- Joined
- Mar 7, 2014
- Messages
- 937
Beautiful story and a fantastic knife. Thanks for sharing.
A gift from a friend.
- Thread starter jackknife
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 20,010
Carl, Ron Myers showed me Bill's old whittler, I believe a Hen and Rooster, I took a few pictures of it on a very cold, windy night outside work, in his truck. I can only imagine what security thought we were doing.
Wow, two of Bill Moran's personal-user knives come to light. I'd love to see pics if you still have them.:thumbup:
It's quite possible that it's a Case in honey bone if it's a whittler.
From the mid 80's to the mid 90's, Bill carried a stag handle Hen and Rooster stockman. For some reason Bill phased that knife out in the mid 1990's for a very nice Hen and Rooster stag congress with carbon blades. This was his pocket knife for a few years, until someone gave him a honey bone Case whittler, about 1999 0r 2000ish. The Case was carried the rest of his life until his passing. These were his daily carry pocket knives. Of course, there was one more that he always had o his keyring, no matter what he was carrying. It was
Wait for it
Drum roll please
A Victorinox classic in black. He used it for opening his mail, string, and other small penknife like tasks. It was also hie dirty deeds knife that he didn't want to mess up a good knife on. Bill figured it was a 8 dollar knife at Walmart, so he used the ever login' dog poo out of it. True story!
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 20,010
I've got the pics somewhere, I hope, on my phone. I'm heading out on break to go for a walk with the smokers, I'll ask Ron when I come back in.
Carl, you and Ron need to get together and write a book.
Carl, you and Ron need to get together and write a book.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,123
Fine story as usual, Carl. It made me think of a fellow member here who gifted me a knife for my birthday that he had made. I was stunned. I also know he's a fine enough archer to put meat on the table. I've been meaning to speak with him regarding an old longbow that belonged to my father.
Thank you for this Carl.
Thank you for this Carl.
Next time I'm back in Maryland for a visit, I think I may nee to go have a beer with Ron and see how many Moran stories we can recall. Bill was a real trip, especially if he'd had a drink or three. It was a not so open secret that Bill couldn't hold his alcohol very well, and a lot of our misadventures with Bill started with some drinking.
Like the time Margret, Bill's wife was out of town and Ray Kremzner and I took Bil out to Pizza Hut for dinner and draft beer, and did some shots of Blanton's back at the house. Bill almost got killed that night.
Bill was wearing one of his own knives that night, a nice little 4 inch bladed compact suburban version of a Mediterranean dirk, when he went over the edge of his back porch to the flower bed 8 feet below. It survived the fall very well, a little scratch in the curley maple handle.
PS- Tell Ron hello for me!
Thanks!!:thumbup:
Written like a true knife knut. A man falls backwards 8' straight down and you're concerned about the condition of the knife!
:thumbup:I'm the same way with my mountain bike.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 20,010
I will relay the message to Ron. He had me jealous telling me stories about his visit to Blade this year. I believe Ron said he got the knife at the auction for Bill's estate. I believe I took pics with my old iPhone. Carl, I will email them to you. I tried to lighten some up.
Rockon75
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2008
- Messages
- 2,077
I was on vacation the last week, but when I got home, I found a clipping from my mother had been left off at my house. The clipping was from June 5th 2016 from the Frederick News-Post. Titled, "Forever A Legend", and it talks about Bill Moran and the museum that now sits where his shop was, and a book that has been written about the man and his knives. Thought it might interest those that have found this thread interesting.
There are more pictures in the printed article, but here is the archived link:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ne...cle_08a5de69-79c9-5cc9-946a-9d4f784e08ee.html
At the 1973 Knifemakers Guild Show in Kansas City, Missouri, something happened that set the world of knifemaking on its edge. Its still talked about today.
Bladesmith Bill Moran was known for his custom work on the forge; that itself was an anomaly since only about a half dozen bladesmiths of the day were known for their custom knives and most of them were doing stock removal, not forging blades.
Moran had been working on a new project at his forge near Middletown and he was ready to introduce it. The intricate wavy patterns forged in the iron and steel of Damascus steel, used in the Medieval period, had always fascinated Moran, but it had become a lost art. He studied, experimented and perfected how to make modern Damascus blades. He not only introduced his Damascus knives at the 73 show, he distributed how-to instructions at no cost.
