When you live in Waxahachie, a small Texan town
of 15,000 souls, traffic jams and tall buildings hold little attraction. As
near as Dallas may be, one rarely goes there. Every Bladesmith injects a little
or a lot of his culture and way of life into his work. Warren Osborne has been
exercising his profession full time since 1980, deciding to concentrate only on
folding knives that have strong Texan influences. Producing knives for an
essentially local clientele and at unbelievably low prices, he decided to see
what was happening in town and, pushing himself a little. He didn’t choose the
smallest one: he went to New York where the annual Art Knife Show was taking
place.
The welcome that awaited him must surly have
surprised the cowboy in his Texan clothes: all the models on his table were
sold in just a few hours. What was the reason for such success? Perfect
finishing, original design, and very attractive prices. The meeting of Stetson
and skyscraper enabled him to situate himself in relation to the market in
general, although his modesty held him back a little. This experience gave him
the opportunity to grow, to create other models and to go further in the
precision of the mechanisms, his choice of styles and diversity of materials.
He has naturally brought his prices up in line with his competitors, but
needing little to lead a simple life, he now produces less.
An enthusiast of Japanese blades, he dreams of
going to the Land of the Rising Sun to watch at work one of these legendary
bladesmiths who has become a living national treasure.
Yes, this man is just like his knives: simple,
but possessing the essential.
More information on
Warren Osborne can be found here: http://www.osborneknives.com/
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