I only do that pin pattern on my personal knives and then only on micarta or smooth horn handle materials because it is too much trouble to do on stag. But I like stag because it is a traditional hunters knife material. It is on my favorite knife and the one I use most often.
I have never sold a knife and never will. I made many for my hunting friends and their sons and gave away those I made that I was not satisfied with the way they worked. It takes me so long to make a knife that if I charged minimum wage, it would be cost prohibitive. It is a labor of love far as I am concerned. I want it as good as I can posssibly make it and if it does not meet that standard, I don't keep it around. I guess if I did it for a living and had a shop all set up to do it I would get better at it and do it faster, but it's just something I got interested in as a hunter who owns his own camp and kills more game than the average Joe out there. And I usually end up having to skin, gut, and butcher game for friends who come to camp because they don't know how or are not prepared to do it. I am amazed at how many guys come to deer camp and don't even bring a knife with them. WTF??? I was not happy with the Buck knives (not to pick on them because I have a Buck Stockman) or most of the other mass produced knives that are available with the exception of Puma's made in Germany. I have and use two big Puma folders. They will take and hold an edge. I couldn't afford a Randall or Loveless, so I had to resort to making my own. As they say: Necessity is the mother of invention.
I am not sure if what I do is right, but it works. Other than what my friend with the machine shop taught me about different steels and their properties and how to harden them, I have not had any instruction. I took a series of photo's building my last knife. (I say it is my last knife. Maybe that is right and maybe not.
) If you are interested, I'll post a few and you can comment on how I did it and maybe help speed up how I do things. Or not. Right now, the itch to grind steel is not upon me, but it is always out there ready to jump on me when I am not looking.
