# Taking Dave's class



## monty (May 31, 2011)

I haven't had a chance to sign in for a while. I have been finishing up a project for my work that has literally monopolized my time. I am only now getting out from underneath it. Anyway, I had an opportunity to take a one on one class in April with Dave and I've been dying to share some of my experiences.

I should begin by saying that after I decided to go to Pennsylvania it also occurred to me that I could save some money by driving 16 hours each way. Big mistake. By the time I showed up at Dave's I was so tired I was literally dizzy. I could have kicked myself for showing up in that condition but I figured that eventually I'd get a second wind - and I did. It's amazing how much I learned from just having an initial conversation with Dave about knife sharpening in general and Japanese knife sharpening in particular. 

By the time we hit the stones I had already had most of my pre- conceived notions about how to approach sharpening Japanese knives blown away. As we walked through each step together I found myself feeling like I should have booked another couple of days. I won't even go into how I managed to massacre my new knife from Jon because of my exhaustion and the fact that I had to virtually relearn my technique in order to incorporate all the new information I learned.

Needless to say, this class was just the beginning. Now when I sit down at my stones I approach them with a little (admittedly borrowed) wisdom. I have had to slow down and reconsider what I thought was the right method and all the fun of discovering a new skill is still part of every sharpening session - even if I'm not as fast as I used to be.

If you have any desire at all to take your sharpening to a new level, dig through your wife's purse, look under the couch cushion for spare change, do whatever it takes to get to Fleetwood, PA and begin the process by taking a class. The next time a class is scheduled I'm there - ready to learn from Dave and anyone else who shows up for the seminar. But next time, I'm taking a plane!!

BTW, I was so out of it that I forgot to take any pictures :shocked3:
However, if I would have been thinking I would have taken, and posted, a pic of the major road running through Fleetwood. The name of the road is Kutztown (it this spelled right, Dave?) Seriously!!


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## sudsy9977 (May 31, 2011)

sounds like u had a great tme and learned alot....i know i always learned something at one of dave's classes....ryan


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## MadMel (Jun 1, 2011)

Damn.. Wish he would plan a trip to Singapore sometime soon lol.


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## Cnimativ (Jun 1, 2011)

Too far for the west coast folks. How does it. Ompare to the carter dvds?


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## monty (Jun 1, 2011)

I have never seen the Carter DVDs,so I can't make a comparison - other than to say there is nothing like being able to have immediate feedback - whether it comes in the form of an answer to a question or an idea about your technique.

I should also add that seeing all Dave's sharpening stones made me almost sick with envy


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## Dave Martell (Jun 1, 2011)

Nathan, you're alive! 

It was great to meet you and spend some time sharpening with you. I thought that you did real good and can only get better from here. Thanks for taking the time to come out for the training and to post this review too. 

Dave


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