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Announcer [00:00:03]:
Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast, your weekly dose of knife news and information about knives and knife collecting. Here's your host, Bob the knife junkie DeMarco.

Bob DeMarco [00:00:16]:
Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast. I'm Bob DeMarco. On this edition of the show, I'm speaking with Colin Maguire of Mag 10 Knife Works. Colin is a knife smith and maker out of Rhode Island who works in forging and stock removal to create beautiful one of a kind EDC kitchen and field knives. His EDW model caught my eye sometime this past year when Jovan's knife flex began featuring it numerous, numerous times in his YouTube videos and Instagram posts. I was excited to spot the knife when I came across the Mag 10 table at Blade Show. And after bending Colin's ear about his work for a few minutes, I knew I wanted to find out more. We'll do just that.

Bob DeMarco [00:00:57]:
But first, be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and hit the notification bell, and be sure to download the show to your favorite podcast app. And if you'd like to help support the show, you can do so by going over to the knifejunkie.com/patreon and checking out what we have to offer. Again, that is the knifejunkie.com/patreon.

Announcer
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Bob DeMarco
Colin, welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast, sir.

Collin Maguire [00:01:31]:
Thank you for having me. Thank you for having me.

Bob DeMarco [00:01:33]:
It's a pleasure. Actually, 2 different, ways. I I I know you through 2 different people, Jovan's knifelix who shows off that EDW an awful lot, and then I know you personally through Matt Chase. Yeah. We we're both buddies with him, and that was cool to find out kinda randomly. Before we get into, you as a knife maker and stuff, let's talk about Blade Show for a second. Was that your first show, or have you do you go every year? What how was that?

Collin Maguire [00:02:01]:
I I go every year. Yeah. I've, I've exhibited every year since, 2019 with the notable exception of 2020, of course. So

Bob DeMarco [00:02:10]:
Gotcha. Alright. Well, how was it this year? Was it was it cool? It was a pretty crowded room in there.

Collin Maguire [00:02:15]:
It was. It was, it was a little bit off, I think. I think a lot of guys had the same experience. I don't know if it's just the economy, you know, or if I just brought the wrong stuff. I did okay, but, it was probably my worst year since 2019.

Bob DeMarco [00:02:31]:
That's, actually, we have heard that. People talking about it on this show the past couple of weeks have have said, similar things. To me, it seemed like there were a lot of people there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe maybe, maybe not spending as freely as they had in the past.

Collin Maguire [00:02:47]:
So that that was the vibe I got for sure. You know? It, the the crowd was great, but it just the the sales weren't there, which is you know, it's a blade show. Sometimes you hit, sometimes you don't. It's something we kind of treat as a, as a vacation. My wife and I, we, we go down with some maker couple of our, friends of ours that are, you know, very good friends, and we kinda make a vacation of it every year. And, you know, don't get me wrong. Like, obviously, I wanna make money at Blade, but it's not the only and most important thing, you know, when it comes out of time.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:23]:
Yeah. For some, like myself and I'm sure many, many knifemakers, it's the only time out of the year that I get to, actually say hi face to face to friends I've made, in the knife world, over the past year, so I value it for that for sure. And, of course, I spend more than I should, but

Collin Maguire [00:03:42]:
Hey. You know, that's that's what it's about. Yeah. But, yeah, you know, it it is what it is.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:48]:
Alright. So before we move on, from blade show, if you could have gotten anything there, I'm not sure how much time you had to walk around and check out work, but was there anything there that caught your eye?

Collin Maguire [00:03:58]:
Unfortunately, you're you're probably not gonna like this answer. Not really. And not because there wasn't a ton of stuff there that I I would have liked, but I actually I don't get a lot of opportunity to walk around. I'm I'm kinda table bound the entire time. And, you know, I I guess I'm a huge fan of, you know, Sparrow Knife Co and Kinison, which are, like, right next to me. So someday, I would like to, you know, own a piece from from both of them, and I guess that would be my answer for you. But as far as, like, I didn't I literally didn't make it into the big room even once this year. So I, I I the the irony is that I don't get to see a lot of it.

Collin Maguire [00:04:40]:
You know, I'm I'm busy just trying to trying to do my thing and and make some money. So, you know

Bob DeMarco [00:04:46]:
Yeah. Yeah. Let the let the crowd come to you. Well, as I mentioned up front, you you, make

Collin Maguire [00:04:53]:
a variety of knives,

Bob DeMarco [00:04:55]:
kitchen knives, EDC type knives, field knives. How did you get into this and, how did you get into making them?

Collin Maguire [00:05:03]:
So kind of a funny story. You know, I've been doing this about 10 years, eight and a half years full time. And, prior to me becoming a bladesmith, I didn't really know this world even existed, which I know sounds really weird. I was a mechanic in a former life, dealership guy, engine specialist. I, spent most of my adult life doing that. Went to to trade school right out of high school, and I was, I was at a dealership by the time I was 20 for a time reference that predates 911. I watched that happen in the the waiting room of my dealership. And, I was kind of at a transitional time in my life.

Collin Maguire [00:05:47]:
Like, at at the time, though I'm now, you know, happily married with 2 children, I was unattached, kind of, you know, bored with the dealership thing. I've been doing it a long time. You know, that life isn't the best either, you know, and, was just kinda bored and, you know, had always carried knives throughout my life as, you know, a tradesman. You know, I've never not had, like, a a Kershaw in my pocket that I got off, you know, the the Snap on truck or whatever. And I was just kinda bored and was like, hey. I wonder if I could make a knife. Once again, not really realizing that the entire world of custom knife making existed. I was just kinda messing around and, you know, I got some angle iron from Home Depot and, you know, a crappy grinder and just started kinda going at it in, my apartment at the time, which was completely tile floors, wall to wall.

Collin Maguire [00:06:39]:
And I was just sitting there grinding out these really, really crappy knife like objects and, you know, passing the time, keeping myself entertained. And that kind of led down a rabbit hole where I I realized, you know, that people actually do this for a living and well. And, you know, at the time, I didn't have a lot of responsibility, and I was just like, screw it. We're gonna make knives. And, I just, like, kinda dove in. And, you know, 10 years later, here I am having this conversation with you.

Bob DeMarco [00:07:11]:
Well, I I wanna ask you how you went from crappy grinders and angle irons to, what you're making now, but, couple of things first. You did you've mentioned a couple of times about how when you started knife making, you were unattached, you had no responsibilities. You know? Did are are you are you implying or maybe you're not implying anything, but are you implying that, this would be a difficult road to hoe if you were if you were going into it in your career?

Collin Maguire [00:07:39]:
Oh, I'm sorry. I could never make the same decision that that I did at the time. I was just like, screw it. I'm gonna make knives and see how it goes. And, I would never you know, with a family to support and the responsibility I have in my life now, I would I wouldn't dream of, you know, pursuing something like that. So it was abs it was definitely a a circumstance that was perfect. And maybe I kind of recognized that, you know, not a lot of people get the opportunity to to just, like, throw themselves at something with reckless abandon like I did. And, so that's what I did.

