’t know yet if it makes me better at it!

In a couple of the pictures you can see hanging on the back wall a large sheet of metal with knife blades stamped out. Kind of a cool wall hanging.

(Can you tell I had a blast talking with these characters?)

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Robert Nash]

Hey Gib – looks like that was a great time. Sorry we couldn’t be up there. Maybe next year…

the line up looks great – hope you have a great time today and tomorrow too!

[Gib Curry]

This is going to be fun. …..

On the way in I noticed the guy hosting the snack table cutting veggies with a nice looking chef’s knife. A little later he came and stood next to me.

The setting evoked a sweeping history of sharpness in our conversation. ….Mareko Maumasi… https://www.facebook.com/MaumasiFireArts

more later…

So, as it turns out, Mareko won two of the awards given out: People’s Choice & Best Chef’s Knife. The winning chef’s knife is at http://www.maumasifirearts.com/.

Thanks to all here…. I used your insights and information in the old, recent and ongoing subject of “just what is sharp/” to hold my own pretty good with knife-makers Andy & Haley DesRosiers. I had met Andy at the forge pre-function. We restarted the conversation. He pulled Haley in. Right across the aisle is Murray Carter; he stands up and joins the conversation.

Anyone want to guess, on a scale of 1 to 10, just how much fun I was having!!??!! (Answer: somewhere in the high teens or low 20’s!!)

Paraphrasing and not ascribing quotes a couple of interesting points made.
1) “The convex edge is the TRUE edge.”
2) “Few master knife-makers are also master sharpeners.” (Many are, obviously, really good, but they are outstanding makers of knives. Their understanding and skill with steel is unquestioned, but bringing it down to a perfect edge just isn’t their forte. They test their artistic patience when they forge, hammer & quench not sharpen.)

I know how much fun I was having. They were leading the conversation and I just held on and enjoyed the ride as long as it was going to last!!

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I wasn’t going to say anything until I had outside verification, so I asked a buddy of mine, Dan, to go to the show Sunday. He’s a long time outdoors-man and gourmet chef. (He uses Wusthof & Shun) We share a love of sharpness and our wives are best friends.

So first I have the above conversation with knife-makers and then as we were about halfway through Dan says to me, “I’m surprised how poor the edges are on some of these knives.”

So, it’s not just my opinion.

Before we went in to the show, I had told Dan about Murray Carter’s micro-examination seminar I did in Eugene, so we had it fresh in consciousness how to look at a knife as we went in. We saw light glinting off simply dull or rolled edges. One 9″ tactical had a quarter inch bend from left to right.

That being said, these are still among the top knife-makers in the world. They’re just not perfect…

I picked up a copy of The World’s Greatest Knives: 2013 late last year and had been ogling a bunch of the knives. (The 2014 issue is out. I haven’t seen it yet.)

I went through the list of 55 or so knife makers attending. I found 23 who were going to show knives that I had found eye-catching. I compared that list to the books in the 2013 Knives book and 16 of the 23 on my short list were in the book and I had already marked the pages. A significant percentage of the makers who didn’t make my personal short list were also in that book.

Some of the older makers I’ve known of since the early 70’s; now their grand-daughters are making & selling knives.

One guy, Lyle Brunckhorst, has a shop close by… http://www.bronksknifeworks.com/xross_bar_lock_folding_knife.htm

Dan & I spent 30 minutes or more talking to him about the Xross-Bar Lock he helped develop & refine.

Learned a lot. Gained a lot of confidence. Talked to a handful of makers, who need it, about THE fixed angle system.

There were two references to sharpening in booths: Murray Carter’s and The Epicurean Edge (co-host, I think.) Murray was signing his DVD and selling stones. The Epicurean Edge had an Edge-Pro on display and some various stones. I think they’d find a nice, attractive and active sharpening booth an addition. And if the show is in the same location there a bit more room to grow.

I took no pictures… there are better pictures already on the web.

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Dan found a “EDC pocket folder” he really liked. It opened so smooth, was spectacular to look at. The fit and finish were amazing. The assisted-opening, roller bearings hinge was smooth as silk. The hand-filed jimping was nearly microscopic and virtually perfect. He said “That’s my favorite.” I asked him if he looked at the price. He hadn’t. I had. $8,500.00.

OK, enough random access rambling.

More later, if anything worthwhile comes to mind…. so, I’m just going to bask in the after-glow for a little while more…..

