Before SM, may main appreciation was for ammo dependent weapons but you guys have added a whole new interest in my life. Valkman, it's all you fault. I foresee a new line item on my budget coming up just for knives.
Well there you go - I'll take the blame, and the orders! LOL Working in stainless now and going to come out with new models. This is an exiciting time for me! At the Knife & Gun show yesterday there were makers whose stuff made mine look very basic and simple, but at 8 months I'm doing ok. I beat myself up comparing my stuff to theirs and I shouldn't, then again my stuff doesn't cost $600.
Guys, I am delighted with the small utility Valk made for me. Get your orders in, you will NOT be disappointed.
I know T, I think I'll start charging knifemakers for SM site space first, then I'll hit up the smut guys next
NO, I meant "knifemakers" as in those guys that wish they were SM knifemakers not you guys! Hell, I'd not even think about charging you for my knives send more knives
It might be Halloween but it felt like Christmas here today. I was up way before the alarm. Drove my Daughter to school a half hour early. Waiting in the rain for the doors to open builds character. I'm at the Post office at 08:00.The mail is'nt put out until 09:30 but I'm waiting.My box is down on the far end,the end that they start on.At about 20 after I hear them put something in it.I open it up and there is that little key with the tag on it. I Love getting those keys. It means that there is something that is to big to fit in the box.I go down to the big boxes open up the right one and there is a box from Don. Out to the car and like a kid at Christmas I'm tearing this thing open.Then I'm holding my custom made Valkman original 4" Damascus Utility Knaife with ironwood handle and mosaic pins.WOW! The pictures don't do this thing justice.This is a work of art. I have been collecting knives for a long time and have some big name makers knives in my collection,but this one is as beautiful a piece as I've seen in a long time. Don certainly has a talent.Thanks for the early Christmas!!
That's neat - making poeple happy is alot of fun! I did a critical part of Melbo's Damascus last night, tapering the tang. You know, by the time you get done grinding the blade you've removed 2/3 of the steel, so it becomes very handle heavy. I drill lots of 1/4" holes in the tang to reduce weight, then hollow grind the tang to reduce more weight and finally taper it on a flat platen. It winds up looking like this:
