Warning: Proud Parent Moment!

He Makes Hand~Mades

   I am super proud of my son Josh~ he has always loved to 'make' things. When he and the girls were super little, I can remember one year they stitched little pins from felt for their teachers for Hallowe'en. The girls whipped thru theirs, but not Josh~ he sat there for probably an hour, making sure his was perfect~ each and every little stitch. His favorite series on the TV was 'How its Made', until a new favorite started a couple of years ago, which is 'Forged in Fire'.  He decided after seeing that show, he wanted to make knives....but he didnt have a forge....so our 17yr old made his own out of some kind of metal wheel thing....dont ask me, I have no idea what it came off of~ but it works!  We have a coal seam that runs thru our property, so naturally, its a coal forge.

He graduated high school last year, and has paid his own way thru the welding program at college~ who can ask for more from a teenager, right???? Oh my golly.....  He made all his Christmas gifts last year, and is just getting better and better. He goes to school in the day, works after school as a math tutor at the college, and in his free time, makes glorious things he sells to pay for his tuition.

  These are some of my precious bits! The knife at the top is not a knife, but a box opener~ this was my Christmas present last year. 

 I love the shape, and its perfect for opening boxes with

 He made this mini cleaver and left it 'primitive' because I fell in love with it this way. He drifted the hole, and I love the hammer marks. This one is definately, me

  He finishes his knives by hand as well~ he hasn't got a belt sander/grinder yet....so literally, he spent DAYS sanding and sanding this knife down to its mirror finish. Its got an exotic katalox wood handle and is soooooo smooth and comfy to hold onto

  This was his first go at decorative file work on the back . I can't imagine what he will be making in a years time from now~ but it's exciting! We may have to come together and collaborate on a special something in the future.....my gears are turning

 This last one is my letter opener...it's a little large I suppose, but he was practicing new techniques, and I fell in love with the mosaic pin in the handle......and anyways, some of my letters can be quite robust....and I wouldn't want to break a nail....ok, my nails break just looking at them, so yes, I needed this!

  Josh has been making lots of hooks for folks, its fun to watch him make these and put the twists in. One can never have too many hooks.....and I am going to copy my friend Stacey and use two of them to mount my huge early rolling pin up on the wall

I have been trying to convince him to start an ETSY store, maybe he says. If you have a special bespoke knife you have always wanted made, but didn't have anyone to go to for such, or maybe need some hand forged hooks or some really awesome tent stakes....drop him a line at jkinn51@yahoo.com , I'm sure he would love to hear from you!