Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Blade

Chris Amos Weighs In First I would like to thank ABS journeyman smith Matthew Parkinson for his interest in my article (“Top Tips for Novice Smiths,” Fall BLADE®) and his willingness to share information (“Matthew Parkinson Weighs In,” May 2018 issue’s “Readers Respond”). Mr. Parkinson’s letter represents something that is prevalent and much appreciated in today’s knife community: a willingness to share that helps all bladesmiths and knife enthusiasts in general learn and grow. I’d like to think that in the world of knives there is room for everyone and everything at all skill levels. I certainly can’t argue with his numbers as they are industry standards. However, the point of my article was to provide novice knifemakers with basic information that would allow them to make functional knives with…

Displays of entries for the BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards and BLADE Show knife collections will return to the lobby outside the main show hall in the Cobb Galleria Centre. The judging of the collection displays will remain as has been done in the past, with the Best In Show going to the top display and Judges’ Awards going to the second-through-fourth-place finishers. For more on the entries for the Knives Of The Year, see page 16.…

The BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions will feature the 16th annual rendition for the men and the 3rd annual title for the women, both on show Saturday. Once again, BladeSports International (BSI) will conduct the events beginning at 4:15 p.m. in The Courtyard—the side parking lot of the BLADE Show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. Returning this year will be the tent sponsored by Burr King to shelter patrons from the toasty Georgia sun and/or summer shower. Nicole Warden won her second consecutive women’s title and James Clifton won his first-ever men’s crown last year. At press time, eight women were slated to compete in the women’s World Championship. They are: returning champ Nicole Warden, Shanna Kemp, Krystal McMillion, Terry Lynn, Jo Carothers, Robin Berry, Chandee Smith and…

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:30-9:30 a.m.: Yoga For Stress Reduction—Jot Singh Khalsa, Room 109 10-11:15 a.m.: How To Throw Knives & Tomahawks—Bobby Branton, The Courtyard 9:45-10:45 a.m.: Recognizing Evil As the Face of Danger—Ernest Emerson, Room 104 10-11:45 a.m.: ABS Knife Auction, Room 103 (page 84) 11 a.m.: How To Make a Throwing Tomahawk—Joe Szilaski, Room 107 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Machetes for Survival and Bushcraft—Joe Flowers, The Courtyard 12-3 p.m.: Buck Collectors Club—Room 103 12:30-1:45 p.m.: 2nd Annual Battle for Bali-Champion—Blade HQ, The Courtyard 1-2 p.m.: Waterjet Cutting vs. Laser and Plasma Cutting Methods—Robo-Jet, Room 107 2:15-3:30 p.m.: Japanese Sword Demonstration—James Williams, The Courtyard 2:15-3:30 p.m.: Impromptu Beard Shaving With a Patron’s Knife—Murray Carter, Room 107 4:15 p.m.: 16th Annual BLADE Show Men’s World Championship Cutting Competition and 3rd Annual BLADE…

Tell us what knife you carry. Add a little history or an anecdote. Try to include a photograph—if digital, at least 600 KB but no larger than 2 MB—of you with your knife. We will publish your comments in an upcoming “The Knife I Carry.” Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win a free, high-quality, name-brand knife. The drawing will be Nov. 15. Mail to: BLADE®, P.O. Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789, or e-mail steve.shackleford@fwmedia.com. If you send your entry by e-mail, please include your physical mailing address in case you win the knife.…

Two new folders on the market were just ripe for the testing: the JB-371 linerlock from Brous Blades and the Method framelock from Kershaw. My wife Melissa joined in on some testing and photography. First up was the paper slice. I use 20-pound bond copy paper. The Method sliced smoothly and was very light in the hand. It was quite controllable on the spacing of cuts. The JB sliced smooth but had a few sticky spots where the edge tore the paper a little. The overall slimness of the knife provided good control over the spacing of cuts. On to some single-walled cardboard for a tougher slice. The JB cut quick and smooth with no snagging. The shorter hollow grind curled some of the cuts but that’s to be expected.…

