It's all over, shutting down and an accounting

B

Brian.Evans

Registered Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2011
Messages
3,267
I have put off writing this post for the past week, mostly because I didn't have a lot of information. I still don't have much information, but I think I need to put something out here because I would want to know if I were in your shoes.

I have had a horrible past week. I told Heather last Saturday (June 27th) that I wanted a divorce. She backed me into a corner (figuratively) and demanded to know what I wanted to do long term. It's been hell this month, hell this past year, absolute hell. I told her I wanted a divorce. When I got home Sunday the plan was for me to pack a big with only the essentials and go to my parents and then we'd figure out where to go from there. She lost it. She made me pack EVERYTHING. Had my 4 year old saying "go away daddy, we don't want you here." Accusing me, in front of all the kids, of some very horrific things. Things that are completely untrue in every way. It mad me sad more than angry. I left without saying a word in return.

This past week she says she's been selling tools, saying the contents of the shop are being sold to pay her grandfather back for the loan he gave me to start up the knife business. The money in my knife account is gone. There's one penny left, just to keep the account open. She took it because, "it belonged to her grandfather and she needed to pay bills." I had to leave a lot of the raw materials there. I did get the Dart EDC blanks. he kept my pistol, saying she was going to sell it for bill money. She said she's selling off my hand tools for bill money. I know for a fact my sharpening system, both little drill presses, and my buffer is gone. It's been horrible. I honestly don't know how much she's sold. I know the grinder is still there, or I think it is anyway.

She hasn't let me talk to my kids or see them until just yesterday. I'm so shot I can't see straight. The weird thing is, I'm relieved to be out of there. I miss my kids, but they're ok right now. I feel guilty for breaking up my family, but nothing has changed in the last year. She's not gotten help. I looked at my notes from a year ago; they could have been written last week. I can't fix her. I'm just shot. I just got off the phone with her first ex husband. This is the exact same thing that happened with him, in fact it's so close it's scary.

I don't know how to face my forum. I'm ashamed. I owe some of you guys money, not a lot, but enough I'd be upset if I was on the other side. I have no idea what to do. I'm not giving up making knives. It's too much, too deep in my soul to quit, but I don't even know what the next few days are going to bring, let alone trying to figure out making knives right now. I hate letting people down. I don't know what to do.

I meet with a lawyer on Tuesday. Hopefully I have some ideas then. I don't know if I'm going to get to keep my grinders or my hand tools. Right now I don't have a shop. I don't have a drill press to drill the handle material, I don't have the mesquite or the carbon fiber for a couple of you guys' knives. I don't have the Acraglass or the corby bolts, they are all in my shop. The money was taken out of the knife account.

Basically, I'm stuck.


GAME PLAN GOING FOWARD:

I know that the forums will break me if I'm not open and honest. We've all seen it time and again. In an effort to be open, I'm providing an accounting below of all the people I owe money to. Once child support gets figured out and I my paycheck is coming into an account I have access to again I will start paying you all back.

As of now, all orders are cancelled. I hate to do this, but I have to because I don't have a shop or tools to commit to orders. If I get a shop set up soon, I will contact people and see if they are still interested in their knives.


PAID FOR KNIVES:

Robert Loftin MyOwnGod $200
Jesse Mathewson painkilleraz $300
Ronnie Hale HaleStorm $160

Total Paid for Knives: $660

FORUM CONTRIBUTIONS:

Ray Cornelison $50
Matthew King $20
Luke Spinolo $20
Jack Simons $40
Joe Freeborn $25
Sam Murphy $20
Derek Rivera $20
Robert Loftin $10

Total Paid for Forum Contributions: $205

Azyrah, you and I agreed on a side project for an EDC Kephart Prototype for testing. Traded for an used Izula 2, used LM Wave, and a used MaxPed Sheath. Let me know how to proceed, please.


So, there it is guys. Total of $865. It will take me a bit to pay it back to you all, given that I'm going to be hiring a lawyer and trying to get an apartment set up, etc. Oh, and I had to take the Suburban that has a payment and gets 12 mpg instead of the Volvo that is paid off and gets 28 mpg. So, it is eating me alive with fuel costs driving 2 hours to work.

Anyway, I hope this gives you guys some info and a place we can start out. I am sick over this. I am reeling from the massive change in my life, but I DO NOT WANT TO JUST WALK AWAY FROM THIS. I have too much integrity and I would like to be able to show my face and sell knives here again. Because I will be back. Give me a few months and I'll be back.

I have a mid-tech project that is basically finished already. If, and it's a HUGE IF, I can get financing for the initial investment, I will be selling those on the forum and hopefully through dealers. If that works out, the first profits will be used to pay you all back. Full disclosure, so you know what's going on if you see some of the knives pop up on the forum. I'm not running away from my obligations, I'm trying to stay afloat and meet my obligations at the same time.

Feel free to post here, email/pm/text/call me to talk, bs, or cuss me out.

Brian Evans
Brian.Evans on BladeForums
evansknifeandtool@gmail.com
(217)979-9956
 
Brian,

Under the circumstances, I say well done young man. There have been many here who have had life get in the way and have fallen. Some of their tales still abound here on this forum and their reputations were left in shambles. They failed where you have not.

