Steve Shackleford, Author at BLADE Magazine

ICCE Changes Knife Show Dates

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February 9, 2016

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the 2nd Annual International Custom Cutlery Exposition (ICCE) has had to change the dates for its 2016 knife show from early to late September, show officials announced.

Originally slated for Sept. 9-11, the new dates are Sept. 23-25.

The show will be held in the same venue—the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to ICCE officials, the event-hosting hotel, the Downtown Marriott, notified the ICCE’s organizers, the Knifemakers’ Guild and the American Bladesmith Society (ABS), that there would be several events scheduled for the original show dates. Due to the events scheduled in downtown Kansas City, some streets will be blocked, parking will be a hassle, and the downtown will be overcrowded the weekend of Sept. 9-11. The hotel management had other available dates that would make the show far more enjoyable for those who will attend, thus the change to Sept. 23-25.

Held for the first time this past September at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, the initial ICCE represented the first-ever knife show held in cooperation between and coordinated by both the Guild and the ABS, the world’s oldest and most important groups of custom knifemakers. Adding to the historical significance of the cooperative effort is that the show was held in the same room as the 1973 Guild Show where BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bill Moran introduced his knives with damascus steel blades. It was the first time modern damascus steel knives were exhibited at a knife show and it caused quite a stir, and eventually sparked the creation of the ABS in 1976. Most of the knifemakers and bladesmiths from both organizations who exhibited at the 2015 ICCE appeared very pleased with it, and a number of them and other industry observers seem optimistic about the show’s future potential for success.

For more information visit knifemakersguild.com/show, facebook.com/events and/or facebook.com/knifemakers.guild.

His/Her Knives for Valentine’s Day

Steve Shackleford

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February 2, 2016

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Clip and pen blades — Saddle up for Valentine’s Day with the Case John Wayne peanut.

Whether you’re spoken for or not, the Kershaw Spoke will cut it for you and/or your sweetie-pie.

Valentine’s Day is a heartbeat away and there’s no better gift than his/her knives. These knives especially fit the bill because they are smallish folders that work well for both men and women. Featuring blades under 3 inches, they make the ideal everyday carry knife in most any venue.

Boker’s Damascus African Thuya is just such a knife. Boasting a 2.25-inch blade of Chad Nichols ladder-pattern damascus, it has a handle of tight-grained African thuya wood. MSRP: $299.

The Buck Apex is a sporty little folding knife with a 2 5/8 blade of 420HC stainless and a carbon fiber handle with carabiner, pocket clip and integrated bottle opener. Weight: 1.7 ounces. Closed length: 3.75 inches. MSRP: $45.

African Thuya Damascus — Boker’s Damascus African Thuya makes a great Valentine’s Day gift.

If you’re into the Duke—John Wayne for you tenderfoots—Case’s John Wayne peanut pattern should be your cup of cattle-drive coffee. Sporting clip and pen blades—the former with Wayne’s signature—the Red River “D” shield and “The Duke” inscribed on the bolster, this one is made for Wayne fans everywhere.

The black-oxide-coated Spoke from Kershaw is an assisted-opening flipper folder with a 2-inch blade of 4Cr14 stainless and a forged steel handle. Closed length: 2.8 inches. MSRP: $27.99.

Finally, yet another great small knife for Valentine’s Day is the SOG Cash Card. The 2.75-inch blade of 8Cr13MoV stainless and full-metal construction make this minimalist’s dream knife come true.

His/her knives—you can’t beat ’em! For more on these classics and other great knives, stay tuned to blademag.com and the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication, BLADE®.

BLADE Picks Hottest Custom Knives

Steve Shackleford

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January 26, 2016

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The hottest custom knifemakers’ hottest knives, a field test of four of the latest factory fixed blades sold for under $50 each, and how factory knife companies and custom makers arrive at collaboration knives are but a sample of the stories in the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Factory/custom collaboration knives go back at least as far as BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Blackie Collins’s collaborations with Smith & Wesson’s knife line in the late 1960s. However, the explosion in such knives occurred circa 1990 with the C15 collaboration between Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bob Terzuola and Spyderco. Since then, collaborations have come by the train load. How has the process evolved and how have collaborations changed in terms of how they are viewed by both sides in the collaboration equation? Find out in “Deal Makers & Heartbreakers” by BLADE field editor Mike Haskew.

To fulfill reader requests for the best in economy knife buys, the new BLADE introduces “Budget Knife Buyer,” the first in a regular series of stories on quality knives obtainable from one or more retailers for $50 or less. First up are utility fixed blades. Join Abe Elias as he puts the CRKT Sting 3B, Condor Tool & Knife Tarpon, Gerber Ghostrike and Puma USA Badlands through the paces.