My daughters Savannah and Charlotte had always been craftsy and artistic, but they rarely spent time in my shop. One day in 2016, Charlotte, who was 15 at the time, asked me if she could make a knife. It was to be based on a knife from a TV show she was watching called Supernatural. A character on the show named Ruby used the knife to kill “demons.” It is a very unusual design. I like teaching so I told her, “Sure, let’s do it!” For her first knife I thought grinding it out would be easier than forging it. To get started I had her practice grinding wood to learn how to use the 2x72 belt sander. Grinding the bevels of the blade in wood to practice gives you…

Jordan LaMothe’s sword-breaker dagger is based on a rare version of a main gauche, or left-hand dagger, used in 16th-century Europe to catch an opponent’s rapier blade and stall or break it. A custom order, it is the first time La-Mothe made such a knife. “That’s for sure!” he laughed. It was so involved he had to handforge two blades and three guards in order to get it right. “It was a long process,” he said. Done all by hand, he used an angle grinder and files to cut the lugs or teeth in the blade. The guard and pommel are mild steel filed to shape, fire blued, polished and forge blackened. The fluted handle is black-and-white ebony with iron wire inlaid in the ridges. LaMothe has been making knives…

The X-Rhea Push Dagger by ABS master smith Lin Rhea is the maker’s rendition of the classic backup knife in a forged/integral construction—and he will sell it at his table 23R at BLADE Show 2018 June 1-3 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. Forged from one piece of 1084 carbon steel, the dagger sports a 3 1/8-inch flat-ground blade and is 5 3/8 inches overall. Lin’s list price of $475 includes a Kydex® sheath by his nephew, Jake Rhea. Photographed by Robert Hinman, Jaymond Johnson and Lin Rhea, the cover image shows the knife in the forge fire. It is but one step in the knife’s process of being made, which Lin outlines in detail in the special story on page 54. It’s believed to be the first time…

Sponsored by Work Sharp, the 5th Annual BLADE University beginning the day before the BLADE Show and running through show Saturday will offer a range of mostly new classes and one popular hold over. Highlights of new classes will include How to Be a Forged in Fire Champion, with past FIF champs JW Randall and Craig Ca-merer; how to design and forge a chef’s knife, with ABS master smith Bill Burke; How to Make a “Dirty Chopper,” a three-part class with Nick Rossi of the New England School of Metalwork; How to Do Custom Sheath Inlay, with knifemaker Herbert Derr; How To Sharpen Any Knife, with BLADE® field editor Dexter Ewing; How To Make the Goblin Folder, with the knifemaking artist known as Dellana; Hamons and Their History, with ABS…

The BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© welcomes two new members this year: Dan Delavan, former co-owner of Plaza Cutlery and the California Custom Knife Show, and Phil Lobred, founder of the Art Knife Invitational. The new members will be officially inducted during the BLADE Show Awards Reception the Saturday night of the show (tickets required). Nominated and voted on by the sitting Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame members earlier this year, the inductees must have a) demonstrated extraordinary service to the knife industry; b) displayed honesty, character and integrity; c) advanced the industry by the creativity and originality of their works or contributions; d) as ambassadors or outstanding contributors furthered the positive impact of the knife industry on the world at large; and e) in summary, demonstrated a worthiness to be a…

“It happens to the best of us.” You’ve heard it said thousands of times in both a jocular and serious manner, but it’s true—especially in the precarious world of custom knifemaking. There are accidents waiting to happen around every corner in the making of a knife, and, while you’d expect them to happen to a novice, even highly experienced artisans can make dangerous mistakes. A group of veteran knifemakers—Jim Hammond, Gene Border and Martin Olexey—shared their horror stories with BLADE®. Their comments are enlightening and shed much-needed light on the hazards facing budding and future makers who may not have been bitten yet by one of the many accidents waiting to happen in their shops, but most definitely will (page 100). “IT BLED PROFUSELY, ENOUGH TO TURN MY SOCK BRIGHT…

Only a portion of the original Alamo fortress—the church/chapel and a single story of the Long Barracks—exist today. The edifices are in the Alamo and modern San Antonio. The north wall of the old mission plaza was 240 feet long, the west wall 521 feet long and the south wall 192 feet long. A high wall ran east of the south corner of the Long Barracks to the north side of the church. More traces of the Alamo of 1836, though hidden by a modern urban landscape, still can be found if you know where to look. A significant portion of the battle took place in Alamo Plaza, which roughly retains the outline of the interior of the old mission and fort. A commemorative plaque marks the spot where the…

