My Pocket Carry Kiridashi

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Wilson

I currently shuffle papers in an office for a living. Occasionally we receive packages and boxes to open and it seems like no one ever has a knife handy. Well now that I make knives, it is embarrassing not to have one on me, even in casual dress clothing.

There was this chunk of Alabama Damascus left over from the three previous knives I made. It was too short for a kwaiken, so I put the steel aside, not wanting it to go into the trash bin.

A kiridashi is a small utility knife of Japanese origin, sometimes found with a chisel grind. The piece of damascus was just right for this pattern. I traced around the outline of the blank on paper and came up with a basic design. A quick trip to the grinder and Continue reading →

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Making John’s Knife

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Wilson

Here is a short video of the making of a presentation knife for a friend.

by Wilson

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Feeling Pretty Good

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Wilson

IMG_3697We made it!

by Wilson

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Gone to BLADE

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Wilson

Today, I am driving to Atlanta from Florida for BLADE Show 2017.  Here is my finished kwaiken knife and kydex sheath.  As a novice, I am happy with what I have made, but it has some flaws and I am eager to make the next knife a better one.  Since it is my first blade in twenty years, I guess I should be glad I made anything at all!

I have registered for Tom Krein’s BLADE U grinding class for Friday morning.  I am very excited to learn.  It has been a long year juggling family and a hobby of knife making.  It will be satisfying to walk into the show as something of a “maker” this year and not a writer/photographer.  I’m sure I will be looking for new cool things to stuff in my pack and be awestruck by the amazing work of true blade artisans.

Thanks for following along…

by Wilson

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Rushing Toward BLADE Show 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Wilson

I have been very busy trying to keep my promise to myself to attend BLADE Show 2017 wearing a knife of my own making.  Well, I leave for the show tomorrow and I am still at work!  I am going to post some photos from the last few months showing my progress.

My goal was to make a few knives, but life is busy so I decide to concentrate on a single knife.  I chose the smaller of my blade blanks and made the decision to work up handles of the moonglow acrylic and Toxic Green Kirinite.  As you may have seen in previous articles about luminescent watches or tritium gunsights, I love things that glow in the dark.  This would not be classic, but I thought I would enjoy it.

I continued to work my flat grinds with my paltry 1 X 42 grinder, then finished the work by hand.  One reason was to take the time to clean up the lines, the second was because Continue reading →

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Handmade Knife Patterns and Profiles

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Wilson

What do you want your knife to look like?  Your knife pattern should reflect not only the function you desire, but an aesthetic that is your own.  In past articles, I have shown an affinity for Asian-inspired blades.  Likely, that is from my half-Filipino heritage.  Or maybe I just gravitate to the lines.

For patterning, I began by tracing the outlines of the steel blanks I had purchased on plain paper.  I wanted to make blade shapes that conformed to the narrow Alabama Damascus I would use.  After exploring various patterns, to include wharncliffes, drop points, and bowies, I settled upon the basic kwaiken shape.  I reasoned that the straight topline would Continue reading →

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Rebuilding My “Knife Shop”

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Wilson

Since last year’s BLADE Show, I have concentrated some of my spare time into making knives from the materials I purchased there (see last posting).  It has been slow going because I am rebuilding my small shop of tools, which were lost in an ex-wife’s hostile fire sale, from scratch.

I cleared out the front of my one-car garage and had to decide what I would need to buy from my modest discretionary budget.  Guess a work bench would be nice.  I bought a sturdy one from Husky.  Heavy sumbitch.

Thinking back, I had no desire to work from just files and sweat as I had when I made a few knives in the early 1990’s.  Back then, I had later purchased a Jet brand 1 X 42″ belt/disc grinder and I thought something like it would be just fine for what I wanted to do.  After shopping for power tools, I settled upon a Grizzly Continue reading →

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BLADE Show 2016 and a Different Path

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Wilson

Blade Show 2016 suppliesThis year’s BLADE Show was transformational for me.  For the last four years, I have attended as a writer, with the job of interviewing people and taking photographs.  Maxpedition bag slung over one shoulder, I wandered into the Cobb Galleria Center Friday with the intention of talking to folks and examining goods in preparation for articles once again.

A familiar pang came over me when I walked in, though.  I was inspired by the master bladesmiths and craftsmen, and women, gathered to show their wares.  My purpose was to write, but I really wanted to be there as a knifemaker.  Leaving the pen, pad, and camera inside my slingbag, I began walking the show floor, thinking like a maker.

I have not made knives in many years.  In fact, I had only ever made a few stock removal fixed blades for my own use.  All my tools are long since gone–sold in a clandestine garage sale by a spiteful ex-wife.  I would have to buy more machinery.  And that could come later…

My plan was to find some small pieces of steel and a few Continue reading →

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Spyderco BaliYo Pen Review

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Wilson

The modern spinning yoyo was invented in the late 1920’s by Filipino immigrant Pedro Flores, thus it is fitting that Spyderco’s Filipino balisong-inspired spinning pen is named the BaliYo. Both the yoyo and BaliYo take practice and patience to learn, but each can be a handful o’ fun. Really!

We all realize that it is a no-no to twirl a butterfly knife in public, but sometimes you just need to stretch the fingers and mind. While I’m not good with the stringed instrument, the BaliYo is a good choice for absentminded flippery when I am out of the homestead. The BaliYo has pocket clips and is supremely Continue reading →

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Seiko SSB031–My Moonwatch

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Wilson

Seiko SSB031 close upOn my sixth birthday, I was in Hawaii at my grandparents house watching the live launch of a manned Apollo mission to space on a black and white TV. It seemed like the whole nation, or at least what I knew of it, was consumed with dreams of travel to the stars. The endeavor represented our technological prowess and, especially to a boy, it was awe inspiring.

I have never forgotten that feeling. My real life has had no connection to astronauts, or rockets, or lunar modules, but I have admired what they achieved. Much like I have purchased watches reminiscent of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms or the Rolex Submariner that I cannot afford, I went in search of a timepiece that would resemble the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph, or Moonwatch, issued to our American space warriors.

A glimpse of Seiko’s SSB031 Chronograph made me think of serious men with buzz cuts and dangerous ambitions in Cape Canaveral. Continue reading →

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