Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Blade

Forever Attendees Wow! It was my third-ever attendance at a knife show. I tried another well-known show a year ago with my wife. It was not very polished and it disappointed us. We were expecting something larger with pizzazz, so we decided to try the BLADE Show as we could also visit friends that live near Atlanta. That was the “wow” moment. It was like going to Las Vegas—very exciting! It was so huge that it was virtually impossible to visit every table and booth, much less chat with vendors. We came away very impressed. From there we decided to do the Portland version—BLADE Show West. Now, I figure that show was about 1/5th the size of the BLADE Show in Atlanta. We had time to really look at every…

Of all the makers BLADE® has spotlighted in our Past Masters series, perhaps none were as low key and unassuming as Bob Lum (page 34). Known for his Americanized version of the Japanese tanto—a knife that as of today, about four decades later, has been reproduced by the hundreds of thousands if not millions—Lum was so unassuming that the argument can be made it led him to undersell his knives. “He wasn’t good at marketing himself,” said Bob’s good friend, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Ron Lake. “He would show you his knives and all, but he really didn’t sell them.” So it was that, about 29 years ago, Ron told Bob, “You need to up your ante.” Bob was going to an Anaheim knife show, and Ron had an…

Chef ’s knives were what was cooking at the first-ever BLADE Show West Chef ’s Knife Cutting Championship, and everyone got served. Held Saturday night at the After Party Warehouse, the competition drew over 500 people, with Murray Carter winning the knifemaker division and Kolter Livengood the chef division. Carter earned a $500 first prize and a custom-designed apron from Craftmade Aprons, while Livengood garnered a custom chef’s knife by Fingal Ferguson as first prize and a custom-designed apron from Craftmade Aprons as well. With food trucks onsite and drinks available for purchase, it was a come-one-come-all affair, and many BLADE Show West (page 72) patrons and exhibitors did just that. Knife giveaways included a Murray Carter kitchen knife, a Praetorian Swift Auto by Medford Knife & Tool, a Vanquest…

The world of custom knives is a binary ecosystem composed of makers and collectors. One could not exist without the other. Strangely, though, there always has been an invisible wall between the two groups. Collectors often feel a particular maker is unapproachable or out of reach. Meanwhile, makers often are on guard with collectors because they know many of them will say or do anything for the chance to get on their books, or to buy a knife at table price. Recently, though, those walls came tumbling down—and in Alvin, Texas, of all places! In November 2017, knifemaker Lee Williams announced on his Instagram page that he would be teaching a knifemaking class to a small group of people at his shop—aptly named the Grind House—just outside Houston, Texas. Participants…

WILD AND CRAZY DAMASCUS P. 12 Greg Cimms, Dept. BL1, 2297 Rt. 44, Ste. B, Pleasant Valley, NY 12569, Phone: 845-475-7220, cimms1@aol.com; Shawn McIntyre, Dept. BL1, 71 Leura Grove, Hawthorne, E VIC, AUSTRALIA 3123, Phone: 61 3 9813 2049/ Cell 61 412 041 062, macpower@netspace.net.au; Web: www.mcintyreknives.com; Niko Nicolaides, Dept. BL1, 22315 Maplewood Dr., Southfield, MI 48033 248-798-6627 nicolaidesknives@gmail.com , Facebook/Instagram: @ nicolaidesknives; Joseph Schrum, Dept. BL1, 22190 Highway T, Sedalia, MO 65301 636-226-5846 Halcyonforge@gmail.com, Halcyonforge.com; Tom Ward 508-277-3190 Tempestcraft@gmail.com, tempestcraft.com, Facebook/Instagram: Tom Ward – Tempest Craft/tempestcraft THE KNIFE I CARRY P. 20 Pro-Tech Knives, attn: D. Wattenberg, Dept. BL1, 17115 Alburtis Ave., Artesia, CA 90701-2616 562-860-0678 protechknives.com, service@protechknives.com; Southern Grind, attn: A. Goodman, Dept. BL1, 101 Gardner Park, Peachtree City, GA 30269 404-941-3480 x1121 alyssa@southern-ground.com; Zero Tolerance, c/o Kai…