Collin Maguire [00:08:14]:
And, you know, like I said, here we are. So

Bob DeMarco [00:08:18]:
I I saw your tattoo on your I guess it's your left hand. Yeah. Pretty pretty devoted to, to the the craft and the cars and the mech and and being a mechanic. How how did that how did those skills there, where I don't think you're actually making stuff. You're fixing stuff. Right? Right. But but still, you know, obviously, handy as hell and Yeah. Know your way around tools.

Bob DeMarco [00:08:44]:
How did those skills translate and help you when you, moved into knife making?

Collin Maguire [00:08:49]:
Well, I think you just kind of, you know, hit the nail on the head, so to speak, and that it there's no bleed over artistically or anything like that. But when I was like, hey. I'm gonna try and make a knife. Like, I wasn't scared of the process. You know? Obviously, I wasn't using fire at the time, but, you know, had I been you know, I've been holding an oxyacetylene torch my entire life and, you know, tools and steel. Like, it just it wasn't an intimidating prospect. You know? It's just like whatever. It's like, just grind grind some metal away.

Collin Maguire [00:09:19]:
How hard that could that be? You know? And, So it was like I said, there's no artistic bleed over, but it was it took away any, like, fear of the process. You know? And in fact, probably more so than it should have because, like I said, my first knife shop was in a a third floor apartment in, Providence. And, you know, I was it was, quite an endeavor to clean once I finally left because I wanted to make sure I left the place in, you know, as good or better condition than I than I found it. And, the the process of, like, dust removal from a Yeah. A 3 bedroom apartment was somewhat, you know, daunting and, you know, time consuming. So but like I said, I was like, literally, I'm just gonna make knives in this apartment, and it is what it is. So here we are.

Bob DeMarco [00:10:07]:
You gotta get your, gotta get that deposit back. In the apartment days, how were you heat treating?

Collin Maguire [00:10:13]:
At the time, I wasn't because I, that was in my angle iron phase. The very first knives that I actually heat treated, I, I did so in a rigged up, forge that was made out of a charcoal grill with a blower on the bottom of it and, you know, can of canola oil. And about as about as crude as you could possibly get and as far away from, you know, my computer controlled eating meat as you could possibly be.

Bob DeMarco [00:10:40]:
Right. It's sort of the, post apocalyptic way of of making the night. Well, geez. I hope not. Well, so how did you go from angle iron in your apartment to, as I mentioned up front, I've seen some really beautiful forged pieces from you. So so what was the what was the path? Did you start going into forging first?

Collin Maguire [00:11:02]:
Yeah. So once I realized that, you know, what I was making were not knives, they were simply knife like objects, that, you know, led to me recovering, you know, leaf springs from local junkyard and, you know, heat treating them in that that charcoal, you know, grill forge. And then one thing led to another and, you know, constructing a little firebrick forge and, just kind of enjoying the process of of hitting steel with a hammer, albeit very crudely and, you know, terribly at the time. So, yeah, I just I started my very the first couple years, I was just reclaiming leaf springs and, you know, I was doing a little bit of forge. I was basically, like, flattening them out and getting them straight in the the little fire brick forge and getting them heat treated and, you know, selling them at gun shows. You know, just these little, like, $100 EDC paracord wrap, you know, with these terrible, like, low Scandi grinds on them. And somehow people found them endearing. And, you know, that kinda kept me going for a while.

Collin Maguire [00:12:07]:
And next thing you know, you know, I'm I'm, yeah, you know, once again, I I I don't wanna speak poorly of them because, obviously, people were willing to give me money for them. And had they not been, we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation, and it's something I'm eternally grateful for. You know? And so but I mean, objectively, they were pretty terrible with hindsight.

Bob DeMarco [00:12:31]:
And and it it's also incumbent upon the maker to look at his older work and and and see all of its faults. I know exactly, what those early knives look like because you have a a picture of it on your website. One of the early ones. I I believe you do, and it looked cool. It looked like I I knew immediately that it was your first knife or or an an early one because all you have to do is look at your current one. Right. But but, yeah, from an outsider's perspective, that's cool. That's a bit of history Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:13:02]:
From a maker that I whose work I really like, as opposed to look as opposed to you looking at your own work saying, oh my god. That's embarrassing. Look at how I've grown. I I think it's interesting that you say, people found them endearing, because I I know what you mean. It's not endearing like, aw, he's making knives. I'm gonna buy one from him. It's like the the piece itself is like, this is this is useful, and it shows, like, someone's actual hand. You know?

Collin Maguire [00:13:33]:
I think I mean, I'm I'm known for my I don't wanna phrase this improperly, but my salesmanship. I don't want that to come across like, you know, I'm just a salesman. But I I'm known for being, like, pretty high energy at shows and, you know, very, very engaging. Like, I'm the kinda guy, if you walk by my table, like, you don't wanna make eye contact or I'm gonna talk to

Bob DeMarco [00:13:54]:
you. And That's how this I think that's how you got me. I think I walked by you like, hey. And I'm like, what?

Collin Maguire [00:14:00]:
So, like, I that once again, I mean, they were useful, but I think a lot of it too was, like, my enthusiasm flow. And, like, I was at the time, I was, like, so proud of myself. And I think the the fact that I hadn't been so involved in this world for so long was a a benefit to me because, like, I didn't I didn't know what I didn't know. And, like, I was just so pumped to, like that someone would be even entertaining the thought of giving me money for this, like, you know, little tiny piece of leaf spring that I, like, crudely hammered out and, you know, put a a very, like, like I said, low scandi grind with a 1 by 30 grinder from Harbor Freight. And I was just, like, so pumped that someone would be willing to even look at them. You know? That Yeah. When I think even for the 1st few years, I still wasn't, like, really following the the business. You know? So I wasn't, like, seeing all the spectacular work just, like, flooding my way and kind of telling me that what I was doing wasn't terribly good.

Collin Maguire [00:15:02]:
Oh, god. Yeah. That's those are some other pieces. Oh, god. Yeah. I'm I'm wow. You know, it's funny that you're bringing up the website. I basically keep that around because I have the domain.

Collin Maguire [00:15:15]:
And, like, whatever I I pay for it, which is Yeah. Not insignificant, but I'm like, someday, I'm gonna revamp it. That website has not been touched in, like, 8 years.

Bob DeMarco [00:15:24]:
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You can tell just just by looking at at

Collin Maguire [00:15:26]:
your Yeah. I'm warning everyone. Like, you know,

Bob DeMarco [00:15:29]:
you're Instagram seems to be where you have the most current stuff. Yeah.

Collin Maguire [00:15:33]:
Yeah. That's that's become my, you know, my collection of work. And so like so much so that, like, the website's not on my business card. So I guess, you know, now that it's out there,

Bob DeMarco [00:15:42]:
you know There you go. It's a little reminder.

Collin Maguire [00:15:45]:
Yeah. If anyone I mean, it it can be fun. If you're familiar with my current work and, like, wanna see, you know, how much I've progressed in, say, the last 8 years, then it's an interesting little trip down memory lane, if you will. But I'm like, oh, oh, god. Like, he just showed that.

