I Failed My Master Bladesmith Test...

[@WillStelterbladesmith]

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[@johnmoeller8318]

Are you considering scheduling a session after this?

[@CobraJeans]

Sorry unsubscribe for better help scam companies

[@smartgorilla]

Exactly not fun. More American scam qualified my ass ​@@CobraJeans

[@matthewnett]

Please don't support better help or take them as a sponsor. They do not vet their therapists and have been caught and were sued by the FTC for selling users data to social media and targeted advertiser's. Also they make it almost impossible to quit their service once started. Please take a better look at your sponsors before accepting deals from them.

[@Volti-Vagra]

1:28 ontop of supporting -BetterHelp- ScammerDen, that part lost me

[@apexjiujitsu1]

14k gold advice from a professional goldsmith. We coat anything we’re going to stick the torch on with a boric acid & denatured alcohol solution. Dip it in the solution, burn off the alcohol, & the boric acid coats the piece. That keeps the damned oxygen away from the damned copper in the 14k gold. That’ll save you from getting a fire scale in the first place. In case it ever comes up, silver behaves similarly. Fine silver anneals very easily and becomes extremely malleable whereas sterling silver with all that damned copper in it doesn’t get nearly as soft and work hardens very quickly. For best annealing results with either gold or silver use a slightly reducing flame to help mitigate copper/oxygen interaction.

[@Wiseman501]

I'm a jeweler and watchmaker. Came down here to say just that. These boys could use a few weeks in a good jewelry shop to learn some critical techniques and resources that they'd probably go wild with. Oss.

[@jessehemphill9406]

Why you keep having to say damned?

[@Wiseman501]

@@jessehemphill9406 He's a jeweler. All jewelers tend to be somewhat angry and pessimistic.

[@Cheddar555]

@@jessehemphill9406 Why not?

[@Bob_Adkins]

@@jessehemphill9406 He hates oxygen. All jewelers do.

[@BlackHoleForge]

I congratulate you on having the courage to share your mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn.

[@matthewshevlin9825]

Man I’m so glad you said it, it shows humility, and an extremely high degree of integrity! He’s doing it, so someone else doesn’t make the same mistake! I respect it immensely. Great job Will, you will get it next time!

[@Variable-2-actual]

Yes, we all know now not to move the power hammer with a pallet jack.😊

[@MrGoesBoom]

Absolutely...too bad current culture has made it so people are both afraid and ashamed of making mistakes to the point of doing everything to hide them instead of learning from them

[@69Buddha]

By my count you've got about 11 months to get the next set ready, so chin up and hammer down. You'll get it.

[@Fatespinner]

Lmao, no he won't. He doesn't know the chairman.

[@KrakenCasting]

Chin up and hammer down. I like that!

[@Seelenschmiede]

"Your flutes are not fluty enough so we do not call you flutes flutes. Disqual!" Let's talk about gatekeeping...

[@MrGc6asl]

Just look at bladeforums and the direction that has gone too over the years. Doesn't help Will is young as well. It is very similar in a lot of these "master" tests. A ton of these old masters wouldn't even come close to passing the standards they set for others.

[@Aaron_Ada]

@@MrGc6asl They absolutely DQd him because he is young, and a popular KZbinr. There is a lot of gatekeeping in the trades in general. Artisan trades/craftsmen even more so. They bemoan how no young people don't want to get into physical labor but pull this crap. I am also sure part of it is gate keeping their own sales. The VERY least they could have done was look at the other knives and given feedback.

[@Culvey]

am i not fluty enough for the fluty club... (in reference to Master of Disguise)

[@Fatespinner]

@@Aaron_Ada ABS is all about promoting friends of the chairman/vice chair. They decide who qualifies for journeymen and master bladesmith. And they absolutely do not use the same criteria each time, or even anywhere close. To put it another way, the chairman and vice chair, each of them have ONE master-worthy blade on their user profile by the supposed "standards". In neither case is the blade their own work.

[@robertzarfas9556]

You’re not bad at making knives. You’re bad at having foreknowledge of the way a loosely defined word would be interpreted by specific people. And have so much fun in Seaside! It’s a wonderful little tourist spot.

