I am writing a new book on Knife Making - It is aimed at beginners

 I have been working on a new book. This is my 15th. It is a knife-making for beginners book.. And it is coming along really great. I am proud of the work I put into it. 

And, I have a potential publisher for it which is very exciting! It isn't a done deal yet so I can't say who it is but it is a big and reputable publisher. I have been going back and forth with their acquistions editor to make improvements to the book. 

Anyway, as part of the process of improving the book I have been making a new knife. 

The big thing about this book is that it is for beginners with no, or very little, metal working experience. And with a minimum of tools. I really want the average person to be able to make a great knife. 

Stay tuned. I will keep you updated on the progress of the book.

For now, If you want to learn some blacksmithing and knife making you should check out my website at: Blacksmithing, Sword and Knife Making

The partial eclipse

 Prepared my stuff the day before. 

So on the morning of the partial eclipse I threw the stuff in the car and drove to a spot I had already scouted.
The eclipse started before sunrise so I needed a very low eastern horizon to catch it as it rose. 

It went well and I used the eyepiece projection method to watch it and capture it. 

Make a medieval box that tells a tale of heroism

I have done a fair amount of travel and have visited a few museums. And of all the museums I have visited I do have a favorite. It is The Cloisters in New York City. It is the only museum in America that specializes solely in the Medieval Period. 

I will write more about that museum and show you more pictures but for now here is a project I made based on a little medieval box there. It is a Coffret and it was made between 1200 and 1225 in France. And it tells a story. It is the story of William the Count of Toulouse.  You can watch the video to learn about the story depicted on the box. It is famous and it is one the more famous Chanson de Geste which is a song of heroics.

 

Well, I have created a template and instructions including all the artwork and it is all free for my patrons. Did you ever dream big? How about a dream to build a castle? That is my dream. Contribute or just follow along. 

Learn More at: Starry Night Castle 

paper castle free for patrons

 

 

My latest project is complete and it is a free download for patrons. It is a new take on the old and tired paper castle trope. This one is a breath of fresh air! It uses authentic medieval marginalia for the artwork. I love this project. 

Be wary of the army of attacking killer bunnies. 

Learn more about becoming a patron and joining in the quest to build a castle at:

http://www.starrynightcastle.com

 

 

 

While Rummaging through an old bookstore

 While rummaging through an old bookstore in New Orleans Louisiana I stumbled upon this three volume set of books. They are very old but there are no title pages and no identifying information, nor a title on the spines or inside.

But, they are amazing books nonetheless and composed of all kinds of medieval architectural elements and all hand drawn in pencil. Just beautiful. 

Finally made some time to go through them. How often do you find an old book with hand drawings of authentic cariartides, cartouches, stairs, balustrades,  and more. Just amazing.

These are going to come in handy when I build my castle.

50 years, patience, determination, and a castle

 I am always amazed by someone with determination and patience. And this next castle that I want to talk about is an outstanding example of both determination and patience. 

It takes determination to build a castle all by yourself. (A real castle). And it takes patience - 50 years worth of patience. 

That's what it was all about with a man named Harry Andrews.

He returned from Europe after WWI.  And after seeing castles in Europe he was determined to build his own right here in America. 

And that's what he did. It is called Loveland Castle aka. Chateau LaRoche.  It is located in Loveland Ohio.

I stopped in for a day visit to see this castle. It is open to the public. You pay an entrance fee then you can freely walk around the grounds and the internal parts of the castle. 

I am on a quest just like Mr. Andrews; to build my own castle. But.... at my age I don't have the strength to build it myself. And I surely don't have 50 years left. I am going to have to raise the money and have someone else build it.

Learn more about the quest on my website here:

http://www.starrynightcastle.com

Here are a couple of pictures of Loveland Castle:

 

The Marginalia Castle is done and is now a product

I burned some midnight oil and in the past three and a half days I turned the marginalia castle from an idea into a product for sale on etsy. It's been a whole lot of fun and I am very proud of the end product. 29 pages with 3  1/2 pages of medieval characters including an army of vicious attacking bunnies!

 This is just such an unusual and unique take on the paper castle theme. I love this project.

Available on Etsy Here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/StormTheCastleCrafts

 

This project is one of many in the epic quest to build a castle. The name of the castle is "Starry Night Castle" and you can learn more about it/join in the adventure on the website here:

http://www.starrynightcastle.com