Christopher Price

I get a kick of how far that picture has gotten around, since Eric and I took it back in 2009.

Sorry I missed it too, but I was in Italy enjoying the antiquities, ironwork everywhere, and most excellent dining. Hopefully next year, I don't have international travel lined up again any time soon.

I got my design from Bowie, in a hotel at Larry Harley's one night, not sober. Ballpoint on hotel napkins, as I recall, and it's been chugging ever since. I am forever grateful.

Wow.

Jim, Thank You for sharing your exquisite work with us. I appreciate it, no matter how sparse it might be. You remain an inspiration and motivator to do better.

I vote for a Coal Iron, of any size, as much for the low noise component as the other things it's good at (small footprint, US made, good support). The fact that I don't need ear protection is a huge deal to my work.

I had to replace the motor on my Jet Mini-lathe last night, it finally died after something like 15 years of faithful service. While I was at Woodcraft grabbing some other supplies, they had a huuuuuge pile of Claro Walnut in sizeable chunks, $5 apiece... all from the West Coast they said. You might check your local store to see if there's more lying around out there. Some of it is utterly stunning.

Ok, I think they're legit. Customer (Bill Ferris) says: "I’m not sure if just polishing would help, most likely refinishing. They don’t need sharpening." So if I take this, it's fine stones/paper and a lot of caution. Wondering what to even think about charging for the effort.

I have a guy asking me to clean up a couple blades. Claims Don made them for him, but I don't see his mark anywhere. When I zoomed in, that gold dot just looks like a pin, not his Chrysanthemum. Are these really early examples?

My Italy trip is still on, so I'm bummed I'm missing this. Sounds like it's going to be a good one.

Alan, I think there's enough here, that with a ghost-writer, a reasonable book could be produced on the production of historically accurate Tomahawks and Belt Axes of Southern Appalachia. Just a thought, buddy.

I used Buckeye Engraving, and am happy with what I got.

As a bushcraft person, as well as knifemaker, I need to point out that it's the Carbon you're burning, when you strike a flint against steel. The flint is harder than your hardened steel, and the material you're shaving off quickly burns, as sparks, which you then catch and get your tinder going. Higher carbon is better. Lower alloy is better. The historical ones were very simple steels, not modern high-performance springs. Getting back to basics is more important than scrounging material. Technique has something to do with it too, and if you're not experienced at starting fire with flint and steel, get your technique down with a proven set, first, then substitute your striker, and compare results.

I learned just about everything I needed to know from a not-so-sober-Bowie when I shared a hotel room with him one night at Larry's hammer-in. There's a price for some knowledge.

Ben's a fine man, treated me very well when I was on set. Doug is probably my favorite person there, though, just in total character. I enjoyed the game, understand its limitations, and mostly appreciate what it taught me about my own skill set. Fun fact, nothing I made on tv was anything I'd ever made before on my own... but several of them were things I'd thought of, deeply, before the challenge came to me. That helped a lot, as well as having experience in many different shops over the years. Also, having a degree in TV production helped me block some good shots that made the final edits.