For the first episode in the Toby fire and steel podcast, I figure a good place to start is the beginning. Since the start of every knife maker's journey is as a beginner, let's start the podcast the same.

This week is the first of my podcast series and I speak to Shane Savage of Savage Custom Knives, who talks about what it's like to be a new knife maker and YouTuber, a bit about his background and development, and also chat about some of the pitfalls he's found, and some of the tools and help from others that have helped him on his journey.

• Shane and I discuss his background, how long he's been making knives for, and what he did before he decided he wanted to be a knight maker and YouTuber.
• What it's like to work practically with your hands when you've never done it before.
• Taking advice and ideas from others including experience makers.
• The steps of order from start to finish to complete a knife.
• What made him decide to start using resin in his handles the aesthetics.
• Shane's Steel choice (stainless or not?) The reasons for his choice and who is his main buyer and what steel would they choose.

• Shane's favorite knife type and how he feels about what he is prepared to make, depending on the client's requests.
• The choice to use Knifeprint for his design process and what benefits it affords him that drawing doesn't (find our link below).
• Support network; includes family friends and other makers, how that helps with the process and how you can make likeminded friends and repay them.
• How regularly he finds time to work on knives and work on YouTube channel.
• Shane's Facebook group Blacksmiths, knifemakers, Armourers and Leathercraft, how its growing, the reason he created it and the need of being on social media.
• Future plans and what he is leaning towards and what he sees his path being.
• Chasing YouTube's algorithm - Understanding how content creators must be constantly changing their tactics to stay relevant.
• Why Facebook's advertising algorithm is trying to get you to advertise but then won't let you because you're a knifemaker.
• What he thinks it takes to grow as a maker.
• His top tool to buy as a new maker and how to treat content that you are consuming when new.
• Shane is exhibiting at his first knife show in Brisbane 2020.

Knife makers mentioned

Nathan Toal

Lucas Mulick

Mark Roper

Companies mentioned

Alpha Wolf Forge

NTT Knives

Creative Man

Links Mentioned

TFS Knife Maker Challenge group https://www.facebook.com/groups/711126822742169/

Knifeprint Toby Fire and steel affiliate link

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.knifeprint.com%2Fu%2Fy87qj%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR235nUO3k087eIrzRRh6cdIeKKCHPnKe_CZN8OAzvY0XyrfykizY-0LLf4&h=AT0zAGSzTx8KfblYl4OsEl0KdrpAkuWB2jlbdZcK2Ow1jtNfjxxqHTalGuddV1hZhTq6R99UBfUtZwYskflb4uSionvXkVrjl6NqptDVMboOXYB0EzVGlJJNAmykASe1LFz6Hg

Guest links

https://www.facebook.com/savagecustomknives/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BKAandL/