Mark of the Maker

Our friend Nick Rossi joins the show to share insights with us about bladesmithing, blacksmithing and his life. Nick is an ABS Journeyman and is working toward becoming a Mastersmith. We discuss his craft and his perspective, and learn how his inspiration sometimes comes from places you might not expect. Together we field a little more Q&A and talk about what's happening in the maker's shops.

This time, the crew enjoys a fun conversation where we each talk about "five knives" that we think are cool. Some are historically significant, others are grails, and many are just regular knives with personal meaning. Thanks to listener input, we take on a couple Q&A questions on cooking and advice for new makers, and reveal the subject of our first interview.

Our first history episode focuses on a man who many consider The Father of Modern Custom Knives, the legendary and somewhat mysterious Bill Scagel. We discuss aspects of Scagel and his work that any maker or collector should understand, and why he is one of the most important and iconic figures of the knife world.

Our last panel intro is with collector Mark Stheiner. Mark gives us some insight into his background and how he got into knife collecting. We discuss design, knife shows, the knife community, and a shared set of interests that brought us all to a similar place.

Our third knifemaker panel introduction digs into the life and background of Michael Burch. We learn about Michaels influences, what drives him to perfect his craft, and how his love for knives put him on a path to become a craftsman.

The second of our deeper knifemaker panel introductions is focused on Sean Kendrick. Sean shares his background, his long-running love for knives and how his family is not only supportive, but a part of his business. He pulls no punches and is eloquent and well-spoken (as always) in this lengthy conversation with Tom, Mark and Michael.

The first in a series of deeper introductions, this episode focuses on knifemaker Tom Krein. We talk about life, family, knives and history with Tom, and in the end, we all come away knowing a bit more about Tom than we ever did before.

An introduction to the panel and a discussion about the intentions, goals and plans for the podcast. Some insights into what the makers have on their bench and what projects are coming up.