Bob DeMarco [00:16:01]:
So let let me ask you a question. You you've mentioned Leaf Spring a couple of times, and I know, a lot of, like, for instance, some of the Filipino swords behind me were were reclaimed, truck springs and stuff like that. And I've heard, and read in places where, depending on how long that truck or car, whatever that is with the leaf spring, I guess it's a truck. However, you know, if it's been on the road a long time, it could be weakened or, what do you call it, compromised steel. Did you ever, in your experience when you were doing that, you know, go into the junkyard and grabbing leaf spring, ever have that happen?

Collin Maguire [00:16:38]:
Never never to anything I'd made with it. I mean, like, obviously, like, as you're scouring the junkyard for good finds, you'll see springs that have broken, you know, the spring near the spring perch or have been over, you know, waited and and stressed over time and have given way in their, you know, current form as a leaf spring. But I've never seen never had any issues with, you know, cracks or stress or anything, you know, that was something I made from them. This is not in, you know, in any way me advocating for doing that. I'm just saying, like, I had never experienced any issues. You know? And all I knew is they got hard. And that was what was most important to me at the time, you know, was just making something that would kind of cut, you know?

Bob DeMarco [00:17:24]:
So how did you get your first forge? Did you make it and did anyone show you what to do?

Collin Maguire [00:17:31]:
No. No. I, you know, I like I said, my very first one was kind of constructed out of fire bricks and, map gas torches. I basically constructed, like, a fire brick square, you know, with, 2 45 degree, holes drilled in it that I could stick 2 map gas torches in and kind of get, like, a tumbling flame front in the center of the the brick structure. And I could get 2 or 3 inches of steel, you know, hot in that thing. And, from there, I moved on to, a chili forge, one of their single burner than turkeys. And, eventually, like, the piece I use now, which I've been beaten on for years, is basically a copy of the one at Dragon's Breath in Walcott, Connecticut, the one that Matt and Jamie used. It was built for me by a buddy who was, you know, you know, kinda working out of there at the time, and, I traded him a knife for, you know, building me a replica of their forge, which I was at that time, I had become, you know, very comfortable using and, you know, very decent at, controlling.

Collin Maguire [00:18:34]:
So that's what I run now. It's just a old propane tank with a giant, like, 475 CFM, bouncy house blower that I have to regulate down with a ball valve or else it'll melt stuff. Oh my god. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:18:50]:
Well, okay. So I I have dreams of forging at some point when when I'm not in the constricted suburbs and, you know, at some point, I'd like to, as a hobbyist. How did you learn what you were doing? I mean, I know you you've seen Forged in Fire. Not then you didn't. I mean, this is long before that. But, I mean, you've seen people do it. You know, you have an impression. My my impression a long time ago was that Conan the Barbarian just pouring steel into a mold.

Collin Maguire [00:19:20]:
You know? But

Bob DeMarco [00:19:21]:
so how did you kinda figure out what you were doing and start making these Damascus steels and stuff?

Collin Maguire [00:19:26]:
Trial and error. Yeah. I, don't get me wrong. I'm I'm very blessed to be surrounded by some of the most talented blade and swordsmiths in the world. You know? I'm in New England, and we have a really, really strong Yeah. Contingent of, once again, like, world class bladesmiths here. And, they're my friends, and I've known them for a long time now. And, so I'm I'm fortunate enough where amongst that giant pool of friends, there's there's not a lot I can't figure out with a phone call if I need to.

Collin Maguire [00:19:57]:
But, initially, it was just kinda trial and error, just getting steel hot, hitting it with a hammer, and seeing where it moved. And then kind of figuring out how, you know, I could use that experience that I was gaining over time to to push steel in the right direction and and make knives. So, yeah, I I'm I'm definitely like a a a hard headed trial and error type guy, and that's been most of my knife making for it. I've just been like, do it until it works. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:20:28]:
Yeah. Like, like learning the hard way leaves a deeper impression sometimes.

Collin Maguire [00:20:33]:
Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:20:34]:
Than than being told by someone who knows. I mean, both both are helpful.

Collin Maguire [00:20:39]:
Yeah. No. And I I don't necessarily advocate the way I did it. You know? There are so many talented people out there offering just amazing classwork that I encourage anyone to to go and take a class, you know, learn from someone who knows what they're doing versus, like, you know, kind of fumbling your way through it like I did for so long.

Bob DeMarco [00:20:59]:
Well, let's let's see one of your knives. We've been talking about them. I realize we've only seen Instagram pictures and I know you have a couple, sitting close by.

Collin Maguire [00:21:07]:
Yeah. I got a few. This is kind of one of my recent pieces right here. Oh, god. Woah.

Bob DeMarco [00:21:16]:
Tell me about that Damascus.

Collin Maguire [00:21:18]:
Wow. So this is a a 4 bar composite piece. The 2 center bars are, what I call a Turkish firestorm. It's kind of applying the same principle of Turkish twist, but to Firestorm, which is a twisted crush w. So the 2 center bars, I don't know how well that's coming through, are Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:21:38]:
Hold it hold it still for a sec. I can see those center that center bar is so cool. It's got this tight, pattern tight wavy pattern that follows the contour of the edge, and then you've got this much looser pattern on on the edge and the spine. What is that?

Collin Maguire [00:21:55]:
So the outer two bars are actually the 2 halves of a feather pattern. So instead of welding the feather back together at the seam, I simply stuck it on the outside of the 2 center bars, which like I said, it's a a right hand and a left hand fire storm twist. So it's just a 4 bar composite. I hadn't seen anyone do it before. I'm sure, you know, there's nothing new under the sun. So I'm sure someone at some point had gone, hey. Like, why don't I twist these two pieces of Firestorm in opposite directions and, you know, take a feather and not weld it back together, but weld it to the outside or something like that. You know? But, that's the kind of stuff that I like doing.

Collin Maguire [00:22:31]:
Just kinda coming up with something that's a little bit irregular, you know, and, not necessarily, like, reinventing the wheel. Like, you know, obviously, firestorm's a thing and feather's a thing. But, kind of putting them together and just making something cool and new with it. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:22:48]:
Hold hold that up again if you would and and hold it still, and I wanna I wanna see. That blade is beautiful. Now your handle is really cool too. It it's, what do you call it? Like, a letter box or or whatever. A shadow box. Yeah.

Collin Maguire [00:23:05]:
The Tang

Bob DeMarco [00:23:05]:
shadow box. Yeah. Thank you. The Tang stands proud of the scales, but you have 6 scales here

Collin Maguire [00:23:12]:
Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:23:13]:
Which is really cool. Tell tell me about this design and and what its intention is.

Collin Maguire [00:23:20]:
You know, its intention is just to be cool. There's no I know, like, I I I hope that's not like a disappointment. You know? But, it's kind of art for art's sake. I and I use that term loosely. Like, I I don't know really where I fall on the you're an artist, you're not an artist type of thing. But I found that though I never thought it would happen, my mind more recently and I'm still doing a ton of, you know, my EDWs, which ironically, I don't have any to show off today. But I'm still doing a ton of my, you know, standard fare stuff, but my mind is starting to work in ways that I didn't anticipate it would a little while ago. You know, I used to look at art knives and go, oh, like, why would you do that? It's a knife.