[@MrHahaJayuman]

His issue is not knife making, his issue is time management and planning. He did the same thing on his Journeyman set and, although very skillful, he was "lucky". I say this as someone who has procrastinated in the past and needs the pressure of a massive deadline to actually start working. If Will learns from this and truly wants to be a master he will start his next knife set now...not ~12 weeks out again.

[@ThatOneBlacksmithGuy]

​@@MrHahaJayumanthat was what I thought to- I'm nowhere near his level and it amazed me he was starting 5 knives 3 months before they were due.. what he accomplished is impressive as hell but if he had given himself more time he def woulda been able to correct this

[@spudpud-T67]

You must have failed 'mind reading 101', just like I did.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

@@MrHahaJayuman Time management and organisation is good to have as a skill, but he did actually get all the blades done to automatically fail for no reason beyond interpretation of exactly what a word means... If you can do good quality work in a short time still it doesn't actually matter if you look chaotic in the process, and at least on camera those blades look very good.

[@Marss13z]

@@spudpud-T67 I took that course...University of Hard Knocks.

[@twostroke350]

Make the next handle so fluted, you could use it as a ream.

[@tildessmoo]

Or make it out of a ream or a mill bit or something?

[@thenakinavy]

or as an instrument....

[@Wiseman501]

@@thenakinavy Yes. 🗿

[@coreymorse1347]

"Your flutes are too pronounced and therefore not flutes. Now get off my lawn!" -A judge probably.

[@hulkthedane7542]

Not passing a test due to lack of strict/clear guidelines SUCKS. Not passing a test, you prepared hard for, sucks. I hope for you, that you find a relevant mental shelf to put your disappointment on and then go forward (in better time, perhaps..) and smash that test. You FOR SURE have the skills to become a Master Smith, and even if it takes another year to get there, you will be a young Master. Keep up the good work. 👍👍

[@anglerseawolf9919]

I have to give you respect Will. Your magnanimous attitude after being failed for that reason was better than how I would have reacted. With zero definitions standardized, they should have never been allowed to give it their own off-the-cuff definition. Especially after other(s) have been passed under the same rule-set. Or has it changed? I talked to a master-smith around here a few years ago and he didn't tell me about having to go through all that when he was tested back in the 90's.

[@r0llinguphill483]

Chances are that gatekeepers have started flooding in and are trying to keep everything to themselves, like gatekeepers do. It doesn't sound like the behavior of someone with actual passion about something. People with a passion share passion. Will has a passion, he shares, he doesn't gate keep.

[@Fatespinner]

ABS isn't the same group it used to be. The chairman and vice chair aren't even good smiths, and there's a lot of pay-2-play with them. Kind of an open secret in the smithing world at this point. If you're not Kevin's personal pocketbook or a friend of someone on the board, Master Smith isn't just a lofty goal, it's an impossible one. ABS used to be a marketing tool for any bladesmiths. Now it's a marketing tool for very specific bladesmiths, paid for by the hopeful masses. The chairman, Kevin, he didn't even test for Master. He just had it awarded basically on the anniversary of becoming a Journeyman. He doesn't even make blades anymore, his business is, again, fleecing up-and-comers. Charging a grand for a "two week" workshop, come to find out, it's a total of 4 hours (two days a week, 1 hour a day), and he has a habit of missing it entirely anyway. Hell, his user page has two blades made by SOMEONE ELSE.

[@brunovandooren3762]

@@Fatespinner I have been told by multiple ABS masters that the purpose of the ABS is not what it once was, and one of them flat out said it had outlived its original purpose and that there was a great deal of 'pulling up the ladder behind you' going on.

[@Lolloolollool]

I realize my opinion holds absolutely no weight in this forum, but an immediate DQ for such a ridiculous reason makes the whole master bladesmith organization look silly and like they don't have their act together. Next year should go smoothly for you now that you know the exact (and arguably incorrect) ways they are anal retentive. You are already creating at a master bladesmith level. I realize that stamp is important to you, but keep in mind that your top notch work speaks for itself, and anyone with a critical eye will tell you the same. Keep it up man.

[@doorknocker7958]

Hopefully the ABS can clear up some of those definitions…

[@alextopfer1068]

yeah. "it has to be fluted, we don't define flue is" is not a good test design. I hope someone submits a handle that is a literal flute

[@twatmunro]

They don't need to clear them up because everybody knows what a flute is. If you don't, you can Google it. Will's handle wasn't fluted. Consequently, he didn't pass.

