Just piddlin'

[godogs57]

Yes I'm hard at work on orders. Hit a bottleneck sorts of...have a number of blades 90% complete. Here's three that I finished up today. Headed to Charleston soon for the Southeastern Wildlife Expo and when I get back, I'll be finishing up the rest. If you've never been to SEWE you are missing a HUGE show full of the things we love. Make plans to go one day.

A pair of snakewood blades using Nitro V stainless steel. Nitro V is an enhancement of Swedish razor blade steel. The added nitrogen helps with hardness and corrosion resistance . The addition of vanadium...it adds toughness and wear resistance. It takes a wicked edge, and keeps it! Headed to the Palmetto State.


CPM 154 stainless headed to Anaconda, Montana to a hunting guide up that way. He has seven of my blades. The handle is stabilized Tasmanian Blackwood from Australia. This past week Australia began work on banning the harvest and export of this incredibly beautiful wood. Got a few pieces on hand.

 

[Troy Butler]

Godogs, I am going to have to break down and have you make me on of your mighty fine knives one day. That last one is to die for.
Did you ever meet a man named Marvin Poole? He was my uncle and was a knife maker.

 

[godogs57]

Godogs, I am going to have to break down and have you make me on of your mighty fine knives one day. That last one is to die for.
Did you ever meet a man named Marvin Poole? He was my uncle and was a knife maker.

Mr Marvin was my mentor, taught me how to make knives! Waaay back in the day when he lived in Anderson, later in Commerce. I always make the Blade Show in Atlanta…have for the last 30 years. One of the highlights of the show years ago was wandering up the aisle and seeing both Marvin and Mrs Betty at their table. I’ve got about 6-8 of his knives myself. He taught me over a period of a year or so on trips up to visit my best buddy in Anderson 30+ years ago. At the completion of my training he asked me to make him a knife, using the skills he’d taught me…my “tuition“. I took the most complicated design Marvin had, which was a genuine pain to make for someone with just a learners license so to speak. It came out as near perfect as I could make it and I was proud to present it to him. Later, the learning curve wasn’t as steep….experience was showing in the quality of my work. A magazine approached me, wanting to do a feature on me and my knives. In that article I credited Mr Marvin for teaching me and pointing me in the right direction on all matters of knifework. Mr Marvin was an anomaly in the knifemaking world: he loved to share his wisdom and expertise with others! There was a time when an accomplished knife maker would just as soon take on a good case of food poisoning as to help another person learn their hard earned secrets. Mr Marvin deplored that line of thinking. I made sure he got a copy of that magazine before he passed. I‘m closing in on 4,000 knives and am now a voting member of The Knifemakers Guild. Each one of those blades has a little bit of Mr Marvin’s influence in it. Great man, great friend.

 

[patsam]

Hank. As usual, you do some pretty darn good work. Me and my two friends LOVE theirs. They were surprised when I gifted them, though I wish I coulda kept them for myself!

 

[godogs57]

Hank. As usual, you do some pretty darn good work. Me and my two friends LOVE theirs. They were surprised when I gifted them, though I wish I coulda kept them for myself!

Hit me up and I’ll get ya another one.

 

[patsam]

I will, soon. Are you backlogged?

 

[godogs57]

I will, soon. Are you backlogged?

Backlogged? About two years. Hit me up though...asap

 

[Nicodemus]

That Tasmanian Blackwood is some mighty fine looking wood.

Very nice work, Hank, as always.

 

[Jester896]

That Tasmanian Blackwood is some mighty fine looking wood.

Very nice work, Hank, as always.

ain't it...maybe my eyes will go back inta the socket by tomorrow so I can go to work!

 

[ddavis1120]

Beautiful work as usual.

That‘s my kind of luck, about the time I start liking something they outlaw it. Glad I got one of your taz blades while the getting was good !

 

[Anvil Head]

Really cool bringing up Marvin Poole memories. He inspired many. He was a knifemaking machine and always a pleasure to talk with, plus his prices were very good for the average sportsman to afford an excellent knife. My first few years at the Blade my table was right across the aisle from him and he did a blistering business. He was always sneaking over to looking through my Miniatures and was there watching when Mr. Lorenzee bought out my entire box of 65 Minis in one transaction. First to congratulate me on the deal and wanted to take a sneak peek at the check for grins. Often hear his name at the show and miss seeing him around. Thanks for sharing Hank.

 

[godogs57]

Beautiful work as usual.

That‘s my kind of luck, about the time I start liking something they outlaw it. Glad I got one of your taz blades while the getting was good !

I’ve got a nice little stash hoarded away. My gosh that’s some pretty stuff.

 

[Troy Butler]

Thanks guys for the kind words of Marvin and Aunt Ann as we called her.
I have a lot of her Christmas decorations she made and sold some times at the shows.
Spent allot of time me and my brother at their home in Anderson playing the creek by the house and in shop with Marvin.

 

[godogs57]

Really cool bringing up Marvin Poole memories. He inspired many. He was a knifemaking machine and always a pleasure to talk with, plus his prices were very good for the average sportsman to afford an excellent knife. My first few years at the Blade my table was right across the aisle from him and he did a blistering business. He was always sneaking over to looking through my Miniatures and was there watching when Mr. Lorenzee bought out my entire box of 65 Minis in one transaction. First to congratulate me on the deal and wanted to take a sneak peek at the check for grins. Often hear his name at the show and miss seeing him around. Thanks for sharing Hank.

Mr Marvin always bragged to me he had made a knife in 45 minutes (except for the heat treat of course )to see if it could be done. Cut a blade out of bar stock, grind it. Then pick up an identical blade previously heat treated and pounce on it, finishing it up. 45 minutes! That’s smoking fast. I have about 20-25 hours of handwork on mine. He’d laugh and tell me about the time he caught a buffing wheel on fire he was being so aggressive. I didn’t doubt it. He grasps blade with his pliers and buff the snot out of it. He had a stash of good stag that was unbelievable. Five gallon buckets everywhere filled to the top, all over his shop. And it was the good stuff too! “Hank just pick ya out what ya need and I’ll sell it to ya for what I have in it..”

He'd sell it to me for $6 a matched pair. The stuff we can buy now at this years Blade Show for $100-$125 a pair. Unreal.

 

[jaybirdius]

Stunning craftsmanship!!!

 

[elfiii]

Beautiful work as always Hank and a great history lesson too! That Tasmanian Blackwood is stunning!