All About Pocket Knives

Hi everyone,

I'm going to have to stop taking in anymore work for a while. My waiting list has grown so long it's starting to worry me that if new work keeps flowing in, I may never get caught up. Work with me via email or PM about future knife work, but please don't send anything until I can honestly say I'm ready for more work. I owe the long waiting list to many of the good folks here at AAPK and am grateful for it all. I'd just prefer that the future work stay with the owner for now and not on my workbench. Thanks for understanding!

I understand Bob. I am about in the place myself.
The word of mouth from AAPK members is the best advertising!

I am having my right knee replaced in September and I have several repairs on my bench now. I hope to have them all caught up before surgery, but I think it will be close.

Good problem to have Bob but I understand your dilemma. I will continue to stockpile my "send to Bob" knives and when the log-jam clears I will send them your way. Happy summer! Tom

bestgear wrote:Good problem to have Bob but I understand your dilemma. I will continue to stockpile my "send to Bob" knives and when the log-jam clears I will send them your way. Happy summer! Tom

And I'll be glad to do them for you Tom. I just need some time for the smoke to clear and let the dust settle.

I feel you pain also. Over the winter, I had quite the backlog, didn't think I would ever get caught up. Thankfully, I have to a certain extent, and have a manageable workload now.

And like you and Dale, I owe my success in part to the fine folks at AAPK!

Glenn

glennbad wrote:
And like you and Dale, I owe my success in part to the fine folks at AAPK!

Glenn

Very true Glenn!

Curious what constitutes the majority of your day-to-day type of work?

SteelMyHeart85420 wrote:Curious what constitutes the majority of your day-to-day type of work?

If your question is directed to me, I've been known to do some pocket knife repair when needed. I've had to slow down a bit lately though.

Elvis wrote:

SteelMyHeart85420 wrote:Curious what constitutes the majority of your day-to-day type of work?

If your question is directed to me, I've been known to do some pocket knife repair when needed. I've had to slow down a bit lately though.

That would be "Excellent pocket knife repair".

Not only does Bob execute fine knife repairs but he also creates heirloom pieces as evidenced by this 1880's Excelsior that was in rough shape when it landed on Bob's workbench.

Yes, I knew pocketknife repair was what you did, I'm standing in the wings hoping to purchase your old stiddy when your new one is heat treated. My question was regarding which type of repair is your "bread-and-butter", so to speak. What do you find yourself doing most of? Re-handles? Pin replacement? Backsprings? Nosey, 'cause I'm interested in the field. That's a nice fix on that knife, bestgear, thanks for sharing it.

Unfortunately my new stiddy hasn't been delivered yet. When it does I'll need to have it heat treated then the old one (which is still in good shape) will be available to you. I'll be reasonable on the price and promise you that you have dibs on it. It comes in handy whether I'm pinning new handles onto a knife, hammering new pivot and spring pins into place or just tightening a loose blade. I went without one for a while and can tell you they definitely make life easier if this is the kind of work that interests you. Personally, I prefer a restoration to a repair, but quite often the parts for a true restoration aren't available so I try to make the changes as attractive as possible. Like the guy on "Pawn Stars" says, "You never know what's going to come through that door". It's pretty much the same with knife repair, so be prepared to roll with the punches and adapt for each new problem you see. You do have one huge advantage that I didn't though. I learned everything through trial and error, while you have AAPK with some very talented people willing to share what they've learned over the years. Better yet, there are no judgments made here and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Bread and butter work? Mostly older Case Knives now that the factory doesn't stock any parts unless they fit a current model with the tooling they are using today. As you can see from Tom's (Bestgear's) post, I don't limit myself to just Case. The rehandles, pin replacements and blade and backspring replacements you mentioned are always in demand. Please let me know how else I might help.

Waaaaay off topic but Bob, I love your signature.

Thanks Jerry! I knew some would understand, but was equally sure that some wouldn't. If you're a Star Trek fan and have a basic knowledge of electrical theory, it's actually pretty funny. Thanks for noticing.

Aww, I think it's amusing as all get out.

Excellent response to the question, I understand exactly about "what's coming thru that door". I've done appliance service for just shy of forever, 10 different problems can be described the same way by 10 different customers, or 10 different customers will describe the same problem 10 different ways....ya never know. Thanks.

SteelMyHeart85420 wrote:Excellent response to the question, I understand exactly about "what's coming thru that door". I've done appliance service for just shy of forever, 10 different problems can be described the same way by 10 different customers, or 10 different customers will describe the same problem 10 different ways....ya never know. Thanks.

And after you mail the knife back, the anticipation for the customer's response to what you've done always leaves you wondering what else you could have done to make it better. You can be given a reputation or you can earn and build one. Given ones are usually bad while a reputation earned is done through hard work and lots of practice and experience. Even though I shy away from the praise I receive, I continue to strive for a deserved reputation for doing the best I can. I wish you all the luck possible with your new hobby (that's how it started for me) and best hopes for building a reputation for fine craftsmanship. I hope to be here for any questions you might have as others have been there for me.

I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and have verified it's not an oncoming train. I can finally start taking in some repairs again and will still do the occasional custom job now that I've been able to take some time to get caught up. I'm sure AAPK members haven't suffered much because of my break since there is so much talent here to turn to, but it's really made a difference to me in what I can now do without having to rush. My sincere thanks to everyone for honoring my wishes and I look forward to being able to contribute something besides advice once again.

Doesn't seem like you really got much of a break, must be that you were able to work down what was already piled up. Hope you're rejuvenated!

Not sure I'd go as far as to say rejuvenated, but I have lightened the load considerably. When they come in at the rate of 2 or 3 per week, it's pretty easy to fall behind.