Thursday, August 18, 2011

Great Fun for a Great Cause

I never thought that a clay pigeon could fly so fast, but they really go by faster than my old eyes can keep up with ! 
I had been asked to make a sheath for a knife that was being given away as the Grand Prize in a sporting clay tournament , which I was proud to do , and then asked to participate in the tournament itself. Well I was a little rusty with the old shotgun , as was soon made clear to everyone present ,but after all , it was for a very worthy cause.

The Alabama Teen Challenge put this tournament on to raise money for their center for young ladies , and it was held at the Selwood Farm facility in Childersburg , Alabama. This is a first class place with a wonderful staff of professionals and great equipment. The weather was great and the lunch they had prepared was fabulous , but I ate way too much.

The Knife my good friend Ray Fincher had made for this benefit was a total custom piece, that was hand forged and heat treated to last several lifetimes. Ray puts many hours of work into each and every knife he constructs, and when I say hours , it is better to refer to it as days.
When the tournament was over and the winner was announced , It was my turn to make the sheath for the new owner. Mr. Butch Jones from Leeds , Alabama was the winner and proud new owner. Mr Jones told me exactly what he wanted on the sheath which included the initials of his grandson since he was going to pass it down to him on his birthday.
I hope that Mr. Jones and his grandson will treasure this knife and sheath for many years.
It was an honor and great pleasure to be asked to help with such a worthy cause as Teen Challenge, and I hope that we can help next year as well.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Richard:

Just came across your website. Very impressed with your leather work designs. I am interested in the mare's leg holster if you would still be willing to build one. I think your holster design is outstanding!! I am hoping you could make one for my Henry mare's leg. Please provide some info on how I can contact you for details etc.

Thanks,
Gord

Richard Davies said...

Gord, you can contact me through my email at lionheartleather@yahoo.com or on my facebook page lionheart leather on facebook.