I made my first knife in 1990 from a kit. When I had finished the bug bit hard and I started using Engnath blades.
Once I learned how to grind I started making all my own blades. I still remember the outcry when 3/16 x 1 ½ ATS 34 went up to $6 per foot.
As I learned I had some great mentors. Those mentors included Bob Engnath, Jim Ferguson, Bill Herndon, Wayne Goddard, Steve Schwarzer, and Ralph Freer. All taught me a lot.
After I retired as a Game Warden, I was able to spend 6 weeks at the ABS School in Arkansas. I also spent 2 weeks one on one with Wayne Goddard learning damascus and folders, then time with Bob Engnath learning scrimshaw.
All of these things added to the box of tools for where I am today. I love the creativity of making knives.
Sally and I were married in 2005. That’s a long story by itself. Basically we had a 38-year engagement interrupted by a couple of marriages.
She saw me working on mosaic pins and decided to help out. She had some extras left over and took them to a show. The rest is history. She has become one of the premier mosaic pin makers in the world.
Her creativity, attention to detail and real perfectionism are reflected in all that she does. If it’s not right, it goes in the trash. We share that philosophy.