Collin Maguire [00:24:01]:
Why would you hyper embellish it to the point of making it not nonfunctional, but make it, you know, just a collector's item? And then something in my brain kinda clicked over the last couple years maybe. And, like, all of a sudden, I'm starting to look at texture and color and and, like, all these different aspects that I didn't ever think I would wanna incorporate in, you know, my work, geometries. You know? Like, for instance, the the shape of the the segmented scales on that piece. You know? Just even, like, where I segmented. You know? The the middle piece is, essentially, like an inverted trapezoid. But, like, even Yeah. Where the the segments were arranged, it was kind of just done intentionally to be cool and different. And I don't know, almost maybe, like, Art Deco ish, if that makes sense.

Bob DeMarco [00:24:56]:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, the funny thing is is looking at that knife, it it it's it's such a functional looking design. And and you say, you know, my intention was to make it cool. Well, you know, mission accomplished, but it also looks like a, yeah, absolutely. It also looks like a very usable knife and and something that, it it looks like it's in about the the size range I carry kind of on a daily basis in my in my waistband, so it looks extremely useful.

Collin Maguire [00:25:22]:
It would be. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:23]:
As

Collin Maguire [00:25:24]:
I'm sorry. What do you mean?

Bob DeMarco [00:25:25]:
As a as no. No. No. As a sidebar, my definition when we talk about art is that art is something that can only be appreciated but not used the way a knife can be used. So so I would say, you're a very talented knifemaker who approaches knifemaking in an artistic way. And the only reason I'm laying that out is this is kind of an argument I've had with several people over many, many years.

Collin Maguire [00:25:48]:
I'm sure.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:49]:
And so that's my definition.

Collin Maguire [00:25:51]:
Yeah. No. No. I actually I like that quite a bit, because as I mentioned before, like, I'm not sure, like, where I fall on that whole argument because it is one that's come up, you know, quite a bit recently. And it's like, I just like making cool stuff. And I guess Yeah. I never I never thought of myself like, I could never have imagined making something. And maybe this isn't a good example either because it's not necessarily a function following form thing.

Collin Maguire [00:26:20]:
You know, as you picked out, it's a incredibly functional knife. And it it wasn't made so crazily that, you know, it wouldn't serve its purpose well. But, you know, like I said, the segmented handles, like, is there a purpose behind it? No. It's just to be cool, and it's to be different. Like, you know, kind of pick myself out of a crowd and do something that I haven't seen anyone else doing, you know, which I think is really, really important, especially right now with, you know, so many makers out there doing, you know, similar stuff. Like, you know, just trying to do something that, like I said, I think is cool that I'm hoping other people find is cool. And at the same time, you know, doesn't take away from the the actual utility of the knife while, you know, definitely spending a lot of time embellishing it, you know, for sheer embellishing sake, if you will.

Bob DeMarco [00:27:08]:
Well, that that trapezoid in the center of that handle, you know, it's not just a cool embellishment because you could have put it upside down and it would be it would be half as useful in in terms of traction. But the way those lines are splayed out in this direction, it's it's both artful and useful. And, and, you know, you're probably maybe not even seeing some of those things because you're approaching it like, I've never seen this before. So, is that a knife model that you make along with knives like the EDW or ones that you make a little more pedestrian?

Collin Maguire [00:27:42]:
Yes, actually. So it's a a slightly scaled up version of my EDP or everyday Persian. And I'm, as you can tell by my, my naming trend here, that's the one thing I've never been super creative about. You know? But it's just a a scaled up version of my EDP, into what I would consider a more, like, full size version. My EDP is, you know, roughly the same size as size as the EDW, and that it's what I would consider for most hands to be, like, a 3 and a half finger knife, in that they're, you know, smallish fixed blades where your pinky is kind of grasping the pommel area, giving you some traction there, but also, you know, they're they're EDC fixed blades. So footprint is obviously an important thing to take into mind, you know, when you're designing. So all of those knives have a a similar, like, handle shape and the, you know, thought process behind it. And it's one that's been, you know, borne out over time and and proven again and again, is, you know, if you have a a hand that's on the smaller side size, you can choke up on it and get a full 4 finger grip.

Collin Maguire [00:28:49]:
But for most guys, it's gonna be a 3 and a half finger knife where your pinky is, like I said, kind of falling behind it. But at the same time, you're getting a purchase on the pommel. So you've got that control and you're, you know, whatnot.

Bob DeMarco [00:29:01]:
That, 3 and a half finger dynamic or that that 3 and a half finger grip can be a very comfortable thing because, you know, some of the pressure, some of the backward pressure, goes into the pinky instead of the if you had something real short, it'd be going into the palm, but instead, it's going into the pinky, and that's a real secure, grip. I like I like that too because I'm a daily, carry, fixed fixed blade guy. I like that. I also like a rounded handle a lot of the time. Not everything, but I like a rounded handle because, you know, I'm not as slender as I used to be, not as slender as I'd want to be, and I don't like that poop. You know?

Collin Maguire [00:29:39]:
Absolutely. You know, it's little things like that that I've just learned over time, you know, through, once again, kinda trial and error and just doing it over and over again. So, yeah, that's, like I said, the the piece I just showed you is just a a way scaled up version of of one of my absolute, you know, staple pieces, which is the EDP. Probably been my most popular knife over the last 4 or 5 years. It's been in my been enjoyed for quite a while. And, you know, I just I had a a cool idea for a pattern and, you know, wanted to scale it up a bit and just do something crazy with the handle, and that's kinda what I came up with.

Bob DeMarco [00:30:16]:
So when you first started forging or or first got very serious and you were out of the apartment and using real steel and heat treating and everything, What was your first model that hit, and and what was it like? And, what did people why were people attracted

Collin Maguire [00:30:32]:
to it? Ironically, it was as far as, like I was still doing initially just a whole bunch of different stuff, you know, like little drop points and, you know, some trailing points and little buoys and stuff. But it actually was maybe it's been longer than 4 or 5 years now, but that that EDP was the first one that really really took off for me. And it's one that I'm, like, literally working on 2 of, like, as we speak. You know? I've got them in the shop right now getting ready for, you know, my next show in a week and a half. So, you know, I'm still to this day, you know, trying to keep at least 2 or 3 of them on the table at any given time because they haven't they haven't showed any sign of, you know, losing any popularity. So it's, that EDPM, it's it's been very good to me.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:16]:
Well, how does it work for you in terms of, well, the actual work part? You're a full time knife maker. You forge an awful lot. Are you doing stock reduction? I said upfront you were, but Yeah. My So how does how does that work into your

Collin Maguire [00:31:34]:
Honestly, you know, I'm still a very, very show centric business. So right now is my arts and craft show season. I was in New Hampshire two and a half weeks ago. I was in New Hampshire for past weekend that just went by. I'll be down on Cape Cod, week and a half from now. And so it kind of just, right now, it looks like plugging holes in the engine door, if that makes sense. Like, trying to have a little bit of everything on the table at any given time. And, you know, when I come back from the show, I just kinda take note of what's missing and what I need to replace.

