What? Valkman in Blade Mag?

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Valkman

Valkman

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Jul 31, 2003
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Las Vegas, NV
I tell ya, I am walking around just stunned today after getting a call from Blade Mag wanting info on one of my knives.

I was at the Vegas Knife Show last Friday and there was a photographer there set up to take pics. I'd never paid to have pics taken so I talked to the guy and paid $45 for the pic - and he said he could submit it to Blade Mag. I got the pic yesterday and then a call from Blade today! So hopefully next month in the May edition you'll see the 7" Super Camp by Don Llewellyn! :D

Thanks to Rob Szajkowski at Balance Digital for the pic and the submission!

_MG_8673_websize.jpg
 
Yeeehaw!

Expect orders to start doubling for the next couple of months after the issue comes out. :D

Be sure to let everyone know about this on this on all the internet forums so that the "early bird shoppers" can get in on the "before he's famous" wave.:evil:
 
For the last month I've done more "sitting by the fire and watching TV" than knifemaking - it's too cold out there in the shop! If people start ordering I'll have to get back to work! LOL
 
Cold ? but its a dry cold....hehe..

yeah I only hit the shop on the weekends , but I have been going out there for a few hours each night trying to get some knives done myself bud.

You have any heat at all in there ?

I need to hardwire in my AC/Heat setup , but gotta run another 220 line to where I want the unit to be permanently mounted.

For now I have a small ceramic heater that follows me around the shop like a dog... and a small radiator type that keeps my leather working room at about 70 degree's , even when its 36 outside... :)
 
I have a small heater that goes on a propane tank and I keep it pointed where I sit at the bench. It helps except when I'm in the grinding room! :)
 
Very Nice

That's an interesting grind.

I can't tell from that shot, but it looks like the grind takes up at least 2/3 of the blade width, making for a gradual thickening, which is suitable for a broader range of uses.

Got any other angles of that blade?
 
The only other pic I have is this one I took which is about the same thing:

GBleft_sm.jpg


This is 1/4" D2, hollow ground with a 7" blade and 12" overall. It's a Super Camp model and the first 7" I've made of that model.

But you're right - it is a full 1/4" thick on top for heavy work like batoning or whatever you have to get through. I also ease up on the hollow grind near the tip to leave extra thickness there so it's not going to break easily.
 
Congrats!

<scratches head for Soundtrack>

Got it!






(ah ha ha… I don't believe it... … hey Ray, hey Sugar, tell ‘em who we are…)

Well, we big rock singers, we got golden fingers, and we're loved everywhere we go.
(That sounds like us)
We sing about beauty and we sing about truth at ten thousand dollars a show.


And we keep getting' richer but we can't get our picture
on the cover of the Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone- wanna see my picture on the cover-
Stone- wanna buy 5 copies for my mother-
Stone- wanna see my smilin' face on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

-Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
 
Thing Of Beauty

Interestingly, that blade layout is actually closer to the original Bowie blade than most of the so-called Bowies I've met.

More refined, though. Your pic definitely shows the hollow grind. Nice touch flattening out toward the tip.

Gorgeous piece.

Too big for me -- I don't have the forearm and wrist strength to do delicate work with a blade that size -- but there will be someone out there who can get what that knife can give.

What's the wood in the handle? That's some pretty stuff.
 
That's Giraffe Bone - expensive stuff that I normally wouldn't put on a working knife. But this knife was for trading with another maker and to make something special I lengthened the blade from 6" to 7", added the swedge grinds on top and added the best handle material I had. Luckily the other knifemaker never has made his to trade for me so I've been showing this off for months - it's the best I've made I think! :)
 
Rolling Stone- wanna see my picture on the cover-
Stone- wanna buy 5 copies for my mother-
Stone- wanna see my smilin' face on the cover of the Rolling Stone.
Click to expand...

You got that right SM - I don't know how many copies of Blade this town gets but I think my wife will buy them all!
 
Wow. Congratulations!

I guess I better decide about the next knife I want from you before the demand, and therefor prices, skyrocket. I'm never going to sell my knives but maybe when I die, my Don Llewellyns will be worth more for my wife. I'm sure the value of that knife will probably jump, at least if you end up selling it.

It definitely has a Bowie, chef knife, chopper look to it. You know, all the good things in a camp knife.

Congrats!
 
HEY! We knew you when!:neener:

Don,

That's kinda steep for giraffe bone scales isn't it? You coming to Blade in Atlanta? I don't think we paid more than $40 a pair for large sets there in '07 (but a gang of us get together and buy so perhaps we're getting volume pricing:scrutiny:).
 
Very nice knife Don, just remeber us little guys when you go big time. Maybe you could make a THR special along the lines of your Landshark knife.

I saw a knife on a link you use to have in your sig, looked like a fighting knife. What happened to the link of photos you had?
 
50, I replaced that link with the website link once I got it back up. I was real sick a year ago and my website ran out so I just put up those pics. I'll put that link back in there!

hso I wish I could go to Blade but we can't afford it. We went in '05 and it was the best time!

Yea GB has cheaper scales but it seems like the ones I like are always $60! :)
 
Very nice knife sir! Actually they all look very nice. If I were in the market for a knife such as you produce you would definitely be on my short list!
 
Yeah that stuff stinks when you grind it , I keep a piece of it near the disk grinder , along with a piece of antler and some other bone material. Any time I get a shop visitor that over stays their welcome , I touch one of em to the disk...seems to make people leave quickly ;)

dont buy all the Blade mags in Henderson till I get mine ;)
 
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