Running At The Speed Of Life

Hey Ya'll! Can't believe it's been 5 months since I wrote anything here. With the summer being so long and hot it was nearly impossible to spend any amount of time in the shop. Most days I'd go out for a little while and hammer out some copper for new jewelry. Didn't do much knife work at all. WAY TOO HOT. Now with summer behind us and a beautiful fall upon us it's time to get things going again.

Leslie and I hit the road to Grand Junction, TN on October 9th for the 13th Annual Ames Plantation Harvest Festival. It was a long 2+ hour drive to get there and it was worth it. Once we arrived we had a wonderful breakfast provided by the show coordinators. Our tent was set up all by it's lonesome along a split rail fence. It turned out to be a great spot as most people had to walk past us. This was the first time we dressed somewhat in period clothing too.

You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It was sunny with a high of 85. The coolest thing was a cannon going off every 30 minutes or so. You never knew when it was going to happen and BOOM! people were jumping out of their skin. Then everyone started to talk loudly.

There was a steady stream of people all day long stopping to check out my wares. Fire Stix and Chimes were the best sellers as usual. Jewelry did well and I sold 3 or 4 knives. A good time was had by all. As it turned out this may have been a better choice than the Meriwether Lewis Festival. Our friends Doug & Claudia of Sunart Studios may join us next year at the show.

I couldn't get myself motivated to restock my inventory for a handful of days. Only problem with that is the next show is less than two weeks away. So I kinda took it easy until after Leslie left for Milwaukee on Oct. 14th. She gave daughter Jessie a baby shower for our newest grandbaby. I wish I could have gone up there with her cuz I sure do miss my kids. Things went well up north, while I spent my time working on stuff for the upcoming Alabama Renaissance Faire.

In the last week I came up with new items to sell. Diamond Knife Sharpeners with antler handles, sewing seam rippers with antler and leather barrettes for the fair maidens. We'll probably come up with more ideas at the Ren Faire. Hopefully things will sell and we have a medieval time.

After the Ren Faire it is Deer Hunting time which I'm very psyched about. Muzzle Loading starts November 6th and we'll be out trying to put meat in the deep freeze. On Nov. 13th I've got a homebrew class scheduled and it looks like there'll be 6-10 guys here for that. Should be fun for everyone. It's great teaching stuff and what could be better than making beer and drinking it too. After these guys brew a batch or two I'd like to have a beer tasting/judging day with all the different homebrews. Gun Deer starts Nov. 20th. Then it's already Thanksgiving. We shall be eating one of the three turkeys we've raised here at our place. What a wonderful holiday...no material expectations. Just people enjoying mother earths bounties, and oh yeah, hunting. The Artisans of Wayne County will be having a show to hawk our wares for christmas.

Take Care

Well it's about time that I update the Blog. The last post was 2 1/2 months ago and things have been happening.

Had my first real show on March 20th as I mentioned in the last post. The Blooming Arts Festival in Linden was put on by the Buffalo River Artisans. I only sold a few knives but my Chimes were a hit as well as my Fire Stix. You could not have asked for a more beautiful spring day to chat with a lot of nice folks. A couple guys evn brought me a BUNCH of antlers that I can use. Matt and Chad I haven't forgotten you.

There were over 50 artists, musicians and vendors set up around the courthouse and the main street. It was a busy day and lots of fun.

The Buffalo River Artisans have opened an artists Co-op in a nice shop right on 412. They are looking for artisans to become part of the co-op which entitles them to display and sell their work. I saw some very interesting work in there.

Blooming Arts Festival

My friend Randy called me the other day to inform me of an upcoming art show. As he was passing through Hohenwald, TN he spotted a sign for the Blooming Arts Festival in Linden, TN. The Blooming Arts Festival made it's debut in 2009. It takes place March 20, 2010. Randy gave me the contact number and immediately I called to find out how to become involved. A nice lady told me to go to http://www.buffaloriverartisan.com/ to fill out an application and send it in with a photograph of my work.

The application was filled out, a photo was decided upon and my lovely wife took the envelope to the post office the very next day. They post on the application that it may take up to two weeks to notify potential artists of acceptance. I can't wait to hear from them. There is lots for me to do before the show.

Knives need to have handles put on. Sheaths have to be made. A few new items will be produced to entice customers. So much work and so little time.