[@MrCoyoteculler]

A drill is a good example of fluting. But...that example that passed 10 yrs previously doesn't seem to meet that criteria either so ya that's screwy. Keep up young man! Your work is fantastic and I'm positive you will be a Mastersmith.

[@alextopfer1068]

@@twatmunro "a flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group"?

[@betaich]

@@twatmunro for a proper designed test on specifications of a thing every word should have a definition of its meaning attached, I just looked up my countries master smith stuff and everything is defined in there from he hours you have to finish a thing up to dimensions and stuff.

[@__w__o__w__]

That dagger still looks insanely nice. The damascus pattern is amazing, the way the swirls darken in towards the hard lines

[@R_C_Parker_]

Damn that sucks Will, and its a shame that you couldn't even get some constructive critiques on the rest of the set because of the technicality. We all fully believe that you can smash the test next time, hope you're able to carve out a bit more time next time round to nail your set. Love seeing your vids, can't wait to see what you create next; it'd be cool to see you explore that amazing pierced bowie design again one day.

[@SummitFourtyOne]

So sorry to hear that Will, hang in there, we believe in you! Thankful for your positive outlook!

[@Sgt_Potato_1]

You've got this in the bag as soon as the judges actually see your knives. The disqualification sounds like they were being nitpicky, to be honest. No offense against them but most people would consider those flutes, so they need to clear that up if they are going to use it as a disqualifier.

[@dearcastiel4667]

If you look at woodworking definitions, that was indeed not fluting at all, at best it's reeding. But Rodrigo Sfreddo's dagger is also not fluted, it is textbook exemple of reeding. Reeding is the opposite motif of fluting. Fluting is semi-circular carvings with narrow ridges. Reeding is semi-circular ridges with narrow carvings. They are like a positive and negative of a carving.

[@Marss13z]

A friend of mine was dating a gal whose dad was a Marine general, retired. My friend asked how he'd gotten to be a general and the guy said, "I always did what the mission required. Nothing more, nothing less." I've thought about that a lot over the years.

[@2kanchoo]

Sorry you got knocked out on a petty technicality. Pretty ridiculous they wouldn't even look at the rest. A guy that came so far and has everything right there on the table in front of them, the least they could do is take a look and offer comments/criticisms. Obviously you put yourself in too much of a time crunch. Hopefully next time you can leave yourself much more time to get everything right and be able to fix any possible errors well ahead of time, not to mention not be so tired as to make mistakes and forget things. Love your work, good luck next time.

[@nickhadfield3192]

Regarding the lack of comments on the set - it's seven (I believe) judges, they all have to look at five knives from every single candidate, and really, really, REALLY get into the details. It's a long process, and it may have just not been practical to do those hours of work for a candidate that has been disqualified. I've helped a friend who also went for their masters by doing a very rough look over his blades (well before final finish, I'm not that good) to get an idea of any mistakes before going too far. Even that took half an hour per blade, and I was looking for stuff that was pretty "big" in comparison to what the final examination is chasing. Not defending either side here (I think the MS rules are overly strict and limiting in terms of design and cater to the old school Seppo aesthetic and designs more than modern and even international styling), just adding clarification.

[@soonerfrac4611]

Anything that can give an automatic DQ should have very clear definitions.

[@dearcastiel4667]

Funny part is, the juges don't even know what fluting is. Rodrigo Sfreddo's dagger doesn't feature fluting either, the handle has reeding, which is the exact opposite of fluting (if you carved fluting in a foam bloc with a hot wire in one cut, you'd get two halves of your foam sheet, one with fluting and the other with reeding, reeding is the motif that fills the gaps of fluting).

[@lkdenve]

I’m sorry, Will. But, build from this and kill it next time. Your work is fantastic and inspires a lot of us.

[@bukofezra]

You are a true artist Will. Obviously it sold, it was a work of art. You go above and beyond in the patterns you create in the way you layer your steel, it is just a shame that the definition and true qualifications are not clearly defined for the final judging. Oh well, now you know, and I have no doubt that it is in the bag, especially with a full year of more experience. You got this...and you know you do.

