hey does anyone on here know how to make a knife ?

[Dan Gray]

Hi Dan. I still visit here every day. Don't post much any more for several reasons.

Lots of new faces here and still quite a bit of talent, both old and new.

Come around more often.

Dang another 7 years gone by..
You still checking in ?

 

[Dan Gray]

Hey Dan, Good to see you here again.

I think it has something to do with old bandsaw blades...

Hey Dan you still kicking arounf here ?

 

[fitzo]

Hello, old man! Good to see your name here.

I am playing in the shop again after a dozen year layoff (health is shot).
Fun being able to mess with tools again.

Hope you are as well as can be.

 

[Dan Gray]

Hello, old man! Good to see your name here.

I am playing in the shop again after a dozen year layoff (health is shot).
Fun being able to mess with tools again.

Hope you are as well as can be.

Hi Mike
I know the health issues.. i had cancer about 3 years ago to take care of.. a lot of family health issues as well.. it sucks getting old.. you making at all ? I gave it up for a while.

 

[Dan Gray]

Hi Mike
I know the health issues.. i had cancer about 3 years ago to take care of.. a lot of family health issues as well.. it sucks getting old.. you making at all ? I gave it up for a while.

Lol got my glasses on .. you said you are in the shop again..

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I might have to make a new sub-forum called "Knifemaking Geezers". We can exchange stories about hip replacement and other medical conditions as well as gripe and complain about "these kids" today.

Good to see you are still here Dan.
I know things got contentious with the knifemaker groups up there, but have you heard anything about IG?

 

[Dan Gray]

I might have to make a new sub-forum called "Knifemaking Geezers". We can exchange stories about hip replacement and other medical conditions as well as gripe and complain about "these kids" today.

Good to see you are still here Dan.
I know things got contentious with the knifemaker groups up there, but have you heard anything about IG?

That’s an Idea Stacy lol
No not much about IG
Remember that I coined the phrase IG years ago on here..
.. it was sad that he took words way out of context, he wouldn’t even talk to me on the phone.. that happened once before and we hugged and made up..
I cared a lot for him too.. sad..
I’ll poke around and hopefully not be missing for years... again haha life sure gets in the way..

 

[fitzo]

I do so hope you have the cancer under control, Dan. I know you had chronic pain issues, too, even back a dozen years. Hope that hasn't gotte too much worse. Seems it never actually gets better.

And, sorry to hear about IG. I'd heard there was a blowup here. He called out of the blue a few years back, first time in years. The years are catching up with him, too, healthwise. Hope he's okay.

My time in the shop is mostly "playing shop". I have spent the last dozen years in a chair sorta waiting to die and when the time came and my heart went bullshit it said, "Hey, NOT READY!". So, I lost a 175 pounds, get around a little easier, and am getting down in the basement shop for a couple/few hours each day to putz around. I hope to make a few more really nice knives, and have no idea if I'm capable.

To that end I have been working on making a carved handle for a little ulu for weeks. The test carving in butternut and holly made me a bit excited I could actually pull it off. The reality of carving Blackwood, however, has me slowed to a crawl. It simply doesn't carve without power tools, and I've not got the steady hand nor the eyesight for high-speed any more. LOL

This week, I had gotten the beak replaced with some nice spalted maple for contrast and was busy literally scrapping Blackwood with tailored lathe bits when I dropped it. Fell right on the beak, of course, and cracked along a spalt line. New one's almost ready to have the beak replaced. And so my time in the shop goes: can't see any more, can't stand straight, starts hurting so bad the day's ruined in just a couple hours.

I'm having a blast.

It's really nice to see you here, Dan. I check in daily. Hope to see you around.

 

[Dan Gray]

I do so hope you have the cancer under control, Dan. I know you had chronic pain issues, too, even back a dozen years. Hope that hasn't gotte too much worse. Seems it never actually gets better.

And, sorry to hear about IG. I'd heard there was a blowup here. He called out of the blue a few years back, first time in years. The years are catching up with him, too, healthwise. Hope he's okay.

My time in the shop is mostly "playing shop". I have spent the last dozen years in a chair sorta waiting to die and when the time came and my heart went bullshit it said, "Hey, NOT READY!". So, I lost a 175 pounds, get around a little easier, and am getting down in the basement shop for a couple/few hours each day to putz around. I hope to make a few more really nice knives, and have no idea if I'm capable.