Note: Events with an asterisk (*) have knives and knife accessories as the main/sole focus. Events with two asterisks (**) are knifemaking seminars or symposiums, cutting competitions, auctions or other knife-related events. MAY MAY 4-5 GREER, SC Palmetto Cutlery Club 2018 Knife Show, Greer Recreation Center. Contact Randy Wooten 864-915-0788 palmettocutleryclub.org/.* MAY 19-20 MASSILLON, OH The 2018 WRCA Knife Show in Memory of Dale Warther, Knights of Columbus. Contact 330-745-4242 or darlene5674@att.net.* JUNE JUNE 1-3 ATLANTA, GA The 37th Annual BLADE Show, Cobb Galleria Centre, I-285 & US 41, one exit off I-75 across from the Cumberland Mall, adjacent to the Renaissance Waverly Hotel. World’s largest show of handmade, factory and antique knives. A combined total of nearly 1,000 exhibitor tables and booths. Join the world’s greatest national and international…

SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Tighe Fighter BLADE LENGTH: 3 7/8” BLADE MATERIAL: Damasteel damascus HANDLE MATERIAL: Titanium LOCK: Button-lock flipper CLOSED LENGTH: 5 1/16” SKULL STUFF: Pierces Skull Design waterjet cut with a .015-inch-diameter stream; titanium engraved over the piercing to enhance detail MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,500 MAKER: Brian Tighe, tigheknives@xplornet.com , briantighe.com , damasteel.ca  905-892-2734 SPEC CHART KNIFE TYPE: Fixed utility MODEL NAME: Desk Knife BLADE STEEL: RWL-34 stainless HANDLE: Sambar stag BOLSTER: 416 stainless steel MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $650 MAKER: John Young, Dept. BL6, 483 E. 400 S., Ephraim, UT 84627 435-851-9750 jen.j.young35@gmail.com SPEC CHART MODEL: Straight razor BLADE MATERIAL: Stainless steel and 410 over 1084 carbon steel core in…

Seattle Washington: Drug company execs are nervous. That’s because the greatest health advance in decades has hit the streets. And analysts expect it to put a huge crimp in “Big Pharma” profits. So what’s all the fuss about? It’s about a new ingredient that’s changing the lives of people who use it. Some call it “the greatest discovery since penicillin”! The name of the product is the AloeCure. It’s not a drug. It’s something completely different. And the product is available to anyone who wants it, at a reasonable price. But demands may force future prices to rise. TOP DOC WARNS: DIGESTION DRUGS CAN CRIPPLE YOU! Company spokesperson, Dr. Liza Leal; a leading integrative health specialist recommends AloeCure before she decides to prescribe any digestion drug. Especially after the FDA’s…

The December knife shop fire in Cohoes, New York, that damaged 32 buildings and displaced approximately 20 people points up the need for makers to pay heed to the best in shop safety measures. ABS master smith Wally Hayes knows a thing or two on the subject and presents his approach to it in How To Prevent Fires and Other Knife Shop Mishaps—and what to do when they happen—in his special BLADE University class held in conjunction with the BLADE Show. For more information, see page 13. For more on the Cohoes fire, visit http://www.blademag.com/blog/erin-healy-blog/was-forged-in-fire-a-scapegoat-for-thecohoes-fire. For more on knife shop safety, see page 24.…

THURSDAY, MAY 31 KNIVES THE FORGED WAY, ROOM 104 AND/OR THE COURTYARD 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Construction of the Early American Belt Axe, beginning with raw materials; each stage of development will be passed around to the class and explained in detail, including written handouts, with ABS master smith Timothy Potier 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m.: Forged Fixed Blades: Heir Apparent to Tactical Folders?, including an explanation of why forged fixed blades are trending upward in collectibility and tactical folders are not, with BLADE® field editor/custom knife purveyor Les Robertson of Robertson’s Custom Cutlery 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.: How to Be a Forged in Fire Champion. Learn how to get on the show and what to do once you get there from two past champions—ABS master smith JW Randall and ABS journeyman smith Craig…

