Hello from N/E TN mtns

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Black Dragon Forge

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Hi..I am Michele von Bergen.(Chele for short) . I just found this group...So far i like it.
Ive only been forgeing a few years..as i started in 1987.I still have alot to learn...FYI..Jim H. helped me make my first knife then i went to ABS school where Jimmy Crowell and Jerry Fisk taught me to do it the ABS way.then in 1988 Bill Moran taught me how to damascus (Pattern welded steel)...Then i worked at (late) Bob Loveless shop and bob and Jim Merritt helped me more..also the southern california knife makers members helped.my other mentor was the late Bob Engnath whom i miss dearly as he gave 110% of his time to help all.

My friend jimmy crowell said one day at his house while i visited him.."You have studied under so many great makers..." I responded "how else can i get better than you?" lol..

My thoughts have always been..that every knife maker or bladesmith can teach me something..it may be a new way or a way NOT to do IT (lol) or have a product or tool i never knew about.

I have put up a shop on my 8 acre mountain top after so many years gypseying it here and there part time..now i have a permanent shop..its a 35x60 arch steel bldg and i love it as it will not burn..ive been building seperate rooms for different medias so not to cross contamanate things....it has a concrete floor with a 20'x15' forgeing pit with crushed tn blue stone dust to stand on..my feet love it and if/when i drop something it does not break on concrete.

I have a new forge that a great friend Doug Merkel (a master blacksmith) just 20 miles over the mtn from me in NC made me..Rather than smoke up the shop with heavy metal residue and hard time getting good coal im sticking with propane...I learned with coal but as i do damascus i can control the O2 to prevent scaling and reduce impurities into my steel.So ill just sell off a great side draft forge never used..

sorry i got long and windy.lol not meant to bore anyone

Chele
Semper Fi USMC-1963-68
 
Chele,

It sounds as though you sure have "Been There, Done That"!!! You listed several of my heroes as your mentors and one of which I have been fortunate enough to become very good friends with (Jim Crowell). To say that I'm jealous of your life experiences would be an understatement.

Welcome to the pack and I really look forward to seeing examples of your work.
 
Welcome Michele! You have rubbed elbows with some big names. I was reading Jim's book (if we are talking about the same) 20 years ago and I still enjoy seeing him post on one of the knife forums occasionally, although I think he likes to keep a low profile and I don't call attention when I see him. I read that book so many times I feel like I know the guy, he's an anchor in the industry to those who have been watching it for a while.
 
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thank you murph....Jimmy has a HK-91 i traded him for a bowie .lol...thou im still waiting for it...jimmy good people....as im a old fart the people i know/known could look like who's who in the knife world lol..sad to see so many going thou...ill get pictures up soon i hope.
 
hi justin....yes i am...Jim Hrisoulas or "the demented one" as many of called him lol...bob engnath gave him that name...he use to live just north of Los angeles before he moved to vegas..hes a lone wolf..but he knows how to forge knives for sure..he told me one time.."forging a knife easy...to forge a sword is the most humbling thing" boy he was right..
 
I would like to run into him one day, if fate smiles on me like that, and talk about swords for a little while. Forging a sword is usually what a kid has in mind when he picks up Jim's book, after all! Grinding a couple of little knives on a 6" bench grinder put that in perspective pretty quickly....all these years later I still haven't got there yet because I know all that work will be a waste if I try it too soon, and when I die it may still be too soon. I'm proud of some of the places my knives have been, though, and in a way I owe that to Jim.
This conversation takes me back to the days when you had to buy a magazine (or Jim's book) to read about knives...
God bless!
 
thank you sandy..im rusty ...spending most of free time on new shop.or online...I am hopeing to learn from many in here..i see many that surpass my skills at the moment,,be warned ill pick many people in here mind as im always wanting to learn more.I also have done fine woodworking,finishing,cabinet making,carpentry,pottery,leather worker,all types of jewelry,stained glass,trying to learn welding a must in my field...my real passion is learning more on different types pattern-welded steel,mosaic damascus ,anadizeing TI+NOB and mokume gane...to me those 4 areas in metalsmithing is what drives me..I call them snow flake making steel...no 2 are the same..however im always willing to help out when i can..