Margaret [his wife] had typed sheets with instructions, said Jay Hendrickson, of Frederick, a longtime friend of the late Moran and a bladesmith himself.
That re-introduction established Moran as the father of modern Damascus among knifemakers and bladesmiths. Even today, mention Damascus steel and Morans name is likely to enter the conversation.
I think he would want to be remembered as being the first to revive modern Damascus, said Steve Shackleford, editor of Blade magazine. Moran died of colon cancer 10 years ago at the age of 80.
Shackleford and Hendrickson are among the collaborators on a new book about the life and work of Moran. Titled William F. Moran, Jr.: Forever a Legend, the book contains hundreds of exquisite photographs of Morans work which expanded beyond custom knives, and photographs of him with celebrities who purchased his knives, photos of him with his beloved wife Margaret, of him working at the forge on his familys farm in Lime Kiln in the 1950s and at the forge he built in 1960 near Middletown on U.S. 40 Alternate, now owned by the William F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation Inc.
Forever a Legend was published by the foundation and was about an 18-month project for Shackleford, Hendrickson and his wife, Nancy, and photographer Francesco Pachi and his wife, Mirella Pachi Isnardi, who designed the pages.
I was at a blade show three years ago when Jay and (A.G.) Barney Barnes [an American Bladesmith Society master smith and a former neighbor of Morans] asked me if I would be interested in doing the book. I was honored to do it, said Shackleford, who wrote the chapter texts. He first met Moran in 1986, as editor of Blade. Even then he was a legend he founded the American Bladesmith Society, is the father of modern Damascus and rejuvenated the modern bladesmith movement. I think he will be remembered for being the man who totally rejuvenated modern hand-forged knives.
As he, the Hendricksons and other friends and peers of Moran shared their stories, Shackleford said he learned some things about the man, such as his keen interest in knife history and making visits to museums to study them.
The book includes professional and personal stories from Morans life. Several tell of how he remained humble about his talents and was willing to share his knowledge with anyone who asked and was always interested in what others had to say.
He was very gifted that way. He had a way of talking, not about himself but always the person he was talking to. It was obvious he was leading the pack and people wanted to be around him, said Jay Hendrickson. In 1986, after Moran stepped down from the ABS, Hendrickson joined the board and was chairman from 1991 to 1995. He is also one of the founders of the Moran Foundation, serving as president until January, succeeded by the current president, auctioneer Robert Wilson.
Moran also made dulcimers, walking sticks and arrows. He loved archery, hunting, fishing, tying flies, and he occasionally made his knives, added Nancy Hendrickson with a chuckle.
When asked how many knives he had made, Moran would say a couple of thousand. He didnt keep records. He had two three-byfive card files and he used to say he had about 40 years of [back]orders, Jay Hendrickson said. Some good knifemakers might have five or six years of backorders. I thought he was just whistling Dixie until after he died and I looked at the files. It would take two careers to make them all.
Aside from Damascus, knife handles with delicately scrolled silver inlay was one of his trademarks.
Photographer Francesco Pachi, also a knifemaker, traveled from his native France to the U.S. to photograph Moran knives in private collections. Some were sent to Hendricksons Frederick home to be photographed by Pachi. Several are from the Moran Foundations collection. Hendrickson and Barnes wrote detailed descriptions for each image in the book and the Hendricksons tweaked the text, too.
But who wants to read this book once you look at all the beautiful photographs, Shackleford said.
We could envision this book, Jay Hendrickson said. There wasnt any other person more important to [blade forging] as Bill was.
There are more pictures in the printed article, but here is the archived link:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ne...cle_08a5de69-79c9-5cc9-946a-9d4f784e08ee.html
At the 1973 Knifemakers Guild Show in Kansas City, Missouri, something happened that set the world of knifemaking on its edge. Its still talked about today.
Bladesmith Bill Moran was known for his custom work on the forge; that itself was an anomaly since only about a half dozen bladesmiths of the day were known for their custom knives and most of them were doing stock removal, not forging blades.
Moran had been working on a new project at his forge near Middletown and he was ready to introduce it. The intricate wavy patterns forged in the iron and steel of Damascus steel, used in the Medieval period, had always fascinated Moran, but it had become a lost art. He studied, experimented and perfected how to make modern Damascus blades. He not only introduced his Damascus knives at the 73 show, he distributed how-to instructions at no cost.
