# Stefan-needs-new-toys Sale



## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

So, I finally made the transition from Hawaii to the East Coast, and in about 4 weeks I will move into a small twin in the Mainline area outside of Philadelphia. I have been going back and forth: Should I shut down & sell off my wood or should I rebuild a new shop to keep dabbling in occasional woodworking. I decided to give it another try, but there will be a few changes - and I will need some help. 


Compared to the previous years, I will take on less custom orders and focus more on making what I like and hoping to sell the occasional piece. Chasing the time to fill orders had turned this from fun into work, and my health situation had kept me from staying on top of things in the past. The new situation will be very different:


- I have a new job and a life situation that I am very happy with, and while there is never a good way to predict what the 'black dog' depression might do, I have a much more positive outlook right now.
- I can set up a wood shop in my basement. This not only saves me from driving 8-12 miles to the shop after a full work day while clinically depressed - as it was the last years in Hawaii - it also keeps the overhead down a little bit.
- I am on a 9-month contract, ie I have a lot more time and flexibility over the summer to dedicate time to woodworking.
- I will limit custom orders so that for those orders I do take on, I expect the turnaround times to be faster than the ridiculous wait times I had in the past. 
- I still want to make wa handles, but I know there are a lot of makers who have recently entered the scene, so people have alternatives. That is fine with me; with the lower overhead I have less pressure to sell things (in Hawaii I needed to sell about 100 handles per year just to break even), and I can play around more, trying out other things. 


With all that said, I need help with setting up a new shop, ie I need to raise funds to buy some tools I either did not have or left behind because moving them from Hawaii for $3/pound would have been stupid... Here is what I am offering:


- I will accept custom orders for wa handles for a limited time. 
- If you pre-pay the handles by April 15, each custom handle will be either $40 off (ie $95 for a 'basic' handle design made from premium materials) or you pay the regular handle price and I will cover rehandling and return shipping. 
- I will only accept a maximum of 20 custom handle orders in this run to make sure I can finish them within a 'reasonable' time frame.
- The way my summer shapes up, I hope to set up the new tools in the new house by mid-May at the latest. Mid-May / after the ECG I will be traveling to Germany to see my family, first time since 2013, expecting to return around June 10. After that I can spend a significant chunk of time in the wood shop, and I guarantee that the handles whose design has been decided on by the end of April will be done by August 20 or I will reimburse 50% of the price. I honestly expect to be done earlier, but I have been off before, so there is a bit of a safety zone in this. 
- I will be generous - within reason - regarding the pricing, and all materials are fair game with two exceptions: 1) For this specific run I would like to limit it to handles without metal spacers; 2) I would like to limit it to materials I already have available - and that is a ridiculous number of options... 
- If you are interested, please send me a PM and we can start talking about details. And if you need design ideas, please look at the threads in this section and the picture gallery.


All the funds raised will be invested in tools: My new landlord agreed to me setting up a wood shop, but asked that I set up a dust collector. I also need a new drill press, a small compressor, and a disc sander plus a few other small items. Selling 20 pre-paid handles should cover most of that; if there are fewer pre-paid orders, I will hopefully wing it somehow, but the more I can cover, the less stressful this would be...


I know that there are others now who offer similar products, and I am aware that during my health struggles I have probably lost the trust of people who waited for a long time to get things from me - I am still in the process of cleaning up some of the last few messes I caused. All I can say is that I see major changes in my life situation, and I will approach this with much more energy and focus than I have had in a long time. 


Thanks,


Stefan


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## Godslayer (Mar 16, 2016)

This pleases me :knife:


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## nwdel (Mar 16, 2016)

Sounds like a good plan, hope this all works out well for you :doublethumbsup:


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## Mrmnms (Mar 16, 2016)

pm sent


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## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

Thanks everyone. Looks like there is some interest, I received a few PMs but some said they are thinking about 'a few', so I don't have specific numbers, yet. I will get back to everyone after work today. Just one small thing: if you are ordering from outside the US, that is fine with me but please keep in mind that there may be added shipping costs.

Stefan


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## MyScarGo (Mar 16, 2016)

Stefan, 
Can you rehandle an old frogecraft carbon to one of your Wa handles


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## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

MyScarGo said:


> Stefan,
> Can you rehandle an old frogecraft carbon to one of your Wa handles



I don't see why not. It's a bit of extra work to grind the tang down for a wa handle, but once that is done it's the same process. 

Stefan


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## Bill13 (Mar 16, 2016)

I'm in for two if there is still space.


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## MyScarGo (Mar 16, 2016)

I'm in for one!


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## MontezumaBoy (Mar 16, 2016)

I'm in for one (1) if at all possible Stefan - let me know. I will pre-pay for mounting and shipping.


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## MajorMajor (Mar 16, 2016)

I'm interested in as many as two of these, if available. Pre-pay is fine. PM sent.


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## chef101 (Mar 16, 2016)

Yes i want 4 please how much 1 210mm 1 150mm and 2 240 mm


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## Dave Martell (Mar 16, 2016)

:doublethumbsup: Great news Stefan!


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## ThEoRy (Mar 16, 2016)

If you can, bring some "off the shelf" handles to the ECG. I'm sure you would sell more than a few.


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## Bill13 (Mar 16, 2016)

ThEoRy said:


> If you can, bring some "off the shelf" handles to the ECG. I'm sure you would sell more than a few.



lus1:


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## ash987 (Mar 16, 2016)

PM sent, Ill take one!


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## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

Geez, ok. Last night I thought I should start this early so that by April 15 I have 20 orders together. I am a bit flattered that it took about 14h to get over 20 - thanks so much for your trust. Here is what we have right now:

Mrmnms 1
Bill13. 2
MyScarGo 1
MontezumaBoy 1
MajorMajor 2
Chef101. 4
Ash987. 1
Toddnmd. 1
Godslayer. 3
Ecchef. 2
Cb1968. 1
alterwisser. 1
KCMande. 2
bob_loblaw. 1
--------------------------

I am putting a STOP to this right now, although if you really are interested I can open a waiting list just in case anybody changes their minds. Let me follow up with each of you who are on 'the list' about what you are interested in. And just to make sure, the $95 was an example for a basic handle + ferrule combination. If you would like something with mammoth spacers and unobtanium, it would, of course, be more expensive, but $40 below what I normally charge. 

Thanks again,

Stefan


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## aboynamedsuita (Mar 16, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Geez, ok. Last night I thought I should start this early so that by April 15 I have 20 orders together. I am a bit flattered that it took about 14h to get over 20 - thanks so much for your trust. Here is what we have right now:
> 
> Mrmnms 1
> Bill13. 2
> ...



I guess there is a separate list for those of us who sent emails? ;-)


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## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

tjangula said:


> I guess there is a separate list for those of us who sent emails? ;-)



LOL, no, but you were on my list before I started this.

Stefan


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## Dave Martell (Mar 16, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Geez, ok. Last night I thought I should start this early so that by April 15 I have 20 orders together. I am a bit flattered that it took about 14h to get over 20 - thanks so much for your trust. Here is what we have right now:
> 
> Mrmnms 1
> Bill13. 2
> ...





Lots of love here Stefan!


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## Dinsdale (Mar 16, 2016)

Stefan, how about the people that were on your old custom list that was online? Are those orders valid anymore?


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## apicius9 (Mar 16, 2016)

Dinsdale said:


> Stefan, how about the people that were on your old custom list that was online? Are those orders valid anymore?



Sorting that out with everyone on that old list is the next thing I plan to do, I did not expect that things here would move so quickly. I sent you a PM about that. Everyone else on the old order list who sees this, please connect with me at kellers at hawaii dot edu, but I will also make an effort to reach out in the next couple of days. 

For everyone on this current list: I hope I replied to everyone and directed you to that same email address, easier to communicate that way, especially with pictures. 

