Everyone talks about the stress of the waiting outside the room as stressful. for me the hardest part was the interpretation of the guidelines set down by the ABS as to what the judges wanted to see.

Even though I have sat through 2 of the judging standards classes given by Joe Keeslar and B.R. Hughes I still had a TON of questions

I am not a good test taker this is one reason why I didn't do well in school I freak out get uptight and generally don’t do well. At a certain point doing the knives I just said to myself this is the best I can do so I just need to get it done and stop worrying about what the judges want to see and just make knives

I have to mention Jason Knight and Butch Sheely for talking me down on several occasions without them doing that I’m sure the knives would have ended up over the hill in the scrap pile

Where I live I am not close at all to a Master so I couldn't jump in the truck and show what I was working on to anyone without driving for at least 12 hours round trip. So for me the phone and Email was my only option. In saying that the knives that Sam turned in is a testament to his ability to make superlative knives bar none

I made my knives in just under 6 weeks

My advice to smiths going for the JS

Don’t bounce the last knife off the floor of the shop when hand polishing a clip it leaves DEEP scratches

Hello All

As I look back, on the process of completing my five knives, the best way to describe it is enjoyable,(doing a craft I thoroughly enjoy), Frustrating, ( when things don't go as planned ), and rewarding when you succeed.

The process to complete my knives, took a whole year. I continue to work full time, making it difficult to put the hours needed to complete my knives.

There is a whole list of people I would like to thank for their encouragement and help, Butch Sheely, Mike Williams, J.R. Cook, Joe Keesler, Greg Neely, Jerry Fisk, Brian Thie,and my wife, Suzanne, just to name a few. Thank You All!

Suggestions to new comers to the craft.

Attend a Basic Introduction to Bladesmithing coarse at one of the three ABS Schools.

Attend as many Hammer-ins as you can.

If your not a member of the American Bladesmith Society, join , and you will find a lot of very talented people willing to help.

The ABS Forum is an excellent source for answers to your questions.

Russell

Every bladesmith is different. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and come from varying backgrounds, experiences and skill sets, so the path to Journeyman will be completely unique to each of us. That said, I've learned a lot about myself as a maker going through this process, and perhaps some of these lessons can be useful to other makers as well. So here's a bit of what I've learned along the way.

Lesson 1 - Seek professional help!

I used to pride myself on being mostly self-taught. Nowadays you can learn quite a bit from books, magazines, and the internet, and living up here in Northern Vermont makes it hard to just take a quick road-trip down to Old Washington or swing by the shop of the Master Smith across town (there aren't any Master Smiths in my state). I've also always been very hesitant to call a Master Smith and ask for help because in many cases this is their livelihood and every minute spent on the phone with a "student" is another minute away from their work.

But every ABS maker I've ever spent time with has been helpful, generous, and more than willing to teach. In fact, many of them rather enjoy the company - it can be lonely business working solo in the shop all day. And on the few occasions I have been able to visit bladesmiths in their shops I've had no shortage of "A-ha!" moments - little things that can make a certain process faster and more effective than the way I had been doing it previously.

There are no secrets in bladesmithing, but there are smarter ways of doing things, and you can learn a lot of incredibly helpful tips and techniques by watching people who make their living doing this. Keep in mind, professional bladesmiths can't afford to just make a few knives a year in their spare time, nor can they churn out a substandard product and maintain the customer base necessary to sustain their business. So they learn to do things well and they learn to do them efficiently because they have to.

So if you have an opportunity to learn from a professional, seize it! There is no pride in being self-taught if it results in your being inefficient and unsuccessful!

I'll take the opportunity here to thank Dan Farr, Burt Foster, and Jason Knight for welcoming me into their shops and teaching me countless small lessons in bladesmithing along the way. Without their help I would still be struggling to make a passable knife...

Lesson 2 - Plan ahead

If you can make your JS test knives without tearing off at least one guard or handle and starting over, or leaving at least one or two blades on the bench because they didn't come out quite right, then you are either very good, or very lucky. Moreover, if you're anything like me you'll agonize over every little detail on these knives and work more slowly than you usually do. So if you think you can make 5 good knives in 3 months, give yourself at least 6. The last thing you want to do is rush through your fifth knife and screw something up just before the judging. Trust me on this.

Lesson 3 - Don't lose your head!

State of mind is an important, but often overlooked component in art and craftsmanship. If you get worried, impatient, frustrated, or exhausted you are more prone to making mistakes and more likely to lose your passion, motivation, and enjoyment. This is why planning and time management are so important. Sometimes you really do need to step away for a bit or work on something else. Perseverance is a valuable trait to have, but if it comes at the expense of a healthy state of mind it can cause things to spiral downward very quickly. So take your time and do it right and try not to lose your head in the process.

Lesson 4 - Don't get discouraged

Even the best bladesmiths in the world made some ugly knives at one point. Had they allowed themselves to get discouraged and abandon their craft, they never would have become the successful bladesmiths they are today. We all need time to learn, and many of the lessons we acquire come at a great cost of both time and effort. View these costs not as a loss but as an investment. If you ruin a knife you've put many hours of work into, or if you fail the JS judging after putting in so much time and effort, know that you are now a better maker for it.

