| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - January 05 2012 : 6:31:32 PM
Y'all familiar with Orvis, the fishing gear/outfitter/clothing merchant? Well, they seem to have a new product line.
quote:
Daniel Winkler specializes in forged cutlery created in the tradition of an era past, complemented by the unique leatherwork of Karen Shook. Daniel and Karen craft each item in its entirety. Each hand-forged piece bears the DWinkler touchmark.
The history of early America has intrigued Daniel for as long as he can remember. It was this fascination that prompted him to make his first knife in 1975, as part of an effort to authentically outfit himself with the equipment of an 18th century woodsman. Since that time, his interest in history and his desire to make knives have continued to grow.
Daniel became a full time bladesmith in 1988. His inspiration continues to come from frontier America - a time when the equipment a person carried meant sustenance and survival. He strives to be innovative, while maintaining a recognizable style. His goal is to make tools of uncompromising quality that will last a lifetime and survive as heirlooms for future generations. Through his work, Winkler hopes to preserve the heritage of utilitarian art and to promote the legacy of America's Founding Fathers. Winkler had the honor of producing knives and axes for use by principal actors in the epic motion picture Last of the Mohicans in collaboration with director Michael Mann.
Daniel has received several awards over the years, some of which are listed below. In addition to these honors, he is a Voting Member of The Knifemakers Guild, as well as having achieved the status of Master Bladesmith in American Bladesmith Society.
Awards
* 2009: MOST INNOVATIVE DESIGN, Blade Show, Atlanta, GA - An original design for a rescue extraction team that is now used by military, law enforcement and first responders throughout this country and abroad.
* 2002 "Best of the West" Best Knifemaker. Presented by True West Magazine.
* 1998 BLADE Magazine "Best Utility Hunter". This knife was subsequently awarded Blade Magazine's 1998 Blade Handmade Award.
So, rush right out and buy yourself a knife and hatchet!
The knife is only $495, and the hatchet is only $595. But if that is a little too pricey then you can simply contact Jeff Miller in Maine and get some for, maybe, $100 each, and they will be authentic replicas of the real stuff. |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lane batot |
Posted - January 06 2012 : 11:31:44 AM
EXACTLY James--no way would those folks have spent anything like that equivelent for such tools/weapons! In indulging my interests in American Indian culture, I tend to look at stuff for sale(usually horrendously expensive in catalogs, or in "Trading Posts" on reservations--and just DARE to try and "trade" anything at such posts except white-man dollars! I always try, just fer joking sakes! I've also always wanted to go to a "Tanning Salon" with a bunch of green, smelly, bloody deer hides, and ask in mah bestest hillbilly accent "How much tah tan these here hides?", and revel in the reaction I git!) and then just try and make it myself! I iz way too po to even think about affording such rip-offs! Wouldn't want to support it if I could! And there I was, throughout the filming of the Fort Seige, and Massacre Valley, with my good ole Buck Knife on my hip(well camaflouged by my handmade-by-moi Indian-looking sheath), which is one of the best, toughest, and most practical knives I've ever had! And STILL have(though I've worn out several sheaths over the years), and is still my main "woods knife"! |
| James N. |
Posted - January 05 2012 : 8:09:45 PM
The Winkler crap reminds me of the Old Saying, beloved of Farbs everywhere,
"If they'd 'a HAD it, they'd 'a USED it!" |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - January 05 2012 : 7:38:11 PM
Not exactly surprised Fitz, - after all Jeff's from Maine, ... ;) Nice looking stuff BTW, ... |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - January 05 2012 : 6:42:59 PM
And while on the subject of Jeff Miller, I wanted an authentic 18th century tomahawk. A friend had an original that was excavated from the site of Braddock's Defeat in Pennsylvania, so we sent it to Jeff in Maine and he made four copies. Even hafted them. And I wanted a musket tool just like the one in the Fort Ticonderoga museum. He made me two from a group of photographs I gave him and they are a dead ringer! The guy can literally make anything. He even makes the locks for flintlocks when an exact copy of a particular one is not available from the usual suppliers. I only wonder what he could have done for LOTM if he had been the one selected for the job. Of course, Mann would not have let him do it correctly because it did not fit his "vision". |
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![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
