8/22/2006

Things have been pretty busy in the CKG shop.  There has been a lot of interest in shotgun barrel modifications lately.  I’ve done several screw-in choke tube installations as well as barrel porting and forcing cone lengthening jobs in the last few weeks.  Barrel porting and forcing cone lengthening helps to reduce recoil and is especially beneficial for guns that are used for sporting clays.  Less recoil from the first shot allows the shooter to get on the second target easier.  It also relieves the shooter from the pounding received from shooting a lot of targets in one day.

Progress on my model knives is going well.  All of the models have been designed and I am in the process of making the first one of each of the models.  I may wait until I have all of them done and post a new page on the site just for them.  I am going to name the model knives after historic trails in Kansas.  I have never been one to give names to inanimate objects.  I’ve never named any of my knives, my guns or my pick-up trucks.  So, picking names for the knife models was a bit awkward for me.  I’ve always had an interest in history, especially “old west” history, and I learned a lot about Kansas’ part in the old west while doing some work for the Kansas State Historical Society.  Kansas was crossed by many of the pioneer trails as well as merchant trails and the cattle trails that were used to bring cattle up from Texas to the railheads in Kansas.  There were also military trails and trails used by the Indian tribes.  So, as I am not imaginative enough to dream up exotic sounding names for my knives, I am going to name them after the historic trails.

While I was at this year’s Blade Show in Atlanta, I ordered a new engraver’s block from GRS.  I purchased engraving equipment from GRS several years ago and was trying to learn how to use it until I moved to my present home.  During the move it necessary for me to put some of my possessions into storage for a short time, so I rented a storage unit and filled it with items I would not need for a few weeks; my engraving equipment amongst them.  My stuff was only in the storage unit for two weeks when it was broken in to.  The thieves didn’t take much, but they took my engraver’s block.  This effectively put a damper on my engraving.  I now have my engraving shop set up and am planning to take an engraving class at GRS as soon as practical.  If the bums who stole my old block are reading this, you had better not let me catch you……………

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