| Like
many knife makers, my interest in knives began
at an early age. Raised on a farm in rural
Southern California, I used knives on a daily
basis. One of my first jobs as a boy was at
a local livestock auction. Every cent I saved
from working would go straight into the pocket
of the man that sold knives there.. Knives
were, and always have been, tools first and
foremost, as well as prized posessions.
My
interest in hand-made knives came about
from meeting a man named Norm Levine. I
saw him a couple times a year at the Great
Western Gun Show during the mid 90's. I
always asked a lot of questions, and we
talked for hours about knives and knife-making
in general. One year he just asked me, "Why
dont you try making knives"?
Norm offered to help me get started, and
of course, I accepted! He told me what basic
equipment to purchase, and he gave me some
ideas on how things work. Sadly, he died
soon after I got my equipment, but I decided
I was going to go on and learn how to make
good knives. I read everything I could find
on the subject, and after some trial and
error, I began to make knives that functioned
well.
I
have worked hard to refine my skills since
then, and I constantly search for the best
materials and methods to improve my work.
I strive to make every knife as if it were
going to be displayed in a magazine and
I build them to be worked hard everyday.
I dont have an exotic military or machining
background, but I am confident in my abilities
to make knives that excel in terms of performance
and function, as well as even looking nice.
I feel the most important ingredients in
a good knife are blood, sweat, and tears.
As a personal "rule of thumb"
in knifemaking, if you're not bleeding,
if you're not sweating, and if you're not
crying, you're just not trying hard enough.
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