Mark of the Maker

This time around we bring you Part 1 of Sean's interview with his friend and mentor, Mike Franklin of HAWG Knives.  Mike shares some great stories from the earlier part of his life and his own personal journey.  Super interesting insights and Mike is a great storyteller.  Give it a listen, this is a special one for Sean.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join ou...

As we talked in the Blade 2025 Wrap-Up show, we took a second swing at it and this time we get into the Blade Show 2025 Custom Knife Awards! There are some amazing pieces and details to check out. Definitely join our Facebook group and we'll try to put up a companion post with links to all of the very talented makers we discuss. Really outstanding pieces all around. We also talk about Tom's pile o...

We're chatting with Tom Krein and special guest Jarrod Franklin to give you the inside scoop on Blade Show Atlanta 2025. Tom and Jarrod share their thoughts on this year's show prep, the coolest things they saw, what they picked up, the Blade Show Knife of the Year awards, and a whole bunch more. Find us at  our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Fac...

The crew chats on a topic that is near and dear to Sean's heart - Knives in Music.  This one is a picks episode that goes in a few directions, which is very on-brand for us.  Some of these are specific knives, some are a style and some are actual physical knives related to music.  Eclectic?  That's us!  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group...

We managed to get the band back together to revisit an old favorite topic of ours - knives of the movies.  Some of you will remember Episode 10, wayyy back in 2018?  We take another run at this topic and make some picks of more cool knives from the world of the movies.  Super fun, and a few laughs along the way as usual.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join ou...

Matthew Patton joins us for a wrap-up of the 2025 New Orleans Custom Invitational show.  We discuss the origins of the show and how the somewhat unique format works.  Michael gives us some insight into the knives he got together for this invitational and what he and his family's experience was like in New Orleans.  Find us at  our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our disc...

Mark and Sean chat with Tom about his experiences at Blade Show Texas 2025.  Tom's always got some great stories about his trip, the things he comes across at shows and what manages to find its way home with him.  Always a fun conversation.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark and Michael sit down with Sean to discuss his transition from a student to an adjunct instructor. Sean shares his experiences, the lessons he's learned, and insights into the growing demand for skilled trades professionals. A great chat we hope you'll enjoy as we continue our series on Sean's journey.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion gr...

Season 8 seems crazy, but here we are!  We talk about what's happened since we wrapped Season 7, what we're looking forward to, and shows planned for the year.  There's even a stealth picks episode buried in here, talking about some great spots to find deals on some classic pieces.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more...

It's time to wrap up 2024 and Season 7!  We reflect a bit on the year, with its ups and downs and many changes.  Then we dive into a holiday picks segment with both price point gift picks, but also one focused on makers.  Fun discussion as always, and you'll want to have your Google Fingers ready to go enjoy some of these pieces - or just join us in our Facebook group at the link below, as we'll b...

We sit and chat for a bit with "maker of things" Brian Fellhoelter.  From knives to pens, yo-yos to flashlights, Brian has just about made it all over the years.  We walk through his past, his meteoric rise to recognition in knifemaking, and on into other products in the EDC world.  An insightful conversation with Brian about his process and his mindset.  Join us in our Facebook group at the link...

Mark, Sean and Michael get together to talk about inspiration and how Sean takes some of his from both movies and books.  Good discussion about how some of these things impact Sean's work and how they're also applicable to life in general.  Mindset and more!  Share your thoughts on this with us in our Facebook group at the link below, interested to hear what YOU thought!  Find us at our Patreon an...

Tom, Sean, and Michael share their top equipment picks for someone starting out in knifemaking. They cover a couple of price points and offer some helpful advice along the way. This episode is all about getting started as a maker and the tools you might want to consider.  Do you have other recommendations?  Be sure to share your thoughts with us in our Facebook group at the link below, interested...

Mark and Sean walk you through a group of sound clips and interviews from the floor of the PNWCI show in Seaside, Oregon.  Some great conversations with folks like Grace Horne, Lucas Burnley, Will Stelter and many others.  Makers share their thoughts on the show but we get off on some other tangents as well, talking business, passion, and upcoming projects.  Share your thoughts with us in our Face...

We get together with Friends of The Show Nick Rolfe and Billy Cho to talk about their recent Pacific Northwest Custom Invitational show and how it went.  They share some great insight around what it takes to put on a show and how the PNWCI show has evolved over the last three years - what's gone well, what hasn't and their constant desire to improve the experience for makers and collectors.  Share...

As they say: Better late than never!  Mark, Tom and Michael talk about Blade Show 2024 and share some observations and overall perspective on how the show seemed to go this year.  We talk turnout, "feel" in the room and how things have changed in recent years.  Share your thoughts with us in our Facebook group at the link below, interested to hear what YOU thought!  Find us at our Patreon and foll...

Sean and Mark get together with Jarrod Franklin of Gunfighter Customs.  Jarrod served in the USMC and started out building knives for those who serve and today builds customs in a variety of styles.  We talk about how he got started, his path through life and into knifemaking and some of the impacts his father Mike Franklin (of Hawg Knives) had on his love of knives from a very early age.  Find us...

Designer, creator and Friend of The Show Andrew Bawidamann joins us for a chat about his work, how he got into knives, and how he found his way to what he's doing now.  Andrew's path is a unique one, from fashion to marketing, to his passion in art, and into knives, holsters, and The Doughboy. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Faceboo...

Did you enjoy our previous episode about the weapons of Warhamer 40,000?  If so, here's another for you to check out - and if not, go back and listen to the first one!  Sean takes Mark and Tom on another journey into the grim darkness of the future, diving into the lore and some crazy weapons from that game and its massive ecosystem of accompanying literature.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us...

Dive into a fresh picks episode with us!  For this one, we pull in some unusual or obscure pieces in a few different categories.  Obscure doesn't mean junk, just things we dug up from various dusty corners of the internet and our old knife books.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Tom and Mark chat about Tom's experience at Blade Texas 2024 and how that show went.  All accounts suggest Alicia and team did a great job so we talk details and walk through the awards presented at the show and some of the great makers who submitted pieces for consideration.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conver...

Dr. Larrin Thomas joins us for a well-overdue visit to talk about his book The Story of Knife Steel: Innovators Behind Modern Damascus and Super Steels. It's a fantastic book and one you should add to your collection, with an incredibly deep and well-researched pile of information. Larrin walks us through some great stories about various steels and the people behind them. Find us at  our Patreon a...

We kick off our 7th (!!) season with a look back at shows, trends, and some things we came across that we really enjoyed.  There's also some talk about 2024 and what some of our hopes and aspirations look like for the coming year.  Be sure to share your own goals with us, we'd love to hear them.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Face...

Do you sometimes get cash from folks for the holidays?  We do, so we wrap up Season 6 with a picks episode with some things we might pick if we had some "gift yourself" money to spare.  Four price points and some gear we like.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

We sit down with top tier knifemaker Shane Sibert and talk knives and knifemaking.  Shane's journey and his knifemaking process is a little different than some others, but without question he's one of the modern greats and the knives that come out of his relatively basic shop are truly outstanding.  Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on F...