Mert Tansu started as a college Basketball player who switched gears to the surprise of his family and started a career as a chef in fine dining. His passion for cooking brought him from Turkey to the US and on to his final destination in Australia. The natural progression from cooking to knifemaking made him one of the most respected knifemakers among his peers. It was a great talk and we covered a lot of ground in a shortened podcast.

Follow Mert Tansu on Instagram :

https://www.instagram.com/tansu_knives/

and:

https://www.instagram.com/huntervalleyblades/

listen to his podcast with Kev & Corin:

Knifemaking Down Under

https://www.instagram.com/knifemakingdownunderpodcast/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bob-kramer-on-knifemaking-downunder-we-do-our-best/id1476631954?i=1000501342318

and follow them on Facebook to join in the live recordings. its way worth it to get the interactive experience.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Emiliano Carrillo is the Bladesmiths' Bladesmith. Respectful, mindful and determined to learn. 

Emiliano is bright, charming and very conscious of history and his own intention. As a young child playing with clay he was looking for anatomical accuracy and his completion of truth. As he grew he gained the skills to make what his mind wanted including pursuing his fascination with swords. From incorporating Bladesmithing into his college major, to smelting iron in Iceland, Emiliano has packed it in. We covered a lot of ground including his time on "Man at Arms: Art of War" and becoming the 2 time Battle Champ. It was a true pleasure.

Follow Emiliano on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sunandstarsforge/

and you can pick up some of his work here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/sunandstarsforge/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jonathan Porter & Ben Snure Join the podcast to tell Cowboy stories and and horse around.

This Black Friday Special has been in the works for months and we prevailed against technical issues and rescheduling to bring you Ben Snure and Jonathan Porter! Both working Cowboys who two told stories about all the real things that Cowboys do. I sat back and asked normal questions a city person would ask clearly. Fun stories, and emotion revolving around the love and care for animals. Find out how Ben deals with naked trespassers, Jonathan deals with beer laden burros and the ins and outs of rodeos.

I finally picked a winner for the Isotunes ear protection and we had an overall great time.

Follow Jonathan Porter of Doghouse Forge on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/doghouseforge/

Buy knives from Doghouse Forge here:

https://www.doghouseforge.com/

Follow Ben Snure on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bensnure/

Buy Ben's hammers here

https://www.well-shod.com/products/snure-rounding-hammers-6231.html

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Leah Aripotch: Mother of Monsters brings the heat and complexity to a complicated world. 

Leah Aripotch is an extraordinarily talented Sculptor. Her detailed work in steel allows the viewer to shed the shackles of the craft and dive head first into the narrative. Her hyper-realistic depiction of the nature being punished by humanity begs the question: 'who is the real monster'.

This was a fun episode where we covered the despicable art world, labor intensity, and growing up on the weird peninsula of Montauk, Long Island also known as "The End".

Follow Leah on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/leaharipotch/

and her website:

https://www.leaharipotch.com/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Andreas Kalani has had a harrowing voyage to be such a positive spirit in the knife making community. 

Born in Tehan after The Iranian Revolution, Andreas Kalani made his way to The United States to become an extraordinary Knife Maker, Artist and American Citizen. This episode covers a lot of ground including the Golden Kalani, and fleshes out my good friend who never gives up and has one of the most positive spirits in the knife making community.

follow Andreas on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/andreaskalani/

and visit his website:

https://www.andreaskalani.com/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Don Nguyen is one of the most well regarded knife makers in the United States. The lines, style and execution defines Don's very recognizable work. We talk about his love of car design and his time in Engineering school on a formula 1 student race club where he became the project manager for the team. How did his time there inform his current direction and methodology to become a knife maker to grace the cover of industry magazines? We cover his love of food, his Jaguar heap and scurry through the murky world of Piranha ramen.

Follow Don on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/donnguyenknives/

Check out his website with links to all the articles he's been featured in:

https://www.donnguyenknives.com/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Set Photographer to the Stars and my old podcast partner arrives to bring me to tears and set me straight!

Niko Tavernise is the Hollywood Set Photographer who has taken the still shots on films like: Joker, the John Wick movies, Spiderman 2, The Irishman, The Post, Moonrise K ingdom and Black Swan to name a few. Before his rocket ship career took off he and I had a dopey podcast about 10 years ago called "The Downward Spiral", where we would show up to each others backyards with beer, talk about what's going on and then investigate weird news stories on the internet. As the intro said "We start off strong, then its downhill all the way".

This episode after a 5 year hiatus is the best DSP by a mile. Age has mellowed us and some of the stories we talked about brought me to tears of laughter. Niko is one of the most fascinating people I know and is one of my greatest friends. He has an open invite to "cast" as he used to say and I can't wait till he comes back.

Go follow Niko on Instagram for one of the best pages with all the iconic pics you've already seen:

https://www.instagram.com/nikotavernise/

Niko's IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851734/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tyler Bell is a unique young man who works for an Aerospace company as a problem solver-and in his spare time is a Youtuber where his focus is split between trying to solve a problem of a direct nature, like how to put toothpaste back in a tube, and designing furniture. His enthusiasm is infectious and his methods are approachable. Based on the materials & techniques he uses you can see he's learned a few tricks working on Airplanes. Great guy fun conversation. I hope his parents let him have a forge and anvil for the family Garage. If you want me to talk to them or use me as recommendation you have my number.

Follow Tyler on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tylerbellmakes/?hl=en

Subscribe to his Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL0FT83RjTWCmc6n9lLojmQ

Follow his Cousin Tanner on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/not_an_average_gtr/?hl=en

Subscribe to Tanner on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TannerArbuthnot

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, I’m all alone after losing John & Cliff’s audio! I recount the funny crazed cook-off with one of the best chef’s in America: Charlie Palmer! Plus my self-sabotage and wriggling out of humiliation when real perspective hits. Don’t worry- I know what I’m doing. 

I’m also doing a giveaway with this week’s sponsor Isotunes! Listen to the episode for details! 

Follow:

@chefcharliepalmer on Instagram 

@isotunes on Instagram 

 @thefullblastpodcast on Instagram

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Adam Balkovic has had a life of self-determination. One foot in front of the other, Adam made choices that led him to be the Owner & Head Knifemaker at BiltSharp MFG with his Awesome wife Jackie. He is one of the most talented people in Knifemaking whose knives combine elegance of form, contrast of color and excellence of execution. It wasn't easy in the beginning....just ask Sister Edward Marie.....that was a spicy meatball.

Follow Biltsharp on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/biltsharp/

Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter (there are a couple of knives up for sale too):

https://biltsharp.com/

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy