JW is taking three knives to the show in Kansas City. We invite you to the show. JW would love to meet you. Stop by his table. The show starts Friday September 28 - Sunday September 30. We hope to see you in Kansas City. Thanks to my brother, Tracy Thomas who provides the background music for all of our videos. Make sure you listen to this one. It has a cool ending. Tammy
JW is off to the Blade Show
JW is headed to the Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia. He hopes to see you there. He will be at table 11Q in the ABS section. Below are the knives he will have on his table.
Bayou Toothpick
Fine Feather Hunter
Bold Feather Hunter
River of Raindrops
Feather Push Dagger
Basic Intro Knife Class Feb. 1, 2 & 3 2018
BUY NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THIS CLASS
Class was full
I am preparing for my 2018 intro to knife making class. I am taking up to 6 students, 18 and over. The three-day class begins on Feb. 1, 2 and 3, 2018 from 8am – 5pm each day. Lunch will be provided all three days. The cost of the class is $900/person. I require a $450 deposit with the rest due on arrival. This class is on a first come, first serve basis.
Day 1 - I will be teaching forging techniques and hands on forging for everyone. Everyone will forge a blade. I will take the blade I forge and over the next 3 days I will compete the knife from start to finish. I will cover all aspects of knife making in detail. So everyone will see every detail required to build a quality knife. Day 1 will begin with class time and mid-morning will begin forging. In the afternoon I will discuss proper knife design. I will cover proper edge geometry and flat grinding techniques. We will also go over equipment necessary to construct quality knives.
Day 2 - I will grind the blade to a 220 finish and I will cover heat-treating and quenching in oil. I will temper the knife and cover different temperatures for different steels. Next I will cover hand sanding tips and techniques.
Day 3 - I will cover handle designs, epoxies, guards and pinning techniques. I will then cover fits and finishes, press fitting guards, pre-shaping guards and the testing of the blade. We will have a drawing at the end of the class to see who will go home with the class knife. It will be an action packed and informative three days. I will provide notebooks and I recommend taking good notes on every aspect, as it can become a valuable resource to reflect on in the future. Students need to bring safety glasses and gloves. There is a Comfort Inn off I-49 approx. 10 miles for my shop.
Damascus... It's what I do.
JW had a friend wanting to watch damascus being made. So he stopped by the shop last Saturday and watched as JW made a Texas wind billet.
FORGED IN FIRE 2017 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION
It was such an honor to be chosen to compete for America in the first International Forged in Fire episode. I am truly grateful for the win and I am so thankful for the great friendships that were forged in the process. It's such an awesome feeling to be drawn together in a common bond and enjoy the bladesmithing craft we love on an international level. JW
Cleaning up the spadroon before it was shipped to New York.
It was a wrap! 45 hours not nearly enough time to make this weapon.
My wife Tammy only had a few minutes to photograph the spadroon before it was shipped.
Forged in Fire International Competition "First Look"
On October 3 the full episode will at 8:00 pm CT on the History Channel. I hope you will join us watching it next week as JW competes for America.
Part 2
ICCE Show in Kansas City
This is a quick video of the ICCE Knife Show in Kansas City, Missouri. For those of you who have never been to one, this will give you an idea what to expect. There are so many knife makers to meet and so many supplies to buy, it takes a while to visit all the tables and booths. This year there were over 100 custom knife makers. We love going and meeting up with our friends. We hope you can join us next year. There was a special photo taken of some of the contestants who have been on Forged in Fire. JW
Headed to ICCE Knife Show in Kansas City Missouri
We are headed to the ICCE knife show in Kansas City, MO. The show opens Friday September 22 at 12:00 for VIPS and runs thru Sunday. We have a few VIP tickets left, just give JW a call at 318/425-4007. Please join us at the show. JW has 3 beautiful knives to sell.