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Apr 19, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I tried contacting everyone who wanted to get in on this - if you have not heard from me, can you please alert me? I just moved into my new place and want to move this forward, i.e. I now have room for new tools but no money to buy them 
Thanks!

Stefan


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## aboynamedsuita (Apr 20, 2016)

All paid up, thanks Stefan!


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## apicius9 (Apr 25, 2016)

Thanks to all of you who have paid already. Drill press and disc sander are ordered and will hopefully be here soon. Still need to scrape the funds together for the dust collector and a few small things, maybe a small compressor if I can raise enough. 

I have not yet heard back from some of the people on the list - if you are one of them, can you please contact me so I know whether you still want to do this or not? Juggling my resources and the work plan, and it would be great to know what I need to plan for. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 26, 2016)

Stephan!!! I hope you brought a cute little red Bakelite handle and its friend with you to the mainland. I know a gal who has been patiently waiting :viking:

So happy things are going good for you. Have missed our chats :dance:


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## apicius9 (Apr 26, 2016)

Erilyn75 said:


> Stephan!!! I hope you brought a cute little red Bakelite handle and its friend with you to the mainland. I know a gal who has been patiently waiting :viking:
> 
> So happy things are going good for you. Have missed our chats :dance:



Thanks Erica, the little red one is sitting here, I just did not get to shortening its friend before I left. Hope to be up and running soon...

Stefan


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## daveb (Apr 26, 2016)

Hi Greenie!


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## Godslayer (Apr 26, 2016)

Funds are sent. So excited. Between this and a HHH custom set this summer is gonna be sharp.


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## aboynamedsuita (Apr 26, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> Funds are sent. So excited. Between this and a HHH custom set this summer is gonna be sharp.



Man we're gonna have some ballin' knives up here in this moose ridden wasteland


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## apicius9 (May 6, 2016)

Three more days of grading and preparing and then the semester is over... :happy1: Well, the summer semester starts on Monday, but I only teach two courses over the summer, one already prepared and the other one starting late June. It was a tough start with very little preparation time, and I am not 100% happy with how some things went (I underperformed in one of my 4 courses), but except for that and the weather things are infinitely better than in the past couple of years, so I am in a much better place overall and very grateful.

Anyway, things are coming together in my new place also. I am still not perfectly moved in, mostly because I don't have internet there, yet, which I needed during the semester, but I will transition there completely in the next few days. Need some dining chairs and a glass cabinet and the place will be livable... For the shop, the dust collector has been bought, new drill press and disc sander are ready for pickup on Sunday, so next week I will be setting up a couple of shelves and the tools, unpack the small tools I brought with me, unpack and organize the wood, and generally get set up to roll again. I hope to get right into things once I come back from the ECG on the 15th. 

Once the wood is sorted a bit, I want to send a box for stabilizing to K&G, I am low on stabilized Norfolk pine and spalted Hawaiian signature wood. I will also include some Hawaiian sugi and some Morrocan thuya burl which has been resting long enough now. Anything else people are interested in? Let me know and will have some stabilized if I don't have enough already. I am lower than I like on good amboyna burl, but that has become almost impossible to find in the quality I like. I am also low on premium desert ironwood, and I am out of Honduran rosewood burl. I don't want to spend on new wood right now, so for those there will be limited choices. Ironwood will eventually be stocked up again, the others as I find them and can afford them. And I like my rosewood burl from Belize better anyway 

So, right now everything is going according to the time plan. Thanks again to all of you who have trusted me with ordering one or more pre-paid handles. There is no way I could have set up a wood shop without these funds coming in because I just lost too much money the past 2 years and used up my last reserves paying for the 5000 mile transition to the East Coast. I will get back to everyone and also to everyone who still has an open order from the old list after the 15th to narrow down details. By then I also see what I have as 'extras', there maybe a few which are done or close to being finished, a few that had been ordered but then people changed their minds (or I just took too long...), and I few I held back for myself originally. I want to offer those first to the people who supported me here, then to others if anything is left over. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## Bill13 (May 6, 2016)

Sound like things are coming along nicely. Maybe you can bring down some of the blocks and other odds and ends for everyone to eyeball at the ECG.

PM'd you also about the AC.


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## aboynamedsuita (May 6, 2016)

Glad to hear everything is coming together, it's unfortunate about the one class but given the rushed circumstances I'm sure it'll be okay since the others went well.



> Once the wood is sorted a bit, I want to send a box for stabilizing to K&G, I am low on stabilized Norfolk pine and spalted Hawaiian signature wood. I will also include some Hawaiian sugi and some Morrocan thuya burl which has been resting long enough now. Anything else people are interested in? Let me know and will have some stabilized if I don't have enough already.


Sounds as if several types of wood I'm keen on using is on your stabilization list :doublethumbsup:. For the other three I'd be interested in some specimens on the darker/burly side of the spectrum if possible, although I'm sure we can discuss this by email once we're closer to commencement. I _may_ be able to swing a seventh handle, either now or in a future order, or perhaps if there's an extra one that ticks all the boxes... we'll see.


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## YG420 (May 6, 2016)

Glad everything is coming together! 

How about some redwood and maple burl?


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## apicius9 (May 19, 2016)

Just a quick status update: Slight delay because of an annoying throat infection; nothing major, just decided to stay out of the cold basement for a couple of days and set things up this coming weekend. That is also when I plan to set up my work list and make sure I have everyone's contact info correct. Once that is set up, I want to narrow down designs with everyone individually - if not done already - and I plan on sending occasional progress updates as group emails. Once all designs have been discussed, I will also send out the order for stabilizing to make sure I have everything that people want - turnaround time on that is usually around 4 weeks, so that may affect the work schedule. That said, I know that some of you picked up nice wood pieces from Mark, Myron, or other places, and I am happy to work with you on that, but please keep in mind that I am already discounting and with more discounts because woods are provided, the whole 'fundraising for tools' idea does not work anymore...

There MAY also be a FEW already started extra handles I could finish quicker, and if there are I will offer those first to the people who supported me with the pre-pay project. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## aboynamedsuita (May 19, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Just a quick status update: Slight delay because of an annoying throat infection; nothing major, just decided to stay out of the cold basement for a couple of days and set things up this coming weekend. That is also when I plan to set up my work list and make sure I have everyone's contact info correct. Once that is set up, I want to narrow down designs with everyone individually - if not done already - and I plan on sending occasional progress updates as group emails. Once all designs have been discussed, I will also send out the order for stabilizing to make sure I have everything that people want - turnaround time on that is usually around 4 weeks, so that may affect the work schedule. That said, I know that some of you picked up nice wood pieces from Mark, Myron, or other places, and I am happy to work with you on that, but please keep in mind that I am already discounting and with more discounts because woods are provided, the whole 'fundraising for tools' idea does not work anymore...
> 
> There MAY also be a FEW already started extra handles I could finish quicker, and if there are I will offer those first to the people who supported me with the pre-pay project.
> 
> ...



If we provide wood free of charge (i.e. no further discount) would that be okay :angel2:

I have a piece of bog oak curretly with Dave which I wouldn't mind using on a handle unless you already have some


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## apicius9 (May 19, 2016)

I am always happy to talk... I just really had people ask me if my handle price is $130 and they give me the piece of wood they bought for $70, would I make the handle for $60. That just won't work. Depending on the materials, some people just get great deals because I hesitate charging the full price I should if I use expensive wood or other materials (I usually only charge my own cost for things like marbled horn, mammoth etc and don't even add the shipping). I have sold handles with $90-100 koa pieces plus mammoth material and 4-5h work for $150 - take off shipping, Paypal fees, an average of $10+ for belts/glue etc, shop rent, utilities, 1-2 work hours to discuss designs and, not to forget, taxes- there is my profit margin  I often could make more profit if I sold the wood piece compared to making the handle which requires additional material - and much more time. But where is the fun in that? And don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just pointing out that this is not something to get rich and famous from. Well, notorious, maybe 

Stefan


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## Godslayer (May 19, 2016)

You have mammoth eh? I was going to ask you to do a mammoth tooth, black wood and carbon fiber handle for one of mine. Blackwood end cap and main body, mammoth spacers and carbon fiber ferrule. I really should get that written down. Maybe tmr before work. Glad to see your gearing up and giving yourself time to recover.


