Wheeler Group Buy

[hso]

Brian, et al,

[strike]I'll turn this off here in another couple of weeks since Kim and Gary are taking orders and shipping knives, but [/strike]Gary and Kim will decide when they want to respond to a PM and say, "Sorry, boats gone on that price, but they're only $XXX now".

***

As a reminder to members who get anxious about not hearing from Gary or Kim, these guys aren't on the forum every day and aren't running a retail operation where they're shipping knives sitting on the shelf out to interested parties. They're actually taking steel billets and turning them into finished knives. This is true American craftsmanship and that takes a little more time than Amazon to deliver. You have to change your paradigm about what's involved in the transaction a little.

 

[sm]

Kim and Gary welcome to THR.

Kim I am interested in the small one and will send a PM.

Gary, I have really enjoyed and appreciated the "Three Finger" knife I purchased.

Sending best,

Steve

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

MISC pictures of the works

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Hey SM glad to have made one for you, those little suckers kept me hopping on the group buy for them. But I did manage to keep one for little ole me!!!!!!

 

[Gordon]

Those are extremely nice!

 

[metalart]

beautiful work!!!!

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

From left to right,

1. The forging stock before I reduced it to size also making the steel a little thicker, forged blade with the ricasso area surfaced. The blade rough ground down to 80 grit, finaly my name and Journeman Smith stamped in ground down to a 120 grit finis on the blade with 400 grit on ricasso,edge and spine ready for quenching and a dual temper cycle

2. The quenched and temperd blade final ground down to 220 grit with a soft back draw to make the blade tough and resiliant. A soft back with temper drawn from the spine and ricasso to make it tough while retaining a hard edge.

3. Silver soldering the guard in place, seals the tang and guard so no rust an corrosion will get into areas you can not keep clean. Also preventing germs from breading and spoiling food products/game during preperation. Some Knife makers use super glue to seal it off, but I preffere silver soldering as a permenent solution.

4. Both guards soldered on a clip and drop point.

These are all done by hand instead of stamped and CNC'd so each one is unique and represents a personal effort.

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

1. the clip point and drop point with the mortized construction handles pinned and epoxied together with clamps on them to make sure I have good solid handle to guard fit with no gaps. Making sure the lines match up with the center of the blade.

2. Both knives finnished and bead blasted, you can see the changes I made to the drop point. I think it has a more pleasing design and it fits the hand better in every way with out so much drop to the handle.

3-4. Both the Kydex and leather sheaths, depending on the style you guys want with your new knife or both if you just got to have them.. Remember each leather sheath is wet formed to it's own knife to ensure a good firm fit with no stich cutting wiggle. The drop point's leather sheath will be a simple pouch sheath.

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Last

 

[JShirley]

Thanks for all the pics, Gary. I'm really looking forward to mine.

John

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Hey Yall

I have to leave town on a Family Matter and will be back in the loop as soon as I can, the Knives will start flowing as son as I get back. 3 are done waiting on sheaths and 4 more are forged and heat treated sitting on the bench readey for guards and handles.

Sorry there is going to be a small delay in delivery dates, feel free to wait on sending checks untill I get back and working... Keep the orders coming I will be needing to get back to work, as therapy I think......

Regards Gary

 

[hso]

Stay safe.

 

[JShirley]

Best wishes.

 

[bikerdoc]

Gary ,
Twice I caught people trying to "borrow" my Wheeler necker. Twice The old sarge emerged and did a classic butt chewing you'd be proud of.

 

[hso]

Great.

Now, if you want to post about Gary and Kim's work and put their email up to encourage others to buy from them it can only help them out.

Here's the fancy end of the spectrum.

View attachment 161979

 

[sm]

G.WHEELERKNIVES wrote:

But I did manage to keep one for little ole me!!!!!!

I grinned and started laughing when I read that. Over the decades, many craftsman I have known, be these knife makers or those doing other wonderful works have often not had "one left for themselves".

I have also cracked up and have been surprised what some knife-makers actually carried or used in the shop.

For instance: Mentor of mine coming up, had a Old Hickory Butcher knife hammered into the crack of a wall. This is what he hung his shop apron on. *grin*

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Back Down South as they say up in Alaska

Hey All

Yeoww if someone even someone you love and respect asks you to take care of things when they take a Dirt Nap as my Uncle was fond of saying, all I have to say is Be Prepaired.

Man is that kind of thing hard, rooting around in like 70 years of a mans life in collecting and using our kind of stuff is a rocky road.

I was non stop for 2 weeks and still am not completely done. LOL but I did put on around 10 pounds, My Aunt Helga is one hell of a Great Cook. Ask Kim

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Group buy

OK now that I am ready to go back to work on the Fixed blades, I will start forging more blades in a few days. After I get those blades I forged before I had to go north, ground and heat treated.

I even took one of the new blades that did not pass muster for sale with me and it was a big hit with my Uncles old buddies, one of them tried it out on some Iron bark they use for boat bumper trim. I am not sure what it is made out of but 20 years on an old fishing boat it has to be some tough stuff. he said trying to cut it with a normal knife is like trying to, well guys I can not say what he said but is was hard to do. It whittled on it nicely and still shaved hair.

I had a heck of a time coming back with it, and I was offered about 20lbs of smoked salmon for it... Man that was hard to pass up, but shop knives are never sold or traded.... Yea HSO you just keep quiet about where the rejects end up or I will tell your better half a thing or 2... ROFL!!!

 

[hso]

The "better half" is now truely half of the two of us instead of the "better third" so you can't hold any threat on me pal. She just bought a 22-hp Kubota tractor with 160-hrs on it with a lot of accessories with the claim "We can mow the yard with it and till the garden". I'm thinking I can level out a little spot and put in some posts for a pole shed and put my forge and anvil up and forge a few more blades and start my own group buy.

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Holy Moolly HSO and a forge!!!!!!

Man do not let HSO fool ya. He will be sipping Scotch while his daughter forges all the knives, I have seen her in action up at the Youth Hammer-In at SMKW in June and she was smackin some hot steel as HSO was standing around being the proud Pappa and sweating in the heat. So he will be looking out the window in the A/C as she works.......

LOL I can see your Boss up on that Kabota with a hat and gloves giving you the Look, "You better take off the Aloha shirt and get your Butt dirty" I want this done before it gets dark!!!!!!

I want pictures of that for sure....

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

Hey JSHIRLEY Thank you for the order

Morning All

John your blade is forged and I will have it ground and Heat treated today, I will have it done by mid next week.

LOL ya know I just thought about it and I should remind you that the J.S. on the other side of the blade are not your Initals

 

[hso]

Pfffft, I still need to finish out the small dagger Michaela forged year before last. I doubt the kid will be wanting to get back to the anvil until fall and then to forge iron jewelry. Perhaps I can get her to forge a leaf shaped blade we can turn into a pendant!

***

John can carry it for I.D.!

 

[JShirley]

You're breakin' my heart, Gary. Coulda thought it was personalized.

In all seriousness, thanks. Though Sam will get to play with it until I get home. It'll give me yet one more thing to look forward to!

 

[G.WHEELERKNIVES]

LOL John

That is one way to loose a good knife, it may get used more than you might want???

 

[JShirley]

Nah. Sam's already gotten to liking his own knives more than other folks.