Since you're in a foreign country, he's got you over a barrel, and he knows it. If it were me, I'd already be camped on his front lawn.
well, maybe someone too far away could assign "rights" to a knife, and allow a nearby forumite to pay a courtesy call. weekly
i keep hearing that "something" unspecified is going on in Dale's life. that's fine, but someone speaking directly on his behalf as well should come forward and tell us/them-all who are waiting. surely it's sounding a bit like a private family matter - that's okay - but they could just say that. family, for instance, has its own obligations. so too does a customer that paid you good hard earned money, and such customers themselves have obligations and matters to attend to.
it's easy-peasy to fill out a postcard, and scrawl "sorry about the wait, dire issues, can't explain, please wait, i'll keep you updated regularly". no promises about dates that can't be made. just keep in contact. it's the human touches that count.
it's funny, but most reviews of dale's work and the advermarketing magazines can get in touch with him, get his story, have plenty of photos of his knives... what's going on with that?
for the customers... harder if you are in another country, i know, but you folx in the USA? what with long distance being fairly cheap, and many folx with cell phones with massive minutes, and included national calling, his phone number(s) are listed. "i haven't heard from" is ... last century. "i can hear you now" is so 21st. in the same way that i have heard that dale is having troubles, i haven't heard (or at least it seems), that y'all are trying to let him hear from you. same thing. write him a nice postcard. his email might not work, but the USPS surely does. call him. hear his story yourself.
good luck, and give the guy a chance still, he appears? to still be around and delivering at least.
bladite