[@hamijoh]

Your attitude is always so encouraging. What a remarkable person you are. I imagine your friends value your friendship. Keep up the great work. God bless.

[@goretoothrender]

Bad luck Will. As they didn’t even inspect your submissions, would you be able to submit the same ones for the next show?

[@dearcastiel4667]

If the juges are smart (or as smart as people who ask for fluting but don't actualy know what fluting is because Rodrigo Sfreddo's dagger dodesn't have fluting either, it has reeding) they'll change 1 specification for each knife each year so new knives have to be made.

[@CakesFlushing]

What do you call a lawyer that failed thr bar exam 8 times? A layer. You'll get there.

[@BJohanB]

Will you are very talented and your passion for knifemaking is undeniable. Not passing this test, which you're fully capable of doing, shows you have some growing up to do. Best of luck with your next test and I'll be watching.

[@elterga6224]

Tough break, I’m no blade smith, but I would also consider straight flutes to still be flutes. Regardless, those pieces look superb and you should be really proud!

[@epmunson75]

Thanks for the update! Looks like you’re handling it all with class.

[@s1gne]

Finishing a knife just before Bladeshow is maybe cutting it short too much. But you learn, you adapt and come out stronger, next year on Bladeshow you wil present 5 flaweless knives that you will be proud of

[@superblahman]

Okay... so lesson here is do the most important one first, because hey... if the others have looser rules, you don't have that pressure on, you are relaxed, and that way, you are more likely to get them done in a way you like.

[@hamitup01]

Your attitude and persistence is amazing and motivating. I’ve seen a lot of mastersmiths work and your work is better than most. Keep your chin up and go get it next year!

[@hetconaviation2624]

You're an awesome role model for people of any age. This world needs many more like you!

[@nairolf8144]

Keep your head up Will, it wasn't the time yet, I can't wait to see what your actual MS set will look like.

[@XiahouJoe]

the Frank Zappa clip slipped in there poking fun at your friend. Nicely done.

[@redrover1565]

Sounds like the judges work for the government, ie: "You are required to know what is expected of you without us telling you. And if you don't, you will be penalized." And, yes; as far as time management goes, you are culpable.

[@bradleetaylor4055]

Will, your knives are amazing! But what’s even more amazing is seeing you being bold about your faith! Love it bro!!! Keep grindin!!

[@heideknight9122]

Hell yeah dude thanks for the shopping tips. Best wishes for your next mastersmith test!

[@lolh4x]

The fact you even managed to get 5 finished blades even remotely close to the level required is amazing regardless dude. You shot yourself in the foot with time mismanagement and I think you know that. I'm sure there were some small mistakes here and there but overall, you definitely got this. Just need to set yourself up better beforehand!

[@kevincolwell9575]

Will - I am a bladesmith and I work with Scott Rodell to make swords he designs. I am also a doctor of psychology. You are doing this the right way. Denial, defensiveness, anger, etc. are part of the process. But, ultimately, your growth as a craftsman will be directly related to your ability to handle the inevitable negative feedback with grace and make changes. Everything I make is ultimately reviewed by Scott. If he sees anything (or feels anything) wrong, I have to fix or remake. It isn't the same level of judgment as the MS. But, the point is that this sort of objective commentary on your work is the best way to really advance. In some settings, the micro detail issues are irrelevant and a waste of time and energy. But, every now and then, it is important to push yourself and really try to address everything. You will get better from this, and ultimately, this experience will give you a ton of positive public relations. You are dealing with things the right way. Well done. The knives will come. Plus, Salem is a hell of a guy, isn't he?

[@dearcastiel4667]

Would have helped if the juges had disqualified Rodrigo Sfreddo's dagger for also not featuring fluting, because what he did on his handle is reeding, the opposite motif of fluting. If Sfreddo's dagger met the 'fluting" requirement, so does Will's dagger, because neither feature fluting but both have reeding.

[@patriclark2480]

Respect to you Will, for the effort and trip, and for sharing the experience with us. Keep up the great work, and being a great guy.

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

Tough break. Flute the heck out of the new handle! I've always been a fan of your work, Will.👍

[@redhedkev1]

Your right hand banging on the desk...like two inches from the tip of your dagger was freaking me out. Gorgeous dagger BTW!

