Several years ago, I was approached by a local video production house called Brella Productions of Evanston, Illinois. They were creating a catalog of instructional videos entitled "The Artist Training Series" and they wanted me to work with them on a knifemaking video. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.

Historically, knifemaking videos have been low budget productions that did very little teaching and provided virtually no useful material. I hoped to make an instructional video to break that mold. The folks at Brella asked me to put together an outline of what I wanted to include and we would later get together and work it out.

I made a very large and very inclusive outline of every single aspect of the craft. The approach was that of a hobbyist and used common and inexpensive tools and materials. Mark and Bernadette of Brella productions agreed to the outline with no changes. To say the least, I was shocked.

Their original plan was for a 90 minute video. When the dust settled, after several days of shooting, we had more material than would fit on a 90 minute tape. The final cut, after editing, was 3 hours and 10 minutes. That makes "To Create a Blade, A Beginner?s Guide to Knifemaking" the longest and possibly the most inclusive instructional video on the topic. The reviews have been great! Chivalry Sports said;

"His life in front of Renaissance Faire crowds makes Garland an exceptional television instructor. His manner is direct and polished without hesitation. He speaks confidently to the viewer from his heart."

Knives Illustrated magazine called it:

and described me as:

During the following two years, the folks from Brella would stop by my shop at the "Bristol Renaissance Faire" in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They would frequently shoot candid footage of my demonstrations to the public on the craft and history of the blacksmith. After they had amassed enough raw footage, they edited it all together into a second tape entitled, "The Renaissance Blacksmith." The tape is 30 minutes long and has a more historical perspective. Among the topics covered are the making of a nail, a hook, and a fork.