[sm]

I.

One of our members, send me a custom knife.
He is one that has never to my knowledge posted about making knives, much less posted a picture of one of his.

I will let the member speak up if they choose to, as I respect privacy and confidentiality.

His background includes his daddy with blacksmith skills and working metal.
So as a wee kid, he was parented, mentored and kept busy to stay out of the way at times, doing what taught, to the best of his ability.
Apprenticeship , pure and simple.


Life is interesting, and one never knows why they do what they do sometimes.
Nor does one know whom they might meet along the way, whether in person, or by some action they really did not know they did.

Our lives crossed paths through Internet.
Something I shared with him, and others stirred him to recall a knife he started, and sorta forgot about.
Life events stirred even more for both of us and I was the one this knife was meant to be for.

Now this blade steel just tickles the fire out of me, it is just right up my alley.

Bastard File. *lol*

See? Fits me to a tee don't it?
Old quality bastard file which I believe is W2, a tool steel.
Classic 3.5" hunting blade style with his first swedges.

Heat treat he did, and I won't post what all he did, just he did it right, and the apprenticeship, years of experience is evident in the edge.
Sharp as the dickens from the get-go!
It keeps an edge!

The handle is either Elk, or Sambar.
He cannot remember, as that material was just in with other materials for some time, and I understand how time allows a "forgetter" to work better than memory.
Brass guard.

Sheath is homemade, from what I call "work leather".
Stout, heavy duty and fits the knife, and the personality of the knife.


I have experiences, that include apprenticeship.
One starts sweeping the floor, and then one day learns to use a file and ...in time, one is mentored in other areas.

This knife has character and soul.
I can feel the Apprenticeship, his daddy passing forward, and this member having put in the time and earning his skill sets.

This is what a custom knife is to me.

I am humbled, as I am not worthy, still I was a recipient.

Oh the knife cuts, no doubt about that!
It feels good in the hand, the balance is there, and it is the right size and everything for a user, which it is.


Thank you my friend.


Steve

[sm]

II.

Life is interesting as I said.
I used to have some customs, which I used.
Life happens, and all mine were either destroyed by fire, flood, tornado, or theft.

Within one week I had two customs knives again.

Valkman [DL Knives] knew I liked tool steels, and he had one 01 blade left in his Small Skinner offering.

Just me, I have always preferred tool steels, such as , W2, 01, 1095, and a few others for a knife, especially a fixed blade.

My experiences and mentoring include not only good tools, also how a knife for tasks needs to be - for me.
My skill sets and all ...3 1/2" or less flat works for me.

A smaller blade for some tasks is huge benefit, for me.

DL Knives, Small Skinner:

http://www.dlknives.com/Small_Skinners.php
2 1/4" Blade, 7 1/4" Overall, Hollow Ground

Mine is called a "Tiger Eye" Micarta, if you will.
Brown with some yellow in the handle material.

Lifter's sheath, and the sheath is top notch!!
It too not only fits the knife so well, it compliments the knife.
Sheaths are just as important, as the knives they are for.

Valkman's background, his time earned to gain skill sets is that evident in his work!
One can feel it, this knife has character and soul!
So does the Lifter's sheath.


The fit and finish, is excellent!
The blade is 01, with a Bos heat treat.
It fits my hand like it was made for it!

This small overall size, and blade size , will fool one as to how much of a workhorse it is.
Others with this knife, use these for Elk, Deer, Hogs, along with other small game, fowl, and fish.

The old adage applies:
A little bit of sharp steel is all you need.


Yes, other knives "look" like mine, still this custom is unique to me.
Just like the other knives that look like mine, are unique to each of the respective owners.

Custom knives have character and soul, a part of the maker goes into each one, whether it is one of a kind, or one of many like it.

This Small Skinner is more than just a skinning knife.
It fits too many tasks, many folks actually use a knife for.


Steve

[sm]

Customs are about the customer, not the maker.

Makers listen, not "hear" , instead "listen" to the customer.
There is a difference.

Makers have invested years in learning a craft, and one gets all this experience shared with a Custom.

Your tasks, your environment, your skill sets are taken in account and the maker takes the time to listen to you, and then educate you in assisting you with the best tool for you.


Everyone one of us has talents and gifts, just like our handwriting is unique to us, we put a bit of ourselves into whatever talent or gift we do.

I understand this, having apprenticed, and earned some skill sets in life.
So I appreciate and respect another's talents and gifts.

It does not matter if that person can sing, write music, play music.
If they can sharpen knives professionally, heat treat, do leather work.
The person does a flower arrangement , runs a welder, or does woodworking.
The engraver of trophies, or the one that builds/repairs guns.
The one teaching one to shoot, or how to stay safe in life...


Custom is all of this and more to me.
As one cannot buy the earned skills sets, the attention to detail , the ethic of doing a good job, or anything else, in anything in life, like they can something Custom.

I am humbled, and appreciative for these two customs.
Yes, they are different, which shared another life lesson, which is , there is more than one way, or tool for task, not "the way" .


I am old school, and in a world in a hurry going nowhere it seems, it is important to me, we never forget our past, and continue to pass forward.

We have already lost too many crafts, and craftsman, and it is important to me, we not lose anymore.
Some things need to be preserved, and passed forward.
Not just the physical items, also how these items are made.
How the skill sets are learned and how one must pass these forward.


Steve

[Valkman]

I think this is a pic of the one Steve got - a crappy pic at that!

http://usera.imagecave.com/Valkman/Speed_Skinners/left_sheath.jpg

The handle is actually Tiger's Eye Dymondwood and the finish was not nearly my best - I made these one night out of O1 to see how fast I could do it. :D I did the heat treat with Mapp Gas and cooking oil!

I started making this stuff 1/05 and love to give them away - gave a nice Landshark to my SIL last night and will continue to send fighters for free to soldiers in Iraq. If I could I'd never charge for a knife but materials, belts and especially steel are just skyrocketing so one has to bring in enough to buy more and hopefully better materials. When you cahrge higher prices peole expect certain materials and O1 is not a big seller. It's a fact that the more exotic steel the more you'll sell, and the more tactical well, then you sell the most. But I will never call anything I make Tactical - it's just a knife that does one or more jobs and nothing more.

[Brian Dale]

Thanks for your observations, Steve. ...it's just a knife that does one or more jobs and nothing more.Yes Sir, I think you'll do. ;)

[JTW Jr.]

great thread...01- yup good steel for sure.

Steel well deserved Steve , well deserved.

[The Tourist]

Think about your idea of "lost crafts" beyond the scope of the interests we have here.

There was a time where everything you bought and used was made by a craftsman. Chilling.