[@CookinWithSquirrl]

Thank you for sharing even the bummer stuff when it happens.

[@CloneUnit-sq2vs]

You got this Will keep it up chase those passions ur work is valuable to me at least makes me wanna blacksmith and continue with my stuff. I appreciate ur effort!!

[@gruntingtucan4894]

Awesome to see the constructive view from a failure. I really appreciate the breakdown and candor of your recap. Thanks for this. My kiddos and I watched, and I got to have a great conversation about not hitting a mark and later over coming that obstacles. Keep it up man

[@josephd.harris6954]

You are a great guy and I am a long time fan. Keep at it!

[@Tincad4]

Congratulations bro. Glad you learned so much. Have a great time preparing your next master Smith set

[@maxmaxwell4774]

Truly sorry to hear your troubles will, but beautiful work as always!

[@ibrahim-sj2cr]

sorry to hear Will. and thank you for sharing

[@THEDARKILLERS46]

Please don't do betterhelp sponsorships, they sell your data

[@onelegout]

And what a load of utter nonsense that shilling was. You didn't need therapy for failing your bladesmithing test. It's gross. Apart from the data farming, they have a record of failing to regulate their therapists. It's a bad business model before you even start with the data privacy issues.

[@stompingpeak2043]

What doesn't sell your data and who doesn't have access to your data? You're literally on social media with a private account

[@THEDARKILLERS46]

@@stompingpeak2043 do you put your health problems in your bio or what, love the witty remark but if you can't understand how this is a very different from the information you chose to share on any platform I won't even explain to you

[@stompingpeak2043]

@@THEDARKILLERS46 you choose to share almost everything you have on your device when you use most services online. The digital footprints we leave nowadays alone are soo large. Anyone can find any of your information with ease.

[@patrickd9551]

Every sponsorship is basically a grift to sell your data or crappy products (or both). DNA tests, VPNs, mobile games, food boxes, overly expensive vitamines, should I continue?

[@williammorrin7933]

You did great on that Will. Even with some of the "imperfections" it looks great. Keep it up and work for next year man. God bless brother.

[@stylin40s]

I had the luxury of growing up in a family of entrepreneurs. My life motto is "Failure is easy, you can learn from it, never be afraid to fail, success is much harder and very much harder to learn from." You have the character and patience, you will succeed.

[@samsokach582]

You got this, Will. That's a gorgeous dagger. Not that you asked for it, but this is some encouragement that always helps me is that experience is not always success. You learn more from failures than an easy win.

[@nunyabusiness3612]

You got this Will. Failure is just a stepping stone to deeper and more nuanced learning. Stay in the fight, you absolutely got this 💟

Amazing work! Too bad about the misunderstanding.

[@jamessissem7319]

Thank you for sharing your "not win" with us all. Shows your humility, thanks for that!!!

[@HDBrown-wc9xt]

Will, you kick butt! It’s awesome you still went out for it. Personally I think those are flutes. And darn good ones too. When can you start to knock out those knives for next years test?

[@Ismael.biegelmeier]

It was a great pleasure to be your table neighbor at Bladeshow!! Next year I'm sure MS will come!

[@michaelmorrison4843]

It's a shame you didn't get your Master rating, that dagger is gorgeous! That issue about the fluting should have been explained in more detail! That's on them! It's also a shame they didn't look at your other knives first! I'm sure you'll get it next year! 🤔😱👍

[@mcseforsale]

Many years ago, a man told me that "failure" is just practice.

[@Donorcyclist]

You’re a trooper, Will! You’ll get it next time!

[@scottyj10200]

Those dagger requirements make me feel like Neels had a hand in writing them. The man is a dagger master!

[@jacobkoen8994]

Sorry to hear! You are pretty crazy trying to get all of that done on the way there! lol really pretty dagger!

[@scurrybilly15]

All your knives were amazing, did an amazing job and put in 110%! Pressure forms diamonds and your shining man so don't let this get you down! You have the rest of your life to get your mastersmith and now you know what to improve on and fine tune your set you'll smash it!

[@PhillipBriscoe27]

Great job, it looks great!

