John Brown
9173 E. La Palma Dr
Tucson
Arizona 85747
USA
My grandmother told me when I was maybe 12 or 13 her grand parents met in Boston on the docks just off the ships from Ireland and Scotland. It seems they were recruited by the Abolitionist society to go to Kansas Territory. To get a land grant and vote anti slavery for the new constitution for new the Kansas state entrance into the Federal Republic in January 1861. Her grand father was born in Ireland and raised in Scotland. Archibald McRory and Bridget, no last name was every told to me, but county Cork was mentioned. We have always been aware of the Irish part of the back ground. The Brown side married into the Tucker side. Grandma said her farther still spoke Gaelic, his name was Thomas Tucker. the grand son of Archie and Bridget. My mothers side of the family always claimed to be Scots Irish.The names are Meeks, Moore, Cochran, Black. The Meek's came first, in the early 1600's, indentured workers in Delaware then slowly moved down the Atlantic coast to Georgia. The Moore's immigrated from South Carolina to Georgia in 1750. I don't know but I suspect the Moore's were part of the first Elisabeth's plan to settle the unruly Irish. Don't think it worked very well. They could have fled Scotland with the Highland Clearances. the Names have a connection with some of the Highland Clans. Mac Donald , Gordan, Mac Laran. I have no idea where Cochran came in, but my mothers middle name is Demeteris. I did a search on her full name and came up with a Demeteris Cochran who signed the articles of separation for Georgia and the Federal Republic. The family names are in the 4th Georgia Cavalry rosters, so there were some real rebels there. One of my mother's cousins was a genealogist or we probably wouldn't know this much.
It is possible i will get better, at least I hope so. but the most likely course of history says not. We might stave off death for a while, I will try hiding when he comes calling. I am not a young man any more (61) and have seen my share of life. While I can't claim Death is an old friend we have met on occasion. I was in the Navy for twenty years,spent three of them in the combat zone of Viet Nam.
I traded my fifty caliber air rifle to the owner of Air Guns Of Arizona plus an old 22 cal Falcon Air Pistol for a new Air Pistol called the ranchero, made by FX airguns of Sweden.
The 50 cal has a range similar to the 38 cal pistol the energy is close, it shoots a round ball bullet at 790 feet per second with 250 foot pounds of energy. I still have the FX Trantula in 22 and BSA 25 at 18 flbs not to mention the black powder guns and modern rifles and pistols. As I like to shoot both air rifles and black powder guns.so I make what I think period knives would look like when they were fairly new and in good using shape. I do sell them but also give them to friends. When that is done a Morgan Silver dollar is asked for. It is the old thing about not cutting the friend ship in two. My favorite silver dollar from 1878 through 1922, the Morgans are just hard enough to find in good shape to make it a bit of work for them. This way they will remember my work. on.
Here is a scan of the knife I am working on. I started it at the Arizona Knife Collectors Show last year in November. I did a demonstation on forging to shape at the show last year. I started with a bar of L6 it was 3/8 inch thick one inch wide, and about six inches long. The blade is 8.125 inches long. 1/4 inch thick. and 1 3/8 inches wide, add 5 inches for the Sambar stag. I will set a 1820 type copper penny replica in the pommel. I am having some cast for me. I might even do it in silver.
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Here is a couple of scans raw blades and one knife I designed and Barry Dawson made for me. I don't know if you can see it but the serial number is 001 the knife is well used i have had about 10 years. I don't do hollow grinds.
You can see its a similar blade shape as the ones I forge for myself.
Here is a scan of the four silver arrowheads I have had made, plus two blades as well as the latest carry knife I made for my self.
I like to have the blade edge ground high on the blade. On a small knife if the edge has a deep curve towards the point then it does not work all that well for utility use.
I have an old Machete that was made in Mexico, I have had it since I bought it new in Tijuana in 64. It has been through the wars a time or two, bent, straightened, and hammer sharpened more than a few times. The steel is not that hard, so I use my favorite hammer on it, and cold forge the edge back into shape. When it was newer the blade could cut through a two inch sapling with no problem. I had to replace the handle last year the horn broke ,so I found a good branch from a ironwood tree with a natural bend to it. I believe the steel is maybe a 16th inch thick and just over 2 and a half inches at its widest and point heavy. I was told it was a banana knife when I bought.
Its 09/08/2007. My fingers are numb now, from the chemo treatment. I can't do any work that requires fine motor control. I am reduced to the hunt and peck method of typing now with the first finger of either hand. Other than that I am ok, I stopped the treatment and that is ok too.
Last Sunday I did a crash and burn on my TW 200 Yamaha. very little damage to the TW, but lots of road rash on my right side. Blood thinners don't help the skin stay when I do much of anything. Seems sometimes all I have to is look at the skin to have it bleed. Picked up a new hobby, I am now roasting my own green coffee beans, then grinding them
Its 25/02/2008. I'm doing as best i can. I have a new appendage stick out of my side now. A rubber tube but no duckie. This is to drain the fluid build up in the belly, Starting a new chemo on tuesday.
Its 26/02/2008. I started the new chemo today. I think it is going to be a hard one. Six hours in the doc's office then I go home with the pump attached to me then come back in the next day. Its experimental and not much hope it will do me any good.
I haven't stopped making knives though I can't forge no more. Here is a photo of my new kitchen knife. The bamboo handle came from Wayne Goddard's backyard. The blade was bought from one of the places who advertise in Blade Mag and I did do some small amount of reshaping and the blade is beveled on both sides.