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## apicius9 (May 19, 2016)

Don't have carbon fiber ferrules but black paper micarta - not sure I could tell thedifference on the finished product... Let's email next week.

Stefan


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## MontezumaBoy (May 19, 2016)

Couldn't agree more ... just happy that the HRB will work in the handle ... but please make sure to use extra rubies and diamonds in mine though 

Oh and stay well please! Priorities ... philly isn't always "sunny"



apicius9 said:


> I am always happy to talk... I just really had people ask me if my handle price is $130 and they give me the piece of wood they bought for $70, would I make the handle for $60. That just won't work. Depending on the materials, some people just get great deals because I hesitate charging the full price I should if I use expensive wood or other materials (I usually only charge my own cost for things like marbled horn, mammoth etc and don't even add the shipping). I have sold handles with $90-100 koa pieces plus mammoth material and 4-5h work for $150 - take off shipping, Paypal fees, an average of $10+ for belts/glue etc, shop rent, utilities, 1-2 work hours to discuss designs and, not to forget, taxes- there is my profit margin  I often could make more profit if I sold the wood piece compared to making the handle which requires additional material - and much more time. But where is the fun in that? And don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just pointing out that this is not something to get rich and famous from. Well, notorious, maybe
> 
> Stefan


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## jessf (May 19, 2016)

Have you seen a carbon fiber ferrule? I'm curios to know how they hold up in the absence of sealer. CF loves to absorb water and can swell but maybe this is resolved with handle oiling. 



apicius9 said:


> Don't have carbon fiber ferrules but black paper micarta - not sure I could tell thedifference on the finished product... Let's email next week.
> 
> Stefan


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## aboynamedsuita (May 19, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> I am always happy to talk... I just really had people ask me if my handle price is $130 and they give me the piece of wood they bought for $70, would I make the handle for $60. That just won't work. Depending on the materials, some people just get great deals because I hesitate charging the full price I should if I use expensive wood or other materials (I usually only charge my own cost for things like marbled horn, mammoth etc and don't even add the shipping). I have sold handles with $90-100 koa pieces plus mammoth material and 4-5h work for $150 - take off shipping, Paypal fees, an average of $10+ for belts/glue etc, shop rent, utilities, 1-2 work hours to discuss designs and, not to forget, taxes- there is my profit margin  I often could make more profit if I sold the wood piece compared to making the handle which requires additional material - and much more time. But where is the fun in that? And don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just pointing out that this is not something to get rich and famous from. Well, notorious, maybe
> 
> Stefan



Happy to hear that's a possibility with the bog oak 

As far as selling wood goes not sure if that comment was serious, but I may be interested in purchasing a stabilized block (~1-3/4"+ wide X 5"+ long X =<1"thick) for a western rehandle, most of the ones I've gotten are only 1-1/2" which is about the same as the tang with the butt end part for a particular knife so no good. If you'd entertain that we can take it up further by email later on when we discuss our handles, not urgent at the moment.

I also received word that one of the blue mammoth scales arrived in Hawaii, hopefully the other one made it safely to you


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## aboynamedsuita (May 19, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> You have mammoth eh? I was going to ask you to do a mammoth tooth, black wood and carbon fiber handle for one of mine. Blackwood end cap and main body, mammoth spacers and carbon fiber ferrule. I really should get that written down. Maybe tmr before work. Glad to see your gearing up and giving yourself time to recover.



I had a black micarta ferrule on my 275 carter, it had that sort of "woven" look of carbon fibre but slightly different. There should be a picture of it somewhere.



jessf said:


> Have you seen a carbon fiber ferrule? I'm curios to know how they hold up in the absence of sealer. CF loves to absorb water and can swell but maybe this is resolved with handle oiling.



I know Randy has used for a bolster on a western, looked pretty good


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## apicius9 (May 19, 2016)

I have not seen a CF handle or ever worked with it, just thought I remembered seeing it on non-kitchen knife handles? My impression was based on pictures, and of course I would play around with it first before using it. Hearing that it likes moisture certainly rings a warning bell, thanks!

Stefan


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## Hianyiaw (May 21, 2016)

I believe Ian from haburn knives have some experience with cf handles and ferrules. Maybe you could get him to chip in his experience!


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## aboynamedsuita (May 21, 2016)

I forgot to include the CF links in my earlier email (oops). Here's a couple to some work by Randy (ferrule) and Pierre (handle body):
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/23441-F-S-Feather-damascus-165mm-gyuto
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/13075-New-potential-handles


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## apicius9 (May 21, 2016)

My bad, I think I just confused carbon fiber with G 10, both materials I have not worked with, yet. But thanks for the pointers and links, guys!

Stefan


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## MontezumaBoy (May 22, 2016)

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...west-knife-buy?p=410577&viewfull=1#post410577

Post #6198 is a Kono that Ian did for me recently ... CF on the ferrule ... guy knows how to play with composite material and I know he is very supportive of the whole community (which is very supportive of him as well). Oh and Stefan that isn't the DT ITK we are talking about that beauty is a 270 mm.



Hianyiaw said:


> I believe Ian from haburn knives have some experience with cf handles and ferrules. Maybe you could get him to chip in his experience!


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## apicius9 (May 22, 2016)

Frank (pachowder), your inbox is full...

Stefan


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## rogue108 (May 25, 2016)

jessf said:


> Have you seen a carbon fiber ferrule? I'm curios to know how they hold up in the absence of sealer. CF loves to absorb water and can swell but maybe this is resolved with handle oiling.



Are you sure this is carbon fiber you are talking about?

Carbon fiber is a hardened resin. They take carbon fiber in a thread format and weave it into sheets. The pattern you see on handles and ferrules is the woven carbon fiber sheets. In order to make these pieces, there is a mold where the sheets of carbon fiber sheets are laid up in a pattern. Once the layup is finished, they inject resin into the mold, put it under pressure and baked it until the resin has cured.The end result is a light extremely strong piece of material (assuming its all done right). Nowadays there are many different ways to process and create carbon fiber parts depending on the application, but the described method is the old fashioned method which shows off the fiber.
I have never really worked with it, but that stuff is pretty hard so hand sanding could be tedious. Also wear respiratory protection and gloves. Carbon fibers are fine when sanded into a dust and act as irritant. If it gets under your skin you can itch like crazy .


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## jessf (May 26, 2016)

yeah I can say I've worked with CF in other capacities and without a clear coat water can find its way between the weave and make a home inside. The fibers themselves do no absorb water, but the whole assembly will. 

Perhaps it's not an issue if the CF is oiled or perhaps stabilized. or perhaps the creep is no more than wood of similar density. maybe the resin inherent to the layup is enough to keep it stable. I also don't want to speculate, which is why I asked the question. 



rogue108 said:


> Are you sure this is carbon fiber you are talking about?
> 
> Carbon fiber is a hardened resin. They take carbon fiber in a thread format and weave it into sheets. The pattern you see on handles and ferrules is the woven carbon fiber sheets. In order to make these pieces, there is a mold where the sheets of carbon fiber sheets are laid up in a pattern. Once the layup is finished, they inject resin into the mold, put it under pressure and baked it until the resin has cured.The end result is a light extremely strong piece of material (assuming its all done right). Nowadays there are many different ways to process and create carbon fiber parts depending on the application, but the described method is the old fashioned method which shows off the fiber.
> I have never really worked with it, but that stuff is pretty hard so hand sanding could be tedious. Also wear respiratory protection and gloves. Carbon fibers are fine when sanded into a dust and act as irritant. If it gets under your skin you can itch like crazy .


