Innehållsförteckning för December 2019 från Knives Illustrated

We hope you’re enjoying the new path we’re on with Knives Illustrated. We certainly appreciate hearing from all of you and meeting so many of you in the knife community. We plan to continue doing what we’re doing — and we hope to hear from even more of you! We love to know what you’re thinking, what you’d like to see, what you’d like to read. So be sure to reach out to us at knivesillustrated@engagedmediainc.com. Speaking of getting together, that time is coming again — the holiday season. The gift-giving season. The I-need-to-figure-out-what-to-get-for-peoplebut-I-have-no-idea season. The I-know-they’re-goingto-ask-me-what-I-want-but-what-the-heck-do-I-say season. The … well, you get the idea. Luckily, we have plenty of ways to help you handle it this year, especially if you want to share the gift of a knife for…

There exists something of a tradition when it comes to gift giving and knives. The story goes that giving a knife as a gift can metaphorically sever the relationship. Nobody has yet put forth a concrete theory as to how this whole thing started, but it has been a superstition for centuries. To solve the problem, the recipient gives something of value to the person giving them the knife, thus “buying” the knife. Traditionally, it's a coin that’s exchanged. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for the gift-giver to include a penny in the box, which the recipient then gives back, thus preserving the friendship. As a practical matter, in my experience a quarter has been the most common coin exchanged. However, in at least one case, I purchased a special…

Every July, while many kids are being dropped off for summer camp, some families are traveling together to attend the Folk School’s scheduled Intergenerational Week. Though the Folk School is structured around adult learning, during this special week, kids are allowed to attend Folk classes with a parent, grandparent or close relative or adult. The Folk School sees the immeasurable value of teaching the younger generation traditional crafts, art and music if there is to be continuity in keeping these skills viable. In addition, parent and child are spending close quality time learning a new craft together that may set them on a lifelong practice in creating things. Like a summer camp, the younger student shares boarding with the parent and attends the family-style meals and events together. Each day…

Most of you probably are familiar with G-10 but not everyone may know what it actually is. It’s often used interchangeably with Micarta, but that isn’t really correct. Both are a laminate material, but whereas Micarta is typically made with layers of cloth or paper, G-10 is made from fiberglass. This makes for an extremely durable material that’s very low-maintenance and fairly impervious to temperature and weather. It can also be made in just about any color and can be shaped and textured easily, making it a great material for things like pistol and revolver grips and knife handles. Being nonconductive, it also makes a great material for EOD probes. While in many cases a simple rod can work as a probe, some EOD teams prefer the wider knife pattern…

Yep, it’s that time again. With the holidays coming you probably have lots of folks to shop for, or friends and family asking for things on your wishlist. Here are our suggestions for some stocking stuffers or small gifts for the outdoorsy person or gear junkie in your life, with some great budget-friendly finds. 1. ASP Lights I don’t know about you, but I can never seem to have enough flashlights. I use them professionally at work, have them in my EDC loadout, keep them stashed in my car and bugout kits, and use them while camping. When I need a light though, I need it to work, so I try and stick with brands I trust, and ASP has been one of those brands I’ve come to rely…

If you carry a knife for personal defense, you need to think about the effects of clothing, especially if you live in, or travel to, cold climates. They aren’t kidding when they say, “Dress like you are going to meet your worst enemy today.” Many traditional knife systems originated in tropical climates where light clothing was the norm. That meant there was typically only a single layer of clothing between you and your knife draw, and your attacker’s clothing rarely offered much protection against your knife’s edge. Collectively, that kept things pretty simple. When you transplant those knife systems to cooler climates, however, t-shirts and shorts give way to long pants, heavy jackets, and multiple layers, all of which can have a profound impact on your ability to use a…

110 – BUCK KNIVES A true classic, the Buck 110 was first introduced in 1964. Since then, well over 15 million of them have been sold. Many budding knife collectors started out with the Buck 110. It’s a durable, well-made, and easy to maintain folding knife. Blade Length: 3.75 inches Overall Length: 8.5 inches Website: www.BuckKnives.comMSRP: $82.00 LEEK – KERSHAW KNIVES The Leek is a slim, sleek choice for a pocketknife. It is handsome without being tactical in appearance, which means coworkers won’t panic when the knife is used to open boxes or slice an apple. It is an assisted-open knife, so make sure there won’t be any legal issues with carrying it. Blade Length: 3.0 inches Overall Length: 7.0 inches Website: Kershaw.kaiusaltd.com MSRP: $84.99 LCK – CRKT The LCK…

Liong Mah has always had a passion for knives and would often spend his time sketching out knife designs while the other kids were doodling cartoons. Since that time, Liong learned to use CAD and took his love of knife design to the next level. In the 16 years that Liong has been designing in CAD, he has gone on to not only design some amazing functional art, but to also add some great knives to the CRKT catalog. Liong’s obsession with fine engineering, craftsmanship and a commitment to perfection have led to his pursuit of making each and every knife an example in performance. Liong comes from a background as a pastry chef, which has led to his extensive use of knives over the years, and is most likely…

