Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Blade

Matthew Parkinson Weighs In I don’t know who did the technical editing on “The Top Tips for Novice Smiths” by Chris Amos in the Fall BLADE®, but whoever it is needs to check the facts. Now that it is readily available for anyone with a smart phone or computer, long gone are the days when finding the technical information about the steel being used is diffi cult. Presenting these errors as facts when they are demonstrably not fact does a great disservice to the very novice smith the article purports to help. With that in mind I would like to offer the following corrections. Let’s look at the author’s statement that the critical temperature (the austenizing temperature) is easy to find with a magnet. This is, in fact, not the…

This time “Spec Sheet” presents a classic matchup between a hollow-ground blade—the Ruger Powderkeg—and a flat-ground one—the Ridgeline Companion. There is also a blade thickness difference of 1/8 inch for the latter and 5/32 inch for the former. Both knives are in the EDC/hunter category. Handles are synthetic scales attached with screw fasteners. No matter their makeup, though, it still comes down to how they cut. OUT-OF-THE-BOX Going with the paper slice to see how sharp the knives were from the factory, the Companion went first. The thin flat-ground blade was very smooth and aggressive. You could hear it slicing the 20-pound bond paper. The Powderkeg also was aggressive in slicing, with a nice crunching noise as it cut. The heavier hollow-ground blade parted the bond paper smoothly. Double-walled cardboard…

There have been so many great knives and edged tools—and updates of same—released over BLADE®’s 45 years of existence that it is impossible to include them all here. Instead, we’ve listed 45 contemporary examples, each one representing a different pattern or type. Some you may see all the time, others not so much. Of course, 45 is not enough to mention all the types/patterns, but it is a good way to reflect just how diverse today’s cutlery industry has become in addressing the assorted cutting needs and wants—not to mention the pocketbook sizes—of knife/edged tool enthusiasts most everywhere. Without further ado, all 45 follow on this and the ensuing pages, listed alphabetically by pattern/type. ART KNIFE Neptune, a mermaid and various denizens of the deep appear in gold and other…

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.comStamps@BuckeyeEngraving.com Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands Martin Butler Engraver martsart81@gmail.com  one-of-a-kind engraver CRKT www.crkt.com info@crkt.com Culpepper…

On about Nov. 18, 1835, the most famous fallen hero of the Alamo and his entourage crossed Town Creek on the Southwest Trail that led up the hill past James Black’s Shop to the Elijah Stuart’s tavern in Washington, Arkansas. Did former Tennessee congressman, Col. David “Davy” Crockett, or one of his companions buy the Sea of Mud knife from Black? Did Black give the knife to the famous folk hero? On Nov. 1, 1835, Crockett, along with three others—William Patton, Abner Burgin and Lindsey K. Tinkle—left Crockett’s log cabin home near Rutherford, Tennessee, on a journey of adventure, exploration and fortune hunting. Having recently lost his U.S. House of Representatives seat to Adam Huntsman, “a one-legged Jacksonian,” Crockett told his constituents, “Since you have chosen to elect a man…

Dennis Friedly’s “The Seas” cover knife is a spectacular art piece that helps recognize two 45-year milestones: Friedly’s 45th anniversary of making knives and BLADE®’s 45th birthday as a knife magazine. The fixed blade is embellished with over 40 characters engraved by Gil Rudolph in 24k gold and copper, including but not limited to the mythical god of the sea, Neptune; a sea turtle; a shark; a mermaid; a variety of fish and more. The gemstone is an amethyst set in 24k gold. The 9-inch blade is Mike Norris stainless damascus in a composite ladder pattern. The bolster and handle are stainless steel. Overall length: 14 inches. The sharkskin sheath (not shown) is by Paul Long. “This has been a two-year project with redo’s and changes to get a final…

