C Craft
Well-Known Member
This is the best forum you will find bar none. The setup here allows for all to participate! You don't have to have a paid membership to voice your opinion, or to enjoy the comradery of your fellow knife makers. You can even sale a few knives without a paid membership as long as you don't abuse the privilege.
I was recently told on "another forum" that my participation was not needed anymore. I was told this because I had not pony-ed up the $50.00 for a paid member ship, and I stood up for what I thought was right. My opinion was stated as just that my opinion. I stated it without being a belligerent a$$!
First off not the person on the other forum, who stated that maybe they didn't need my $50.00, or no one else for that matter knows my situation. I am pretty much a private person but wanted to lay the ground work for explaining why this person does not know my situation. I am not looking for sympathy or even understanding; I just wanted to say this person does not know me or my situation!
I will put it this way! Both myself and my wife have a lot of medical issues and we are living off of a fixed income. Most months I have more expenses than I have money!
I have been disabled for quite some time and at one point I thought I would go crazy not being able to do the things I used to take for granted! But in time I learned that all was not lost and began to enjoy being able to spend more time with my family that my previous life as a construction worker had ever allowed for. In short I began to appreciate the fact I was still living and quit feeling sorry for myself. Depression can be a tough taskmaster!
Then two years ago my wife came down with an irreversible disease that keeps her in extreme pain most of the time. I had never heard of this disease and most doctors know little about it! My life has become dedicated trying to be there for her! So when I say you don't know me or my situation I am just scratching at the surface with this story.
I met a man on another web site which actually was not about knife making, but rather a Traditional Muzzle Loading site. I saw a picture of one of his knives he had made. I asked some fairly general questions about the knife and how it was made. He took the time to personally contact me and he is the real reason I got into knife making. He turned me on to this and other forum sites and has in general helped me along the path of knife making.
I have never meant this man in person as of yet but I kid him all the time, that he has become my adopted mentor! I still consider myself a newbie in this game and have been taking a slow approach to learning of the craft. This all slowed down even more after my wife became sick! However I still continue to learn about making knives. It allows me an outlet when thing are getting too me and maybe someday, if I get good enough I will be able to supplement my income. Some days when everything allows for it, I can go to my shop and it's if all the weight of the world is lifted from shoulders and everything becomes all about the knife I am working on!
The situation on the "other forum" erupted when a well known knife maker and Master Bladesmith posted a picture of a knife that he was taking to blade! This is a very knowledgeable person and well known in the knife making community, I have emailed back and forth with him at times and consider him a friend.
However he doesn't keep a paid membership at the "other forum", with out which you are by the rules not allowed to post photos of a knife!
Some other well noted knife makers where quick to point this out and the knife maker pulled the photo.
Even though I thought this was a shame I had to agree rules were rules! A few things were said back and forth that probably should not have been said by all involved and the threads quickly begin to degrade!
While trying to voice my opinion on the subject I stated, that I thought this rule about posting a picture of a knife without a paid membership needed to be re-examined as I thought it was flawed. I even went so far as too say why I thought this rule needed to be re-examined. I stated that no matter who posted a photo whether they are a newbie or seasoned veteran, I always learned something from each and every photo of a knife I examined and it would be a shame to not allow for those pictures to be posted!
Now I know there are rules at any forum and that a forum is not really a total democracy but I was not aware that stating maybe the rule needed to be re-examined was grounds for asking some one not to participate with them.
You see I haven't been banned or even formally approached with a statement I need not return. This has been my decision based on the reaction of the moderator. I do think some of the things that were said by some of the members were across the lines, even though they were in response to some bad post by others. None of the posts which started the degrading of the thread were really addressed by the moderator!
As stated, I made only two small posts in the whole thread. One was agreeing that rules were rules (even though I was disappointed that the picture of the knife had been pulled) and the other stating that maybe the rule of not being able to post a picture of a knife needed to be re-examined.
Then I also said that I had seen posts on other forums about the BS going on that forum was causing many more seasoned veterans to leave the site, and that maybe that fact should tell the powers to be something about how that forum was being run!
However when the thread got locked I was labeled as pot stirring, and he plainly stated maybe they did not need my $50.00 I would be the first too agree with that your forum does not need me or my money! However without members; a forum doesn't exist at all, and if all you want are mindless people following you well...........
Let me state one other thing about their no picture rule, it was recently posted that this was in the rules. The main reasoning behind it had to do with that some were advertising their knives by making their posts. First of all, let me state that particular part of their forum was for shop talk not for sale of knives. Second let me state that I am still learning knife making and have not sold but a few knives and I have never to date sold any of them on any forum. However I have posted pictures of my knives when someone was asking a question about how to do something on a knife and I had a picture of one of mine that had that particular feature as part of that knife. Basically as a learning tool and never in a quest to sale one of them. I have more respect for a forum and for myself than to do something like that!
Any way I am not bringing this up to start more BS ( so please do not get into a rehash of the subject from the "other forum").
I only brought this up to give prudence to the statement that this is the best forum you will find bar none. I have been around this forum long enough to watch it grow and become a leader among the various other knife forums. The members of this forum seem to have learned to not get into the drama that envelops other forums. The set-up of the forum and the rules allow for what I consider to be the best forum you will find bar none! I have seen the powers to be take pride in this forum and as well they should.
