Greetings.

I had a birthday on the 25th. I wrote down a list of things to do this 38th year of my life, and it’s slightly daunting. Physical exercise goals, home and shop improvements, inventions, continuing education and vacation are all things that need to be put on the forefront.

I’m also recently more concerned with the direction of our economy and social movement. Highly publicized young people are calling for less freedom and more government, the idea of Self Reliance doesn’t seem to enter their minds, so perhaps it’s time for me to begin making some political statements, and start teaching classes to enlighten those who haven’t had shop class or horticulture, or any of the hands on learning that was available to me in high school. If I ever have children of my own, I really don’t like the idea of sending them to school that is a gun free zone/socialist indoctrination camp. Those who read this blog entry I hope will start talking to their liberal friends, and make points about self reliance, and how our nation is only strong if we as individuals are strong. We need more connection with our neighbors, and we need to make sure that the next generation has a grasp of real economics and sustainable management of resources.

I’m still excited about finishing up old work; today I’ll be boxing up a batch of 3V blades to send out for heat treatment, and then getting started on a small batch of 5160 blades and at the same time, doing some design work on a new batch of 3/16″ thick 3V blades.

Getting my tools and shop to a point where I can work most efficiently is a priority. Mechanizing some grinding operations is going to be pivotal in being able to process tomahawks fast enough to keep up with demand when my marketing game gets up to speed.

I’m still not really making a living at this business, so this year will really be my final attempt to make it as a full time maker. I’m going to do my best, and avoid distractions as much as possible.

As much as I’ve threatened in the past, I am now serious about getting the website into its final form as a webstore, gallery and source for all kinds of information regarding self reliance. Expect a more blog entries from my father Chris, and perhaps more political opinions in the mix.

I’ll be posting a video link later today on this entry after I get the shop tidied up a bit.