Thanks Kevin, I really appreciate your comments.
I am trying to make the best performing blade I can. Unfortunatley sometimes I have to use what I can get ahold of and what I can afford.
There is nothing wrong with struggling, I think just about all of us have had to struggle at one time or another, the main thing during this time is to learn everything you can! Become a spong! Absorb as much info as you can, make a notebook, and write down everything you want to do and know, and when you come across some good info, write it down in your notebook! A really big thing, is to write down any questions you come up with, then search the internet, books, as many resources as you can find, a note about the internet, there are so many "experts" on-line, it is mind boggling to believe that many people have the techinical knowledge they claim, don't take just any info from just anybody as the end all be all answer, LEARN WHO IS RELIABLE! Kevin Cashen is reliable, you have an incredible wealth of info right here in this one guy! Search all you can to answer the questions you have and if you can't find the answers to your questions then you should ask those questions on forums like KD. With KD being the best! It is an opinion, but I feel like you will be recieved better on this forum than the others out there, sometimes the others surprise me (meaning their actually nice...more like a shocker if they were), most of the time they seem to do their best to make people feel dumb! That's my perception, you draw your own conclusions. But once you have done as much research as you think you can do and found as much info as you think is available, then ask your questions on Knife dogs. I feel that if you show that you have done some leg work that you aren't going into this wanting to be spoon fed, you will get a much warmer welcome, plus you'll be able to show that you are invested into this thing as well, Knife making for most of us is a passion, with that passion comes a responsibility to help the newb's! I've been a newb for 4 years, I really don't know when I won't be one, the amount of information needed to make the best knife you can is...let's just say that the learning curve in knifemaking is SHARP! My favorite pun! But it truly is, I had to submerge myself into all things knife making, my poor wife gets that glazed over look in her eye when I start talking about it, my poor son, well, he's kinda like my partner in crime, he's not into as much as I am, at 13 he has other interest, but by submerging yourself, I mean always having something to read, magazines, books, always have something that has knives in it, and not just any knives, I mean custom hand forged knives, when you can't read any more, start studying the knives themselves, observe how the blades flow along the spine, notice how the handle transitions from handle to guard to blade, look at as many of these type knives as you can, and notice the simple things about how the maker made it, think about what the maker was thinking when he designed it, man I can keep going with how I have gone about this obsession, and if you need anything, if I can help, I'll tell you I can, and if I can't help, I'll say that as well. If I know the answer to a question, I never mind helping ANYONE! If I don't know the answer, I don't mind being quiet and letting those with the knowledge speak up, the only thing wrong with not knowing something is if you refuse to learn, now everyone won't have knowledge about all things knife. There are those that have more knowledge about certain aspects of the craft while others are more knowledge able about other areas. That is why this forum is so great, there are so many guys here that are willing to share their knowledge, that in itself is a gift, you can unwrap this gift by trying the search menu when ever you have a question FIRST! That should always be your first step, there is a wealth of information in this forum. Like I said, no one will mind answering questions, but if you show some effort, some due dilligence on your part, you will get a much warmer welcome, and lot more info than you expect, anything you need or want to ask, you can PM or send me an email, I don't mind any questions, just keep in mind that you'll limit your knowledge base by about a - (negative) million times!!!! Rex