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## DanHumphrey (Jun 11, 2016)

Psst, Stefan, your Location: still says you're in Honolulu, HI.


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## MajorMajor (Jun 16, 2016)

Stefan, any update on the status/progress here?

Thanks,
Aaron


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## apicius9 (Jun 17, 2016)

Hi, had a couple of annoying delays but nothing major - finally even got internet after the Verizon strike ended... Still setting things up in the shop but I am almost there. So far, everything works and fits. Unpacking and sorting 17 boxes of stabilized wood is taking me a bit longer than expected - just throwing them into the boxes was much quicker  

Now that I have reasonable web access from home again, I will sort through all previous correspondences and follow up with everyone - I just did not want to do that from my computer at work. I hope to have a handle work plan soon so that I can bundle similar work steps and be a bit more efficient. I know that some of you had specific wishes for woods. Just as a reminder, I do NOT want to use metal spacers in this run, but I plan to send more wood for stabilizing next week to make sure I have everything that I need. That will include spalted Hawaiian signature tree and Norfolk pine wood, some koa and whatever else catches my eye when I fill the box. If you have specific requests, please let me know. 

So, it's moving in the right direction. Doing a bit more teaching as of next week but should still have time for the shop. Of course, the European Soccer Cup is on, that will be a bit of a distraction for the next 2 weeks  Please email me at kellers at hawaii.edu with any questions.
Thanks,

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Jun 17, 2016)

Just a PS: After spending some more time unpacking stabilized blanks and sorting them into piles, guess what my biggest pile is? Right, the "I have absolutely no idea what wood this is" - pile  Will have to sand a bunch of it and make educated guesses, and may still end up with some mystery wood... My old system had grown over years and I could find individual pieces that I remembered, now everything is chaos... That said, there is plenty of koa, a few pieces of bog oak I had forgotten about, lots of really nice redwood burl (old growth, not the spongy kind), quilted maple pieces (only for wa handles), more spalted signature wood than I remembered, a few Norfolk pine pieces etc. A few hundred stabilized blanks total, most sized for wa handles, so there should be some nice choices.

Stefan


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## Godslayer (Jun 17, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Just a PS: After spending some more time unpacking stabilized blanks and sorting them into piles, guess what my biggest pile is? Right, the "I have absolutely no idea what wood this is" - pile  Will have to sand a bunch of it and make educated guesses, and may still end up with some mystery wood... My old system had grown over years and I could find individual pieces that I remembered, now everything is chaos... That said, there is plenty of koa, a few pieces of bog oak I had forgotten about, lots of really nice redwood burl (old growth, not the spongy kind), quilted maple pieces (only for wa handles), more spalted signature wood than I remembered, a few Norfolk pine pieces etc. A few hundred stabilized blanks total, most sized for wa handles, so there should be some nice choices.
> 
> Stefan



Glad to see your alive and well.


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## aboynamedsuita (Jun 17, 2016)

Wow, it sounds like I'm going to have to make some tough decisions to choose the wood for the few handles that aren't already spoken for


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## alterwisser (Jun 22, 2016)

Stefan, I really started to fall in love with spalted woods. So Please reserve some for my Watanabe, if possible. Maybe I can have a look at what you got. I should just drive down and get a Cheesesteak LOL


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## Godslayer (Jul 7, 2016)

Any update stefan? I am super excited to see your work.


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## apicius9 (Jul 8, 2016)

Getting there. All tools are set up, a few more boxes to unpack and sort things into my shelf and I am good to go. I hope that I will have done most of that by the end of the weekend. Today I sorted through some wood - I estimate at least 500 unstabilized pre-cut blanks plus a few hundred stabilized pieces, and then there are the uncut boards.... Once I have the clutter out of the way, I will post a few pictures of the ne set-up. 

Stefan


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## Godslayer (Jul 8, 2016)

Awesome


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## aboynamedsuita (Jul 9, 2016)

Man that is a lot of wood looking forward to seeing the pics!

EDIT
Please keep an eye out for some koa or something else


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## apicius9 (Jul 14, 2016)

Most of the stabilized blanks, still trying to sort through them. Since they are all still covered with resin, some are hard to recognize. Gotta sand some thos weekend. More pics to follow. 

Stefan


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## Dave Martell (Jul 14, 2016)

Nice stash HandleMeister! :doublethumbsup:


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## MajorMajor (Aug 1, 2016)

Hi Stefan,

When can we expect to see some progress on these handles?

Thanks,
Aaron


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## apicius9 (Aug 1, 2016)

I had to wait for a tool part, and I just finished my summer courses last week. For the next few weeks I will dive into this, just organizing some last bits and pieces in the shop. I will follow up with everyone during this week to make sure I have all the info I need. Should have more to show tomorrow. 

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Aug 4, 2016)

Hi again, today I have sent out emails to everyone who had sent me payment for this. In a couple of cases I have problems assigning payment names to the KKF names, so can Paul Ong, Mark Kagawa, and Pioneer please contact me again? - Sorry about that... I am pretty sure there are others I communicated with but do not yet see any payments. Please feel free to also contact me so that I can get my order list complete. Sorry for asking again but that seems easier at this point that skimming through hundreds of emails... My next step is to also contact everyone on the (very) old order list who still had open orders, there were a few left that I did not get to, and I am not sure who is still interested. 

I know some of you had very specific ideas what you wanted, others were still contemplating designs. My plan is to start putting the handle materials together in the next few days and get started on all those where you are sure about the designs you want. Since my website and associated emails are still down, please email me directly to kellers at hawaii dot edu. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## DanHumphrey (Aug 29, 2016)

jessf said:


> yeah I can say I've worked with CF in other capacities and without a clear coat water can find its way between the weave and make a home inside. The fibers themselves do no absorb water, but the whole assembly will.
> 
> Perhaps it's not an issue if the CF is oiled or perhaps stabilized. or perhaps the creep is no more than wood of similar density. maybe the resin inherent to the layup is enough to keep it stable. I also don't want to speculate, which is why I asked the question.



I don't know how I never noticed this: my bike is made of carbon fiber, as are lots of them. So are my bike wheels and other bikes have even more carbon. Many of them have raw carbon, or with a clearcoat, and they don't absorb water at all (ridden in the rain regularly) so CF can absolutely be more waterproof than other materials used in kitchen knife handles.

Edit: And while I'm here, what's the current wait-list like?


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## toddnmd (Sep 26, 2016)

Has anyone been in touch with Stefan recently? I've tried contacting him for updates on this, but haven't heard back. Hope everything's okay.


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## aboynamedsuita (Sep 26, 2016)

I got a response to an email late on Friday. I don't want to speak on his behalf, but with the first full academic term at the university things are pretty busy. He did mention things are starting to settle after putting in some long hours for the past while. He thought he should be present in the next couple of weeks or so.


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## apicius9 (Sep 30, 2016)

Hi everyone, I apologize, I should just have left a note here. As Tanner mentioned, I had felt well prepared but then learned I had underestimated the actual workload with teaching 4 courses with a total of about 250 students, two of the courses completely new to me and very writing-intensive, i.e. I have to read all these things... I just tried to keep distractions to a minimum until I felt I am in control of things, and have not even looked in here in weeks. Finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. I have been working on a few things on the side, but not not a much as I had planned, because the past few weeks I did not make it out of my office until a while after dark. I will follow up with people individually this weekend. 