I speak from experience because I also failed my first time around. It was difficult, but I learned from it, kept at it, and improved myself until I was ready to come back and try again. And here I am today writing you you as a Journeyman Smith in the ABS.

Lastly, if anyone reading this would like to visit me in my shop or just call and ask a question or two I would welcome and encourage you to do so. Education and sharing are what the ABS is all about and I consider myself fortunate to be able to play a role in that mission.

Great post Derrick, thank you. I will echo one of your points, give yourself plenty of time. You are looking at every little thing on these knives, and time will go by fast. It is one thing you do not want to rush.

Again excellent reply Derrick. Thanks.

Brion

There are many valuable point mentioned so far. Derrick's post speaks from well earned experience as well as the others.

I would ask this: Did you find that the five test knives in particular pushed you to new discoveries? Techniques, tools, thinking, etc.?

Also, I have heard knife makers say this: "I don't need a stamp to know that I can make a good knife". I know you've heard and perhaps said it at one time. With that in mind, why did you decide to pursue the JS stamp?

I ask these questions to enhance Dan's original thought, not to sidetrack. Thanks

Thanks guys! As there are so many paths up the mountain, I often wonder how long folks have been making and how many knives they made to get to their 5 JS ones.

Good questions Lin. I am interested to see the responses. Lon, did not bounce it off the floor, but the zipper in the case ate the very end of the point off. Talk about frustration. Two days before Atlanta and the MS judging.

Thank you all for responding.

Brion

hi everybody,

I will try to do my best to answer in english, i live in belgium, i speak french, so sorry if i make mistakes.

I started doing knives in 2005

The ABS adventure begon for me when i met joe keeslar, Doug Norren and Bert Gaston during the pascal Mangeneot's hammer-in in France in 2007.

It was a great encounter because all is about sharing, no secrets.

They gaves me the motivation to join the ABS and maybe one day to try cutting test and js. It was at this time just a dream.

I went 3 times to this hammer_in and one day i have asked to Joe if i could try js, he answered to me : yes.

So i started to make a few cutting test, and passed it in France in 2012.

To do my five judging knives i had first to learn about the american style because my knives are very differenst so i started to check books, internet...

I learned a lot with the joe Keeslar's book : handle and guard.

To do the five kinves it takes me a few month but i have no idea how many hours.

I work slowly and always take my time because it's a passion, it is not my job.

To answer to Lin Rhea: i learned a lot: new style of knives, more finition, i have worked a lot with stones to finish the grinding, and especially to always do my best to become better.That's why i decide to try js

My advice to the futur js is take your time,always have fun!

When all the knives were ready, it was time for me to take the plane and discover this great experience.

What i will always remember it's all the nice encounters that i made during the show,and your hospitality

I want to thanks Joe Keeslar and Suzanne and all the people who make my dream come true

A special thanks to my boyfriend Michel, my mother and my friend Cricri who always believed in my work.

Hello all,

I'm Jean louis and news JS

I live in France and sorry for my english.

My ABS experience is almost the same as Véronique so we decided one day to make this experience together and support each other.

So I thank her and all those who helped me.

I want to thanks also Pascal Mangenot ("JS" France) J.Paul Thevenot ("MS" France) and Joe and Suzane Keeslar.

The road is tough but so exicting both technically and human.

My advice for the apprentice who want to try "JS" it's: Take your time and Trust!

If you see a default on your knife, the jury will see it too!

So go back to work untill it is perfect for you.

Good luck and the adventure is just beginning

I'm really enjoying this thread.

As I and you well know, the pursuit of the JS stamp means a lot more than bragging rights. It is a struggle within one's self involving the reasons for wanting it and the honest evaluations required to transcend what we were yesterday. It is a mark of excellence that is recognized and commands respect. In that pursuit there is no barrier of gender or language.

|quoted:

There are many valuable point mentioned so far. Derrick's post speaks from well earned experience as well as the others.

I would ask this: Did you find that the five test knives in particular pushed you to new discoveries? Techniques, tools, thinking, etc.?

Also, I have heard knife makers say this: "I don't need a stamp to know that I can make a good knife". I know you've heard and perhaps said it at one time. With that in mind, why did you decide to pursue the JS stamp?

I ask these questions to enhance Dan's original thought, not to sidetrack. Thanks

yes they did push me to figure out new ways of doing things.. i figured out how to bring the edge straight down with no round at the heal something i have struggled with since i first started. its a small thing but it was part of my path

WHY i went for the JS. that is a question with not a easy answer. i have said it elsewhere on the forums did i need it to sell knives? no i am very fortunate in the fact i don't have any inventory at all and to be honest im not a big rule follower either

for me it is a sign of quality from days long gone when things were made by hand with skill, and also its the closest thing we have to the old world metal workers guild (without the secrets)

if you saw my knives they were all done in maple i was asked after the test about my selection of wood my response was "Bill Moran built a empire on curly maple" it was kind of a smart ass response to the fact i was trying to show my respect and honor to Bill who i never met but wished i would have

and lastly i went for the stamp because i wanted it

also there are about 4 or 5 knives in the scrap barrel that didn't make the cut soooo about 50% failure rate and one beautiful spear point that warped so bad you could have used it to carve wooden bowls

I made up my mind to try for ABS judging a few years ago. I liked the idea that it gives me something to shoot for. I could easily have been satisfied with the knives I had been making and selling but I found that working on blades for judging significantly improved the quality of my work.