Editor’s note: Beginning with this issue, “The Hone Zone” is a new BLADE® regular feature that examines today’s latest knife sharpeners. In the first installment, BLADE field editor Dexter Ewing reviews four sharpeners that include among their design parameters the ability to sharpen blades made of the leading premium knife steels. Many knife users/collectors opt for high-performance blade steels such as CPM S30V, CPM 154, 154CM, CPM S35VN, BG-42, CTS 204P, CTS XHP and others. These high grades of stainless offer maximum edge holding, though at a price—and that price comes due when you resharpen the blades. Since these steels excel at wear resistance and can hold an edge for a long time, it also makes them difficult to resharpen. It’s a…

Over the past few years, women’s tastes in knives have changed. Gone are the days when a small pink-handle knife was almost always the blade of choice for hiking, hunting or carrying every day. According to statistics collected by the American Knife & Tool Institute, about a decade ago women made up 31 percent* of the owners of outdoor knives and pocketknives. These days there are more options and more cool knife designs. Still, guys generally buy knives differently than women. Guys think about different things and are attracted to different looks in their knives. This can be a problem when looking for that perfect gift for their moms or significant others. With Mother’s Day (May 13) right around the corner, three knife retailers from around the country identify the…

The talent was there, the product was there, but who knew the depth, breadth and scope of a custom knife-maker’s body of work? Where did the public go to see the latest in factory knives, the stories behind their development, and the features that made them stand out? By the 1970s, there was activity and something to see and understand. However, raising the profile of the knife industry was problematic. The American Blade changed all that. This isn’t time for a pat on the back but rather a candid perspective on the magazine known today simply as BLADE®, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication, in print now for 45 years and on newsstands for 32—the longest-running knife magazine ever. “In the latter portion of the ’60s, A.G. Russell, then as…

APRIL APRIL 6-8 MCCALLA, AL The 30th Annual Batson Bladesmithing Symposium & Knife Show, Tannehill State Park, Alabama Forge Council. Call Judd Clem 256-232-2645 clem.judd@att.net.* ** APRIL 7-8 EUGENE, OR The 43rd Annual Oregon Knife Collectors Association Knife Show, Lane County Convention Center. Contact Oregon Knife Collectors, Dept. BKG18, POB 2091, Eugene, OR 97402 541-484-5564 okca@oregonknifeclub.org or visit oregonknifeclub.org.* APRIL 7-8 TULSA, OK Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, Expo Square (Tulsa fairgrounds). Contact 918-492-0401 tulsaarmsshow.com. APRIL 14-15 WASHINGTON, AR The ABS Spring Piney Woods Hammer-In, the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing. Contact B.R. Hughes 903-838-0134 americanbladesmith.com.** APRIL 14-15 STROUDSBURG, PA Jaeger Arms Promotions 2nd Annual Knife & Gun Show, Jackson Township Fire Co. Contact John 570-470-6404. APRIL 21 ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OH National Pike Knife Club Show, Old Belmont County Fairgrounds. Contact…

As we continue to celebrate BLADE®’s 45th birthday (pages 36 and 68) and with the Kentucky Derby (May 5) nigh, the “post time” couldn’t be better to recount when BLADE was traded for a racehorse. Yep, that’s right—a thoroughbred racehorse. Known as The American Blade at the time, the magazine was traded by then-publisher Jack Marvich to Wally Beinfeld for a racehorse—or at least that’s what Beinfeld reportedly told one of his successors, former BLADE publisher and editor and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bruce Voyles. Marvich was a dentist living in New Orleans. He acquired the magazine and served as publisher beginning with the January-February 1974 issue and ending with the November-December issue of the same year. That’s when Beinfeld assumed the, ahem, reins. But first let’s, ahem, backtrack…

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 pocketknife. The drawing will be May 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 pocketknife.…