Other than that, since it came up, my health is certainly better than a year ago. I had a few weeks in the summer where I was struggling a bit, after the whole crawling out of a big black hole, starting a new job, and moving 5000 miles in 3 weeks stress etc caught up with me. A year ago, it was often depression that kept me from getting things done in the shop - or even getting started - right now it was just falling asleep after work. I have been seriously considering a folding bed for my office... Again, I will follow up by email with everyone. There are actually a few people who still have not contacted me back about details of what they want me to make for them, but I hope to pick things up again now. 

Thanks everyone,

Stefan


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## Bill13 (Sep 30, 2016)

Glad to hear you are okay, your health is improving, and that things are working out. I've always heard from friends that are teachers that creating a syllabus for a new class and tweaking it as you go can be difficult and time consuming. Sleeping from exhaustion rather than depression sounds like a improvement:doublethumbsup: No hurries on my end.


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## MajorMajor (Oct 24, 2016)

Stefan, any idea when you think this will make progress?


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## Godslayer (Oct 24, 2016)

Should probably note a couple of us are worried that your going to go xxxxxx on us... Which would suck. saying that I am really looking forward to this when it gets off the ground. So many cool handles.


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## toddnmd (Oct 31, 2016)

Well, I don't think he has gone full xxxxxx. But I think he's overwhelmed by his teaching, and just doesn't have time to work on handles.
The last I heard from him was about a week and a half ago. He told me he was hoping to get some work done on the weekend of Oct 22-23rd. He had a bit of a relief in his teaching duties because of a mid-term break. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from him since. Given that two weekends have passed, my assumption is that no significant progress has been made.
At this point, I'm guessing he's not going to make any significant progress until his semester break.
While I've got lots of knives, I'm tremendously disappointed that buyers paid in full up front, and we're now two months past the promised completion date. I believe there were around 20 spots on the original list, and I don't think anyone's handle has been completed yet.
I'd love to have a Stefan handle on my knife that he has, but I'm really unsure of when the work will be done.


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 31, 2016)

I have mixed feelings about this

First of all, I know that with the mid term break comes marking of mid term exams, so I'm understanding as that probably takes up a lot of time. I also think the timeframes may have been overly optimistic given the need to develop coursework, syllabus, moving, setting up shop, etc. Being able to purchase handles at a discount was nice for me, and allowed me to pay before the CAD/USD went from bad to worse :shocked3:.

I will be honest though, I was hoping to have seen more progress or completion, but know that Stefan probably did as well, so I don't want to add to the stress of the situation. Although busy, Stefan has been keeping in contact with us from time to time, something which is highly appreciated by me. I'm hoping that we can have an update by the upcoming holiday.


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## ecchef (Nov 1, 2016)

I've been a customer of Stefan's for years. His word is solid.
His production can be erratic and he seems to be more of a 'batch' worker. 
It may take a while, but I wouldn't worry about him absconding with the deposits.


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## apicius9 (Nov 4, 2016)

Hi everyone,

sorry about the slowness. After my transition to Philly, everything seemed to be changing for the better, and I was optimistic that I could get going again with the woodworking. While things are still going well, overall, I once again underestimated the work load I would be facing. I have prepared and taught 7 different college courses, all new to me, in the past 10 months, and I can tell you that is a bit of work while trying to get settled, get furniture in your new place etc. That I have about 250 students this semester does not help much either. 
I have my tools sitting in the basement, everything ready to go, but so far I have only had a chance to do little things here and there. Most days I just come home late and fall into bed. It looks like next semester I will only be teaching courses I have already prepped, so I expect to have a life again at that point. But, of course, I have all intentions to work on things before that. 

That said, please let me assure you first that I will not run off with your money. Here are a few thoughts:

- If you would rather reverse your prepaid order because of the wait time, I can understand and will make that happen. 

- My handle-related email has been reactivated, so if you have questions, please email me at customorders at japanesehandles dot com.

- I have communicated with some of you who prepaid, but there are also some who have still not gotten back to me reg. specifics. At this time you could help me immensely by entering your wishes into this new order list for prepaid handles. The info I have is spread across forum posts and emails, and if you could just enter them, it would save me hours of searching together the bits and pieces of info. I still have the old order list, so no need to enter those again.

- There are a few 'extra handles' that I have around, and a friend just asked me to help sell some of his. I would like to offer those exclusively to everyone on the prepaid list first, just in case anybody would rather take one of those than wait. Please give me a bit of time to set this up.

That is all I can think of for now, but please contact me at the email above with any questions or concerns.
Thanks,

Stefan


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## aboynamedsuita (Nov 4, 2016)

Thanks for the update Stefan.

I can relate to having too little time to make progress on certain projects, and I'd rather wait for the handles than have you feel the need to rush to produce under pressure. I appreciate you keeping in contact with us... I'll send an email sometime today.

Take care,
TJ


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## ecchef (Nov 5, 2016)

Stefan, the spreadsheet is locked for editing.


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## apicius9 (Nov 5, 2016)

ecchef said:


> Stefan, the spreadsheet is locked for editing.



Thanks Dave, not sure why that should be, the setting is for everybody with the link allowed to edit. Here is the direct link

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wsng7kta_G0U1vrZgkCAsedf09KVfQhc_0Gv2ZXU6w8

Hope this works. Thanks for looking. And just to add: you all know how easy it is to get sucked in and spend a lot of time here on the forums. To focus on work, I have not been hanging around here as much as I used to. While I seem to have a tendency to be totally off when it comes to timelines and times I think it takes to do things, I have been around here for a long time and have no interest in taking advantage of anyone. If you have any concerns, please contact me. 
Thanks,

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Nov 5, 2016)

Just saw this link does not allow editing either. I only have my phone now, will look at it on the PC Sunday morning.
Thanks,

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Nov 7, 2016)

O.k., trying again. No idea why the spread sheet did not allow editing, maybe someone can try this one? Thanks,
Stefan

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wsng7kta_G0U1vrZgkCAsedf09KVfQhc_0Gv2ZXU6w8/edit#gid=0


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## aboynamedsuita (Nov 8, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> O.k., trying again. No idea why the spread sheet did not allow editing, maybe someone can try this one? Thanks,
> Stefan
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wsng7kta_G0U1vrZgkCAsedf09KVfQhc_0Gv2ZXU6w8/edit#gid=0



It looks like the sheet is locked or in view only mode.



I copied the template to excel so will work on a local copy in the interim, and could email it to you if it comes down to it


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## apicius9 (Nov 8, 2016)

Strange... Here is another try. I copied everything into sheet 2 which should not have any protection and can be edited by anybody with the link. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wsng7kta_G0U1vrZgkCAsedf09KVfQhc_0Gv2ZXU6w8/edit?usp=sharing

Stefan


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## daveb (Nov 8, 2016)

How come computers f*** with old people while leaving the young folks unbothered?


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## aboynamedsuita (Nov 13, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Strange... Here is another try. I copied everything into sheet 2 which should not have any protection and can be edited by anybody with the link.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wsng7kta_G0U1vrZgkCAsedf09KVfQhc_0Gv2ZXU6w8/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> Stefan



It looks like this one is working, I put some preliminary info in on my laptop and can view it on my fone :doublethumbsup:

I'll update within the next couple of weeks with more details but may not be able to until towards the end of the month.


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## MontezumaBoy (Nov 22, 2016)

Hi Stefan - this sheet looks to be working / added my info.

TjA


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## MajorMajor (Nov 28, 2016)

Stefan, perhaps you could provide an estimate when you think this will realistically see progress? 

I'm doing my best to be patient but I certainly didn't expect to see zero progress with no commitment to resolve 7+ months after payment.

From your last relevant post, it seems that "next semester should be better" but perhaps you could be a bit more concrete about that expectation? 

Thanks,
Aaron


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## apicius9 (Nov 28, 2016)

Hi, I have actually started working on pieces, but I still need to add details from everybody as I move forward. The current semester will be over in 2 weeks, the new one starts Jan 17 and I am fairly well prepared, already, so I hope to get the bulk of things done over the holidays and the first two weeks of the new year. Again, sorry that this all took so much longer than I had expected myself. 