I applaud you for your honesty and courage. That was a tough post, no doubt. Integrity is a quality lacking in many men these days. It's what drew me to BF in the first place. A large group of honorable men.

When the dust settles and life gets back on track, I'm here. As for the money you owe me, I can just wait until you start making knives again. Take care of those kiddos and the other members first and you and I will work out the details later.

My world won't end over a couple knives or a few hundred bucks. Your friendship is worth more than that to me.

Stay strong my friend. This too shall pass.

Ronnie Hale
Hale Storm
 
Rough situation, but you are doing better than many of us did. You are organized, you've been working on understanding this. You have plans for the future. You're making your own luck.

* ****** **** ****** * * ****** **** ****** *

Wearily wondering, suddenly single,
not too perturbed but unwilling to mingle;
someday perhaps I won't be so alone,
but until then I'll go my own way.

Don't ask me why and don't say you're sorry,
it's my life and I don't want you to worry;
I haven't done wrong for which to atone,
and I haven't got anything more now to say.

I cannot imagine a worse kind of life
than living each day in domestic strife,
to stare back and forth with faces of stone,
and the best we can say is, Havva nice day.
 
Hey Brian
I wish you well for the future my friend. It takes courage to be open and honest - Thanx. It will take some time to mend and bounce back. I am back to work after being off for 2 1/2 months. Am having to make use of "Public Internet." The big "C" cable company was scalping me.

Go Well
 
Don't worry about mine. You need it more than I do. Hang in there, take care of yourself and keep on being up front with folks. All the best.
 
Facing a divorce, in most states, if one spouse or the other sells off the others' stuff, they owe the other spouse at least half of the money taken in. They can't just sell off your chit without say so.
Kids are most important right now, but getting a lawyer and figuring out where to go from here would help you short term as well.
 
In regards to the midtech, the Companion is a fantastic looking thing and I'm sure it will be received well. If you have trouble financing up front, which would be totally understandable given the divorce, look into something like Kickstarter.

With your platform here I think you'd stand a good chance of raising what you need. I wouldn't do it until after checking with a divorce attorney though.
 
As termite has said, don't worry about it, you need it more than I do.
 
I'll offer up that you can keep my payment with the understanding that when you get back on your feet and rolling again we can revisit making that thing. If not you can keep my payment... But I am still super pumped for what we came up with and just as you shouldn't give up on doing things you love, I wont give up on that creation!
 
Guys, I have some stuff in the works to get completed knives to those of you I owe knives. Money for the rest of you, I'm working on it. I've gotten to keep less than $1000 from my paychecks the last four weeks. I haven't forgotten my responsibilities.

I've been looking into leather work as a lateral move, once everything settles down. Hopefully that won't be taken away from me.

Hopefully I can meet with the lawyer again this week and find out what the hold up is.
 
Your courage to share and your ability to communicate well under pressure are admirable... You will do well in times to come... Keep your chin up, and don't let the past control your future...
 
Options, being a disabled dad of two kids (one autistic ) i can understand-

Actually started a gofundme recently because I need a new roof talk about feeling like shit.

Anyhow, just let me know what you can do- and as for others...

Feel free to share or donate of thats legal here -


gofundme.com/disabledneedanewro


As for the money, I really want the knives, but, whatever makes you feel best do- id be okay with a 50% and wouldnt talk bad about yall over it. If that makes sense.

Anyhow. Thanks for being honest. Its a rare attribute, should you ever be in Arizona, look me up, I often help others as I have a network of solid people :) broke but mostly working :)
 
I have never been to Brian's sub-forum before.

I only know of Brian through a conversation we had in a thread discussing blade steel where he tried very hard to explain the merits of 20CV to me, while argued for 3V.

It turns out that Brian was right, so I came here to acknowledge that fact.

What I read here I can only describe as words that have made me sad....

There is no "5 year plan" there are just too many twists and turns in life. I have learned that lesson well.

I wish you the best Mr. Evan's, and I hope to see you back on track making exceptional knives, sooner then later.
 
Wow that's terrible. I've been lucky with my wife. My father went through a horrific divorce a few years ago with his second wife so I can imagine how you're doing right now. I've never bought one of your knives but if and when you get back to it you'll be the first on my list. Someone with this kind of integrity is worth doing business with
 
Sorry to hear about that, I really feel for you. These are difficult and crappy times... But you know what, it's also the beginning of a new life, without hell everyday. Stand steady and it will work out, really. Even the kids will get over the clashes and come back to you. It looks like night now, but there's dawn and sunshine to come. I was there and well, I'm still here (and had a great life after the breakdown... better than all I could have imagined at the time). I wish you all the best, sincerely.
 
Since this is am accounting thread, I thought I'd update everyone. The big debts are getting close to paid. Ronnie has his knives, Jesse (painkiller) got his as well. The others are at Ronnie's getting sheaths. I'm going to start working on the little debts next, piece by piece.

5942f32583d025a978e0579b12c0fb2b.jpg
 
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