Collin Maguire [00:32:11]:
And, if that means stainless, then it's probably gonna be stuck in the middle. If I've got some Damascus gaps, then it means I'm gonna be forging. And, it kind of it's very much just like, alright. What are we doing? I don't know. Let's figure it out. You know? There's very little regimen to my, like, life when it comes to don't get me wrong. Like, every every piece I make follows the same basic, you know, build characteristics with the exception of maybe, you know, forging it or not forging it. But, you know, like I said, what I'm what I'm doing any given week, you know, is just kinda depending on, like, what went, the the weekend before, you know, so

Bob DeMarco [00:32:53]:
That's that's interesting. Like, I I I hear a lot about, from knifemakers who forge, and that's kinda their their real passion. Where the where the real, work and play happens. And then to make ends meet, make batches of stock reduction knives and and, due to kind of a a a quicker process. But I'm not hearing that from you. I'm hearing it's more like, well, people are are more into the Damascus right now, because they bought more of those. I have to do some forging or, that's interesting. So you keep kind of an, like you said, an inventory, and Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:33:33]:
And I mean this is the first

Collin Maguire [00:33:35]:
Don't get me wrong. Like, there's gonna be a certain amount of, like, tailoring I do to, like, the crowd I'm going to see. Like, obviously, if I'm going to, like, a big knife show, you know, somewhere where people are not only appreciative of the Damascus stuff, and they're like, everyone's appreciative of it. But, you know, am I necessarily expecting to be selling, like, $600 EDCs at, you know, an arts and craft show? Not really.

Bob DeMarco [00:33:58]:
Right.

Collin Maguire [00:33:58]:
So I'm gonna be focusing more on, you know, my stock removal stuff, you know, even trying to have some, like, really, not low buck, but what I consider my, like, entry level stuff on the table because, you know, people are not so scared of approaching something that's, you know, $200 or below versus, once again, you know, like, what showing up at, like, a field in Cape Cod with a bunch of $1,000 knives. Like, you're probably not gonna do too well. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:34:23]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Collin Maguire [00:34:24]:
That being said, you know, like, I actually did quite well with them, you know, last weekend, surprisingly enough. And so, like, there are some holes in the inventory there that need to be filled out.

Bob DeMarco [00:34:34]:
So who's who's buying them? It's interesting because you you do a lot of face to face sales.

Collin Maguire [00:34:39]:
I do.

Bob DeMarco [00:34:41]:
I do. So who are the like, if you could generalize or, like, you know, what what are your observations about your customer?

Collin Maguire [00:34:47]:
Dude, it's everyone. And I know that sounds weird, but it's probably because I I kind of approach my business in a not odd fashion, but in a unique one. Whereas, like, I really don't know anyone else who's, like, willing to go set up in an arts and craft show. Well, that's not true. I I know a couple. But, like, where my schedule during the summer is, you know, mostly that. So for the arts and crafts crowd, like, if I'm up in New Hampshire like I was last weekend, I'm definitely gonna encounter some hunters. And so my EDP, once again, getting back to that, like, that kind of has been my hunting crowd go to just because of, like, the trailing point and the size.

Collin Maguire [00:35:25]:
It actually while I wasn't necessarily designing it initially to be, you know, a skinning knife, it turns out that it was brought to my attention that it is a wonderful skinning knife.

Bob DeMarco [00:35:36]:
Yeah.

Collin Maguire [00:35:37]:
And so, like, for that crowd, I'm gonna have a few of those on hand. Chef knives, which are not my favorite thing to make, are really popular with that crowd because I'll you know, I sell plenty of those to, you know, both male and female customers. But, like, I my chef and I usually end up going the ones that aren't commission pieces, you know, end up going to, you know, middle aged moms who kind of just, like, run across me at an arts and craft show. And they're like, oh, wow. This is beautiful, and it's light. And I've I've never held a custom chef knife before, and I didn't realize that they can be this thin and light and, you know, like, dicey. And, you know, so

Bob DeMarco [00:36:15]:
And you're such a nice young man.

Collin Maguire [00:36:16]:
And I'm such a nice young man. I just I I bring him right in, you know? Like, so

Bob DeMarco [00:36:21]:
Well, you know what I'm thinking about? Like, the arts and craft shows, I could see how, oh my god. You're a light at the end of the tunnel for the man whose wife is like, we're going this weekend to the arts and

Collin Maguire [00:36:32]:
craft. Yeah. Like, I I hope I'm not giving my game away here. And, like, next thing you know, like, I'm gonna have all this this arts and crafts competition. Yeah. But that that very much is, you know, my my kind of target demographic at the, the arts and crafts show. You know? Guys getting dragged around by his wife. She just spent $400 on, like, you know, cheese graters and bird houses and candles.

Collin Maguire [00:36:55]:
And, you know, he he's he's already bored. He's watched us spend a bunch of money, and he's like, hey, man. Like, I did not expect you to be here, and I'm very happy you are. And you know what? I think I'll take that. So

Bob DeMarco [00:37:08]:
Yeah. I'm I'm gonna pay you for your time, and you're not. So, you right before we started rolling, you held held up a chef's knife. And since we're just talking about those, can you hold that up? Let's let's take a look.

Collin Maguire [00:37:20]:
Oh, oh, shoot. Yeah. Yeah. It's got a drawer sleeve with a snap close. You know? Safety first. Yeah. This is just one of my 7 inch chests. Oh, that's nice.

Collin Maguire [00:37:31]:
Yeah. This one's in, CPM 154, with some 3 k carbon weave 3 k carbon fiber weave scales, gray g thin liners, extruded carbon fiber pins. Just, yeah, about a 2 and an eighth at the at the heel, about a 100 thou at the spine, full distal taper, and, she's light and fast. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:37:55]:
So you were saying first of all, that is beautiful. I really like the you're welcome. I really like that sort of finger groove at the at the ricasso there or, you know, at the base of the handle. You really choke up on that with your middle finger and and the

Collin Maguire [00:38:12]:
That's that's kind of, you know, what it's there for is to get that middle finger up into that palm swell as you're, you know, pinch gripping it.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:20]:
So you said they're not your favorite to make. What why?

Collin Maguire [00:38:24]:
And, I mean, people very much enjoy them. So I'm I'm quite good at them, I think, at least according to my customer base and, you know, my wife who uses them. It's there's not a lot of room for craziness, if you will. Like, you can definitely you see my design language in my chef knives and that they're, as I would describe them, like, racy, you know, kind of like, kind of harkening back to my my automotive background. I I draw a lot of inspiration from car design, I guess. You might not know that initially by looking at my work, but if you were to take the profile and, you know, black everything out and, like, just look at its silhouette in the dark. You know? I'm kind of drawing inspiration from, even though I was a muscle car guy, I I very much like the lines of Italian cars. You know? And so that's kind of while you might not know it if I didn't tell you that, that very much is influential in the way I I set up my profiles and, like, the way curves and lines intersect with each other.

Collin Maguire [00:39:32]:
You know? I'm kind of kind of looking at, like, an Aventador in the dark. You know what I mean? And trying to while not, like, replicate that, and that's the the design language I'm kind of using. And so my chef's knife is very, like, racy, if you will. And you might see it in the profile now that I've pointed that out. So it's distinctly mine, but there's not a whole lot of room for, like, craziness. Like, there are certain things it has to do. And I mean, that's that's true with any knife, of course, but especially with chef models. So mostly, you know, like, I because of the the demographics I'm I'm catering to with my chef novice in general being, you know, the arts and crafts vibe.

