BLADE Staff

Bradford, PA (February 9, 2011) –W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company has just launched its new and improved website, WRCase.com. The 600-plus page site was completely rebuilt over a six-month period by Case’s own Web Marketing Coordinator, Michael Granger, and supporting marketing staff. The result offers an easily navigable resource and information center for Case fans to enjoy from wherever they can connect.
 
Tom Arrowsmith, Case President and Chief Executive Officer, says, “Case has always felt it had the most beautiful website in the industry. At the same time we recognized the former site’s layout sometimes compromised our ability to deliver all the information our consumers might be looking for at a given time. This redesign addresses these issues without sacrificing the ‘aura’ behind the brand; the images and stories of our knives that we all share.”

New features include an easy-to-follow content guide at the bottom of the home page, offering users one-click access to particular topics of interest. Specific knives can be found by typing in related keywords into a convenient search box displayed on many of the pages throughout the site.
 
The hundreds of Case knives now being offered by Case Authorized Dealers are grouped on the website according to type of manufacture: Standard products, promotional products, licensed products, and commemoratives and collectables. Users can also browse knives by the type of blade steel. Additionally, every knife on the Case site can now be viewed in larger sizes and at a higher resolution than was formerly offered. A new “Special Programs” section explains Case’s special merchandising programs in detail: XX Vault, Rare Finds, XX Limited Edition, Pocket Worn®, XX Select, Case and Tony Bose collaborations, and Case’s corporate gift programs. Finally, Case collectors will find production checklists for specially-featured patterns.
 
Consumers will find several self-service and support options available on-line, including an interactive “Frequently Asked Questions” section and a timeline-based slide show which chronicles the various tang stamps used on Case knives throughout the company’s 122 year-old history.
 
Fred Feightner, Consumer Marketing and Communications Manager, credits Michael Granger, the company’s Web Marketing Coordinator, with implementing the redesign’s look and feel. “Mike’s work in the redesign of W.R. Case’s website not only gives our web visitors a richer experience, it sets a new standard for our industry and lays the foundation for future integration of newer applications and technologies.”

On May 6, the National Knife Museum and the William F. Moran, Jr. Museum & Foundation, Inc. will open an extensive exhibit celebrating the life and work of legendary knifemaker William F. “Bill” Moran. The opening weekend’s festivities will include tours of the exhibit as well as a two-day Educational/Bladesmithing Workshop in which attendees can learn forging the “Moran Way.”

In January of last year, the National Knife Museum opened its first special exhibition of items made by Moran, considered the father of modern bladesmithing. This exhibit, viewed by thousands of visitors over a period of several months, was created with a loan of eighteen exceptional knives and axes from the Moran Foundation. Its great success has led to the new exhibit, which expands the number of Moran-crafted items to approximately fifty.

Also included will be many historical photographs of Bill and his wife Margaret, other memorabilia, and a timeline noting the highlights of Moran’s career, all compiled with the goal of making the master’s work accessible to knife lovers and the general public.

The pieces displayed include many that are significant in a historical sense as well as an artistic one. Attendees can view Moran’s first and second damascus knives (the very first pattern-welded knives of the modern era), Moran’s first folding knife, his personal folder, all three of his famous fighting knife patterns (the M-7, ST-23, and ST-24, as well as an incredibly rare ST-23 folder), Moran’s first cinquedea, a cased set of six miniatures made for his wife Margaret, and a wide variety of other knives from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, encompassing hunters, daggers, fighters, bowies, camp knives and others – virtually all the styles and designs the master was known for. It’s worthy of note that the Museum is designing
the exhibit so that visitors can view both sides of every knife in the display.

Never before has any knifemaker had this extensive a museum exhibition, and its significance is underscored by the fact that some Moran knives have sold for as much as $30,000 and even $40,000 apiece. Make no mistake, this is an exhibit worth seeing.

Those who crave more will want to consider taking advantage of the opportunity to attend the Moran Educational/Bladesmithing Workshop, to be held the opening weekend of the exhibit. There, attendees can learn more about Bill Moran and the “Moran Way,” his knifemaking techniques and his theories about knife design, from Moran’s longtime friends like Jay Hendrickson and A.G. “Barney” Barnes. There will also be opportunity to hand forge a blade or two under the personal guidance of an experienced bladesmith.

“Our mission,” states Moran Foundation Chairman Jay Hendrickson, “is to provide interested makers an opportunity to learn to forge knives in the traditional style of Bill Moran. It will be designed as a class for beginners interested in learning the process of forging knives. Bill always wanted to preserve the ancient methods of forging. That is our goal as well.”

Cost for the Workshop will be $75 per person, and proceeds will benefit the Moran Foundation and the National Knife Museum.

Event Details

The Moran Exhibit will open to the public on May 7, and will remain open until appoximately November so that knife lovers from around the world can take this opportunity to visit the National Knife Museum and see this incredible collection. The Museum is located on the second floor mezzanine level of Smoky Mountain Knife Works at 2320 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37876, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact the Museum at 865-453-5871 (extension 259).