[@matthewavery8756]

I love your work Will, your my favorite out of the bladesmith and smithing youtube! Keep up your determination, it will happen and life is about the journey! The knife is beautiful and I believe you are capable of doing the work. One thing I have learned in my industry is that there are many many skilled people who struggle or meet with adversity as they climb the ranks. It does not make them unskilled, and this does not make you unskilled. You are great, stick with it as you always have. I will keep watching

[@philochristos]

That's a riveting story and a beautiful dagger. Good luck next year!

[@brim4799]

Good luck for next year!

[@LordStarbeard]

You did an amazing job, Will, you'll get it next year!

[@rcg3496]

Keep your head up and keep pushing 🙏🏾

[@MikeHoncho3]

You keep your head up young man. It’s going to work out for you and I can’t wait to see it.

[@ivanheffner2587]

Dude. That’s harsh. It’s a tough lesson. I hope you take a bit of time to regroup and come back in a year giving yourself some more time to do your master smith test set.

[@Bob_Adkins]

He will be a year older, so the judges may be friendlier next year.

[@blueknightknives5130]

Hey, your class was great! Thanks for all the new ideas! Ya, i got sick after blade show too... the place was a petri dish! If you're in Idaho Falls, stop in at my forge and say hi! I got some Golden Gate Bridge cable coming in for a build next week!

[@billhatcher2984]

I find it hard to believe Salem hasn't done his qualifications but I guess not if he hasn't been to a blade show his work is extraordinary I don't think there is anyone better if he doesn't want them to be

[@PrometheanBlade]

I appreciate the kind words. I’m not ABS affiliated though, and won’t be…

[@whitecaps775]

That Dagger is amazing Sir.

[@DtWolfwood]

What I've learned from this, make the thing with the most stringent requirements first, and make a checklist of all the stuff I need to bring to an event. Thanks will. 👍

[@snorkherder]

You Rock Will, your work is excellent and will always be. Maintain focus, keep the faith, that Master-smith title is just sat there waiting for you. God Bless.

[@Fatespinner]

ABS Master Smith is as much about social networking as it is about forging skill. The best smith to ever live could walk in there with masterpieces, and wouldn't get to test because he's not in with the right people.

[@nickhadfield3192]

There are accredited Mastersmiths whose latest works wouldn't pass because they've gotten lazy

[@Fatespinner]

@@nickhadfield3192 Just like any other non-union trade org, eventually, the point becomes to elevate certain people above the others on a who-you-know basis. I haven't joined, and certainly never will. Your dues go directly to advertising for the Master Smiths. And again, it's all who you know. You could present a Master smith set to them for your Journeyman test, and if you're not in with/donor to the board, you're not getting Journeyman. You either pay to play and then pay to win, or you don't play their game. TL;DR: ABS is nothing more than a marketing engine paid for by the people with the vain hope that one day they'll get to market themselves too. But they never do, never will, and never can, because the unless you're putting money in Kevin and Harvey's pockets, you're just there to keep the lights on.

[@Fatespinner]

@@nickhadfield3192 Yeap. Some of them shouldn't have passed with what they submitted for testing, from the looks of them. But hey, a friend of Kevin's is a master smith, just ask Kevin.

[@timothycurvin7670]

It was great to see you at Blade, Will! I hate that you didn't pass, but those knives are a major accomplishment regardless. Keep up the awesome work! God Bless!

[@yourhighschoolenglishteach8405]

knifemaker here. its naive of me to suggest that i know what makes a “master” bladesmith. but a semantic detail such as “this doesn’t count as fluted” is an absurd reason for disqualification. its the opposite of holistic. your ability to twist gold wire shouldn’t be the defining factor in your mastery over knifemaking.

[@kjuyfif]

Will, your a AWESOME knife smith!!! Bet you'll get er next time!! Be praying for you!!

[@MsMoose1979]

So much time and effort! Still very cool!

[@AndyKeppel]

Aw dang. I'm sorry, that was a huge investment to be DQ'd so quickly. Your work is stunning and I can't wait to see footage over the next year after you find some rest from this and set out creating a new test set with a renewed joy! You've got this! He's got you!

[@Rouverius]

Bummer about the test. But. really encouraged about your outlook on all of it. Pray that things go well for you. Lord bless you, Will

[@braylon3233]

Sad to hear you not pass... keep workin at it! You'll get there. Also it was awesome to meet you at Blade! And Thanks for critiquing my work I brang!