Josh Navarrete integrates his 20 years of woodturning experience into his knifemaking, which is part of what gives his knives their distinct look. He always incorporates a variety of unique woods. Chaos Control contains spalted oak from Rob Carper Innovations (www.RobCarperInnovations.com).What’s interesting about this wood type is that it’s in a state of decay. The spalting is a fungus that overtakes and breaks down the wood. By pausing the spalting, it creates the magnificent scaling effect.…

The resounding ring of steel hammers on anvils. The staccato blazing orange sparks issuing forth from the grinder. The otherworldly glow of the forge illuminating the focused and sweating face of a besmudged blacksmith. GODS OF THE FORGE In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the god Hephaestus (or Vulcan, in the Latin) was an immortal blacksmith for the pantheon of gods. He hammered away in his corner of Olympus, using a volcano as a forge and with enchanted tools in his workshop, such as 20 magic bellows that operated themselves. In his Latin incarnation, he almost invariably is depicted with his hammer. But though Hephaestus is recognized today as the “blacksmith to the gods,” he was renowned for his craftsmanship in a variety of creations, not just weapons and horseshoes.…

Damascus steel, named after the capital city of Syria, results in some of the most gorgeous patterns seen in modern knife blades. We discussed Damascus steel briefly in the November issue of Knives Illustrated in our Knife Steel 101 article, and it’s truly something to behold. If you’re looking for an eye-catching gift for your favorite knife-lover this holiday season, consider a beautiful Damascus steel blade. Here are a few that caught our attention.…

The Scandinavian grind — or Scandi grind — is so named because it is commonly found in Scandinavian knives such as puukko and mora knives. A puukko is a small traditional Finnish general-purpose belt knife with a single curved cutting edge, solid hidden tang and, usually, a flat back. A mora knife is a small sheath knife similar in design to the Finnish puukko. It is a fixed blade knife, with or without a finger guard. The term originates from knives manufactured by the cutleries in Mora, Dalarna, Sweden, but has later come to refer to similar-style knives by other brands as well. In Sweden and Finland, mora knives are extensively used in construction and in industry as general-purpose tools. Mora knives are also used by all Scandinavian armies as…

Along with a great quality knife, consider giving the tools and skills needed to properly maintain the knife blade. A knife’s edge is a perishable commodity. It dulls the slightest bit with each use. While it might seem imperceptible, the wear adds up and if the edge isn’t touched up, it will gradually become dull, and thus dangerous to use. Most of the time, a simple strop will bring the edge back to hair-popping sharp. More serious damage might require a whetstone or even something like a Work Sharp powered system. Many people develop their own system or strategy for sharpening a knife. They learn a system or technique, then over time it morphs a bit until it becomes a style unique to the user. What works best for one…

Considered a “super steel” by some, M390 is a third-generation powder stainless steel, made by Böhler-Uddeholm, that has a corrosion resistance almost on par with H1. The addition of chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten give M390 high hardness capabilities, allowing for a blade that achieves a very fine edge and stays sharp through heavy use. The harder steel does make M390 harder to sharpen, but the tradeoff is that it will need to be sharpened less frequently. Being a premium steel, knives utilizing M390 will be in the higher cost range, but with that also comes higher value.…

KEVIN CASEY CUSTOM KNIVES Blade Material: Casey Feather Damascus Blade Length: 9.5 inches Overall Length: 14 inches Bolster Material: Damascus Handle Material: Fossilized walrus tusk Facebook/Instagram: KCaseyKnives/Kevin Casey Custom Knives JAMIE LUNDELL - DRAGON’S BREATH FORGE Model: Gladius Blade Material: 1095, 15N20/Mosaic and Twisted Edge Damascus Blade Length: 19 inches Overall Length: 26.5 inches Bolster Material: Stabilized spalted maple, moose antler, silver Handle Material: Moose antler, silver Facebook/Instagram: Jamie Lundell/ jamielundell NIKO M. NICOLAIDES - NICOLAIDES KNIVES Model: Night Fury Integral Chef Knife Blade Material: 1084, 15N20/Mosaic Damascus Blade Length: 7 inches Overall Length: 11.5 inches Handle Material: Black dyed maple, G10, nickel silver spacers Facebook/Instagram: nicolaidesknives ROBERT WILLIAMS - ATTELL KNIVES Model: 8-inch Chef Knife Blade Material: 1080/15N20, Laddered “W” Damascus Blade Length: 8 inches Overall Length: 13 inches…

Using a dull knife blade is more dangerous than using a sharp one. Although that may seem odd, think about it for a minute: A sharp knife actually cuts into the intended surface, while a dull knife may slip along it instead of biting into it. Also, you have to apply more pressure to a dull knife to make it cut into the surface. Combine the slipping possibility with the added pressure, and it’s an accident waiting to happen. Check out page 81 of this issue for our article on emergency knife sharpening hacks and you’ll never get caught with a dull knife, even if you don’t have a knife sharpener on hand.…