Living with a Collection: T.C. Albert

Many folks know my friend John Yates as a wonderful friend and very knowledgable historian, researcher and long time collector of early American weapons and accoutrements, but not too many folks know what a great craftsman and knife maker he is as well. I have known John for many years now, and am fortunate to have collected his work a piece at a time for the past decade or more. Many of these pieces were personal gifts, a few were trades, and every one is a fully functional, hand made knife crafted in the finest traditional manner. John often uses salvaged steel and antler crown handles. The tangs are most often of the "jambed" type, but he often pours a pewter bolster as well. Some have intersting wedges, like the square nails driven into the antler to wedge the balde in place in one fine example and a feature he had seen on an old original; or the 1876 Canadian penny pommel used on a nice cpy of a knife used on the plains documented to the same era. John also makes period correct sheaths, like the rawhide and tack sheath made to accompany an original old hand made skinning knife. Im proud to have sush a collection of Johns beautiful work, and to share it here on the Blog. T.C.A.

Copy and Photos by T.C. Albert.