An itch in my eye.

One of the things that I enjoy the most is the work that individuals put into what they love, their passions. I go to car shows not to see the cars, though I enjoy those too, but to see the work and care that someone puts into restoring, modifying, or building one. Seeing the medium that makers and craftsmen and craftswomen use to express their passion will always fascinate me. This brings me to what makes my eye itch. I have seen custom knife makers create some of the most beautiful knives, literally works of art. Once at the Blade Show, I watched a maker take a knife off the table, sell it for more than $1,000, slide it into a cheap $10 sheath and hand it to a customer. I was dumbfounded, I asked that where he got his sheaths from, he told me he bought them from Mexico in bulk. I just walked away. If you are going to put the time into learning a craft, learn all of it. Fortunately I was able to learn leather work from a couple of Master saddle makers, Brad and Gary McClellan of Vernal, Utah. They own Dry Fork Saddle Co, and are partners in McCall Saddles. They taught me all the ins and outs of working leather long before I got into knife making. I think though, I would have learned from anyone that would have taught me as I think the sheath is as much a part of knife making as the knife itself. I like to tell my customers that they are purchasing a product from us that will be able to be handed down to their children, including the sheath.