For over twenty years I was a custom-order jeweler, and then one day several years ago I went "middle-age crazy" and decided I didn't want to do that any more. My wife asked, kindly, just what it was I did want to do when I grew up. You guessed it...I told her I wanted to make knives. The question did come up as to whether or not we could support ourselves with my making knives instead of jewelry. (Frankly the diamonds and gold biz was good to us.) Since there had been an overlap of a couple of years making jewelry full time and making knives on a very limited part time basis, it was something of a big step to go to knives full time. It is also a step that I am profoundly glad I made.

I made my first knife at age 12. It was ground from an old file, without benefit of annealing first, so you know how brittle the thing was. And it broke pretty quick. Now, talk about a lo-o-o-o-ng learning curve...I made my next knife at age 28. For a couple of years I made nothing but butterfly knives, some for friends, some for sale. And then I got into the local Scottish community. When I started to wear a kilt, I felt like I needed a good sgian dubh (pronounced "skeen du", the small knife in the top of a Scotsman's sock.) Most of the sgian dubhs that are made "commercially" are merely knife shaped pieces of junk. After I made a sgian dubh for myself and when people at the Highland games I attended saw what I'd done, a good many of them wanted one as well. One thing led to another, and I started to make traditional Scottish dirks to go along with the sgian dubhs. Today, as a full time bladesmith, the bulk of my income comes from "men in kilts."

In 1971 I was married to Brenda Davis. Probably the best thing I ever did for myself. When we met, I was completely crazy. I was just back from 2 years in Vietnam as a combat Marine and recently discharged. She saved my life. She has been companion, friend, lover, and supporter to me for all these years, standing beside me even when I lost my senses and decided to be a bladesmith. We have two sons: Shaun, 18, handsome and musically talented and off to college this fall. And David 11, a red-hot baseball player and all around good kid.

In 1997 I was introduced to the forge and have been ruined since. In 1998 I joined the ABS and in June of this year recieved my Journeyman's rating. The next knife I make is one I want to be better than the last one I made. The one after that I want to be better still. And I'd be happy to build one for you.