All About Pocket Knives

I just took my first vacation in 20 years and I got to say it was worth the wait. A lot of you know my appreciation of Herman Williams Schrade knives but for those of you who don't, he was Schrades in house customizer for 23 years prior to the bankruptcy and at 82 still works on Schrade knives as well as others occasionally. I have over 200 of his knives in my collection and over the years we have become good friends through Emails, phone calls and more recently skype, but have never actually met. I flew down to North Carolina this month and spent a week with him. Zane, a fellow collector and good friend to both Herman and I drove down from Georgia and spent a couple days so I finally got to shake his hand as well.

posing with the master I'd ordered 3 damascus "sharpfinger" blanks so getting them handled was the first order of business. Herman had some Schrade factory stag scales that had been pre-drilled with shield already in place. The scales had been drilled for a lanyard which I'm no fan of so we tried something new and filled in that hole with a couple pieces of mosiac pin.

20 years ago when I lived in N.C. my good friend Garney Hembree had me over for Christmas. His 10 year old son Heath, saw that I didn't have a present to open so he went into his bedroom and took his prized Rebel Flag off the wall and gave it to me as a Christmas present. That boy's generosity made a heck of an impression on me. Garney and I hadn't been in touch since then but I managed to track him down before I left home. I sent him some pics of my Bowie collection and me mentioned how his son had always wanted a good user Bowie. It just so happened that I had an old Western W49 sitting in my nightstand drawer. I'd bought it years ago out of the trunk of some guys car at a yard sale and she was pretty rough. I sent it ahead and when I got down to Herman's we worked on cleaning it up. It was sure a pleasure to say "thank you" to that young man 20 years later. a couple years ago bought a set of pine cone an acrylic scales at the Oregon knife show. Finallly found a knife they would fit on. I had this Buck Bowie shipped to Herman so we could get her re-handled

Some of the goodies I picked up

A Schrade Cut Co, Imperial Coin Knife and an old Hammer Brand shell knife from the Schrade ssample room that someone had attached a P38 can opener to.Also 3 sets of jigged bone for a future project I have in mind. For those of you who are wondering..yes I got to see the bone jigger that was built in Schrade machine shop in action but Herman made me swear an oath to never reveal that secret. All I can say, it wasn't anything like I had expected...it was better.

Awesome pics and great story Doug!

Thanks Doug for the pictures and the narrative. Quiet the honor and experience.

I have to say it was a real privilege to be present for a long weekend with Doug and Herman. About as much fun as a Schrade collector can have and I appreciate very much Doug's invitation to join in. Herman Williams is an amazing man with a set of stories to match his skill with knives. A true gentleman in every sense of the word.
It was my honor to shake hands with both of them!

What an interesting post! I've read Mr. Williams name many times on the forum and Doug, your pictures and account made me feel like I was right there watching and listening as you were! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Treefarmer

Very cool visit, thanks for sharing the pics! I have a couple of his customized knives also, so I'm a fan!!!

Great post, thanks for taking the time to share.

Thanks for the wonderful story Doug
Well worth the 20 year wait.
The p38 can opener attachment is a ingenious idea. How about a "Skate Key?"

Fantastic. What a great opportunity for memories and momentos
Good looking knives you can away with.
He has a great looking buffer set up.

That jigged bone is top shelf.

That must have been an amazing time.

That's wonderful Doug As much as I like Mr .Williams customs ,Watching him and interactions would be just priceless .Lucky Guy

Thanks for all the good words everyone. KeenCut, you hit it on the head..what I enjoyed the most was the afternoon at Herman's camper eating BBQ on the deck and listening to the stories with the sound of the crick in the background.
It was a week I'll always remember and would be awful hard to top...but there has been some talk of the 3 of us meeting up in Atlanta next year for the Blade Show....I'm keeping my fingers crossed

WOW Doug, you have had the most amazing adventure imaginable. To be a knife guy and to be able to be involved with Herman to that degree is beyond belief.
You have experienced what any knife man would delight in doing....spending a week with the "King of Knives".
Doug, i am extremely jealous of you and Zane being able to enjoy the company of Herman & Norna, and hang off Herman's every word.
Distance prevented me from joining you guys, but i am enjoying the feedback on all the stories and experiences that you were privy to.
Prior to your trip you had a very good idea of the household you were going to visit, and by all accounts you weren't disappointed in any way.
Many thanks for sharing your visit with us. It was most enlightening.
Tony.