Thanks for the lively discussion, gentlemen. Truly, no hard feelings. Print on a screen sometimes stinks as a way to communicate without too much mi...

If the maker drops out of sight, the value of the knife falls and they lose money. They must trust that you are committed to staying in knifemaking. ...

A bladesmith possessing a stamp, has meaning and value to the collectors. If they perceive that the rules have been softened, or that the rules are fl...

The accreditation aspect of the ABS is a service, not the purpose of the organization. Without some investment from the membership, I can only see tha...

The question you were asking, implies that there should be exceptions to the rule. The rule of 3 years that is. While it's good to have confidence and...

there will be something that you learned by taking it that you would not have learned otherwise. I learned more on my test knives than on any others. ...

For being the original antagonist of this thread, let me argue the other side to Matthew's point. According to Ed, the 3 year wait is a test of commi...

[quote name='Ed Caffrey' date='03 February 2014 - 01:34 PM' timestamp='1391456052' post='9731'] In this case, the 3 year wait for JS testing refers ...

"Either way, I sit back, enjoy the informative threads, and learn everything I can in the meantime." You bet! I've read and understand th...

"I heard that one of the Mastersmiths made a total of 14 knives from the beginning to getting his MS stamp." I heard 17, but that's what I was fi...

[quote name='Lin Rhea' date='27 January 2014 - 01:03 PM' timestamp='1390849391' post='9657'] Congratulations to the winners! I look forward to s...

Call me next time you're in town. I can't forge worth a darn, but I can put on a nice even hand finish. They keys, IMO, are largely what you've read...