The Knife Rights Awards Breakfast took place during the 2012 BLADE Show in Atlanta. Georgia State Senator William “Bill” Heath received the 2012 Freedom’s
Edge™ Award, and FOX News host SE Cupp spoke about knife rights.
Get the latest knife rights news by signing up for a subscription to BLADE magazine.
by Joe Keeslar
Silver wire inlay is one of several forms of embellishment—along with scrimshaw, decorative filework, metal engraving and carving—used on knife handles. For me, none of these decorative enhancements should replace what the basic knife should be: a well-designed, functional, well-made tool using the best materials and workmanship possible. Take a knife with these criteria and add some form of embellishment and you have a piece that a collector, user or aficionado of fine cutlery would drool over and want to own.
Simply put, silver wire inlay serves no functional purpose, but it sure makes a knife look pretty if it is done well—with a good, artistic design and well-executed technical application.
My introduction to wire inlay was some years ago while building Golden Age flintlock rifles. Many rifles of the period were relief carved with silver wire accents. The transition from wirework on rifles to knives was a short step.
In this two-part series on wire inlay you will be introduced to the tools used in the process, pattern/design development, the procedure for inlaying silver wire and final finishing of the handle.
So often in undertaking a new aspect of knifemaking, a large financial outlay is required up front to get started. This is not so with silver wire inlay. You can make nearly all the basic tools you need on a modest budget.
Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC offers bladesmithing classes with certified instructors from the American Bladesmith Society. Classes include Introduc…
Rodney Watts won Best New Maker at the 2011 BLADE Show for his fancy fighter (above).
The 31st annual BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will be June 8-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. One of the most important events is the custom knife judging. Below are the rules:
NOTE! These rules are subject to change!
Special Note: The following rules are in effect for the 2012 BLADE Show Custom Knife Competition. Any violation of the rules may make the knife and/or the maker ineligible for awards. Any infraction validated after the award presentation may result in the forfeiture of the award.
WHAT: The Custom Knife Competition For The 2012 BLADE Show & International Cutlery Fair
WHEN: Friday, June 8, 2012
WHERE: At 3:30 p.m. bring your knife/knives to seminar room #104 for judging. No entries accepted after 4 p.m.
1) Custom knives can be submitted and accepted only from table holders at the 2012 BLADE Show. (Shared tables must be declared to show management before the show begins.)
2) The maker must submit the knife personally and so identify himself/herself as the maker of the submitted knife. The maker’s business card or some other form of identification should accompany each knife.
3) The BLADE Show is not liable in any way for the submitted knife while under the care of the BLADE Show.
4) To be eligible for competition, the submitted knife must have been made after June 1, 2011, and never previously received an award from the BLADE Show.
5) The knife must be of the entering maker’s construction, excluding embellishments (engraving, scrimshaw, filework, etc.) and materials.
6) By entering this competition, the entrant confirms that he/she has read all of these rules and qualifications and agrees to said rules.
CATEGORIES:
Hugh Bartrug Best in Show Best Art Knife Best Tactical Folder Best Knife Collaboration Best Fixed Blade Best Fighter
Best Utility Hunter Best Sword Best Damascus
Best Bowie Best Folder Best New Maker
Yvon Vachon Best Miniature Best Handle Design Most Innovative Design
Best Of The Rest
BEST KNIFE COLLABORATION: For the best handmade collaboration between two or more artists (knifemaker/knifemaker, knifemaker/embellisher, knifemaker/designer, etc.) on one knife.
BEST NEW MAKER CATEGORY: This category is limited to those who have been making knives for five years or less.
HOW MANY KNIVES YOU CAN ENTER: You may enter up to three (3) knives in the competition, but only one (1) knife per category and one category per knife (in other words, you cannot enter the same knife in more than one category).
BEST UTILITY HUNTER: Should be a hunting knife designed for use in the field.
BEST HANDLE DESIGN: Should be a handle that is notable for its design, whether utilitarian, aesthetic or both.
BEST OF THE REST: For cutting tools that do not fit well in any of the other categories (tomahawks, multi-tools, fantasy knives, ulus, etc.)
WHERE AND HOW TO ENTER YOUR KNIVES: Tables labeled by category will be set up in seminar room #104. Put your knife on the table pertaining to its category, along with your business card.
HOW TO PICK YOUR CATEGORY: There may be some crossover in categories but the rule of thumb is to look over the knives entered in each category and then enter your knife in the category in which you think it has the best chance to win (as long as it fits the category).
SECURITY: A guard will be present at all times in room #104 to watch your knives.
KNIFE PICK-UP: An announcement will be made for you to pick up your knives when the judging is completed. Winners will be announced before the close of the show Friday evening.
Hot bluing process
The 31st BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) is only six days away—June 8-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta—and, among others, it will be the site of the annual induction into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame©.
Last year, Carl Elsener III (above), mastermind behind the runaway success of Victorinox and its Swiss Army knives, joined the Cutlery Hall Of Fame, the world’s only shrine to the giants of the entire knife industry. This year’s inductee will be honored at the BLADE® Magazine Awards Banquet the Saturday night of the show (tickets required). Living Hall-Of-Fame members elected the inductee by a vote prior to the show. Those already in the Hall include (listed in order of induction):
Uncle Henry Baer
Dewey Ferguson
Bo Randall
James B. Lile
M.H. Cole
Al Buck
William R. Williamson
Pete Gerber
Bob Loveless
Bill Moran
Jim Parker
George Herron
Frank Buster
Dr. Frank Forsyth
A.G. Russell
Ken Warner
Jim Bowie
Maury Shavin
Hubert Lawell
William Scagel
Gil Hibben
Harry McEvoy
Buster Warenski
Albert M. Baer
Col. Rex Applegate
B.R. Hughes
Bruce Voyles
Bernard Levine
Houston Price
Bill Adams
Jim Weyer
Chuck Buck
Blackie Collins
Frank Centofante
Ron Lake
Sal Glesser
Joe Drouin
Bob Schrimsher
Rudy Ruana
D’Alton Holder
Michael Walker
George “Butch” Winter
Tim Leatherman
Dan Dennehy
Ken Onion
Al Mar
Paul Bos
Carl Elsener III
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication.
Murray Carter demonstrates his three-finger test for edge sharpness. How do you test your knives for sharpness? Leave a comment below.
Learn more tips and techniques in Bladesmithing with Murray Carter, published by BLADE.