SHARPENER: Diamond Paddle Sharpener 051C COMPANY: AccuSharp GRITS: Coarse (320) and fine (600) MATERIALS: ABS plastic, rubber overmold, steel, diamond substrate DIMENSIONS: 3.5” long, 1” wide, 9” overall and 5” closed MSRP: $26 SHARPENER: Tri-Angle Sharpmaker 204MF COMPANY: Spyderco GRIT: Coarse MATERIALS: Steel, cubic boron nitride substrate DIMENSIONS: 7” long, .5” wide MSRP: $79.95 (Sharpmaker sold separately) SHARPENER: Single-sided Diafold diamond whetstone COMPANY: Diamond Machining Technology (DMT) GRIT: Fine MATERIALS: ABS plastic, steel, diamond substrate DIMENSIONS: 4.5” long, 1” wide, 9.5” overall and 5” closed MSRP: $27.79 SHARPENER: DMD double-sided bench stone DISTRIBUTED BY: EZE-Lap GRIT: Coarse (400) and fine (1,000) MATERIALS: ABS plastic, steel, diamond substrate DIMENSIONS: 6” long, 2.5” wide MSRP: $17.95…

Increase your knife IQ on a wide range of cutlery topics via the 5th Annual BLADE University May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. Held in conjunction with the 37th Annual BLADE Show, which will be June 1-3 also at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, BLADE U. begins the day before the BLADE Show and completes class sessions show Saturday—all in the same venue of the Cobb Galleria and also under the Burr King Tent in The Courtyard (aka the parking lot) of the show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Waverly. BLADE U. assembles some of the world’s best knifemakers and bladesmiths to teach a wide range of subjects for the knife aficionado and novice alike. If you love knives, BLADE U. has a related topic that…

EASY AS EDC P. 12 Bear & Son (see under “45 for 45”); Boker (see under “45 for 45”); Kershaw (see under “45 for 45”); Steel Will (see under “45 for 45”) THE KNIFE I CARRY P. 20 Buck (see under “45 for “45); Cold Steel, Dept. BL5, 6060 Nicolle St., Ventura, CA 93003 800-255-4716 805-642-9727 sales@coldsteel.com, www.coldsteel.com; Spartan Blades, attn: C. Iovito, Dept. BL5, POB 620, Aberdeen, NC 28315 910.757.0035 www.spartanbladesusa.com ENTER THE HONE ZONE P. 26 Accusharp Knife & Tool Sharpeners, attn: Kelly Clark, Dept. BL5, 2010A Windy Terrace, Cedar Park, TX 78613 830-693-6111 fax 830-603-6394 kelly@accusharp.com, accusharp.com; DMD, c/o EZE-LAP Diamond Products, attn: Ralph Johnson, Dept. BL5, 3572 Arrowhead Dr., Carson City, NV 89706 775-888-9500 eze-lap.com, Ralph@eze-lap.com; DMT (see Camillus under “45 for 45”); Spyderco (see under…

“THE PATTERN SHOULD BE INTERESTING BUT NOT OVERPOWER THE REST OF THE PROJECT.” —KEVIN KLEIN Damascus steel fascinates very much the same as looking through a kaleidoscope. It makes you see “normal ” things in a very different light. Every blade of damascus, aka pattern-welded, steel is like a human fingerprint in that no two are exactly the same, drawing you in even more. The advances in—and demand for—pattern-welded steel have been a constant in the custom knife world for decades, and show signs of growing evermore as knifemakers and specialists continue to push the envelope further. CHEETAH With its intriguing damascus clip-point blade, beautifully scrimmed antler handle and rustically aged fringed sheath, John Cohea’s Warrior Bowie is a joy to behold. “ I’ve been a custom maker for 20…

Ray Beers’ carved-handle knives took the 1988 Knifemakers’ Guild Show by storm, and the man who carved those handles is still at it—and making knives, too. Ron Myers carved the head of a cooper’s hawk into the bird’s-eye maple handle of his modified karambit model. The bird’s-eye maple is much harder than the tupelo gum he used for the Beers knives that served as the cover for the December 1988 BLADE®. The tupelo gum was ideal for the decoy ducks Myers also carved at the time because it is lightweight and floats well. However, it proved too soft for knife handles, so Myers went the bird’seye maple route on his fixed blade. Of the grip he noted, “It’s strong, has a great look and won’t break if you drop it.”…