That said, this coming weekend I also hope to be able to show a few 'extras' for people who would rather take a premade one than wait any longer. Won't be many, but it might be a option for some of you. 

Btw, in the current sale craze I picked up a small compressor wich was the last tool I really wanted for now.

Thanks,

Stefan


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## apicius9 (Nov 29, 2016)

Just checked the online list - thanks to all of you who entered things, I added a few comments. Those of you who have not done that, yet, please consider doing it soon. 

Just in general: If you are not in any hurry or you know that you need the knives you want rehandled over the Christmas holidays, please send knives and/or materials soon after Christmas; if you do not need the knives for the holidays, you can send them soon. While I usually work 'blind', i.e. without knowing what the knife tang looks like exactly, I can work a little more precise when I have the knives on hand while I work on the handles. 

Stefan


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## MajorMajor (Nov 29, 2016)

Stefan, please confirm the shipping address - I couldn't seem to find it anywhere in my communications.

Thanks,
Aaron


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## apicius9 (Nov 29, 2016)

MajorMajor said:


> Stefan, please confirm the shipping address - I couldn't seem to find it anywhere in my communications.
> 
> Thanks,
> Aaron



Aaron, I have added the shipping address to the online order list (upper left corner) rather than posting it here or sending it out individually. Not sure what the best way is to minimize spam or prevent hijacking of my identity..

Stefan


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## Godslayer (Nov 30, 2016)

Filled in the form earlier, I lost our emails after august, if you happen to find them let me know, I think we had some solid ideas. Also I just rechecked the form, saw your comments, red and black is what I meant lol. Sorry about that


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## apicius9 (Nov 30, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> Filled in the form earlier, I lost our emails after august, if you happen to find them let me know, I think we had some solid ideas. Also I just rechecked the form, saw your comments, red and black is what I meant lol. Sorry about that



Sent you an email while you were writing this... 

Stefan


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## MajorMajor (Dec 19, 2016)

Stefan, knives shipped and USPS tracking added to spreadsheet.

Thanks,
Aaron


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## apicius9 (Dec 24, 2016)

Thanks Aaron, they made it here safely but I have not looked at them, yet. Finally finished all grading today. Now two days of eating with friends, then some full-time woodworking for a couple of weeks...

Best wishes and peaceful days to everyone!

Stefan


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## ecchef (Dec 24, 2016)

Stefan, I'll try to hit the PO before the end of the month. Sending knives and materials.


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## MajorMajor (Jan 23, 2017)

Stefan, any updates on expected timeline?


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## apicius9 (Feb 18, 2017)

Hi, sorry, I did something stupid with an 'automatic' password program and locked myself out of here a while ago - can only get here on my Ipad as I found out today because that has the pwd saved. Too many passwords to remember for an old guy like me...

Anyway, I am working on things and will try to get in touch with people. You can also contact me directly at customorders at japanesehandles dot com. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## MontezumaBoy (May 5, 2017)

Hi Stefan - hope this finds you well (& finals over? soon anyway). I updated your spreadsheet to reflect the handles are for two different 225 gyutos. The blades are ready to ship just send me PM.

thx


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## KCMande (May 22, 2017)

Any updates on this project? I never filled out the sheet, for whatever reason I completely spaced out on this and do not want to miss out


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## ecchef (May 24, 2017)

Ummm...yeah. What's the status on this, Stefan? Making progress?


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## aboynamedsuita (May 24, 2017)

I was trying to hold off on commenting on this but have had enough

My last email from him was on April 28th in response to an email on April 27th. Needed a few days to finish grading, then work on prep for fall courses was told "I expect to spend a lot of time amidst saw dust in the coming weeks. Will keep you posted and follow up soon. "

It's been pretty much a month, and more than that since Stefan was last online. I patiently waited and have also discussed this with five others on the prebuy some who were eager to have their handles done earlier (eg they sent knives around Xmas, are moving out of the country, etc.). Since I had six I thought I'd volunteer to be bumped back so Stefan could focus on the smaller orders. Well let's say I was incredibly disappointed to learn nothing has been done I'd be surprised if anyone else is an exception. 

I haven't even seen a WIP picture for any handles or even a workshop, just a shelf of wood earlier in the thread. Maybe I'm paranoid because of what happened with Mikey, but this is starting to feel like a scam it's been well over a year since we paid in full and approaching the one year anniversary of the completion date.

I sent another email yesterday:
-finally expressing my disappointment with his performance (I was understanding up until then thinking he was working on smaller orders),
-advising I am reducing my order from 6 to 3 handles,
-demanding (in the pure literal sense of the word) a 50% refund of my $750,
-advising that some of my wood will need to be shipped promptly to a third party,
-communicated an expectation that he respond promptly.

If I do not hear back I will contact him at his work, and I will not stop there


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## alterwisser (May 24, 2017)

I'm the one mentioned as moving out of the country.

I don't want to bash Stefan as I honestly think he's a genuinely nice and great person, based on the conversations we had.

For whatever reason he wasn't able to fulfill any orders (as far as I know). And yes, I am disappointed at this point. I paid upfront over a year ago and sent my knife some time earlier this year, I think. 

We always had an understanding (or I thought we did) that the knife would be finished before I move overseas, because I didn't want to deal with customs, especially not paying import fees and taxes on a knife I already owned before .... and could've just put in the container without any customs fees or import taxes.

I had mentioned that I would prefer to get the knife with his handle. He offered to send the knife back and refund the money a couple of weeks ago. I gave him my address, he knew/knows that I'm moving this week.

I don't have my knife.

So yes, I'm not happy about how this turned out. Sill hoping it can be resolved. But at this point I agree with @aboynamedsuita and feel it needs to be openly discussed here.


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## Godslayer (May 24, 2017)

If we don't hear back from him soon I'll take it a step farther, I am supremely disappointed by this given his long standing at KKF and his reputation(I am in it for three handles) Trust me I want the handles but at this point I almost dont think his work is worth being in my collection. Honestly I don't even know what to say at this point that hasn\t been said/ We gave him money in good faith that he would use it to set up shop and bang out some handles for us and he pulled a Pierre and disappeared. If we don't hear back I will personally Email his department head/ university chair and explain the situation... I am disheartened by this, but it doesn't take a year to make 20 handles, fudge it wouldnt even take that long to make 20 damascus super gyutos with custom unicorn handles and dragonscale sayas.


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## alterwisser (May 24, 2017)

Godslayer said:


> If we don't hear back from him soon I'll take it a step farther, I am supremely disappointed by this given his long standing at KKF and his reputation(I am in it for three handles) Trust me I want the handles but at this point I almost dont think his work is worth being in my collection. Honestly I don't even know what to say at this point that hasn\t been said/ We gave him money in good faith that he would use it to set up shop and bang out some handles for us and he pulled a Pierre and disappeared. If we don't hear back I will personally Email his department head/ university chair and explain the situation... I am disheartened by this, but it doesn't take a year to make 20 handles, fudge it wouldnt even take that long to make 20 damascus super gyutos with custom unicorn handles and dragonscale sayas.



One thing I have to say in his defense, whatever it's worth: he didn't disappear. He's been communicating/replying to emails .... but that still doesn't change that nothing happened so far!


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## YG420 (May 24, 2017)

Add me to the list of disappointed paying customers. I pre paid for two handles and sent over a couple blocks of wood and am still waiting on any progress. I did communicate with him last week via email and he said he was going to get started on them this past sunday, but idk what happened. Im not sure if I want to wait any further for the handles or ask for a refund and my wood back. Im just glad I didnt ship out my knives a while back like I had originally planned. I hope to see some progress some way somehow soon.


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## WildBoar (May 24, 2017)

FWIW, he was laid up sick last week/ over the weekend.