Some of the best balisong flippers nationwide will gather at the BLADE Show to compete for the title of “Grand Master” in the second annual Battle for Bali-Champion sponsored and conducted by Blade HQ. All participants will receive prizes from the event’s 10 sponsors, with the top three finishes getting even better prizes from event sponsors Benchmade, BRS and HOM. The competition will be limited to 48 competitors. For more information visit bladehq.com/balicomp. BLADE Show ticket holders are invited to watch the competition in The Courtyard on show Saturday from 12:30-1:45 p.m.…

The BLADE Show custom knife judging competition held the Friday of the show pits participating knifemakers who are BLADE Show exhibitors and their knives against each other in judging conducted by industry authorities. The categories are: Hugh Bartrug Best Of Show; Best Fixed Blade; Best Damascus; Yvon Vachon Best Miniature; Best Art Knife; Best Fighter; Best Bowie; Best Handle Design; Best Tactical Folder; Best Utility Hunter; Best Folder; Most Innovative Design; Best Knife Collaboration; Best Sword; Best New Maker; and Best Of The Rest. The competition is open to the show’s custom knife exhibitors only. Such exhibitors only should bring their entry/entries for the judging to Room 104 Friday at 3:30 p.m. No entries will be accepted after 4 p.m.! You must be a full-paying table exhibitor to enter a…

“My EDC knife is a Benchmade Mini-Barrage. I feel this knife has the perfect handle, blade size and shape for a wide array of tasks. I use it for everything—once even for dressing out and skinning a deer and antelope. I really appreciate the quality of this U.S.-made knife and cannot say enough good things about Benchmade’s models. Benchmade knocked it out of the park with this one!”David Walrod, Missoula, Montana “I carry the Pallas flipper folder by Spartan Blades. It’s big enough for most of the cutting jobs I need a knife for and looks the part, too.”Tony Dawes, a letter via e-mail “My carry knife is a Predator from Bear Edge. American built, assisted opening, smooth operating and reasonably priced—it’s everything I look for in an EDC.”Harley R.…

The 37th Annual BLADE Show June 1-3 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta is the best place for cutlery manufacturers to introduce new knives because the BLADE Show has the most sophisticated knife consumers—and more of them—than any other knife show. The manufacturers know this and that’s why many of them wait until the BLADE Show to debut their new knives. A selection of a few of those knives are on this and the following pages. Meanwhile, there will be many more new models taking their bows at the Cobb Galleria in June. Join the world knife community there to peruse the state-of-the-art in steel. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. For more on the BLADE Show see related stories this issue. For the contact information for the knives…

One of the treasures of the South is the Historic Arkansas Museum in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. As the Museum’s resident historic blacksmith (page 112), I have a rare set of circumstances that allows me to work in a unique setting: an 1820s-’60s recreated blacksmith shop. Besides welcoming m museum visitors, I train volunteers to assist me in museum-related events. The result is a melting pot of fascinating talents of archaeologists, electrical engineers, computer programmers, police officers, teachers, CPAs and many others. Our regular visits allow us to study historic objects and give us the time to either recreate or practice forging techniques required to make the recreation possible. In one of our recent gatherings it was suggested that I forge a push dagger (shown in process on this issue’s…

BLADE SHOW PREVIEW P. 12 CAS Brothers casknives.com; Greg Cimms, Kayne Custom Knife Works, Dept. BL6, 2297 Rt. 44, Ste. B, Pleasant Valley, NY 12569, Phone: 845-475-7220, cimms1@aol.com; Lionsteel di Pauletta Gino & C., Via dei Fabbri, 32-33085, Maniago, Italy (+39) 0427/71984 www.lionsteel.it, info@lionsteel.it; Samuel Lurquin, Hameau Du Bois, Hoyaux 10, 7133 Buvrinnes Belgique, Binches, BELGIUM, Phone: 0032-478-349-051, knifespirit@hotmail.com; Web: www.samuel-lurquin.com SHOP SAFETY P. 24 Gene Border Knives, Web- www.edgeoftheborder.com. Email- Eugene@ edgeoftheborder.com; Hammond Knives & Designs, LLC, Dept. BL6, 104 Owens Parkway Suite M, Birmingham, AL 35244. Ph- (256) 651-1376. Web- www.jimhammondknives.com; Martin Olexey Blades, Dept. BL6, 801 Dellwood Street, Suite 100-222, Bryan, TX 77802. Web- www.martinolexeyblades.com.Email- martin@martinolexeyblades.com BLADE SHOW FACTORY DEBUTS P. 30 A.G. Russell Knives, attn: Jarrellyn Martin, Dept. BL6, 2900 S. 26th St., Rogers, AR 72758…