A New Year Ahead

Well, 2009 went by pretty quietly. The time I spent out in the shop really increased and I'm getting more proficient with my blade grinding and handle making.

November 7th, Leslie and I went up to Nashville to check out the Nashville Gun & Knife Show. My reason was to see how many knifemakers were represented at the show and how big it was. There was only one custom knife-maker selling at the show, but the show tables were all booked up through 2010. As luck would have it, the NKCA-National Knife Collectors Association was showing in an adjacent room. After talking with a NKCA board member we learned they were only showing 3-4 times a year along side the Gun & Knife Show. The NKCA did not have any knife-makers present at this show and seemed glad to have a knife-maker willing to sell his custom knives there in the future. Hopefully this will turn out to be a rewarding situation for us both.

December 12, 2009 was the first show I sold at. It was sponsored by the Artisans of Wayne County and held at the Columbia State Community College in Clifton, TN. Many talented artists and artisans were selling interesting things for Christmas gifts. I set up my table with fire stix, bullet starters and lots of knives. This being the first show of the AWC, there really wasn't a great deal of traffic. However, even with limited customers, I managed to sell 8 of my knives. Doug & Claudia Kalmer of Sunart@netease.net said they were happy I did so well and I should start gearing up for bigger and better shows.

2010 has started off with a wild cold snap. The shop has been too cold for me to work in. I have been spending a great deal of this down time on www.KnifeDogs.com knife forum. There are so much information on knife making in the forums. I'm trying to get more involved with the forums to help get my name out there.

Yesterday I got a fire going in the shop and worked for 4 1/2 hours. A lot of the time was spent tending the fire but I got 11 knife blanks cut out. That was the first time I'd been out to the shop in a week. Soon this cold spell will end and more time can be spent on my knives.

The thought of doing more shows like the Meriwether Lewis show on the Natchez Trace and First Fridays in Florence, AL has me looking for new things to make. My plan is to make some knife display stands, jewelry, leatherwork, more muzzleloading or re-enacting gear and walking sticks. Leslie bought me a 10x10 tent so I can have my products covered and maybe even look professional. Most of these venues like to have artists demonstrate their crafts, so I'm also trying to figure that angle out.

I'll try to keep the blog updated in 2010. There should be a lot to report.

ARCADIA KNIVES

My name is Patrick Burns. I make all my knives by hand with modern machinery and lots of handwork. That is to say I control the outcome of the knife not the machine. My belief is that every piece of high carbon steel has a knife inside waiting to get out.

There are two ways to create a blade, by Forging and Stock Removal. Both are viable and accepted ways of creating top quality knives. I make knives using both methods.

To me forging is a primal need. The fire soothes the soul and along with the hammer, transforms the steel into an object that has been used by man for millenia. The fire also softens the steel to work it and hardens the steel to be able to hold an edge, yet make it flexible so as not to snap off in extreme use.

The stock removal method allows for a lot more design variations. It's possible to control the overall appearance easier and to create wilder looking knives. Any knife design that can be forged can be cut out using stock removal.

The design of the knife is very important. Know what you want in a knife. If you see a style you like but want it changed to suit you let me know. Some designs are timeless and are made within certain parameters. Some lend themselves to as much creativity as possible. It is fun to put a little twist to most designs to make them special. There is no limit to what you can think up.

Knife handle materials that I like to use are desert ironwood, maple, deer and elk antler, deer leg bone and homemade micarta. These are what I'm used to using but I always enjoy trying new materials. So if you have something you'd like to use for a handle let me know. Most woods or similar objects can be stabilized before using as a handle. There are many items such as mastadon tusk, mastadon tooth and fossil oosik that can be purchased as handle slabs or rounds. Copper is beautiful as guards, buttcaps and pins...my favorite. Wrought iron is an excellent material for guards and buttcaps. Brass is the old standby and always available.

Sheaths are made for each knife from full grain 8-10 oz leather. You have the option of a plain or carved leather sheath. The sheaths are usually wet-formed around the knife to fit it exactly. They are very secure and do take some effort to get the knife out. You can even design the carving on your sheath if you like. Most sheaths are brown or black but there are many dye colors to choose from.

Hand crafted knives have a soul. Each is created with the care, sweat and fire that go into the making of a knife. If you are looking for a knife that you can pass down to your children then look no further.