To that end I have been working on making a carved handle for a little ulu for weeks. The test carving in butternut and holly made me a bit excited I could actually pull it off. The reality of carving Blackwood, however, has me slowed to a crawl. It simply doesn't carve without power tools, and I've not got the steady hand nor the eyesight for high-speed any more. LOL

This week, I had gotten the beak replaced with some nice spalted maple for contrast and was busy literally scrapping Blackwood with tailored lathe bits when I dropped it. Fell right on the beak, of course, and cracked along a spalt line. New one's almost ready to have the beak replaced. And so my time in the shop goes: can't see any more, can't stand straight, starts hurting so bad the day's ruined in just a couple hours.

I'm having a blast.

It's really nice to see you here, Dan. I check in daily. Hope to see you around.

Hey Mike
They say the cancer is ok but watching me close they have to watch close. Cancer is what kills our family..
Yeah the other pains let me know I’m still kicking lol what can we do. Just take care of ourselves as well as we can.
.the old saying “ if I thought I’d live this long I would have taken better care of myself “
That’s good Mike , taking that weigh off has to be A big plus for you. take your time you’ll get what you want done in the shop.. I’m a bit more shaky myself ..
The surgery took a fair amount of piss and vinegar out of me... that 6 hours on the table, left one eye messed up, caused some other nerve damage and for some reason causes my migraines to ramp up a lot.. they gave me on nontriptyline to see if that helps.. yeah kinda not.
the VA won’t admit the surgery caused it.. lol it all started as soon as I woke up from the surgery . Oh well.
I know you had your own problems years ago I sure home you can be as well as you can be .. this getting old sucks..
Hey how close are you to Scott Air force base ILL ? My oldest is stationed there. 6 more years he’ll retire, you were in ILL ?
Remember the story behind that D2 you sent to me ? I still have the blade I made from it.. welp..
Let you go for now.. stay well friend.
This is nice to reconnect..

 

[fitzo]

Damn, Dan, I think you're having what they call a "full plate".

First, I just checked: Scott AFB is down by St Louis, while I am up in the northeast corner on Lake Michigan. Actually, you were about 5 miles from my home as a recruit at Great Lakes, unless you went though Diego, of course. Scott's about 350 miles away, I'd estimate.

That sucks about the surgical side effects and their denial. Though I rely on them heavily, doctors generally piss me off. And it sucks that getting into the shop is hard. Life is harsh, though, and we both know that the choice is whine or suck it up. So, suck it is, eh? I got a sticker in a pair of shoes recently that stated "Embrace the suck." I think that's military, though it is, in reality, universal. In retrospect, sounds like we've been doing a pretty damned good job at embracing that suck, eh?

And, no, I cannot for the life of me remember a bar of D2. Crap. Sorry. Still remember what I had for breakfast, though, so that's good. LOL

Hope to see you around here more, knives or not. This place was pretty close knit back when. Friends.

And I most heartily second your comment, "This is nice to reconnect." You take care of yourself, sir.

 

[Dan Gray]

Damn, Dan, I think you're having what they call a "full plate".

First, I just checked: Scott AFB is down by St Louis, while I am up in the northeast corner on Lake Michigan. Actually, you were about 5 miles from my home as a recruit at Great Lakes, unless you went though Diego, of course. Scott's about 350 miles away, I'd estimate.

That sucks about the surgical side effects and their denial. Though I rely on them heavily, doctors generally piss me off. And it sucks that getting into the shop is hard. Life is harsh, though, and we both know that the choice is whine or suck it up. So, suck it is, eh? I got a sticker in a pair of shoes recently that stated "Embrace the suck." I think that's military, though it is, in reality, universal. In retrospect, sounds like we've been doing a pretty damned good job at embracing that suck, eh?

And, no, I cannot for the life of me remember a bar of D2. Crap. Sorry. Still remember what I had for breakfast, though, so that's good. LOL

Hope to see you around here more, knives or not. This place was pretty close knit back when. Friends.

And I most heartily second your comment, "This is nice to reconnect." You take care of yourself, sir.

Yeahup the Great Lakes.. I was hoping you were closer.. the wife wants to take a trip to the base to visit the kids and grandkids.
The health issues are what they are. Got to have to work with them.
That D2 .. someone on shop talk back when said D2 couldn’t be polished and I said that I could polish it. And I think you sent a piece to me to prove it.. I ground out a blade and finished it. In part a rubbed satin and mirrored hollow grind. I never did put a handle on it. I’ll see if I can post a picture of it on here..I’m not sure if I can with the basic account. Things have changed around here,, a lot..

