Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Blade

Everything Else is Great I read the story on the recent inductions into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hallof-Fame® (“The Grateful 8,” page 42, September BLADE®). There are a couple of corrections that need to be made. I was the 42nd master smith in the American Bladesmith Society, not the 47th. And the part I said about the Bible at the end of my acceptance speech for induction should have read, “A man should not think more highly of himself than he should,” not “as he should.” Everything else is great. Harvey Dean, new BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame member Editor’s note: We’re happy to set the record straight, and welcome again Harvey and his fellow new inductees—Rick Dunkerley, Stan Fujisaka, Dr. James Lucie, Alfred Pendray, James Schmidt, Karen Shook and Daniel…

My, how time has flown. This issue marks 40 years since my first one for BLADE®. When my beautiful wife Susan heard of the milestone she called me a dinosaur. “Stegosaurus Steve, Cretaceous Shack,” she laughed. It was the October 1985 issue. The cover was the same Weyer International image as the one used for the cover of the iconic How To Make Knives book by Richard Barney and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bob Loveless. Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bruce Voyles, then BLADE editor, hired me just a few days before the magazine went to the printer. That hiring is the focus here. It was a typically hot, muggy summer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I was in-between jobs working as a self-employed house painter. A few weeks earlier I visited what was…

Quality damascus knives have always been elegant. The steel known for its unique surface appearance defines “upscale” when it comes to high-end factory or custom knives. An increasing number of factory brands seem to be offering select models in damascus, bringing the knives to the masses at less than custom prices. For a nominal fee over the cost of a premium factory model—sometimes even less—you can have an exquisite damascus piece for your collection or daily carry rotation. The A.G. Russell Knives Slim Damascus Folder is one of the better bangs for the buck in the genre. The 3⅝-inch drop-point blade is a damascus san-mai hybrid of sorts, featuring a core of 9Cr13MoV stainless steel clad with stainless damascus on either side. The construction allows the blade to be made…

ABS Names New Smiths The American Bladesmith Society awarded its coveted ratings of master smith and journeyman smith at the recent BLADE Show in Atlanta. Three applicants achieved the rating pinnacle of master smith: Andrew Blomfield (Australia), Luiz Gustavo Gonçalves (Brazil) and Erik McCright (Weatherford, Texas). Gonçalves also won the awards for Best Kitchen Knife (page 64) and Best Fighter (page 35, September BLADE®) during the BLADE Show custom knife judging competition. ed to: Felipe Cavallin (Brazil); Jason W. Coy (Squires, Missouri); Viktor De Bonte (Woodinville, Washington); Adam Fromholtz (Australia); Matias Funes (Argentina); PJ Gouws (South Africa); Nate “Tuna” Grant (Seguin, Texas); Matthew Hartwig (Bozeman, Montana); Nishan Mood (Fullerton, California); Christopher Moss (Asheboro, North Carolina); William Porto (Brazil); Willie Van Der Merwe (South Africa); Jan C. Vatelau, (Boise, Idaho); and…

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.com ag@agrussell.com A.G. Russell The Cutting Edge® www.cuttingedge.com ce-asst@cuttingedge.com Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.com sales@admiralsteel.com Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs Adams International Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.com adamsknifeworks.com@gmail.com (618) 656-9868 Automatic & Customized Knife Specialists ADV Tactical Andre de Villiers www.advtactical.co.za Facebook - Andre de Villiers Facebook Group - ADV SOB BADNESS IG - advtactical adv44sales@gmail.com Butcher SOB folders and button lock flippers Artknives.com www.artknives.com fred@fredeisenleather.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.com Make Your Mark Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands Cutlery Specialties www.restorationproduct.com dennis13@aol.com Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax/Polish, Dennis Blaine Ed Fowler Knives www.edfowler.com eafwb@wyoming.com High Endurance Performance Knives Farina Fine Arts www.farinafinearts.com studio@farinafinearts.com One of a kind, fine art, collectible knives Knife Center www.knifecenter.com info@knifecenter.com RECON 1 www.Recon1.com sales@Recon1.com Your number one source…

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. BOOK SALES: Visit us at www.gundigeststore.com or 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, 5583 W. Waterford Ln., Suite D, Appleton, WI 54913. LETTERS OR ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: Steve Shackleford, Editor BLADE Magazine 5583 W. Waterford Ln., Suite D Appleton, WI 54913 or email steve@blademag.com.…

“THE MOSAICS CAN MOVE OFF INTO SO MANY DIFFERENT STYLES. THEY ALLOW THE MAKER TO BE REALLY CREATIVE.”—STEVE RANDALL As damascus patterns emerge through the years, their popularity waxes and wanes. The steel itself, layers of intrigue and interest, experimentation and innovation captivate the steel forger, the custom maker and the knife-buying public like nothing else. The patterns abound and in recent reviews of photos, commentary from those in the business and observation it appears that the feather and mosaic, with twist not far behind, have been and continue to be hot. “I agree that feather and mosaic patterns are predominantly what is made, or certainly what is getting photographed [a lot],” related ABS master smith Steve Randall. “Both patterns are popular because they have lots of character and can…