I was very fortunate to be getting involved with the ABS about the same time they were setting up shop in Waynesville NC. I always enjoy my visits to Haywood community college and the people who work there. The semi annual smokey mtn hammer-in there is a fantastic bargain at 60 dollars. There I had the opportunity to sit in on classes and to talk with ABS Mastersmiths and veterans about every aspect of the craft I attended a two week basic knifemaking class hosted there in 2010 and taught by Greg Neely and James Rodebaugh. I recommend it. There is nothing like getting out of your regular routine and doing intensive study to bring you a long way in a short time.

I made several starts on some test knives, but it didn't really happen until I put myself under pressure. When I did my performance test in the spring, I had a few blades made that I thought were going to be test knives, but only one of those blades made it to the table, all the others had small problems that couldn't be efficiently fixed. I continued to hammer out blades, and many of those I discarded as well, but working all day every day in the shop, my blades were noticeably improving. Like the bladesmithing school, the intensive study brought me far. My knives for the Blade show were all completed in about two and a half months. Many of the posts say not to hurry, and I didn't, but I stayed with it to the exclusion of everything else. My lawn turned into a jungle, my shop is a wreck, and my garden looks like crap and now that I'm done, I'm trying to catch up on those things that I've been neglecting.

After the judging, was the critique. It wasn't hard to listen to because although I was proud of my knives, I knew they weren't perfect. Mostly, they beat me up on design. Design is hard for me, I'm more of a craftsman than I am an artist so imagining a shape before I make it is difficult. That's going to be my next area of intensive study. I will be making wooden knives, carving out models until I develop shapes that teach me what I need to know. I know that for most of the mastersmiths that I know, I can identify the maker by looking at the knife, their shapes are as distinctive as their own personalities. I can't say that about my knives yet so I look forward to finding my style.

BTW...I recommend the bladesmithing school. But It's necessarily expensive as is the travel involved. For me it was only possible through a grant from the NC Arts Council. So for those like me of fixed or low income, connecting with your local arts council may be the ticket. They give away thousands of dollars every year to artists to fund education and projects and I think they liked my application because it represented something different from what they usually supported.

Go for it!

John Hege

I'll start by saying I'm probably one of the greenest makers that tested. I've only made about 36 knives, including my test knives. I had a lot of help/critique from mastersmiths here in Arkansas. My test knives took about three months to make. I cut right down to the wire on getting them done...work kept me from the knives more than I would have liked. I believe I'm making better knife now than when I started. My advice to anyone testing is to push yourself, do better work than you've ever done before, and unlike me, allow plenty of time to get the job done.

Ben

Im going to give this a go, I don't post much because I stink at writing anything.

I started making test knives the day I found the ABS online and joined, I knew I wanted to be a JS then if all goes well then an MS.

I still have some of those knives in various stages of completion, the early ones are pretty bad. Most ended up in the junk bucket.

The advice I always give when asked is this, If you forge a blade and its not right, throw it out and do it again.

If you grind that blade and its not right throw it out.

If you fit a guard to that blade and it's not right, knock it off and do it over.

And so on and so forth untill every thing is right.

I think most of us have a hard time giving up on our hard work, and it is very hard work to make a passing knife. For me it is anyway.

All of this tossing out of your hard work will teach you something though, first repetition is a good way to learn, second it will force you to do your best the first time.

The next advice is stated over and over above but it is important. Have better makers than yourself look at your work.

I think this is the most important thing. Like Derrick, I was mostly self taught, and took a lot of pride in that... at first.

I now understand that I could have greatly shortened the time it took to learn a lot of things. I also felt like I would be bothering busy knife makers and generally anoying them.

The truth is these guys for the most part put themselves out there and say hey call me, or come on by my shop when you can. They get on this forum and others and share tips and tecniques without a second thought.

In other words, get help, its out there and mostly free for the asking.

Also stated above, give yourself lots and lots of time to make your test knives. I needed five, I made about twenty give or take.

When I went to show or hammer in I would have as many JS and MS makers take a look as I could, then ask if it would pass.

Learn from the critique, don't let it bother you, you already know every speck or gap on that knife anyway, or should.

Get a good optivisor and wear it so much you find yourself at Wal Mart with it on.

Get good lighting, look close, the judges are going to.

I also want to thank Brion Tomberlin for all his help and avice, also Mike Williams for his TOUGH critique.

Greg

PS> sorry for the misspelling and horrid punctuation, I'm an uneducated oil field hand/knife maker.