Mark of the Maker

Dear Listener, we've attempted to get a Halloween episode in every year since we started this thing 9 years ago, so here's the 2026 edition for a special release in the dark hour of Halloween Night. Spooky, scary, Halloween appropriate picks abound! From tactical to fantasy and everything in between. Join us for fun and check the Facebook group for links and photos of our picks. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Tom and special guest Michael Miller recap the 2026 TACC Show. The Ancient City Continental show is a newer one to the circuit but sounds like one to put on your show schedule if you're looking for something family-friendly and close to other activities. Tom had a great time at this show and shares his experiences. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark, Michael and Sean sit down to chat about one of their favorite pastimes: Listening to audiobooks. Sean and Michael share their current and recent faves and make some some suggestions (and cautions!) about some things they have enjoyed. Please join us in our Facebook group and share your recommendations as well, we are always interested! Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Traditional knife / slipjoint maker David Kramp joins us to talk about his award-winning knifemaking journey. David shares insights on his personal background, his influences, and how he came to make knives. Like most, his path is unique and his work speaks for itself. We are fans and after listening, we think you will be as well. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Let's give one of our favorite episode types a little twist! This time, we're doing BYOT—Bring Your Own Topic. We'll each share a few pieces that fit a theme or topic we're interested in. We'll explore a wide range of subjects, from spectacular art pieces to the most cringe-worthy. Will do our best to try to share pictures of each piece in our Facebook group so you can follow along. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical and Gold Point Forge joins us again to continue with the story of the evolution of his brands and his craft. We talk business, strategy, design, mentality and more. Ryan is a joy to chat with, another great conversation and one we're quite sure you'll enjoy. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical and Gold Point Forge joins us for a chat. In Part 1, we talk about Ryan's interest in blacksmithing as a kid and how that developed thanks to some great mentorship. We also talk about the early days of RMJ Forge and how his career developed over time into the beginnings of RMJ Tactical. Ryan is a great storyteller, you're going to enjoy this one! Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark, Tom and Michael get together to talk about Blade 2026 and the Arts in Metal show. Show prep, how the two shows went, and some crazy cool stuff Michael and Tom saw on their Saturday walkabout together. You'll definitely want to check out the companion pics in our Facebook group! Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

This time around, we pulled together an episode with picks we thought were perfect for this glorious time of year - Summer! There's quite a variety here and we had fun with it as we always do with the picks shows. Give it a listen when you have some time. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

The whole crew gets back together to chat with Donnie from STARKO Gear. Donnie shares his unique path into the world of EDC and gear and how the brand came to be. Like many, he wasn't a "natural" maker and found is way through his own path. Great chat, one we think you'll enjoy. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Sean and Mark dive into another Influences episode, this time about the Punisher Comics and specifically the short Punisher Armory series. These were a big influence on Sean and we spend some time talking about the knife-related content in these comics and the artist Eliot R. Brown. Fascinating stuff and what reads like a love letter from Eliot about the state of the art of knives and gear of the era. Hope you enjoy it! Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark continues his knife road trip adventure with a visit to Randall Made Knives in Orlando, Florida. This was a special treat as he was able to walk through the Randall Museum with Jason Randall, who shared some fantastic detail and insight behind some of the knives in this truly vast collection. Historical pieces, Randall oddities, ethnic knives, and of course the iconic knives that supported the early US Space program. It was a pleasure, Jason and Caroline Randall were fantastic hosts. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark heads out on the road and makes a visit ot our friends and sponsors, Arizona Custom Knives. In the first segment, he chats with Andrew McMichael, Director of Consignment Sales about a crazy selection of knives from their inventory. Some fantastic pieces, from historic to art, to tactical and more. In the second half Mark and Henry Hyman talk about the history of AZCK and how it became the juggernaut knife business that it is today. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

The four of us chat about some recent shows, Blade Texas and the New Orleans Custom Knife Invitational. Tom shares his experiences in Texas and the great list of stuff he brought back home. Michael gives us some insight into the NOCKI show and the new venue. We talk knives, projects, and some insight on a couple upcoming episodes of Mark of the Maker. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Mark and Michael have a chat with purveyor, collector and Mastersmith knifemaker David Ellis of Exquisite Knives to talk about his knifemaking journey, collecting and some of the fantastic makers represented in his inventory and in his own collection. Dave's story is unique in that he's an ABS Mastersmith who achieved that rank for his own reasons and has a journey with knives and making that is different from many others. It was a great conversation and one we hope you'll enjoy. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

This is Part 2 of Mark's chat with Jim Wirth from Giant Mouse Knives. We talk knives, watches, and one of Jim's hobbies - metal detecting. His collection is fantastic and he's got some great stories about why he loves metal detecting and what he has done with some of the things he's found over the years. Super fun conversation, hope you enjoy it. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Here's another in our growing series of live on-site interviews. This one's with Jim Wirth, one of the founders of Giant Mouse Knives. Jim came into the knife world as a collector of many things before he, Jesper Voxnaes and Jens Anso launched Giant Mouse. His story is a good one as Jim has been smitten by the collecting bug across a pretty huge variety of things. Hope you enjoy this chat, this is Part 1 of our conversation with Jim. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

We're back with Part II of our deep dive into Fighting Knives! This time around we all make picks for Dagger, Art or Ceremonial and Anything Goes. This one, like most picks episodes, is one where we'll each have companion posts in our Facebook group to help guide you along. Some fantastic pieces in here, from ancient to recent and everything in between. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Sean had some special fighting knives he wanted to talk about in light of our recent deep dive into Part I of Fighting Knives, so he got together with Mark and Michael to have a look together. Some great pieces in here and with some interesting history to boot. Late in the episode, Burch takes us on another quick trip through the BudK reviews of some fighters. As always, check our Facebook group for a visual companion to our picks for this fun episode. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.

Join us for a discussion about one of our favorite styles of knife: The Fighter! What makes a fighter? What fighters really get us spun up? Give this one a listen and you'll find out. We had so much fun with this, it's going to be a multi-part adventure. Be sure to check our Facebook group for a visual companion to our picks for this fun episode. Find us at our Patreon and follow us on Instagram @markofthemaker or join our discussion group on Facebook for more conversation.