I tell folks that some have 20-20 vision. I have 20-20 memory. I remember 20% of what I should for about 20 minutes.

So, with that in mind, here is a story. You can choose to believe it or not.

I have always had an affinity for knives.

Back when I was a Yonker one of the first times I ever got in trouble and one of the few times I've ever purloined an item was a 3-blade pocket knife. I musta been about 8 yr. old at the time.

Back then Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett were a boy’s hero’s.



My uncle was an exterminator. Our next-door neighbor (who happened to be a LEO) hired him to exterminate his house. The officer worked day shifts and left the house open for my uncle. I wonderd in and saw the knife and ciped it.

I took it across the street to the ball field and opened the blade at each end and did the Jim Bowie thing. Naturally about the second time I threw it, a blade broke off. I was screwed. I took the knife and hid it in a culvert.

A few days later my dad came to me and set me down on the swing set in our back yard.
He told me that the cops in Houston were looking for the person that took the next door neighbors knife, and that when they caught that scoundrel he would be put under the jail house and on bread and water.

I confessed, showed where I’d stashed the knife and had to go fess up to the neighbor. He was not happy, nor pleasant IIRC.


My grandfather was a barber, so I almost grew up in a barber shop in the mid fifties through the early sixties. Many a time I’d watch him peel an apple and have one long continuous peel.

Knives fascinated me then, and still do so to this day.

I did not start actively collecting until around 2000 and hunting the Texas hill country. In east Texas there were a few hogs and no deer, so other than ducks, squirrels and rabbits, not much skinning experience did I have.

Once I started hunting the hill country and killing a number of deer my choice of skinning knives began to evolve.

At some point I chanced upon a Knives of Alaska Combo that led me to their Yukon Belt Knife, D2 steel IIRC.



I was just getting into custom knives when I came upon some pix of Gary's knives. Probably on Blade forums.

I contacted him and sent him this pix......



I asked him if he would replicate the belt knive but put an edge about 1" long at the tip. I told him I wanted a working knife, not an art knife. This is what he came up with.



Satin finish blade, Micarta Scales and functional socket set screws that would allow the scales to be removed for cleaning.

Shortly thereafter I asked him to do a bird and trout........

Told him I loved Desert Ironwood and Cocobolo. This is what he fashioned.




IIRC in converstion the topic of doing another "Canadian Belt Knife" came up, but I told him I wanted something a bit more artsy-fartsy. He told me he made what he called his "Oklahoma Belt Knife.

He sent me pix and after a bit of palaverin' he sent this one to me.







I don't think he makes knives anymore. Last Facebook post was 2021.

He did good work and I would have loved to own several more.

We are diminished.


ya!

GWB

Any of you guys interested in knives need to go to Jantz Supply on the web. Build your own or buy from them. They have it all.

I like knives but have zero interest in making one. I’ll just keep giving the experts my money

Years ago, say in the 60's and 70's one would hear the refrain, "support live music, hire live musicians"

Hint.......


ya,

GWB