Ed Fowler! Of course!
Back in the early 90s these guys taught me so much. I studied metallurgy as well once I had to do HT for no other reason than I was a master TIG welder (micro and macro) and studied metallurgy for that purpose. I kid you not. They made me the HT guy with my minor experience doing knives. They paid me by the hour to study so, alright by me lol.
Was Blade magazine around then? I remember reading mags then and there were a few. 1991 onward I had The Knife Shop back then and they sold supplies for knives in OKC and Jantz was another supplier about a hundred miles away, but on the way to Lake Murray OK, best smallie lake in the state, caught an 8 lb. smallmouth there.
The knife Shop was so helpful and then I found Hinderliter HT in OKC. I cannot even express how much help they were right on into 2008. My company sent them parts we could not do because our oven was only 24" deep (they had 4' ovens, vacuum). They advised me for smaller parts so I wouldn't get fired.lol
Boyle was one and Mr. D2 in Illinois was another. I remember the first so-called stainless Damascus was developed back then. I had a divorce and other things happen so I did not keep up with all that happened, still have some blades from then and some files, Nicholson. I even have some spheroidized O1 partially ground blades from then. They are kind of messed up, but may be fixable. Second set of pig hunting knives, I made one after, 3 knives. Oklahoma they hunted wild boar with knives. A good set would bring $150. Old memories, wished I could remember more.
