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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 04-19-2003, 11:57 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Just got back from the ABS School

Man what a two weeks. It was a total blast and the best two week vacation I have ever had. My instructors was Micheal Connor and Harvey Dean. Both were really personable and great teachers. As soon as i can find my cable to my digital camera I will have some blades to show you guys. Our class went to Riverside machine shop in De Queen's to meet some really great guys at the Al's place. There was some really big names there, and all were very helpful. I made several friends for life, and got to catch up on old times with a master smith who inspired me over 15 years ago to start forging blades. So now I guess I'll quit buying as many knives and start making some.
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Old 04-20-2003, 12:20 AM
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Terry Primos Terry Primos is offline
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Jimmy,
I was there for the meeting at Al's. Did we fail to introduce ourselves?


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  #3  
Old 04-20-2003, 01:38 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Terry, I heard you were there after we left, I'm sorry we did not get to meet. I was in the back mostly playing with the rope cutting. I must not have recognized you. I'll be back as soon as possilble to more abs schools, and I'll look you up then.
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  #4  
Old 04-22-2003, 08:34 PM
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brimstone73 brimstone73 is offline
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Jimmy

Don't leave us hanging! Tell us more!
Ever since I started thinking about making knives I've dreamed about going to the ABS, now its just time and money details to work out. Give us a few details/stories to drool over until we get a chance to go

Thanks

Brian
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  #5  
Old 04-22-2003, 10:29 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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All right, no problem. Here's the details.

I showed up on sunday, and checked into the bunkhouse. I was told by the park ranger that the last people who had stayed at the bunk house didn't clean up after themselves and it was dirty. Man was that an understatement. After throwing my luggage next to my cott, I headed out to the historical village, mainly the blacksmith's shop to check things out.

The blacksmiths shop is a recreation of james blacks old workshop. The blacksmith, I believe his name was Gary, but I'm not sure. Gave me a personal tour, and we talked awhile about the abs school. He showed me some plans for my own treadle hammer, and graciously gave me and everyone in my class a set if we wanted it.

Monday we met for the first time, everyone in my class, and Harvey Dean. We went to the class room for about an hour discussing how we were going to run the class, hours, breaks, lunches, etc..

Then we got to go dig out coal out of a pile outside and start a coal fire and start forging steel. First Harvey gave us a demonstration on forging a knife and how we should do it, and what to avoid doing. Then we got to try our hands at it. I would like to say that my first forging was as easy and turned out as good as Harvey's, but it didn't. I pretty much butchered my first forging. Not to be discouraged though I was able to forge out two more blades that day. They were a lot better than my first one, manly because of Harvey's instructions on what I was doing wrong.

We spent the first week just working on forging and annealing our blades. on thursday and friday of that week I had several blades ground and ready for heattreatment for Micheal Connors part of the class the following week.

That thursday, my class went with harvey dean to al lawrence's machine shop to the arkansas knifemakers association to meet the knifemakers there. There were alot of big names there, and alot of us small ones. Most of the mastersmiths there couldn't walk 5 feet without getting swarmed by a bunch of knife enthusiast, so most of us newbies just stood back and watched. There were several demostrations, such as rope cutting, setting an edge, hand rubbed finishes, and several others I missed.

On saturday, Most of my class headed to little rock were we went to the abs museum and drooled and critiqued the master smiths knives on display there. And betting on who of us was going to get our knives up there first. That trip to the museum alone was a real eye opener.

On monday, Micheal Connor arrived and explained to us what we would be doing that week. This was great for me and the reason I chose this particular class, because I grew up next to Mr. Connor, and was inspired by him to start forging blades. So I pretty much monopolyzed his time the first day just catching up on old times.

the rest of the week we finished our knives, grinding, annealing, heat treating, and tempering under micheal's supervision. till on thursday some of us were ready to test. We first cut the 2X4's because we were temporarily out of rope. Everyone who tested that day had no problem with the 2X4's. Later that day the rope arrived, and everyone wizzed through the rope, maybe after a few adjustments, but we all passed. Then came the part that broke my heart. Bending the blade I had worked so hard on the past couple of weeks. My blade was 3rd in line for this test and the first 2 blades before me broke at about 80 degrees, so I was really nervous now. But my blade bent to 90 without anyroblems. The first 2 blades that broke, were made from 1084 and thus heattreated wrong.

The next day everyone had tested and only a couple hadn't passed simply because they did not have time to make another blade. After class me and several others headed up to al's and I bought a 12" forge, and my friend bought an anvil.

I would highly reccommend this class to anyone, simply for the knowledge you will gain, the friends, and the insight on how your blades will be judged. hope this is what you wanted.
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Old 04-23-2003, 12:48 AM
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Terry Primos Terry Primos is offline
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Jimmy,
I know exactly what happened. Right after we ate, Mike Williams and I snuck back in the back to cut some rope. It's particularly fun doing the free-hanging rope cut when it's somebody elses rope --that stuff's expensive.

So we missed the introductions and the show-and-tell period. Heck, I brought three knives for show-and-tell, including the Damascus and ivory one I showed in the Gallery a while back.

Anyway, when everyone later found us in the back and wanted to cut some rope too, I figured there was no reason for me to be in the way. There were several new folks that had never tried it. So I went back up to the front and got in a big discussion with Jerry Fisk about some handle designs.

Sorry I missed you. That's the first time I've snuck off like that. I'm glad you had a good time at the school. You had some top-notch teachers.


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Old 04-23-2003, 01:52 AM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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I remember seeing you know, it was as we came to see the rope cutting demonstration, sorry I didn't reconginze you. I'll see you next time though. I learned alot from harvey and micheal. Harvey gave us some pretty good stories on salesmanship and things that had happened to him at knife shows. Plus one fella's wife is a master smith and he was telling us some stories about how the other master smiths were allways kidding around and really opened our eyes on how things worked. It was the best 2 week vacation I ever had.
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Old 04-23-2003, 07:22 AM
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I'm envious; I would love to go to this class. Coming up with the tuition price would be a lot easier than getting the 2 weeks off, however. Someday, I will be there.
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Old 04-23-2003, 07:26 AM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Tell me about it. I burned 18 months worth of vacation to go to this school. It cost me more vacation than one at a later date, but I just couldn't wait any longer.
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  #10  
Old 05-02-2003, 06:02 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Here's some pictures from the school. Hope this works I have never posted pics before.

[img]www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/standard?pictid={5B97C7BA-248B-413D-8F89-757E57EB5A81}&exp=f&moddt=37743.9499843982.jpg[/img]
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Old 05-02-2003, 06:04 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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well that didn't work. hold on.
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Old 05-02-2003, 06:14 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Old 05-02-2003, 06:20 PM
JimmySeymour JimmySeymour is offline
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Old 05-02-2003, 06:55 PM
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hammerdownnow hammerdownnow is offline
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Who wrote, "Jimmy waz here" and "D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F." on the forge?


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