Collin Maguire [00:40:12]:
You know? Like, $1,000 Damascus pieces aren't, you know, what I get a lot of opportunity to do. So most of them are following a very, very similar kind of, recipe as that piece right there. And every once in a while, I'll change a curve or I'll, you know, update my chef knife design, and it'll evolve, you know, as as all other stuff does. But it is still a pretty tried and true, you know, formula and recipe. And, you know, it's a a lot of grinding and a lot of handstanding and, you know, not a lot of, like, leeway for being crazy. So that's that's why. Like I said, I I I very much enjoy using the knives I make. You know, they're they're something incredibly satisfying, like, when in the the rare occasion when I help my wife make dinner and, you know, I get to use one of my own pieces in the kitchen.

Collin Maguire [00:41:01]:
You know, it's it's incredibly satisfying to do. But yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:06]:
Damn good.

Collin Maguire [00:41:07]:
Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's it's, you know, just affirming. You know what I mean? Like, what I I already intuitively knew. But, like I said, they're they're a lot of grinding and a lot of hand sanding and not a lot of craziness.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:19]:
That's what I was gonna say about, from an outsider's perspective, a non knifemaker's perspective, I have, 3 custom kitchen knives all from the same maker that are so thin, so beautifully done, and I look at them, and I think, wow. This seems really hard to do because you gotta get them really thin Yep. And flat, you know, flat ground full flat ground, really thin, and it seems like you could do an awful lot of work on it on heat treated steel. I think you have to probably heat treat it first since you're going so thin. And then you could just kinda go too thin and burn through it or seems like so much could go wrong with a chef's knife. Is that do you think there's a skill barrier to entry in making chef's knives?

Collin Maguire [00:42:04]:
Yes and no. Like, don't get me wrong. Like, you can short of, like, burning through it. Like, there's a lot of correction that could be made. You know? Or maybe maybe I just don't really think about it, and maybe I'm maybe by the time I started doing chef night, I was decent enough at it where it didn't seem super challenging. You know what I mean? Don't get me wrong. Like I said, there is like, you're you're definitely paying attention, and you're paying attention for a a far longer amount of time than normal on the grinder. Because as you mentioned, you know, you're at least the way I approach my chef knives, you know, I'm I'm heat treating it full thickness.

Collin Maguire [00:42:45]:
So I've got you know, In the case of, a 7 or 8 inch chef knife, I've got a lot of material to remove, you know, post heat treat, and it's, you know, hard. I've, you know, hard you know, 154 centimeters or CPM 154 centimeters. And, so it's it's a few hours of, like, grinding, you know, followed by quite a few hours of handstanding as well. But yeah. I mean, I I haven't found them. I'm paying a lot of attention, but I I wouldn't say they're necessarily super difficult, at least for me. You know, your your your results may vary. So

Bob DeMarco [00:43:20]:
Well, I mean, I I I just it's totally changed, I I I just wish I cooked more. I I I do the functional cooking, keeping the family alive during the week, and my wife does all the glamorous cooking on the weekend, you know, all the stuff. Oh, this is so good. But I I use the knives a lot, and and, man, having a custom handmade kitchen knife has totally changed it up in the kitchen for me. Like, my Vostov Trident, which I still prize because of, for sentimental reasons, I never use it.

Collin Maguire [00:43:53]:
Right.

Bob DeMarco [00:43:54]:
Because it's like it feels like an ax or a wedge. Well, and

Collin Maguire [00:43:57]:
that's that's the selling point, I think, that, you know, when someone stumbles across me, you know, unexpectedly from their perspective, you know, finding me at the start to craft show and they they pick one up. I I don't know what they weigh because I haven't, you know, put them on a scale, but they're they're not heavy. You know, like I said, you know, we're talking about, you know, 100 thousands of the spine. And so there that's the first thing that they always they always notice is the weight or lack thereof rather.

Bob DeMarco [00:44:24]:
I wanna ask you talk a little bit about the business of being a knifemaker. But before we do, do you have anything else in front of you, to show off, or is it those 2 knives you have? I know a lot of people, you make them, you sell them, you know, you don't keep them around, but

Collin Maguire [00:44:37]:
yeah. That's basically what I have with me right now. I it's funny. Like, I had a a really good show last weekend, and so I'm I'm lacking in a lot of the the staples, if you will. You know what I mean? Yeah. Which, like I said, I'm literally in the process of of replacing as we speak. Well, not as we speak. I'm talking to you, but

Bob DeMarco [00:44:56]:
As, but before we get to the business, I have to say that EDW, which is, similar to the the version you showed, which is a large looks like a large version of the EDP, kind of a similar handle, but a worn clip blade. That thing is awesome. I've I've seen it in a number of places. Jovan is the only one I can remember. He's the one who introduced me to to that knife, but, it's a it's a very cool knife, and, that blade is beautiful. What do what do you find, is your most popular blade shave? What do people out there, who are buying from you like the most?

Collin Maguire [00:45:33]:
Well, right now, it it's the EDW, that I kind of introduced that at the New York custom show last year. So and the first one I did was actually not it, of course, resembled, you know, what the model has become. But the first one I did for the New York show last year was one of my shadow box pieces. It was, the 4 I think I forget what the pattern was, but it was a pretty elaborate. It might have just been a 4 bar Turkish twist with some, you know, shadow box, you know, fat carbon scales. And, it was a little swoopier than the little more accentuated, if you will, or a little more a little less reserved. Like, obviously, the the model it's become is in no way, like, tame or, you know, like, subdued. But, the first one was even more slightly different proportions, and it was just kind of like a a swoopier version of of what it has become.

Collin Maguire [00:46:30]:
And, people actually just really dug it, and, I really dug it. And so I was like, let me just try and, you know, work this into my inventory in general. And that's kinda what I did and never looked back because it's been, it's been really, really good for me the last year and a half.

Bob DeMarco [00:46:47]:
Who doesn't love a swedged harpoon worn knife? Right? I mean, Yeah. It's a cool it's a very cool looking blade. And and on your Instagram page, you can see all the different handles and stuff and the different ways you, I was gonna say handle the knife, but it all the different ways you treat it. It, it's a really cool one and I think, you know, people love Warren Gloves. They just love the utility.

Collin Maguire [00:47:14]:
Yeah, absolutely. And they're just they're cool. They're cool and they're aggressive and, you know, and they they cut like a son of a gun. So

Bob DeMarco [00:47:22]:
Yeah. And you can't help but feel a little bit like a, a Viking because they always remind me of a

Collin Maguire [00:47:27]:
sack, like

Bob DeMarco [00:47:28]:
a good old fashioned sack. I wanna talk a little bit to you about the business of this because, eight and a half years ago, you went full time, and, and you've mentioned your life has changed, in that period. What has the business of knives been like for you?

Collin Maguire [00:47:46]:
Let's see. So it's certainly not the easiest way to go about making a living. That's for sure. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, as far as just continually, like, you know, maintaining cash flow. And I am still such a show centric business because I my Internet profile never really hit. Still hasn't to this day. You know, I've spent the last 6 years trying to cobble together the, you know, 1900 or so on followers on Instagram that I have. And, what that meant was I had to get in front of people, and I had to to sell myself as a maker and and I had to sell my product, which is why I'm still you know, I'm on the road just about 25 weekends a year.