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Mark76]

Dan found a “EDC pocket folder” he really liked. It opened so smooth, was spectacular to look at. The fit and finish were amazing. The assisted-opening, roller bearings hinge was smooth as silk. The hand-filed jimping was nearly microscopic and virtually perfect. He said “That’s my favorite.” I asked him if he looked at the price. He hadn’t. I had. $8,500.00.

Now you’ve got out interest. 😉 Any pics? Or a more reference?

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Gib Curry]

Dan found a “EDC pocket folder” he really liked. It opened so smooth, was spectacular to look at. The fit and finish were amazing. The assisted-opening, roller bearings hinge was smooth as silk. The hand-filed jimping was nearly microscopic and virtually perfect. He said “That’s my favorite.” I asked him if he looked at the price. He hadn’t. I had. $8,500.00.

Now you’ve got out interest. 😉 Any pics? Or a more reference?[/quote]

I can’t seem to find a picture of THE specific knife that Dan liked. I think it was a Shane Taylor. Probably not Rick Dunkerly (http://bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=85428&photo=2&size=n) but similar.

Probably not a Cliff Parker (http://www.bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=91429) but similar.

I think it was a Shane Taylor: http://www.bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=91856 but I can’t the specific one.

Also, look at http://www.taylorknives.com/Art_Folders.php and http://exquisiteknives.com/?product_cat=all-folders-2&paged=1 to get more of the idea.

Right now, I don’t even seem to be able to find a picture of Shane Taylor’s prize winning folder!?!

If/when I find the picture, I’ll get it posted… While you’re ogling… imagine touching thumb to faceted jewel stud and the perfect sound to accompany the perfect feel as the blade, seemingly friction-less, flies open and locks securely in place.

The center of balance, the grip, form-to-function design integrity. The eyes, ears and the touch fully satisfied. ( I didn’t smell any of the knives but the forged certainly had its own odor. And, honestly, I tasted none of the blades.)

Enough eye candy for the moment.

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Daniel maloon]

Learning how to make a knife is very enjoyable. About 2 weeks ago i started (April was a slow month for sharpening )and had everything I needed up and running in a day. If you have the time then do it, its like other side of sharpening.

[Gib Curry]

Learning how to make a knife is very enjoyable. About 2 weeks ago i started (April was a slow month for sharpening )and had everything I needed up and running in a day. If you have the time then do it, its like other side of sharpening.

Just wondering what your equipment list looks like.

Do you, or should I say, are you going to forge your own steel or work from blanks?

I saw some wonderful looking blanks at both knife shows and the prices seemed reasonable. In Eugene, I met one forge that said they would replicate any blade in Damascus for under $50. They said cheaper if I had my own drill press and a few other items I don’t have.

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As it turns out:

1) I got a dreml for my birthday yesterday.
2) I recently came in to re-ownership of some of my dad’s old lapidary equipment: tumbler, diamond rock saw and a bench grinder with still working motor. I remember as a kid helping him polish stones and sharpen tools on this grinder.

My brother, Tom, was down from Fairbanks, contacted an old friend who asked him if he wanted the stuff stored at his house. Neither of us had remembered it and are glad to have been reminded.

Too heavy to consider taking it back to Alaska, I get it!! I’m going to begin piecing it all together soon. I found a corner in my storage shed that seems designed to set it all up.

Please, let me/us know what all you’re putting together. Intrigued.

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Gib Curry]

Warning!! Spoiler alert!!

Amazing eye candy!!

If any of you are also on BladeForums (it’s a quick free sign-up for those who aren’t) there are a couple of threads you may be interested in…

Goto BladeForums and search “seattle knife show” and look for these two (among others, I’m sure) Look for the ones started by Bill Burke and Lorien

This first one is the thread started by Bill Burke, knifemaker and one of the hosts of the event.

It is an excellent view into the event from the knifemakers’ perspective. And, there’s pictures!!

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1149863-Seattle-International-knife-show?highlight=seattle+knife+show

The second thread I’d recommend is amazing… Lorien acted as photojournalist and the thread is wonderful….

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1176941-Sleepless?highlight=seattle+knife+show

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When you have some time, sit back, relax and peruse. Don’t really even have to read (though the words are pretty good too, the knives are just pretty.)

~~~~
For Now,

Gib

Φ

"Everyday edge for the bevel headed"

"Things work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out."

[Author]

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