Finally Back at the Forge!

Well after taking a long break I am getting some work done:)

I had the preforms sitting around for over a year now...and have been meaning to get them forged....and finally did. I forged one each day for the past 3-days.

My initial thought with these was to do three different finishes to the blades to have as an example of the different levels of possibilities for my knives. Now I am not 100% sure what I will do, it's just the artist in me. At this time, I think I will do two with Honyaki clay heat treatments, and one just a straight edge quench with possibly a simple satin finish.

Stay tuned & I will add in images and comments to this post as I go along on these.

-DON:)

A Colorful Start to 2014

Well the end of the year brought some serious changes in my life and I gave myself about a month to reflect on life, love and the business of teaching and making knives.

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One thing I did manage to get done was to have a bit of the wonderful Maple I had stashed stabilized and dyed. Stabilization for those who do not know is a process of taking a fairly light and porous wood and submerging it in a thing acrylic resin under a vacuum, thus impregnating it with a material that "stabilizes" it. 

I had this maple wood but found it to be a bit too light in weight for my knives, but the stabilization process results in about a 20% weight-gain..... AND you can dye the wood too making the grain really pop, and the overall joy and uniqueness of a knife that is made with this type of material on the handle can really be striking. I posted an image of a Damascus slicing knife I did to illustrate how great this can look on a knife.

Anyhow, time to get back to it. 

AND what a colorful year it will be!

Tiber Canyon Ranch Holiday Craft Fair 2013

Well it's that time of year again! 

For The the Tiber Canyon Ranch Holiday Craft Fair.

one more weekend to go, so come visit with your family and have FUN!

It has been a really busy year for me with new additions to my shop and new knife designs too.

>>> I send a BIG THANKS to all of you who came out to the first weekend of Tiber Canyin Ranch Holiday Craft Fair and bought knives!
It is a Blessing to me that my knives find loving-homes and are being given as special gifts, so Thanks again to all of you who supported my craft and appreciate my work.

We have one more weekend to go! NOV 3oth & Dec 1st  >>> 11AM-5PM Sat & Sun

I invite you to come out and visit and enjoy the fun times and see all the other amazing talent that is there and to enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new ones.....and of course eating some awesome food that is there when you feel peckish.

Below are some of the knives I have created for this years fair. Some of these have been sold already, but I have plenty of paring knives still and the Beautiful Norwegian Spruce French Knife that so many oogled over is still here, and all the utility knives, the top one will have some engraving on the copper bolster next time you see it as Bill Rice is creating his magic on it this week!

I hope to see you all there!  :)

Please look beyond the images of my knives to read more about all that is happening at this years 

Tiber Canon Ranch Holiday Craft Fair!

Imperial Utility Knives. The Top one SOLD (Thanks Mike!) but the sweet little pink one on the very rare Vintage Eastman Kodak Pink Tennite is still here as of this writing. 

These sweet Tribal Utility knives are a hit! I'll make more for next year. 

The bottom on sold (Thanks Cricket!) 

But the top on in the beautiful Maple Burl is till here as of this writing!

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Annual Craft Fair and
Glass Blowing Extravaganza

Two Weekends

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

November 23 & 24  

and 

November 30 & December 1 

11:00am to 5:00pm

We hope you can make it out to the ranch to enjoy the day browsing the creations of over 30 local artists.

Edible offerings include

award-winning Tiber Canyon Ranch olive oil,

Chaparral Gardens amazing flavored vinegars,

Nibbles yummy cookies and

delicious Tropical Chocolates.

On-going glass blowing demonstrations will take place throughout the day by various local glass blowers.

Artists showing work at this year's show include:

Ceramics:  Eddie Cosko, John Rose & Janice Stone and Paula TeplitzBlown Glass: Chris Anderson & Will Carlton, Rich Lasiewski, George Jercich, and Rubi GlassBook Arts: Michelle Saber

Concrete Planters: Lisa Knutson

Fiber Arts: Lorraine Conlen, Nancy Lehman, and Suzi ThomasHerbal Products: Elfin Herb FarmFused Glass: Melissa Campbell and Rich & Kersti LasiewskiJade Sculpture:Oceans Art Jade

Jewelry: Shannon Len, Rich & Kersti Lasiewski, Margareta Lund, Lustrous Metals Jewelry, Ocean Arts Jade, Maggie Pickering, and Briana SheanMillinery: Cari BourquinMosaic: Sharon CollinsMetal Arts: Harold Collins, Brian Bennett