Margaret [his wife] had typed sheets with instructions, said Jay Hendrickson, of Frederick, a longtime friend of the late Moran and a bladesmith himself.
That re-introduction established Moran as the father of modern Damascus among knifemakers and bladesmiths. Even today, mention Damascus steel and Morans name is likely to enter the conversation.
I think he would want to be remembered as being the first to revive modern Damascus, said Steve Shackleford, editor of Blade magazine. Moran died of colon cancer 10 years ago at the age of 80.
Shackleford and Hendrickson are among the collaborators on a new book about the life and work of Moran. Titled William F. Moran, Jr.: Forever a Legend, the book contains hundreds of exquisite photographs of Morans work which expanded beyond custom knives, and photographs of him with celebrities who purchased his knives, photos of him with his beloved wife Margaret, of him working at the forge on his familys farm in Lime Kiln in the 1950s and at the forge he built in 1960 near Middletown on U.S. 40 Alternate, now owned by the William F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation Inc.
Forever a Legend was published by the foundation and was about an 18-month project for Shackleford, Hendrickson and his wife, Nancy, and photographer Francesco Pachi and his wife, Mirella Pachi Isnardi, who designed the pages.
I was at a blade show three years ago when Jay and (A.G.) Barney Barnes [an American Bladesmith Society master smith and a former neighbor of Morans] asked me if I would be interested in doing the book. I was honored to do it, said Shackleford, who wrote the chapter texts. He first met Moran in 1986, as editor of Blade. Even then he was a legend he founded the American Bladesmith Society, is the father of modern Damascus and rejuvenated the modern bladesmith movement. I think he will be remembered for being the man who totally rejuvenated modern hand-forged knives.
As he, the Hendricksons and other friends and peers of Moran shared their stories, Shackleford said he learned some things about the man, such as his keen interest in knife history and making visits to museums to study them.
The book includes professional and personal stories from Morans life. Several tell of how he remained humble about his talents and was willing to share his knowledge with anyone who asked and was always interested in what others had to say.
He was very gifted that way. He had a way of talking, not about himself but always the person he was talking to. It was obvious he was leading the pack and people wanted to be around him, said Jay Hendrickson. In 1986, after Moran stepped down from the ABS, Hendrickson joined the board and was chairman from 1991 to 1995. He is also one of the founders of the Moran Foundation, serving as president until January, succeeded by the current president, auctioneer Robert Wilson.
Moran also made dulcimers, walking sticks and arrows. He loved archery, hunting, fishing, tying flies, and he occasionally made his knives, added Nancy Hendrickson with a chuckle.
When asked how many knives he had made, Moran would say a couple of thousand. He didnt keep records. He had two three-byfive card files and he used to say he had about 40 years of [back]orders, Jay Hendrickson said. Some good knifemakers might have five or six years of backorders. I thought he was just whistling Dixie until after he died and I looked at the files. It would take two careers to make them all.
Aside from Damascus, knife handles with delicately scrolled silver inlay was one of his trademarks.
Photographer Francesco Pachi, also a knifemaker, traveled from his native France to the U.S. to photograph Moran knives in private collections. Some were sent to Hendricksons Frederick home to be photographed by Pachi. Several are from the Moran Foundations collection. Hendrickson and Barnes wrote detailed descriptions for each image in the book and the Hendricksons tweaked the text, too.
But who wants to read this book once you look at all the beautiful photographs, Shackleford said.
We could envision this book, Jay Hendrickson said. There wasnt any other person more important to [blade forging] as Bill was.
Rockon75
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2008
- Messages
- 2,077
The original print elaborates more re: the book, but here is an inset to the archived article above re: the book.
More Information
The foundation printed 1,000 copies of "Forever a Legend."
The books are available from the foundation for $175 with the standard cover; $250 with a black leather cover.
The William F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation is planning to host a knife show at Moran's forge in August. For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.williammoranmuseum.com or www.billmoranmuseum.com.
More Information
The foundation printed 1,000 copies of "Forever a Legend."
The books are available from the foundation for $175 with the standard cover; $250 with a black leather cover.
The William F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation is planning to host a knife show at Moran's forge in August. For more information or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.williammoranmuseum.com or www.billmoranmuseum.com.