So Boss Dog take a bow and the rest off you pat yourself on the back!
I was recently told on "another forum" that my participation was not needed anymore. I was told this because I had not pony-ed up the $50.00 for a paid member ship, and I stood up for what I thought was right. My opinion was stated as just that my opinion. I stated it without being a belligerent a$$!
First off not the person on the other forum, who stated that maybe they didn't need my $50.00, or no one else for that matter knows my situation. I am pretty much a private person but wanted to lay the ground work for explaining why this person does not know my situation. I am not looking for sympathy or even understanding; I just wanted to say this person does not know me or my situation!
I will put it this way! Both myself and my wife have a lot of medical issues and we are living off of a fixed income. Most months I have more expenses than I have money!
I have been disabled for quite some time and at one point I thought I would go crazy not being able to do the things I used to take for granted! But in time I learned that all was not lost and began to enjoy being able to spend more time with my family that my previous life as a construction worker had ever allowed for. In short I began to appreciate the fact I was still living and quit feeling sorry for myself. Depression can be a tough taskmaster!
Then two years ago my wife came down with an irreversible disease that keeps her in extreme pain most of the time. I had never heard of this disease and most doctors know little about it! My life has become dedicated trying to be there for her! So when I say you don't know me or my situation I am just scratching at the surface with this story.
I met a man on another web site which actually was not about knife making, but rather a Traditional Muzzle Loading site. I saw a picture of one of his knives he had made. I asked some fairly general questions about the knife and how it was made. He took the time to personally contact me and he is the real reason I got into knife making. He turned me on to this and other forum sites and has in general helped me along the path of knife making.
I have never meant this man in person as of yet but I kid him all the time, that he has become my adopted mentor! I still consider myself a newbie in this game and have been taking a slow approach to learning of the craft. This all slowed down even more after my wife became sick! However I still continue to learn about making knives. It allows me an outlet when thing are getting too me and maybe someday, if I get good enough I will be able to supplement my income. Some days when everything allows for it, I can go to my shop and it's if all the weight of the world is lifted from shoulders and everything becomes all about the knife I am working on!
The situation on the "other forum" erupted when a well known knife maker and Master Bladesmith posted a picture of a knife that he was taking to blade! This is a very knowledgeable person and well known in the knife making community, I have emailed back and forth with him at times and consider him a friend.
However he doesn't keep a paid membership at the "other forum", with out which you are by the rules not allowed to post photos of a knife!
Some other well noted knife makers where quick to point this out and the knife maker pulled the photo.
Even though I thought this was a shame I had to agree rules were rules! A few things were said back and forth that probably should not have been said by all involved and the threads quickly begin to degrade!
While trying to voice my opinion on the subject I stated, that I thought this rule about posting a picture of a knife without a paid membership needed to be re-examined as I thought it was flawed. I even went so far as too say why I thought this rule needed to be re-examined. I stated that no matter who posted a photo whether they are a newbie or seasoned veteran, I always learned something from each and every photo of a knife I examined and it would be a shame to not allow for those pictures to be posted!
Now I know there are rules at any forum and that a forum is not really a total democracy but I was not aware that stating maybe the rule needed to be re-examined was grounds for asking some one not to participate with them.
You see I haven't been banned or even formally approached with a statement I need not return. This has been my decision based on the reaction of the moderator. I do think some of the things that were said by some of the members were across the lines, even though they were in response to some bad post by others. None of the posts which started the degrading of the thread were really addressed by the moderator!
As stated, I made only two small posts in the whole thread. One was agreeing that rules were rules (even though I was disappointed that the picture of the knife had been pulled) and the other stating that maybe the rule of not being able to post a picture of a knife needed to be re-examined.
Then I also said that I had seen posts on other forums about the BS going on that forum was causing many more seasoned veterans to leave the site, and that maybe that fact should tell the powers to be something about how that forum was being run!
However when the thread got locked I was labeled as pot stirring, and he plainly stated maybe they did not need my $50.00 I would be the first too agree with that your forum does not need me or my money! However without members; a forum doesn't exist at all, and if all you want are mindless people following you well...........
Let me state one other thing about their no picture rule, it was recently posted that this was in the rules. The main reasoning behind it had to do with that some were advertising their knives by making their posts. First of all, let me state that particular part of their forum was for shop talk not for sale of knives. Second let me state that I am still learning knife making and have not sold but a few knives and I have never to date sold any of them on any forum. However I have posted pictures of my knives when someone was asking a question about how to do something on a knife and I had a picture of one of mine that had that particular feature as part of that knife. Basically as a learning tool and never in a quest to sale one of them. I have more respect for a forum and for myself than to do something like that!
Any way I am not bringing this up to start more BS ( so please do not get into a rehash of the subject from the "other forum").
I only brought this up to give prudence to the statement that this is the best forum you will find bar none. I have been around this forum long enough to watch it grow and become a leader among the various other knife forums. The members of this forum seem to have learned to not get into the drama that envelops other forums. The set-up of the forum and the rules allow for what I consider to be the best forum you will find bar none! I have seen the powers to be take pride in this forum and as well they should.
So Boss Dog take a bow and the rest off you pat yourself on the back!
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