Metal Engraving: Bill Rice

Hand-Forged Knives: Don Carlos Andrade

Hoops: Briana Shean

Silk Painting: Cathy Orduno, Claudia Wagemann, Beverly Johnson and Eileen Stegeman

Oil Paintings: Debra Sievers

Repurposed Art: Cork Couture, Janelle Younger

Weaving: Ayers Handwoven 

Wooden Furniture: Robin Anderson (first weekend only), Barn Boy (second weekend only) 


Will Carlton and Chris Anderson
Tiber Canyon Ranch
280 W. Ormonde Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 781-0827

Best of Show for Custom Kitchen Knives @ The Caliofrnia Custom knife Show 2013

This is the first time I have received an award for my knives and I felt really Blessed to have had this honor bestowed on me over this last weekend.
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It was really great to see all of you who were there & to visit more makers than I had the chance to at G5.

I invite you to take a look at this Blog post to see much better images of these knives.

I took a poor quality shot today in my shop of the knives and the award.....but just had to share with you all, and give...

>>>many thanks to The USN Crew, for all of your Love and Support,

>>and Thanks and Respect to Dan Delavan of Plaza Custom Cutlery for producing a really fun show!

>>> And Most of All I thank my Mentor Tai Goo for his continued Mentorship, Friendship and support. I would never be making knives if this level if it were not for his teaching me what he knows and being there for the technical assistance and supportive friendship that it takes to make fine knives of any kind. Thanks Tai!

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Blessings of Health and Goodness to All of You !

-DON:)

Two of the Finest Made to Date.....

...Well at least that's how I feel about these two knives.

TO ME these are the FINEST Stick-Tang Chef knives I have created to date.
Why?> Because of how they feel in the hand, the blades themselves, the handle design..... well just everything about these two just came out to be spot-on!

The W2 blades that heat treated out really wonderfully and the handles are a mortised construction of African Blackwood and Vintage Westinghouse Ivory Micarta.
>>>These two knives also represent the adaptation of the Wa-style handle that I tweaked into a new creation in terms of shape that I am very happy with and
will be applying on most of the stick tang knives I will be creating from now on.

I guess I just really like these two knives!

.....and know that they are going to be wicked performers for whoever get to own them.
They will be on my table at the Plaza Cutlery Show (California Custom Knife Show) next month.
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The blades are on the French knife 9" and on the Gyuto 9.25"
As stated the handles are African Blackwood and Westinghouse Micarta in a Mortised construction, with Matching inlay.
Etched surfaces show the differential heat treatment.
Fairly simple looking knives.......but.....

.............Simple is never simple!

Thanks for looking.

-DON:)

What's been Happening Since G5 ?

...Well I have been getting caught up on some orders, and making some more of the Tribal-Wrapped Chef Knives.

Lately I have been feeling like a vacation would be a fun thing....but only in my mind at this time I guess...

So First off I have two paring knives. one being my very first in Stainless Steel (AEBL aka > 13C26) and one in 1095.
Both of these were for customers, the one in AEBL with the desert Ironwood is going to a couple for their wedding present gifted by friends.
The One in African Blackwood is going to a local customer.

Next I have a variety of chef knives. All with etched surfaces, two with some interesting Hamon lines from clay heat treatments.
The top knives are in 52100, one with a mortised-construction composite handle of desert ironwood with matching inlay and super-kiln-baked maple burl.
Then one with African Blackwood with Honeydew G-10 inlay & rosin-impregnated tribal wrap.
....don't ask me about the "tribal" thing...it just sounds good and is sort of non-traditional for chef knives & I have been liking the look lately.

The two larger knives are both in desert ironwood with ebony inlay and rosin impregnated wrapping.
Each of these knives exhibit some interesting hamon lines.
I included a close-up of them for you to see.
Lots of alloy-banding as Tai calls it in the transition-zones.
To me it appears to, through the forging process and many many thermal cycles, to have developed a bit of a wootz-like patterning.

OK Enough Gab. Enjoy the images.

"knives take time to make">Period.

It was awesome to see who I did at The Gathering! I missed seeing lots of you because I was there solo.

>>>Note to self, do not do shows and sit your table SOLO.

Blessings of Goodness and Health to You All this Holiday Season

-DON:)

Walton Wedding Knife Set

This is a beautiful Set made for the Walton Family for their Pearl Wedding Anniversary.

The knives are forged to shape out of 1095 high carbon tool steel and exhibit walnut handles and pearl inlay. The blades took a particularly beautiful heat treatment line, and the whole package is just stunning! A BIG THANKS to Jennifer and her family:)