semper fi
chele
 
lol i fully understand about his books...he came out with a great book when few knew anything or ever did a book like he did...I got interested in knives from him,,,with other interests people always kept things to them self,,STATE SECRET BS...drove me to knife making..so many where willing to show or tell me what i needed to do.Back in the mid 80's there was so few making knives never mind forging them....bill moran and jimmy lyle told me in 87 there was fewer than 25 bladesmiths back then...(thou im seeing many now claim they was ummmmm)lol..i was as far as i know the only bladesmith ever to work at bob loveless shop...bob did planing and sheaths it was jim merritt that did all the knives few know that...jim a sweetheart a true great guy.i do hope he and bobs lovely japanese wife can work out a deal to keep the shop going.

gads guy you live not far from him...a few hour drive you could chat with him i bet...hes a big SCA guy...
 
Welcome from the opposite corner of the Great State of Tennessee! I got to meet Jim Crowell this past weekend and I can only imagine what he was like decades ago! lol
 
Thank you

Jimmy is good people...He was my teacher in 1987 at old washington ,Ark...As i owned then Wild Geese Gun shop in El Cajon calif a para military gun shop then we hit it off well.(.El Cajon was where Buck knives was and paul bos worked)I saw Jimmy and his new wife at troy ohio hammer in 2 years ago..
 
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Hallo Pieter, hoe gaan dit met u?

Dankie for the welcome..Its been a long time since i was in the Veldt..I miss it somewhat lol..

Are you a Knife maker or bladesmith? I have dutch and german blood in me lol.
 
Thank you Chele I appreciate your words of wisdom on my intro. I am not to far from your neck of the woods ( Ft.Bragg) to be exact . I will be looking forward to reading your threads , I to love the beauty of damascus steel and have started to stock pile as much as I can afford each month . I can't wait to see some of your work...
 
Welcome to the pack.. Great intro! I look forward to seeing your work and learning some new tricks! :)

Its a Knife Life!
Randy
 
Hi Chele

Welcome here @ the pound!! Damn with the entire "Rich" knife making history and legends you worked and are Buds with I would love to see some of you’re work!!
I do some forging and stock removal, most of the time Monster size Golok`s or spears and some knifes!!:9:

Groete /Greetings from South Africa

Martin Schutte
 
Black Dragon Forge said:
Hallo Pieter, hoe gaan dit met u?

Dankie for the welcome..Its been a long time since i was in the Veldt..I miss it somewhat lol..

Are you a Knife maker or bladesmith? I have dutch and german blood in me lol.
Click to expand...

Dit gaan baie goed Dankie. (It is going very well thank you)

I am a knife maker will look into forging in the near future.
 
NP bobby...I must warn you thou...."MAKING KNIVES IS TOTAL HABIT FORMING once you start .LOL RAOTF..It can be dangerious if your not on your guard..machinery will eat you up and spit you out and look for more with out a second thought..Im a huge saftey freak..i only have one old body so im one that forges or does most work wearing a north half or full mask with hepi filters as so many things are acumative and add up later to get you if you don;t do things safely..When i first started (1987) If anyone told me id have to learn how to ,Weld with different types eqt,be a leather maker,wood worker,jeweler,solder and so forth, it might of scared me off lol..but years later i love it and am a spounge to new ideas and things...When i get the inside of my 35'x65' shop (steel arc bldg) done your welcome to come visit,more than glad to help .As im now rated total+perm disabled (combat PTSD+hearing loss+ringing in the ears),im ok )with the VA+military i have a Mil Id so i can get into bragg .ft bragg the closest mil base to me but still a haul (350+miles +/-)..Do you plan on grinding or forgeing knives?..look for book in amazon .com..best place imho...as your in the army i know space is limited,so hook up with a local knife group or blacksmithing group in your area...forging knives is a riggid thing if you want to do it right and that you must...i do blacksmithing for fun plus it has taught me things i take over to knife making......artist and craft people (most are) are willing to help or share info if your really sincere....not like other hobbies etc its sort of what drew me to it thou i always like knives.

Im always looking for camies and mollie gear lol...
 
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