We get together with Friends of The Show Nick Rolfe and Billy Cho to talk about their recent Pacific Northwest Custom Invitational show and how it went.  They share some great insight around what it takes to put on a show and how the PNWCI show has evolved over the last three years - what's gone well, what hasn't and their constant desire to improve the experience for makers and collectors.  Share your thoughts with us in our Facebook group at the link below, interested to hear what YOU thought!  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

As they say: Better late than never!  Mark, Tom and Michael talk about Blade Show 2024 and share some observations and overall perspective on how the show seemed to go this year.  We talk turnout, "feel" in the room and how things have changed in recent years.  Share your thoughts with us in our Facebook group at the link below, interested to hear what YOU thought!  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Sean and Mark get together with Jarrod Franklin of Gunfighter Customs.  Jarrod served in the USMC and started out building knives for those who serve and today builds customs in a variety of styles.  We talk about how he got started, his path through life and into knifemaking and some of the impacts his father Mike Franklin (of Hawg Knives) had on his love of knives from a very early age.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Designer, creator and Friend of The Show Andrew Bawidamann joins us for a chat about his work, how he got into knives, and how he found his way to what he's doing now.  Andrew's path is a unique one, from fashion to marketing, to his passion in art, and into knives, holsters, and The Doughboy. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Did you enjoy our previous episode about the weapons of Warhamer 40,000?  If so, here's another for you to check out - and if not, go back and listen to the first one!  Sean takes Mark and Tom on another journey into the grim darkness of the future, diving into the lore and some crazy weapons from that game and its massive ecosystem of accompanying literature.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Dive into a fresh picks episode with us!  For this one, we pull in some unusual or obscure pieces in a few different categories.  Obscure doesn't mean junk, just things we dug up from various dusty corners of the internet and our old knife books.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Tom and Mark chat about Tom's experience at Blade Texas 2024 and how that show went.  All accounts suggest Alicia and team did a great job so we talk details and walk through the awards presented at the show and some of the great makers who submitted pieces for consideration.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Dr. Larrin Thomas joins us for a well-overdue visit to talk about his book The Story of Knife Steel: Innovators Behind Modern Damascus and Super Steels. It's a fantastic book and one you should add to your collection, with an incredibly deep and well-researched pile of information. Larrin walks us through some great stories about various steels and the people behind them. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

We kick off our 7th (!!) season with a look back at shows, trends, and some things we came across that we really enjoyed.  There's also some talk about 2024 and what some of our hopes and aspirations look like for the coming year.  Be sure to share your own goals with us, we'd love to hear them.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Do you sometimes get cash from folks for the holidays?  We do, so we wrap up Season 6 with a picks episode with some things we might pick if we had some "gift yourself" money to spare.  Four price points and some gear we like.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.