Take an unusual pattern inspired by knifemaking greats Don Fogg and Jimmy Fikes, add the maker’s own style and a different material for the traditional handle, and you get the Dragonfly by David Mirabile. “I have the same type of power hammer Fogg was using in Jimmy’s shop and it got me to thinking that I wanted to do something like their work,” Mirabile said. Careful not to do an exact copy, David did his own interpretation of the Fogg/Fikes Cloud Cutter. Though it has a Japanese look, the Dragonfly is not based on any existing Japanese pattern. And, while the handle has the traditional Japanese-style wrap, Mirabile used carbon fiber instead of the traditional rayskin over the underlying Alaskan yellow cedar. The result “immensely strengthens” the handle, Mirabile said.…

Visit us online at www.blademag.com to: • Sign up for our free newsletter. • Renew your magazine subscription. There’s a subscription link in the nav bar. • Comment on our site stories written by BLADE® staff members and others. LOOK FOR BLADE MAGAZINE ON: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Visit us on the Web at www.blademag.com or call 877-485-6426. Outside USA: 386-246-3419. BOOK SALES: Visit us at www.gundigeststore.comor call 920-471-4522. BACK ISSUES FOR SALE: Subject to Availability. Call 920-471-4522. ADVERTISING: Contact Lori McDaniel at 715-498-3768 or lori@gundigest.com, or request a media kit by writing to: BLADE, 5600 W. Grande Market Dr., Appleton, WI 54913. LETTERS OR ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: Steve Shackleford, Editor BLADE Magazine PO Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789 or email steve@blademag.com.…

Tactical knives were called fighting knives and combat knives before they were called tactical knives. The trench warfare of World War I introduced a new style of knives to the world. The knives were existing models that were modified. Other knives were designed specifically for combat, including entrenching tools. World War II gave us the kinder, gentler term of combat knives. It was the term used until 1994, when the custom knife world adopted another word for its extensive lexicon: tactical. The word started life in the blade world as a marketing term to define a particular look of a knife. The look included a non-reflective blade, non-reflective guard or bolster, and a synthetic handle material. WELCOME to THE MACHINE As the custom knife marketplace moved toward the new century,…

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.comag@agrussell.com Adams International Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.comCustomized Automatic Knife Specialist Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.comterry@admiralsteel.com Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.comA Real Store & Working Knife Shop! Andre de Villiers - Facebook email - adv44sales@gmail.com www.advtactical.co.zaButcher SOB folders. Arizona Custom Knives Largest selection in the world of new and consigned knives on the internet. Let us help you find the perfect knife. www.arizonacustomknives.comsharptalk@arizonacustomknives.com Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.cominfo@dozierknives.com Artknives.com www.artknives.comfred@fredeisenleather.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com BladeJunkee www.bladejunkee.combladejunkee73@gmail.com BladeOps, LLC www.bladeops.comtrevor@bladeops.com Bocki Custom Knives www.bockiknives.comeshword@aol.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.comStamps@BuckeyeEngraving.com Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands CRKT www.crkt.cominfo@crkt.com Culpepper & Co., Inc. www.knifehandles.com www.oldschoolknifeworks.com www.stingrayproducts.cominfo@culpepperco.com Custom Knife Gallery of Colorado www.customknifegallery.combob_glassman@yahoo.com Cutlery Specialties www.restorationproduct.comdennis13@aol.com Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax/Polish, Dennis Blaine D. Hoskin's Hand-Made Combat Knives www.dhoskinsknives.comdhbladeisland@twc.com Bob Dozier Knives www.dozierknives.cominfo@dozierknives.com Emerson Knives www.emersonknives.cominfo@emersonknives.com Faneema Cutlery www.faneemacutlery.comjanice@faneema.com Handmade…