Collin Maguire [00:48:36]:
Basically, every other weekend, I'm somewhere. 20 to 25 shows a year. You know? Obviously, there are a few big shows like New York, Nashville, Blade Show, that I need to spend a little extra time preparing for. And so that might take, you know, one of my local shows out of rotation so that I can make sure that I, you know, stuff with the big stuff. But I'm still just out there, pardon the pun, but grinding. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:49:05]:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's that's, that's a cool that's kind of an old school way, and I like it. I I appreciate that, and I think, a lot of people appreciate that, meeting custom knife makers face to face. And part of that, is because we like to meet the person who's making these things that we love, but also, you know, they're not inexpensive. Right? And so when you're when you're handing over your money to someone for something that you probably might not need

Collin Maguire [00:49:37]:
Oh, let's face it. No one needs customized. So I think

Bob DeMarco [00:49:40]:
Certainly, I don't. Right. You know? Yeah. But, you know, it's it's, it's it's part of the experience to to meet the maker and and find out, you know, where they come from and and, you know, where they're coming from.

Collin Maguire [00:49:54]:
Well, that that kind of, you know, comes back around to the salesmanship thing I was talking about. You know, like, a large maj I wouldn't say majority, but a a a huge proportion or, you know, of my sales are to not necessarily knife people. You know? It's literally just someone that stumbled across me at a gun show or an arts and craft show, and I've, you know, convinced them that they need this thing in their life. And I think a lot of that comes from, you know, interacting with me and hearing my story and, you know, my enthusiasm for what it is I'm doing, which is a 100% genuine. Like, I am still absolutely just I I love what I do and, you know, just hope to continue to do it. And once again, that means just getting out there every other weekend and doing my thing. That's what it means. I don't think I don't think that'll ever stop.

Collin Maguire [00:50:48]:
Like, I I I very, very much enjoy the in person interaction, you know, even if it's a slower show. You know, it's just having people, like, appreciate my work. Kinda going back to that that enthusiasm I felt when I first started out when I was making these really, you know, crappy knives. And people were still like, oh, wow, man. That's, like, super cool. And, like, it just it filled me with, like, a sense of, like, joy and accomplishment. And, you know, now that I'm actually doing stuff that even nice people appreciate, you know, and I've I've gotten good enough where, you know, I'm I'm sitting here talking to you right now. Like, that's to to me, that's still mind blowing.

Collin Maguire [00:51:25]:
Like, I, you know, I it's been a long time, but at the same time, I just kinda blinked. And I, like, looked up, and all of a sudden, you know, I'm doing, like, decent work. You know? And there wasn't, like, a whole lot of reflection in the meantime, if that makes sense. You know? It's not like I was, like, gauging my progress year by year or going okay.

Bob DeMarco [00:51:51]:
Plotting your course and

Collin Maguire [00:51:53]:
Yeah. So, like, now the fact that, you know, I'm somehow people, you know, appreciate me and, you know, like, the fact that you're, you know, inviting me on your show, that that's still kind of mind blowing to me. You know? And I'm like, oh, wow. Like, you can make pretty good knives. You know? And it's still like, I don't I don't think of myself that way. You know what I mean? I'm just like a guy out there trying to do cool stuff. And like I said, I do so many, like, local stuff. Like, it's just having people stop by and tell me even if they don't buy something, like, having them stop by and and handle something and being like, hey.

Collin Maguire [00:52:27]:
I don't have, you know, 4 or $500 for a a knife today. But, man, just you're doing amazing stuff, and you're, you know, in this group of, quote, unquote, craftsman at this arts and craft show, you're by far the most talented, you know, here when it comes to, like, actual skill involved in what it is you're creating. And don't get me wrong. That's not always the case. There are you know, I I find myself amongst, you know, really talented painters and, you know, carpenters and stuff like that as well. But, you know, you also have, like, people selling candles. And, like, you know, when people walk from that tent in the mine, they're like, their mind is, like, absolutely blown. And that that feels

Bob DeMarco [00:53:04]:
Thank god.

Collin Maguire [00:53:05]:
Yeah. That I'm sorry. That feels really good.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:06]:
And thank god there are no candles here and all I see are these cool blades.

Collin Maguire [00:53:10]:
Yeah. You know? And so that's still like, that that fuels the passion and it fuels the the drive, you know, and and kinda keeps me going. Like I said, even if it's a obviously, I I wanna make money at every show I'm at. That is the goal. But at the same time, just it's never totally bad, you know, because people are appreciating what I'm doing. And, like, that just it feels really good.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:33]:
Let me let me ask you this. This is, actually a pretty value you are a valuable resource in the moment because, a lot of the knife makers I talk to, rely on, do rely on Instagram and other places like that to to sell, and that's great. Instagram has been a boon for for most knifemakers. But for you who goes to so many shows, I I I only go to blade show pretty much. I I'd like to expand that as we go, but I have noticed there are some people who draw you in and and others that might make beautiful work. So tell me, what are the rules or give me some idea of the rules that knifemakers might wanna follow for an engaging a good show.

Collin Maguire [00:54:20]:
Obviously, don't sit at your table and, like, look at your phone. Like, no one wants to come and interact with you if you're not interacting back. You know? I I think I've always the irony is that, you know, knife making is such a solitary, you know, career. And I am by nature, a people person. I've always been hyper friendly. I love people. I love interacting with people. You know? It's not it's not forced for me.

Collin Maguire [00:54:47]:
I'm not, like, an introvert that, like, needs to turn it on. You know? So, like, just kind of, like I hate to be like, well, just be yourself, man, because that sounds so, like, freaking cliche. And, you know, I just maybe I was blessed with an engaging personality. I don't know. Like, I'm you know, you you feed me a little caffeine and then a little bit of, you know, getting high on my own supply of people telling me my work is cool. And next thing you know, I'm fucking oh, excuse me. Sorry about the language. But I'm I'm, you know, just wild eyed and and, you know, excited.

Collin Maguire [00:55:21]:
And I'm like I said, if you walk by my table and, like, make eye contact, you're getting talked to. You don't even have to respond. You can walk away, but I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna yell at you as you're walking away. Not, you know, negatively, but it's like, hey. Where are you going? You know? Like, come on down. You can stop for 5 minutes. Let's go. Come on.

Collin Maguire [00:55:37]:
Keep talking to me. And, I

Bob DeMarco [00:55:39]:
I I love that. Yeah. You gotta be engaging like that.

Collin Maguire [00:55:42]:
Yeah. And I it comes relatively natural to me. And so, you know, it's like ground rules, obviously, don't be, like, mean looking. You know? And I'm, like, you know, 6 one, 230 pound tattooed guy. You know? But, like, I have a smile on my face. And, you know, I'm I'm speaking maybe loudly, but pleasantly. You know? And so for me, it's just like, you know, just be yourself and be fun. I don't know.

Collin Maguire [00:56:09]:
Like, I know it might be hard for some people to hear. Like, hey. What's wrong with you? Just be fun for the love of god. You know what I'm saying? Be be more fun. What's wrong with you?