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.com ag@agrussell.com Adams International Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.com Customized Automatic Knife Specialist Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.com terry@admiralsteel.com  Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.com A Real Store & Working Knife Shop! Andre de Villiers - Facebook email - adv44sales@gmail.com  www.advtactical.co.zaButcher SOB folders. Arizona Custom Knives www.arizonacustomknives.com sharptalk@arizonacustomknives.com Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com Artknives.com  www.artknives.comfred@fredeisenleather.com BladeGallery.com  www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com BladeJunkee www.bladejunkee.com bladejunkee73@gmail.com BladeOps, LLC www.bladeops.com trevor@bladeops.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.com Stamps@BuckeyeEngraving.com  Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands Martin Butler Engraver martsart81@gmail.com  one-of-a-kind engraver CRKT…

2018 ABS MASTER SMITH FOLDER BY ANDREW MEERS 2018 ABS MASTER SMITH KNIFE: CLIP-POINT BOWIE BY TERRY VANDEVENTER 2018 ABS JOURNEYMAN SMITH KNIFE #2: FIGHTER/SHORT BOWIE BY BARRY CLODFELTER The American Bladesmith Society will offer an array of stunning knives for sale in its annual auction during the 37th Annual BLADE Show June 1-3 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. THERE WILL BE OTHER AUCTION KNIVES AS WELL, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL ABS MASTER AND JOURNEYMAN SMITH KNIVES AND THE ANNUAL KNIFE FOR THE ORDER OF THE MYSTIC BROTHERHOOD. The headline knives will include two annual ABS master smith knives, one a “folder with a story” by Andrew Meers, the other a spectacular damascus bowie with a gorgeous sheath by Terry Vandeventer. The other two headliners are the annual ABS journeyman…

MODEL: Smith’s Cordless Knife & Tool Sharpener GRIT: Coarse, medium and fine MATERIALS: ABS plastic DIMENSIONS: 9” x 5” x 6” SPECIAL FEATURES: Pivoting head, adjustable angle guides, rechargeable MSRP: $79.99 MODEL: Work Sharp Combo Sharpener GRIT: Coarse flexible belt and fine ceramic tapered rod MATERIALS: ABS plastic DIMENSIONS: 4” x 9” x 4.5” SPECIAL FEATURES: Convex-edge capable; fine grit ceramic rod also does serrations MSRP: $59.95 MODEL: McGowan DiamondStone Electric Sharpener GRIT: Medium MATERIALS: ABS plastic, aluminum DIMENSIONS: 5” x 6” x 4” SPECIAL FEATURES: Multiple counter-rotating wheels for fast sharpening MSRP: $84.95 for brushed chrome finish ($79.95 in black) MODEL: Chef’s Choice 317 Xtreme Sportsman GRIT: Coarse and fine MATERIALS: ABS plastic DIMENSIONS: 8” x 4” x 4.25” SPECIAL FEATURES: Two-step sharpening and stropping processes; accommodates thick and…

It wasn’t an easy rise, but when Randall knives became familiar in the marketplace, they set a standard for looks and performance tried and validated in war and then peace. Sometime in the 1930s, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Walter Doane “Bo” Randall watched a friend preparing the bottom of a boat for painting and noticed a knife in his friend’s hand. “It was that very knife that peaked his interest in handmade hunting knives,” explained Bo’s grandson Jason, a third-generation contributor to the family’s enterprise, Randall Made Knives, in Orlando, Florida. William Scagel (April BLADE®, page 46), a Cutlery Hall of Famer who contributed significantly to the custom knife industry in its infancy, had made the knife. One of his greatest contributions was the indirect inspiration he supplied to…