It was on the other side of the continent and 2019 but the 2nd Annual BLADE Show West had the feel of an old-school BLADE Show in Georgia. “I thought BLADE Show West was amazing. It was a super successful show for Spyderco and a load of fun,” observed Spyderco’s Joyce Laituri. “It reminded me of what the BLADE Show in Atlanta was like years ago. It was a bit slower paced but still packed with like-minded knife peeps.” Held Nov. 1-3 at the newly renovated Oregon Convention Center in Portland, the show hosted almost 250 exhibitors from eight countries and over 30 states, its first-ever chef ’s knife cutting championships (page 22), a completely revamped slate of seminars, a balisong-flipping competition and much more. As alluded to by Laituri,…

Zanjir chevron damascus is the name of the mosaic pattern ABS journeyman smith Tom Ward used for the center of the sweeping re-curve blade of his pesh-kabz cover knife. An ancient form of dagger used in Persia and Northern India, the pesh-kabz usually featured a straight blade, though it was not uncommon for it to have a pronounced curve. The zanjir pattern is often found on antique Middle-Eastern gun barrels. Salem Straub recently introduced it to the custom knife world. Ward forged the 11-inch blade from 1095 and 15N20 carbon steels and gave it an armor-piercing tip. The handle is ironwood with mosaic inlay in the butt. Overall length: 16 inches. Ward’s list price to make a similar knife: $3,200. For more information contact Tom Ward 508-277-3190, e-mail Tempestcraft@gmail.com or…

“I carry a ZT 0350TS. It cuts my line and whatever is needed for camping, and is great for whittling!”J.M. Spurlock, a letter via e-mail “I carry a Pro-Tech Magic 2 scale-release auto. It’s a curvaceous cutter and I especially like the scale release. The absence of a push button gives the knife a nice, clean look.”Hugh Kastor, a letter via e-mail “I wear a Southern Grind Vermin neck knife. I like the model with the drop-point blade for digging into hard-to-get-to areas.”Slim Alsobrook, a letter via e-mail For the latest knives, knife news, trends and more visit blademag.com, BLADE®’s popular Instagram page at @blade_magazine, and on Facebook and Twitter.…

With a big smile, knifemaker Craig Morgan shares a quick story about his mentor, Bob Lum. “My friend, knifemaker Todd Begg, recently told me about the day he spent with the late, great Herman Schneider*,” Morgan related. “Herman told Todd that he never really had any interest in apprentices, but the only maker he felt had any promise was a ‘Chinese kid’ named Bob Lum.” That promise was fulfilled, probably more than Schneider could have ever thought possible. Born on Sept. 8, 1943, Bob Lum was third-generation Chinese and quite proud of his Asian heritage. He brought that pride to every aspect of his work in custom knives, and the most dramatic, far-reaching evidence of that was his introduction of an Americanized version of the traditional Japanese tanto blade style.…

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. JANUARY JAN. 10-12 INDIANAPOLIS, IN Indy 1500 Gun & Knife Show, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Contact World Class Gun Shows, Dept. BL1, PO Box 14194, Oklahoma City, OK 73113 405-340-1333 indy1500.com. JAN. 18-19 KINGMAN, AZ Pioneer Country Events Gun & Knife, Coins and Collectibles Show, Mohave County Fairgrounds. Visit pioneercountryevents.com . JAN. 21-24 LAS VEGAS, NV The 42nd Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, Sands Expo and Convention Center. For the trade only. Visit https://www.lasvegashowto.com/shot-showlas-vegas for more information. JAN. 24-25 LAS VEGAS, NV Las Vegas Custom Knife Show, Palace Station Hotel & Casino. For more information visit fiftyfiftyproductions.net/las-vegas-custom-knife-show-info.*…

I first saw a Fairbairn-Sykes dagger, an icon of War II special operations units, at Special Forces Training Group in 1961. One of my training sergeants showed me his F-S and told me it saved his life in France after he had parachuted into Normandy before D-Day. Previously, in basic training, I had heard my first sergeant tell a story to my platoon sergeant, both veteran World War II paratroopers, about his Fairbairn-Sykes dagger “snapping off at the hilt in a Nazi’s ribs.” My sergeants both agreed that the design of daggers caused them to be weak. Back to SF Training Group. I related this story to my training sergeant. “Many of the daggers that were made during the war were junk,” he said. “Mine wasn’t.” There was also a…