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## apicius9 (May 26, 2017)

Hi, I was just alerted to the activity here. True, I haven't been on here for a while, several crises around the end of the semester and then sick on and off for a while.

I can understand everyone's frustration, believe me I am not happy myself. I seem to have an ongoing tendency to overestimate what I can do. Between work keeping me busy, not getting any younger, and an bunch of health issues, this is all not going the way I wanted to. I have done this individually a few times, and I am doing it again: My apologies for this frustrating situation and my thanks to all of you who have been so patient. 

That said, it will actually get worse: I originally really had planned to spend a lot of the summer woodworking and finally catching up, but it turns out that my parents' health is not all that great and I have not had either money or time to visit them in the past 3 years. Because of that, I will be traveling to Germany for 4 weeks, and before that I need to meet with a number of colleagus in RI and Boston. This means, realistically, I will not even get to anything before July 22 when I get back from Germany.

I am definitely not trying to scam anybody here, it's really more overestimation of what I can do than anything else. I did set up my shop, and it is 95% complete and functional, but I just can't seem to make any progress. My plan had been all along to finish this prepaid batch and then just offer things when they are done in hope somebody wants them. Obviously, the other model does not work well for me. To be honest, had I known how this would develop, I would have sold off my stuff rather than set up a new shop. 

Please let me know what I should do. I am definitely prepared to reimburse everyone any money they paid upfront and send back anything you sent to me on my dime. If you want me to do that, please let me know soon so I can get things out soon - I need to get them out before June 4; reimbursements can be sent immediately. Please contact me at kellers at hawaii.edu, my outgoing mail server for the other mail address has issues. If there is anything else you want me to do, please let me now. 

Thanks,

Stefan


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## YG420 (May 26, 2017)

Thanks for the update Stefan! Sorry about your parents, I hope they get well soon. I'll be sending an email on how I would like to proceed with my order going forward. Good luck with everything!


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## alterwisser (May 26, 2017)

Stefan reached out this morning via email, explained and apologized again. He also just shipped my knife express so I get in back tomorrow, before we leave the country. 

I know he hates that it came to this as much as we do.

Thank you Stefan for making it right and I sincerely hope that you can find your way back to making handles from time to time. I'm
Sure it won't be a problem for you to find takers ....

All the best


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## aboynamedsuita (May 26, 2017)

I have also been in contact by email with Stefan earlier today and received an apology for the goings-on. I am positive that we can come up with a solution that will work out for all.

I must also apologize to Stefan and the community for the hostile tone of my earlier forum post specifically the part about a scam. As you may have known, it is now more or less confirmed that for whatever reason I have been burned in another handle situation essentially my worst fear with doing business on the forums has come true, so I am not in the best mindset as a result, and am obviously projecting this onto others.


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## apicius9 (May 26, 2017)

Thanks guys. I will try to connect with everyone in the next couple of days and sort things out. Again, I fully understand that you got concerned, but I will not disappear and will make another attempt to produce a bit in the four weeks between my return from Germany and the start of the new semester - and hopefully beyond that. FWIW, focusing like a maniac on my day job kept me from woodworking, but it also resulted in a renewed contract until 2020, so that is one big burden off my shoulder. 

Stefan


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## alterwisser (May 26, 2017)

apicius9 said:


> the start of the new semester - and hopefully beyond that. FWIW, focusing like a maniac on my day job kept me from woodworking, but it also resulted in a renewed contract until 2020, so that is one big burden off my shoulder.
> 
> Stefan



That's great Stefan. Some breathing room...!


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## pkjames (May 26, 2017)

i have most of stefan's published handle pics in my collection and personally bought one his handles from bst. Stefan's work is truly inspirational so please take care of yourself and the family. Hopefully we will see more of your handles soon.


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## Sporks (May 26, 2017)

Congrats on your contract renewal, Stefan. I hope you get things squared away so you can get back to woodworking. I know there are many here, myself included, who would love to have one (or 5 or 10 :biggrin of your handles.


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## ecchef (Jun 6, 2017)

Well, at least the communication is ongoing. 
Stefan...if you're going to be anywhere near Garmisch, let me know.


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## apicius9 (Jun 11, 2017)

Thanks guys. I am appropriately embarrassed by this whole situation. Some people took me up on my offer of refunds, many of them saying they would be open to renew their orders once I get my act together again - for which I am very grateful. Again, I will do what I can to fill open orders after I get back to the US around the end of July. After that, I will put a focus on making handles and other things after my own ideas, hoping that people find them interesting enough to pay me for them. In any case, I will do what I can to avoid situations where I sit on peoples' money or knives without a clear perspective of when I will get things done. I will probably lay low on explicit custom orders for a while, just to avoid frustrations for customers and myself. Should I establish a certain rhythm of producing things, I may take more custom orders again, but in smaller quantities. I have to acknowledge that, in my current life situation with handle making at best being a side job or a hobby, I feel overwhelmed too easily, especially if I am facing larger orders (i.e. 5 or more handles). Lastly, after a few cancelled orders, some 'repaired' handles, some extras, and a few that I bought back from people who got into financial trouble, I hope to offer a few handles to everyone whom I let down this last round, probably some time in late August. We'll see.

Stefan


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## MontezumaBoy (Jun 11, 2017)

No worries Stefan! Have fun in the motherland and drink lots and lots of great German beer for me please!

Tom


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## ash987 (Oct 15, 2017)

Any updates on progress? How was Germany?


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## apicius9 (Nov 17, 2017)

Sorry, only sporadically checked in here. I had a busy year, focusing on my new job. Met all my goals, got good reviews from my students, got a contract extension, and my boss requested a salary raise for me. So, i feel I now got my feet on the ground in the new work environment, and I hope to gear up again for some woodworking this winter. Took me longer than expected, but that seems to be a pattern - maybe just a sign of getting older.... As bad as I feel about it, I have given up on making promises. I just need to take it as it comes, complete old obligations. Once all that is done, I will send a sign of life and see if there is still interest in my work, in spite of the numerous colleagues who have started making handles in the meantime. I also have a few other plans, but they need more time...

Thanks for your patience!

Stefan


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## Bill13 (Nov 17, 2017)

Glad to hear the move is paying off! Maybe Thanksgiving break will give you some time to reduce your backorder.


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## Dinsdale (Mar 13, 2018)

ecchef said:


> Sholud we start refering to you as Stefan Rodrigue now?



Ouch, that will leave a mark.


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## apicius9 (Mar 13, 2018)

Havent followed it enough to know what that means, probably nothing good... One of my email accounts is down, and they want me to come by in person to reestablish it - trying to explain to them that I now live 5000 miles away. Will catch up by PM. 

Stefan


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## Godslayer (Mar 13, 2018)

ecchef said:


> Sholud we start refering to you as Stefan Rodrigue now?



Pretty sure if you ask for a refund he'll do it, I did and got my funds back basically immediatly and got told when he re opens I'd get priority acess after he cleans his books. That's basicaly all a maker can do if they really can't fufill orders.


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## milkbaby (Mar 15, 2018)

Godslayer said:


> Pretty sure if you ask for a refund he'll do it, I did and got my funds back basically immediatly and got told when he re opens I'd get priority acess after he cleans his books. That's basicaly all a maker can do if they really can't fufill orders.



Just to clarify, you're referring to Stefan and not Pierre, right?


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## Godslayer (Mar 15, 2018)

milkbaby said:


> Just to clarify, you're referring to Stefan and not Pierre, right?



