- Joined
- May 30, 2011
- Messages
- 625
**ETA - it’s not lost on me that I am a knife maker posting in another knife makers forum. This is an appreciation post for John’s wares and how he has inspired my knife making journey. I do not take orders and my books are not open, so hopefully this doesn’t come across in a negative way**
Hello fellow JK Knife enthusiasts! I thought I’d post a thread in here paying tribute to John and the knives he makes and impact he’s had (whether he’s aware or not). John, if you feel this thread is inappropriate for your forum, just let me know and I’ll nuke it!
So to start, I came across John’s blades and forum over a decade ago. I’d always had an interest in sharp objects as well as drawing/design, and John’s tagline of “your design or mine” really grabbed me. I designed a tomahawk and John and I connected to make it happen. Such an excellent experience and the end product was unreal. I was hooked.
Fast forward a year or so, and I dipped my toe into the custom knife game. Just barely though. John offered knife blanks that just required a handle, and at an unreal price. Knowing how good his heat treat of O1 was, I jumped on one.
Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to handle it. The pins wouldn’t fit, I had no tools or general understanding of how to get a good finish, it was largely a disaster. I connected with a knife maker who I had seen on the forums and asked if he could put a handle on it for me.
When the knife returned, the secondary bevel had been taken way up and the handle just wasn’t what I thought it could be. I was underwhelmed. Two weeks later, the wood developed cracks around the pins and I couldn’t stand to look at such a beautiful piece of steel in such rough condition. In the drawer it went.
As time passed, I continued to follow John and his forum. I was more of a reader than a poster, and I was still obsessed with the knife making process. Several years ago, whether John knows it or not, his work inspired me to finally throw caution to the wind and try to make knives myself. The journey has been more fun and rewarding than I could have imagined. I get to design and make what I want, and I feel blessed that people seem to enjoy the things I am able to create.
Now nearing ten years since I put my beautiful JK blank in a dark drawer, I thought it time to take it out and pay it the respect it was due. Below is a photo montage of how I took the blade, created and masterfully heat treated by John, and added some of my own small changes to put my creative prints on it.
I feel very proud to be able to put a makers mark on the opposite side of John’s “K”, and John, if you’re reading this, a huge thank you for the inspiration and welcoming forum that you’ve fostered for so many years. You’ve had a tremendous reach and impact on so many.
If anyone has made it this far, pics below of some of the rehab process!
How she sat in her drawer for years:
Grinding off the handle and punching out the pins:
Surface ground to 220 plus SC belt:
Swedges ground and marked for bevels:
Bevels ground:
Ferric etched and stone washed:
Nice and thin BTE:
Laser marked with my makers mark:
Small small profile changes drawn out:
More pics below…
Hello fellow JK Knife enthusiasts! I thought I’d post a thread in here paying tribute to John and the knives he makes and impact he’s had (whether he’s aware or not). John, if you feel this thread is inappropriate for your forum, just let me know and I’ll nuke it!
So to start, I came across John’s blades and forum over a decade ago. I’d always had an interest in sharp objects as well as drawing/design, and John’s tagline of “your design or mine” really grabbed me. I designed a tomahawk and John and I connected to make it happen. Such an excellent experience and the end product was unreal. I was hooked.
Fast forward a year or so, and I dipped my toe into the custom knife game. Just barely though. John offered knife blanks that just required a handle, and at an unreal price. Knowing how good his heat treat of O1 was, I jumped on one.
Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to handle it. The pins wouldn’t fit, I had no tools or general understanding of how to get a good finish, it was largely a disaster. I connected with a knife maker who I had seen on the forums and asked if he could put a handle on it for me.
When the knife returned, the secondary bevel had been taken way up and the handle just wasn’t what I thought it could be. I was underwhelmed. Two weeks later, the wood developed cracks around the pins and I couldn’t stand to look at such a beautiful piece of steel in such rough condition. In the drawer it went.
As time passed, I continued to follow John and his forum. I was more of a reader than a poster, and I was still obsessed with the knife making process. Several years ago, whether John knows it or not, his work inspired me to finally throw caution to the wind and try to make knives myself. The journey has been more fun and rewarding than I could have imagined. I get to design and make what I want, and I feel blessed that people seem to enjoy the things I am able to create.
Now nearing ten years since I put my beautiful JK blank in a dark drawer, I thought it time to take it out and pay it the respect it was due. Below is a photo montage of how I took the blade, created and masterfully heat treated by John, and added some of my own small changes to put my creative prints on it.
I feel very proud to be able to put a makers mark on the opposite side of John’s “K”, and John, if you’re reading this, a huge thank you for the inspiration and welcoming forum that you’ve fostered for so many years. You’ve had a tremendous reach and impact on so many.
If anyone has made it this far, pics below of some of the rehab process!
How she sat in her drawer for years:
Grinding off the handle and punching out the pins:
Surface ground to 220 plus SC belt:
Swedges ground and marked for bevels:
Bevels ground:
Ferric etched and stone washed:
Nice and thin BTE:
Laser marked with my makers mark:
Small small profile changes drawn out:
More pics below…
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