Brian Sorensen (Ivoryman) - Gone But Never Forgotten

[bestgear]

This forum topic is intended to honor the life and legacy of Brian Sorensen, known on AAPK as Ivoryman who was active from 06/01/15 until 06/13/25 after making 9,551 posts during 10.04 years with us. The link(s) below are to memorialize the loss of Ivoryman but other links may exist within AAPK that personify the contributions made in the forums. Please feel free to add those additional links and comment in this forum topic of your favorite memory of Ivoryman and the impact he had not only at AAPK but to the world!

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... hp?t=85172

MEMBER MEMORIAL: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... hp?t=85838

MEMBER MEMORIAL: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... hp?t=86226

OBITUARY: https://cascadememorial.com/obituary/66 ... -Sorensen/

[ThatWeirdKnifeGuy]

Ivoryman taught the knife community very important lessons.

He showed that the world is beautiful, and made more so with your pocket knives out and about within it. Furthermore, your knives can be made more beautiful for having been out in the world with you.

The best knives harken from an era in which they were intended for use. Hard, daily important use. With careful maintenance they could last for generations. These survivors from a bygone era outshine, in the hearts of collectors, their modern counterparts that were made to be collected. A generation of knife enthusiasts with lots of safe queens and few users will not be capable of producing artifacts worth collecting as our ancestors did. The world will be awash in lonely and forlorn knives with no story unless we use them!

[orvet]

A generation of knife enthusiasts with lots of safe queens and few users will not be capable of producing artifacts worth collecting as our ancestors did. The world will be awash in lonely and forlorn knives with no story unless we use them!

I quite agree with you on this point. I also think that knives that are made in a factory by machines have less soul than those that were made by human hands. While a well used modern machine made knife does pick up some character with use, it still does not have that sense of living history that an old, well used, handmade knife has.
I have been cleaning out my shop hoping to get back to doing knife work after about 4 years hiatus. The hardest thing for me to throw away are the old worn out, bone handled handmade knives. There are even some of the old hand ground blades that are made with such precision and many of them quite delicate blades, but they all tell the story of the hands that made them.

Three or four years ago Brian came to the Oregon Knife Collectors Association show and brought several wooden whistles he had made. He gave these to some of the guys from AAPK. While cleaning out my shop I found the whistle he gave me. If I can remember where I put it now, I will post a picture. Brian had a way of drawing people in. His generosity was part of that charm.

[bestgear]

Brian had a way of drawing people in. His generosity was part of that charm.

I concur 100%. It’s easy to see why for the past year we continue to keep the memory of Brian alive at AAPK. The 50 people that stepped-up to buy one of Ivoryman’s knives I believe did it because they wanted some of that charm forever in their collection. I also believe that an unspoken bond was established between the 50 of us that have a piece of Brian to carry, use, fondle, share and cherish. That’s quite the unplanned legacy

[danno50]

Brian was missed at the OKCA show in Oregon this spring. A few of us were carrying knives from his collection in remembrance of Ivoryman.