[@user-qi6bh9oj2g]

Will, I've been watching you since you were at Alex's place and have always liked the way you are so open and honest. I'm gutted for you that you didn't achieve your Master Blade smith. However, the way you've accepted it has been amazing. I know you must be broken on the inside, but mistakes make us stronger, stay positive, you will get there.

[@user-wv7bn1fy5v]

The words "arbitrary & capricious" come to mind.

[@MurreChr]

thank you!!

[@firebird8600]

You got this Will! You'll get your stamp. Absolutely beautiful work, even if it didn't meet their definition.

[@EdSkiZm]

Love ur work sir, may ur flukes be flukes and ya get ya mb 🤘🏽 keep rocking out those slick blades brother

[@Nakamura65]

Whats the point of obtaining "master bladesmith" test? Do you have any benefits if you are master bladesmith?

[@DH-xw6jp]

Resources and prestige. It used to be a lot more important before the Internet let everyone put their name out there for people to see.

[@Nakamura65]

@@DH-xw6jp Sound to me like a pompous self righteous association. Basically "cool guys club" with no added benefits other than you can call yourself "master blade smith". I'm sure some random 20yr old Bozeman blacksmith, surely does not need any fancy titles from a weird organization to be able to earn a living. His work is decent, he can produce top quality products with or without any "seal of approval" from any "wannabe blade smith police". Its not like hes gonna be hired to make a blade for king of England or something.

[@winterborne1]

Okay say you normally sell your knives for $3500.00. Having a Master Bladesmith title attached to that $3500.00 knife. Now it makes a $10,000.00 knife. That's a $6500 difference.

[@Nakamura65]

@@winterborne1 Why would having worthless title to my name raise the value of a commodity I sell by triple its original cost. His work will be the same with or without the title. Do people in America buy stuff based on actual quality or just because a bunch of old farts circle jerking each other said so? Its like a freemasonry title for blacksmiths :D, At least being a freemason has some historical value, the ABS was founded in 1976 :D.

[@trevorhall5075]

Man I’m sorry that happened to you. I was at blade show Friday stopped by your table a few time hoping to meet you but you weren’t there the times I stop by. I saw your knives and the dagger they were all absolutely Amazing.

[@maximus_knives]

I amongst many, werent happy about that. Glad to see you just pushing forward. Also hope you enjoyed that stogey.

[@RileyCoyote]

Ugh. So gutted for you. I watched those knives come together on your insta and I was rooting for you to get your MS so hard. Missed you at your table unfortunately, but my spouse and i came to your pattern welding panel and we could tell you were knackered 😩 Think of it this way - you get another year to further hone your craft before you present again!

[@garychillingworth]

I think your examiners were Sans cervelle. Dagger looks amazing and is definitely fluted, it's just not a spiral flute.

[@richardbranton190]

I've heard from other people that you don't make a knife the way you want to make it you have to make it the way the judges would make it. My esp powers don't work that well anymore

[@JohnRoberts71]

Great content thanks for sharing

[@thepatientartisan]

Head up Will! You're a true artist and an amazing craftsman. Let that experience become fuel to propel you on to your goal of earning your Master Smith stamp. Don't let it be anything other than a waypoint on your journey. A point that you can look back on and see how far you have come on the path to your success. Be well.

[@stokermeister3]

Sorry to hear that you had a rough time with the testing 😨😭 hope you will do better next time and take more time to plan and get your pieces completed to the standard that you are happy with 😁

[@luffy1115]

man that's rough. you got the next one. Keep your head up

[@MadRS]

Hey Will. Chin up bro from what we have all seen you are a fantastic knife maker. Your going to absolutely kill it next year. I'm not sure if they set out different criteria each year but start as early as possible and show those judges the exquisite skills your have and present them the best 5 knives they have ever seen.

[@iqognito7726]

Hey man listen! There are many paths to the top of the mountain but the view is always the same. Seems to me that you had an amazing trip and also learnt a lot during all this time. I have also done some stupid last minute things and all things considered it went pretty good? Worst that can happen when you "burn the candle in both ends" and stress while working stuff is that you get hurt. So keep going and enjoy the trip. The view will be there later on!

[@Epikification]

The overlay for "passed his test" was well placed. First thought was that you were talking about a dead guy.