The Moran Educational/Bladesmithing Workshop will be held May 6-7, 2011 on the Smoky Mountain Knife Works grounds. The Workshop is limited to the first 25 paid signups, and the signup fee includes lunch both days as well as materials and a booklet on knifemaking. To register or for more information, contact Johnny Perry, P.O. Box 35, Inman, SC 29349; phone 864-431-6390.

About the Organizations

The National Knife Museum, a nonprofit organization, occupies a 4000 square foot space on the second floor mezzanine level of Smoky Mountain Knife Works at 2320 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37876, and is open daily from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. For more information, contact the Museum at 865-453-5871 (extension 259).

The Moran Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to “educate, preserve and promote the ancient art and craft of hand-forged knives and tools used in bladesmithing, to establish a William F. Moran Museum for the collection and presentation of hand-forged knives and blacksmith metalwork, and to preserve the Moran shop near Middletown Maryland, as a working bladesmith shop.” Those interested in joining the Moran Foundation should contact them directly at 301-663-6923.

An exclusive story by Pat Covert on John Wilson, Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bob Loveless’ “secret helper,” Joe Kertzman’s study of knives with tapered tangs, the best knives of USN’s G2 knife show and more highlight the April BLADE, on most newsstands NOW!

There are also stories on vintage military knives; textured knife handles; how to logo etch your blades; a profile of 5.11 Tactical; the Knives of CBS-TV’s NCIS; a test of the Gerber Metolius; the latest in corrosion-resistant blade materials; the hero swords of Hollywood’s Golden Age; and more.

In addition, there is editorial mention of such knifemakers and knife companies as: an unknown Gerber/Loveless Mark II; the knives carried by knife enthusiasts Carter Kerns, Pam Gallagher and Bill Van Clief; a vintage Robeson M3, Taylor Huff knuckle knife, SOG Recon, Vietnam-era Solingen Randall, Frank Richtig fighter and John Ek Model 2; Jim Hammond; Mike Quesenberry; Jerry Moen’s cover knife; Bob Loveless; Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer William Scagel; Charles Vestal; John Young; George Trout; Jens Anso; Darrel Ralph; Benchmade; Jurgen Steinau; Elizabeth Loerchner; Shane Taylor; Roger Bergh; Mike J. O’Brien; Don Hanson; Ron Newton; Strider Knives; Zero Tolerance; Spyderco; Kershaw; Anders Hogstrom; Virgil England; Richard Zirbes; Kirby Lambert; TOPS/Buck collaboration; CRKT; Gary Mulkey; Pro-Tech/Allen Elishewitz collaboration; Schrade; Ivan Campos; Blind Horse Knives; D.R. Good; Fred Loving; Jan Dox; Louis Naude; Harvey Holbrook; Serge Panchenko; Rick Marchand; Joe Caswell; Pro-Tech/Emerson Knives, Inc., collaboration; Jeremy Marsh/Steel Flame collaboration; Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Ken Onion; Chris Reeve Knives; Todd Begg; and Randy Golden.

Collectibles Retailer Partners With World-Class Designers
 
Moultrie, GA – (January 26, 2011)

United® Cutlery, industry leader in licensed adult collectibles, is proud to announce new partnerships with three custom designers: Mykel Hawke, Wesley Hibben and Mikkel Willumsen. Their world-class custom designs and innovative ideas will allow United® Cutlery to discover the newest mechanisms, modern materials and custom finishing techniques.

Mykel Hawke is a U.S. Army Special Forces Veteran and Co-founder and Director of Specops, an international tourism and training company. Hawke stars in Discovery Channel’s hit survival series, MAN, WOMAN, WILD. Hawke also serves as a media personality in TV and film and is the author of two bestselling books, Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual (Running Press) and The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Foreign Languages Fast! (Paladin). Renown for his survival skills and tactics, Mykel Hawke brings his talents and real field experience to his exclusive knife designs. Hawke’s designs prove to be the most useful all-purpose utilitarian survival knives on the market today.

Wesley Hibben has been making knives since he was eight years old, having learned the craft of knifemaking from his father, Hall of Fame knifemaker Gil Hibben. Hibben makes a variety of knives including fantasy, hunting and tactical knives. Hibben spends his time knifemaking and teaching Kenpo Karate in Anchorage, Alaska. Renown for his survival skills and tactics, Wesley Hibben brings his talents and real life experience as an avid hunter and fisherman in Alaska to his exclusive knife designs. Hibben’s designs are quickly becoming recognized on the market today.

Mikkel Willumsen graduated as a teacher in metal and woodwork and decided that since he was always interested in knives as a child, knifemaking was what he would do. Willumsen has been a custom knifemaker for the past ten years in Copenhagen, Denmark, calling his designs Urban Tactical. Specializing in folders, fixed blades and balisongs, Willumsen’s designs are based on functionality and quality, mixing classical designs with modern tactics. Willumsen also makes kitchen knives that have been used on Danish National Television and TV2 “Goodmorning Denmark” for several years.

“I am excited to add three talented designers to the United® team,” said Clint Kadel, CEO and owner of United® Cutlery. “These new designers will help United® continue to offer the most innovative and functional designs in the industry.”