Bob DeMarco [00:56:16]:
You know, like, if you can't muster fun, I get it. Something I, that people have used that's very effective, that they they seem like they might not be that comfortable, but it works. It is you can pick up anything you want. You know, you walk by, like, what are you gonna say? No? You're a knife guy. There's there's gonna be one thing on that table that's interesting to do. You pick it up, and then you start a conversation and

Collin Maguire [00:56:41]:
That's it, man.

Bob DeMarco [00:56:43]:
I I like that. I I I mean, it's very cool to to hear that you go to to half a year, weekends a year are spent at these places.

Collin Maguire [00:56:50]:
Just about. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:56:51]:
And and you're selling to knife freaks and then to people who are are just, like, so excited to see that there's a knife

Collin Maguire [00:56:59]:
Yeah. And and and might not know, like, anything about custom knives. In which case, like, don't get me wrong. Like, you can there is a like, I I've certainly chased more than a few people off, you know, because they'll go down some avenue regarding, you know, metallurgy or or something and or especially Damascus making because that is, like, kinda my thing. And, you know, they they ask about how the process or how what the process is. And so I I begin explaining. And, you know, 15 minutes later, their eyes glaze over, roll in the back of their head, and they just, like, step slowly away and shift to the side. You know? So it doesn't it doesn't always work.

Collin Maguire [00:57:35]:
But, you know, overall, yeah, man. Just being enthused about what you're doing, man. Like, I think that's that's just the the biggest key. You know?

Bob DeMarco [00:57:44]:
So as we close here, where where do you wanna see Mag 10 Knife Works in the future? What where do you wanna see the company growing to?

Collin Maguire [00:57:52]:
You know, I I'm not entirely sure right now. I know that sounds like and knifemakers are notoriously bad businessmen, which I think is a pretty well known fact that I'm not, like, spilling the beans on. You know? So for me, it's, you know, it's so much just like, hey. You've got a show next weekend, and you gotta get stuff done. You know? So while, like, now I'm thinking, I I'd like to do maybe some I don't wanna say production stuff, but maybe, you know, bring online maybe a version of my EDP and EDW that is a little bit less labor intensive for me. Because, like, right now, I'm working, you know, 60 hours a week, as I have been for, like, years just trying to get stuff done. So raising my profile to a point where it's a little bit, you know, easier to have, you know, some more production based stuff that just kinda goes. And I don't have to, you know, I don't have to try so hard, which I know that sounds weird.

Collin Maguire [00:58:53]:
Like, I'm always gonna try really hard, but, like, where, you know, it just it gets a little easier. Because, like, right now, it's it's it's not like I said, it's not the easiest way to go about doing things. And, like, right now, everything. I don't have anything water jet cut. It's, like, all done 100% by hand by me, and it's it's kind of exhausting. So maybe that and definitely just getting better at what I do. You know? I I am incredibly excited, like, right now because I'm I've never not been excited about my work, but I'm getting better, and I'm more able to, like, fully realize these visions I have. And that's exciting to be able to have a a a mind's eye vision of something that's not necessarily, like, tame, you know, is a little bit wild and kind of have the confidence to to bring it to fruition in 3 dimensions.

Collin Maguire [00:59:49]:
Like, that's exciting for me. And so just doing more of that wilder and wilder stuff, I definitely like to do more folder work. I make handmade slip joints now, but getting more into the the locking stuff, you know, you know, liner locks and and frame locks and just allowing myself to explore my creativity in that direction. Like, obviously, there's, like, market share there. Everyone's like, of course, the folder market will always be hot. But my desire to get more into that side of things, is not necessarily driven just by, like, financial, you know, drive.

Bob DeMarco [01:00:29]:
Holders. They're cool.

Collin Maguire [01:00:30]:
Yeah. They're cool. And I and I wanna put my spin on, you know, some of that stuff. And for me, that means just doing what I'm doing now, but, you know, in in a folder. I'd also really like to start getting it. I'd I'd like to nail down stainless amazes. That's huge on my list right now. I've been saying that for the last year and a half.

Collin Maguire [01:00:52]:
So, you know, I say huge on my list, but the the realities of the day to day business of things and once again, there's, like, always a show around the corner. Like, for me, it's like every other weekend. And so it's kinda hard to spend r and d time, you know, just like playing with stuff. Like, I have a lot of leeway in that I can be like, you know what? Screw it. I'm just gonna do this more artsy fartsy knife this week because I need to get it out of my mind. Like, it's been haunting me. And if I don't if I don't manifest this object into reality, I'm not gonna be able to stop thinking about it until I do. And, you know, I've got enough inventory for the next show, so let me do something wild.

Collin Maguire [01:01:27]:
That Persian I showed you earlier would be a a good example of that type of knife. But, yeah, doing doing more of that stuff in the stainless Damascus is kind of a a personal goal. Not and, I mean, I do make Damascus for other makers now. Like, I I do have a client list of, you know, people who use my billets. And, like, I don't know if the stainless thing is viable on a business aspect because you have guys like Chad Nichols out there, Vegas Storage, and these people and, obviously, Danasteel, you know, doing just unbelievable work with you know, on a massive scale. And, like, I don't know if as a one man shop, although I'd I'd like to grow, you know, beyond that. But, you know yeah. Maybe that's that's something too is, you know, getting more of the Damascus side of the business going because I'm I very much enjoy making steel, and, you know, I enjoy the fact that people are willing to to buy more steel off of it too.

Bob DeMarco [01:02:21]:
Well, we'll keep our eyes open and, actually, you and I are gonna talk more, about this kind of stuff and some of this stuff in particular in our Patreon Extra, interview, which we'll do. If you wanna listen to that, of course, you have to become a patron. Colin Maguire of MagPen Knife Works, thank you so much for coming on the Knife Junkie Possession. It was really nice meeting you and talking with you.

Collin Maguire [01:02:42]:
Pleasure was all mine, my friend.

Bob DeMarco [01:02:44]:
Alrighty, sir. Take care.

Collin Maguire [01:02:45]:
You as well.

Announcer [01:02:48]:
If you search Google for the best knife podcast, the answer is the knife junkie podcast.

Bob DeMarco [01:02:56]:
There he goes, ladies and gentlemen. Colin Maguire of Mag 10 Knife Works. Listen to him. Avoid his, avoid his, website, but definitely check out his Instagram. Got many, many beautiful pictures of his gorgeous knives, like we were talking about. His EDW slash EDP line is just really cool and then all the other stuff he does. So be sure to go check that out. Also, check us out again next week for another great interview, Wednesday for the midweek supplemental and Thursday for Thursday night knives.

Bob DeMarco [01:03:30]:
For Jim working his magic behind the switcher, I'm Bob DeMarco saying until next time, don't take dull for an answer.

Announcer [01:03:36]:
Thanks for listening to the Knife Junkie podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review at review the podcast.com. For show notes for today's episode, additional resources, and to listen to past episodes, visit our website, the knifejunkie.com. You can also watch our latest videos on YouTube at the knifejunkie.com/youtube. Check out some great knife photos on the knifejunkie.com/ instagram, and join our Facebook group at the knifejunkie.com/facebook. And if you have a question or comment, email them to bob@thenifejunkie.com or call our 247 listener line at 724-466-4487, and you may hear your comment or question answered on an upcoming episode of the Knife Junkie podcast.