They may be small and insignificant or obvious and glaring, but the skill that is involved in forging damascus steel and then fashioning blades and furniture that adorn custom knives like no other component naturally produces the potential for flaws in the steel itself. Ironically, the structure of damascus steel, the allure of its beauty and texture, images and etched artistry, is brought together with the potential for a flaw. The production of billets that contain welded elements of 1080 carbon- and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels or other variations involves the marriage of metals. And like any union there is the possibility of a fault. The flaws may be serious or inconsequential. For the buyer, the ability to spot an imperfection and make a value judgment is highly beneficial in the…

“IF YOU CAN’T FIND A CARRY STYLE YOU LIKE WITH ALL THE OPTIONS ARCHITECT PROVIDES, A PAPER BAG IS YOUR ONLY CHOICE.” In my early days of being a knifemaker, the internet played a factor in my business, largely in getting me exposure on various knife forums. As the years passed, it helped grow my enterprise, making international sales possible. These days you can hardly imagine a knife business without the ’net. One of the greatest challenges was helping customers decide on their orders. I had a “record” exchange with one customer of 51 emails to nail down the order. Needless to say, I later deleted the customer’s email from my files. One way for knife enthusiasts and makers to avoid such kerfuffes is for the customer to “build” his…

Irarely do commissions. It’s difficult to keep some clients from wanting to take part in the process. Their job is to tell you how much they like the piece when it is finished and gather the money to cover their overextended budgets. In your role as crafter/knifemaker, don’t let them bully you. There are no grounds for complaints if you give them what they originally approached you about. The most difficult part of doing commissions, aka taking orders, is keeping everything on schedule. A delivery date is just that. Even if it’s a couple of years out, don’t wait until the end to go looking for materials and services. Casters work better with a heads-up beforehand and engravers may need a year to get past what they are working on.…

ABS apprentice smith Robert Burns of Wilderness Ironworks wanted a project that would take him back to the roots of being a bladesmith, and appears to have satisfied that desire through his classic clip-point bowie. “My goal was to combine the ancient and the contemporary,” he wrote. For the ancient he started with iron ore from Minnesota and iron sand from Connecti cut. He smelted the two into bloom steel, which he then refined, “my goal being to make a steel fine enough that it could potentially pass for modern damascus”—thus the “contemporary.” To augment the “ancient,” he used a “historic mix from the Bronze Age” for the bronze for the fittings. As Robert noted, the knife is true sole authorship, from starting ore to the finished sheath. For more information,…

The blade of the Nyx by Julian Antunes, winner of custom Best Fixed Blade at the BLADE Show, is a multibar mosaic damascus that is a mix of a mosaic and a twisted mosaic. Julian also won the show’s custom Best of the Rest for a push dagger with a blade of a combination four-bar Turkish twist and W’s damascus (page 35, September BLADE®). Dionatam Franco captured Best Bowie for his Wing of Freedom. Based on a Confederate D-guard design, the sole-authorship piece is highlighted by a stunning 14-inch damascus blade with an explosion center and twisted bars of 1070 carbon- and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels. The face of the D-guard is heavily engraved in gold. The inset image is the Lionsteel Twain. Marty Stanfield photographed it and Jocelyn Frasier shot…

1) Canned steel/canister steel is a method for the making of a) maidenhair damascus; b) stainless damascus; c) mosaic damascus. 2) The first recorded use of canned steel was in the making of high carbon steel from a) blister steel; b) wrought iron; c) shear steel. 3) BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Steve Schwarzer made his first powdermetal mosaic damascus in 1990 with the help of a) Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Alfred Pendray; b) Joe Hytovick; c) Daryl Meier. 4) When Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bill Moran introduced the modern American custom knife industry to damascus steel blades at the 1973 Knifemakers’ Guild Show, how many damascus knives did he display on his table? a) seven; b) 11; c) eight. “THE NAME SOUNDED A LOT MORE ROMANTIC THAN CALLING IT PATTERN-WELDED STEEL.” 5) Another…

Note: Entries with an asterisk (*) include knives and knife accessories as the main/sole focus. Entries with two asterisks (**) include knife seminars or symposiums, cutting or balisong competitions, auctions or other knife-related events. SEPTEMBER SEPT. 9-11 DENVER, PA Firearms & Militia Auction, Morphy Auctions, Dept. BL10, 2000 N. Reading Rd., Denver, PA 17517 877-968-8880 info@morphyauctions.com, morphyauctions.com.** SEPT. 13-14 GONZALES, LA The 6th Annual Louisiana Custom Knife Show, Lamar Dixon TradeMart. Visit lacustomknives.net.* SEPT. 26-27 BLOOMINGTON, MN Midwest Knifemakers Guild Twin Cities Knife Show, National Guard Armory. For more info, visit midwestguild.com.* SEPT. 27 CASTLE ROCK, CO The Emerson Rendezvous. For more info visit https://emersonknives.com/rendezvous/.* SEPT. 27-28 FORT WORTH, TX Cowtown Custom Knife Show, Fort Worth Stockyards. Visit cowtowncustomknifeshow.com.* SEPT. 27-28 EASTON, PA Lehigh Valley Knife Show, Charles Chrin Community…