Due to my working relationship at Cumberland Knife & Gun Works formerly here in Fayetteville with the late Lewis Sanchez, I was introduced to many fine gunmakers, especially those that learned their craft from the late John Bivins, such as Joe Scorsone.
Our two booths at Friendship was the "watering hole" for custom gunmakers in the '70's before the Gunmaker's Hall was built. John Bivins, Mark Silver, Joe Scorsone, and Bob Watts were the "regulars". One day when Lew was "holding court", Joe Scorsone walked in with John Bivins and Joe pulled out a big double-edged knife that he had forged. You could tell that Joe was beaming with pride. Lew held it and made one of his usual astute comments, "Hmmmmm, looks like a Roman Bathing Tool!"
As an aside, Warren, then president of the NMLRA, asked if I would trade my two booths in my present location to a pair of booths closer to the end of the row, between Deer Creek Muzzleloading and Koval Knives, which was Ok to me. Then, they removed the center wall to create a walk-through, and the four booths from both sides created the first "Gunmaker's Hall". I was glad to have a small role in the creation.
