The knife Steve Auvenshine created for “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” (knife images courtesy of Steve Auvenshine)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, released around Christmas 2017, might’ve slipped under the radar for film-savvy knife enthusiasts. However, the movie marks yet another contribution by Kentucky knifemaker Steve Auvenshine to the prop departments of Hollywood.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, portraying Dr. Smolder Bravestone, carries a fixed blade in a sheath on his right hip throughout the movie.
Dwayne Johnson, second from left, wears the knife in the a sheath on his right hip throughout the new Jumanji movie. (Image via imdb.com)A closer look. (Image via imdb.com)
Auvenshine, who also made knives for the Jurassic World movies, noted how the actor’s size warped the perception of the knife on screen.
“It’s a beast. Weighs almost two pounds. About 20 inches OAL. Dwayne Johnson, ‘The Rock,’ makes it look pretty normal!” Auvenshine wrote on his Facebook page.
The knife next to a quarter, for reference.
Specs
The measured specs are as follows:
Weight: 30 ounces
Overall length: 18 inches
Handle length: 6.5 inches
Blade length: 11.5 inches
Blade steel: 1075/80
Here are some closer views from Auvenshine’s shop:
That’s why we want to hear about your accidents in your knife shops. There’s no shame, and you can remain anonymous if you’d like. The point is prevent someone else from making the same mistake.
The focus here is on safety. Preventative tips are welcome, too.
Your contributions will be used in an upcoming BLADE feature. Thank you!
Russ Andrews uses fossil ivory on this dagger. (SharpByCoop photo)
$10 Knife Tops 2017’s Best-Selling Knives at Blade HQ
If you want to know what kind of a year 2017 was for knives, it’s best to start by asking a retailer. Blade HQ put together a nice roundup of its top seven best sellers. Spoiler alert: The number one spot goes to a knife priced at $10.
Prediction: Best-Selling Chef Knife of 2018
Not one to be late to the party, Gadget Review is already calling 2018’s best-selling chef knife as the 10-inch Shun Classic. From the article:
Forged with 33 layers of high-carbon VG10 steel at a 16-degree angle, the Shun Classic is the perfect beginner’s knife for anyone who’s looking to upgrade their cutlery game and want a knife that will last them for the long haul. A Rockwell hardness rating of 61 means you’ll rarely have to re-sharpen it on your own, while its resin-impregnated Pakkawood handle fits comfortably in any size hand.
We here are BLADE will provide all the fainting couches you need to deal with the shock of a Shun knife on a list of best blades for the kitchen. I doubt we’ll be busy.
A Knife Made Out of a Solid Piece of Fish
Katsuobushi is a smoked and dried type of tunafish used in Japanese cuisines. It’s also about as hard a food as you can find. That’s why it’s shaved into flakes and used as a base for soups or sauces.
So why not make it into a knife?
Knives and Political Commemoratives: Pure Americana
Mentioned only in passing in the article here at the Hartford Courant, there apparently exists a switchblade made to commemorate President John F. Kennedy’s run for the White House. It’s now on display at a museum that celebrates the “Kennedy Mystique.”
A switchblade, made during his campaign, has a carved face that bears little resemblance to JFK.
A photo was not attached to the article.
Pairing politics with commemorative knives is an act of undiluted Americana that continues to this day. At the 2016 BLADE Show, in the heat of a summer of politicking, presidential candidates’ faces and slogans adorned many knives and accessories.
This is a good sign for collectors. Wait a while, and that political commemorative – even if it features a face bearing “little resemblance” to a candidate – could fetch a nice price.
Australian knifemaker Leila Haddad is impressive for many reasons. She’s only 14, but she’s already turning out forged blades that fetch thousands of dollars. This profile from ABC in Australia is worth reading for those reasons, but one quote from the young knifemaker should be highlighted:
“I think there is still a future for knife making, because people are starting to realise again the importance of handmade things,” she said.
The Buck Model 119 Special. (Image via Buck Knives)
Buck Knives announced last month that it reached the 1.5 million mark for total knives produced at its Idaho facility. A Model 119 Special took home the title of the 1,500,000th knife. That’s no accident.
This milestone was achieved due to the increased USA production needs and sales on their 119 Special and 110 Automatic models.
Knife Restrictions Re-Introduced in Kansas
Introduced in the closing days of 2017, a proposal in Kansas is looking to renew some expired knife prohibitions. From Knife Rights:
HB 2442 is ostensibly a “bump stock” ban bill, but it sneakily also would reinstate “dagger, dirk, … dangerous knife, straight-edged razor, stiletto” as prohibited knives.
Nothing beats stepping inside a knifemaker’s shop and watching how the magic happens. Knifemaker Kyle Daily, of KH Daily Knives, generously shared this video showing how he treats 154CM stainless.
BLADE staff found this video on Twitter. Are you following us? You should be.
Gerber & Boy’s Life Team Up to Clean Filthy Pocketknives
Boy’s Life put together a great spread on cleaning pocketknives, with some assistance from Gerber. It’s basic, sure, but it’s full of great tips, such as using toothbrushes to clean serrations.
The dents create air pockets so food does not stick to the blade.
In his story, How To Make a Sushi Knife, in the August 2015 BLADE®, ABS master smith Wally Hayes explained how he achieved the texturing on the blade’s surface. The reason for the texturing is to create air pockets so food does not stick to the steel.
For blade material, he used 90-thousandths-inch-thick 15N20 carbon steel from New Jersey Steel Baron.
After cutting the blade to shape and heating it in his forge, the author used the hammer with a cross-hatched face to give each side of the blade a textured finish.
“First, I cut the blade to shape, around 7 inches long,” he wrote. “The tang is about 4 inches. I take one of my old hammers and cut a cross hatch into the face using a side grinder with a cut-off wheel. Then I heat up the blade in my forge and hammer a textured finish into the steel. This takes about five heats and is lots of fun! I put dents into both sides of the blade and then make sure it is straight.”
The sushi knife the author completed for the story in the August 2015 BLADE® features a blade with the hand-hammered finish and a handle of ebony and walnut.
Follow the Rambo knives through the first four movies with these photos. If you want to step back in time even further, download the June 1983 issue of BLADE.
A 1-of-1 Raven First Blood model Lile originally made for Sylvester Stallone, the knife is in the collection of Randy Rousseau. It is one of four 1-of-1 Ravens of the Rambo movie knives—two by Lile for First Blood and Rambo: First Blood II, and two by Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Gil Hibben for Rambo III and Rambo IV—that are in Rousseau’s collection.
The Raven First Blood has the same specs as one of the original 100 First Blood models—the only difference is that the flip side of the tang is marked “1 OF 1” over “LILE” over “RAVEN.” The 9-inch blade is 440C stainless steel with a non-glare matte finish and polished edges. The stainless-steel hollow handle is pinned to the tang and wrapped with 36 feet of duck-decoy nylon line.