 

[fitzo]

Well, it might have been me who sent you a piece of D2, but I doubt I'd'a questioned your ability to polish it. Or, shouldn't have if I did. I know you know how to polish.
I wish I could help about the pic. I haven't posted here, but use a freebie Imgur account to host fotos. You can do it through Instagram, too, I see here frequently. I'm still trying to figure out how to post to IG without a smartphone. Time makes us cave men. LOL

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

All this old reminiscing makes me remember Indian Goerge's "Heat Treat Relish". That was some hot stuff!
I also remember the guys getting together to make some special damascus with his wife's ashes.

He sent me some damascus he was making back in 2008 and I did this with it. The thread also shows IG's sense of humor and his nickname for Fitzo:

Indian George Knife

IG sent me a bar of some damascus he made. Like IG it was rough and definitely needed some work.In some places the twist wasn't wrapped too tight - just like IG. I took it and did some reforging,added some more twists, and shaped this up. The stag crown is one of Bill Moran's. He dyed it, I cut...

www.bladeforums.com

Man, I just checked and it has been 10 years since IG has posted here.

 

[Dan Gray]

Yeahup the Great Lakes.. I was hoping you were closer.. the wife wants to take a trip to the base to visit the kids and grandkids.
The health issues are what they are. Got to have to work with them.
That D2 .. someone on shop talk back when said D2 couldn’t be polished and I said that I could polish it. And I think you sent a piece to me to prove it.. I ground out a blade and finished it. In part a rubbed satin and mirrored hollow grind. I never did put a handle on it. I’ll see if I can post a picture of it on here..I’m not sure if I can with the basic account. Things have changed around here,, a lot..

Well, it might have been me who sent you a piece of D2, but I doubt I'd'a questioned your ability to polish it. Or, shouldn't have if I did. I know you know how to polish.
I wish I could help about the pic. I haven't posted here, but use a freebie Imgur account to host fotos. You can do it through Instagram, too, I see here frequently. I'm still trying to figure out how to post to IG without a smartphone. Time makes us cave men. LOL

oh it wasn’t you Mike that had the doubt.. someone in Shop Talk wanted to see it don’t and I said I could do that but I wasn’t going to buy a small piece to prove the point and I think you had a piece and offered it up.. ? If I recall correctly..
I wish I could post a picture of it.. hmmm

 

[Dan Gray]

All this old reminiscing makes me remember Indian Goerge's "Heat Treat Relish". That was some hot stuff!
I also remember the guys getting together to make some special damascus with his wife's ashes.

He sent me some damascus he was making back in 2008 and I did this with it. The thread also shows IG's sense of humor and his nickname for Fitzo:

Indian George Knife

IG sent me a bar of some damascus he made. Like IG it was rough and definitely needed some work.In some places the twist wasn't wrapped too tight - just like IG. I took it and did some reforging,added some more twists, and shaped this up. The stag crown is one of Bill Moran's. He dyed it, I cut...

www.bladeforums.com

Man, I just checked and it has been 10 years since IG has posted here.

Yeahup it was a while ago.. yes he memorialized some of her Ashes in the steel .. thinking outside the box..
He sure did have a way about him for sure..

 

[Pinoy Knife]

the crazy old Portuguese ... yea wondered whatever happened to him ???

 

[fitzo]

Yeahup it was a while ago.. yes he memorialized some of her Ashes in the steel .. thinking outside the box..
He sure did have a way about him for sure..

When IG last called a few years ago, he was still having Saturday sessions at his workshop. Unfortunately, he told me he had not been able to make a knife since his tribute to Helen.

I've got a number, don't know if it's still good, but I'll call and see if he can still sit up and fog a mirror.

Update: I tried two numbers I have for IG in New Bedford, one a land line and one cell. The numbers are 15 years old minimum. The land line returns a "fast busy" signal and the cell eventually goes to an full-inbox answering machine with a network voice saying the box is full. No identification, so can't tell if it's his. There's one other number listed in a Google search for a George Rebello in New Bedford. I may try that, too.

Anyone else have a newer number? I'll reach out to him just to hear him call me "hey, fatsooo..." again.
Update 2: well, crap, the google-provided number returns the fast beep, too.

Update 3: email addy J juno is dead, too.

 

[Jerry Adams]

Sad news guys, I recently got word that IG passed away a week or so ago.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

RIP Indian George.

 

[fitzo]

RIP IG. Tell Helen that fatso and nanc said hi! Ride the universe, old friend.