Yes, Stefan good guy, but life got in the way, pierre bad guy disappeared


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## NO ChoP! (Mar 15, 2018)

apicius9 said:


> Sorry, only sporadically checked in here. I had a busy year, focusing on my new job. Met all my goals, got good reviews from my students, got a contract extension, and my boss requested a salary raise for me. So, i feel I now got my feet on the ground in the new work environment, and I hope to gear up again for some woodworking this winter. Took me longer than expected, but that seems to be a pattern - maybe just a sign of getting older.... As bad as I feel about it, I have given up on making promises. I just need to take it as it comes, complete old obligations. Once all that is done, I will send a sign of life and see if there is still interest in my work, in spite of the numerous colleagues who have started making handles in the meantime. I also have a few other plans, but they need more time...
> 
> Thanks for your patience!
> 
> Stefan



Well, you will always be the best. I still refer to your older threads as references for style and dimensions/ sizes.


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## El Pescador (Mar 16, 2018)

Stefan, what email.should we be using to contact you?

Pesky


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## apicius9 (Mar 17, 2018)

Customorders at japanesehandles dot com works to reach me. 
Thanks,

Stefan


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## apicius9 (May 17, 2018)

Hi everyone,

before I am doing anything else, I am trying to pick up the pieces of my last failure. This whole project here had not worked out as I had hoped, and in the meantime I have reimbursed several people their payments - basically, everyone who asked me for it. But there are still a few who had sent me advance payments, and I would like to follow up with everyone at this point. 

That said, I could use your help because, to be honest, between real names and forum names, I am not 100% sure to whom I sent back the payments and to whom I still owe handle(s) or reimbursement. May I ask all of you who were in on this to send me a short PM to sort this all out? My summer load is a bit lighter and I have not planned any long travel, so I want to clear up everything I can.

Thanks for your help,

Stefan


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## KCMande (May 17, 2018)

Pm sent

As a side note, I've always wondered what your field is, what exactly do you teach? Just being nosey


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## apicius9 (May 17, 2018)

KCMande said:


> Pm sent
> 
> As a side note, I've always wondered what your field is, what exactly do you teach? Just being nosey



My background is in Health Psychology but I have been working and teaching mostly in Public Health the past 12 years. Plus a few occasional courses for psychologists and - to keep it from getting boring - this year I have also been teaching Behavioral Sciences and Patient-Provider Communication to dental students. 

Stefan


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## MajorMajor (May 19, 2018)

After multiple discussions with Stefan, I finally decided I could no longer wait since I need to use my knives.

Stefan was very professional in all interactions and provided a full refund immediately and without hesitation.

In addition, Stefan also gifted me the main handle pieces we had planned for my build so that I could potentially have someone else build them. I hope that someday soon, Stefan might still make the handles I originally wanted.

The whole situation obviously played out badly, particularly w.r.t. communication, but I give Stefan credit for being responsive and professional when I contacted him - and generous in the gifting of the handle material.

Aaron


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## aboynamedsuita (May 19, 2018)

Msg sent


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## ecchef (May 27, 2018)

I too feel very badly about this situation. Stefan was one of the vanguard of craftsmen creating custom kitchen knife handles on the old KF/ITK forum, and by far the best wa handle builder, the Maestro; a claim that I will still defend today. I bought one from the first batch he released, and several more since. He has a real talent for aesthetically combining materials, and his construction techniques are damn near bulletproof.
Stefan has had his good times, his bad times, and his worse times...but his heart is always in the right place and his ethics are beyond reproach. As a part-time craftsman its amazing how prolific he can be when the stars are aligned. But, he does have a career that takes precedence and we must understand that. He doesnt have a shop full of apprentices to pick up the slack, and the inevitable delays are not something that he is indifferent to. He cares about his commitments and his customers; but as it is said, sometimes life gets in the way.
Get through this rough patch Stefan, then re-organize & re-energize. There are a lot of people out here that have yet to experience your talent. Thank you for what you have brought to this community over the years.
Dave


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## apicius9 (May 29, 2018)

Thanks for your kind words, everyone. I have never been in this for the money, in fact, I have lost a small fortune doing this, and I have never intentionally taken anyones money without expecting to deliver whatever I promised. But as Dave said, I had a few ups and downs. I definitely cannot recommend chronic clinical depression, unemployment, and debts that suffocate you every month... And, in case anyone wonders, overestimating my abilities, the inability to follow up with communications, and staying on top of things were among the major symptoms of my depression. Its hard to understand if you have not experienced it. 

That said, I have tried to reach out to everyone, and If I did not contact anyone I should have, please follow up with me. In the past 2 years I have been going back and forth between reviving the handle making and shutting it all down, especially because there are now so many others who make very nice products. But, in the end, if I dont get myself into trouble by taking on too much, I still enjoy playing with wood, so I will give it another try - just with a much lower acceptance of custom orders. As in the beginning, I will make things I like and hope anybody wants to give me money for them. If not, I can always put them on my own knives. Or on cake servers  I may also venture into a few other, related items and maybe even offer a bit of my wood stash. 

Right now I am packing up a few handles, getting a few other ancient orders finished up. Some of the very old customers never got back to me, so I assume they moved on. As mentioned above, I also want to follow up with those of you who prepaid through this thread and have not requested their money back or received anything. Here is my plan: Once I figured out which of the old, half-finished orders are still wanted, I will finish those (working on that right now). In a second step, everyone who was in on the prepaid project will get first dibs on whatever I have available at that time. After that, I will make any handle from the prepaid project that people still want. 

So, now would be a good time to follow up with me if you have a very old open order, if you want your money back from the prepaid project, or if you prepaid and want to follow through with it. Please also look at the order list mentioned above. I will have a much lighter teaching load over the summer and, once again, have hopes to get back into the groove. 

Thanks again for all your support. There were times, when the positive feedback I got here for my work literally helped keeping me alive. That is another strong reason why I really want to make sure that nobody here feels like they have been taken advantage of. 

Stefan


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## Dave Martell (May 30, 2018)

It occurred to me the other day, while surfing Instagram late at night, how just about every handle maker (and many knife makers too) who construct wa handles use your designs without likely even knowing where these designs came from. Fish started the rehandling thing for sure but you birthed the (western) wa handle as we know it. Stefan, you're the Freakin' Father of the American (?) Wa Handle! It's true, I don't see many handles without your flair included in some way, you should be proud of this. :thumbsup:


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## Bill13 (May 30, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> It occurred to me the other day, while surfing Instagram late at night, how just about every handle maker (and many knife makers too) who construct wa handles use your designs without likely even knowing where these designs came from. Fish started the rehandling thing for sure but you birthed the (western) wa handle as we know it. Stefan, you're the Freakin' Father of the American (?) Wa Handle! It's true, I don't see many handles without your flair included in some way, you should be proud of this. :thumbsup:



This is so true. I noticed Stefan's name on th ZD Knives website, the resulting search lead me here.


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## ThEoRy (May 30, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> It occurred to me the other day, while surfing Instagram late at night, how just about every handle maker (and many knife makers too) who construct wa handles use your designs without likely even knowing where these designs came from. Fish started the rehandling thing for sure but you birthed the (western) wa handle as we know it. Stefan, you're the Freakin' Father of the American (?) Wa Handle! It's true, I don't see many handles without your flair included in some way, you should be proud of this. :thumbsup:



I'll freely admit that if it wasn't for the two of you I never would have made handle #1. I'm kind of a quick study so just by looking at the construction I sorta figure things out. The rest was advice you guys had just shared with me. Who better to learn from than the OGs right?


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## Mucho Bocho (May 31, 2018)

Agreed, and you Mr. Rick Theory are equally an OG in our knife life. Your sharpening videos we're always mesmerizing and kitchen break-downs using various awesome knives are still the best out there. Garlic smash and lobster mania are just two of my favs. He's also very humble and very funny as $hit. 



ThEoRy said:


> I'll freely admit that if it wasn't for the two of you I never would have made handle #1. I'm kind of a quick study so just by looking at the construction I sorta figure things out. The rest was advice you guys had just shared with me. Who better to learn from than the OGs right?


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