Twice each year, BLADE canvasses leading custom knife purveyors for the hottest custom makers’ hottest knives. The latest rendition of “What’s Hottest” features some of the world’s leading makers’ best recent efforts. Many of the makers’ names remain the same but the knives are hotter than ever. Check out which ones are sizzlin’ in “Sharp Studies in Standout Steel” by BLADE editor Steve Shackleford.

Also this issue: Join Michael Janich as he visits his friend, Fred Perrin, perhaps the most revered maker of tactical knives in France, in “Blademaker of Burgundy”; ABS master smith Larry Fuegen details his one-of-a-kind forged scroll folder in “Mad About Max”; the latest in straight razors and the secrets to keeping them sharp in Pat Covert’s “Razor Blades by a Whisker”; Zoe Crist’s hot stainless san mai steel and the knives that have it; James Morgan Ayres’s field test of four of the latest tactical folders, including this issue’s cover knife, the Browning Vanquish Pocket Deploy, in “Tactical Folder Field-Test Fest”; and much more, all in the latest issue of the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication, BLADE.

Pro-Knife Effort Will Be Increased

Steve Shackleford

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January 19, 2016

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Increased lobbying efforts to pass knife law reform on both the federal and state levels will be a major focus of the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) in 2016, the AKTI announced in a press release.

At the top of the list of reforms the AKTI will pursue are the Knife Owners’ Protection Act (KOPA), repeal of restrictions on automatics/switchblades, and Knife-Law Preemption.

To increase its pro-knife effort, AKTI is enlisting the services of ADS Ventures, a government and public affairs firm specializing in national security and defense issues with offices in Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts. ADS has worked with AKTI for several years. The new contract calls for increased efforts to pass KOPA and overturn still-existing bans on autos and pass Knife-Law Preemption in areas that don’t have it.

Patchwork laws related to the ownership and possession of knives, laws that are inconsistent from state to state, county to county and even town to town, are the bane of law-abiding knife owners. AKTI’s efforts will be redoubled to make laws consistent and Constitutional in these areas. “We support reasonable, responsible legislation and measured non-partisan efforts to resolve issues,” said David Fee, AKTI’s legislative chair. “We’re excited to see how we can further this objective in this and coming years.”

“We are confident that through AKTI’s leadership and the work of ADS Ventures, it will be a successful year for the organization as we further our mission to ensure [law-abiding citizens’] right to own, carry, and use knives and edged tools,” observed CJ Buck, president of the AKTI board of directors.

Along with Knife Rights, AKTI is your go-to service for questions concerning any and all knife laws. In terms of laws concerning elephant and ancient ivories, a specialist in such matters is the Elephant Protection Association. For more information, visit akti.org, kniferights.org and elephantprotection.org. To know your rights if arrested for carrying knives, to know what to say and not say in such situations and more, get your copy of Knife Laws of the U.S. by Evan Nappen.

Warren Osborne Passes Away

Steve Shackleford

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January 5, 2016

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Long-time knifemaker Warren Osborne passed away Jan. 4 after a long illness. His death comes almost 13 months to the day after his good friend and fellow maker Joe Kious was killed in a truck accident.

A native of Australia, Osborne moved to Texas, where he resided in Waxahachie for many years. He was a full-time knifemaker and sold his first custom knife in 1980. In his trademark cowboy hat and cowboy boots, Warren was a fixture at knife shows and BladeSports International (BSI) cutting competitions. Despite failing health, he exhibited at the recent International Custom Cutlery Exposition in Kansas City, the first-ever knife show coordinated by both the Knifemakers’ Guild and the American Bladesmith Society.

He was known for his high-end custom folding knives, many of them interframes ornately engraved by some of the industry’s leading embellishers. He joined the Knifemakers’ Guild as a probationary member in 1985. He later became a voting member and served on the Guild’s board of directors for a number of years. His knife designs may be best known among the largest number of people through his many collaborations with Benchmade Knife Co.

More recently he was instrumental in the founding of BSI, the world’s leading association of those who compete in knife-cutting competitions. He competed successfully on the BSI circuit for several years and designed and made his own competition knives. He was among the first to use CPM M4 carbon steel for the blades of his competition cutters, a steel that takes a great edge and is tough enough so that M4 blades can be ground very thin without damage to the edge or chipping while in use, great traits for competition cutters to have. He was also among the first to use horse-stall-mat rubber for the handle of a competition cutter. The material excels in enhanced purchase and non-slip qualities. His knives were recognized by many BSI observers for high performance in the competitions. The BSI coordinates the BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition at the BLADE Show each year. This year’s event will be held during the BLADE Show June 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

As he noted on his website, Warren was fascinated by “anything with a blade” from early childhood in his native Australia, and made knives from crosscut saws, chainsaw bars and anything else he found “laying around.” “Bladed weapons were a family thing, so between three brothers and myself, we had quite a collection,” he noted. Later on during his work as a ranch hand in Australia and as a horse trainer in the USA, sharpening and making knives became a spare-time endeavor.

In the March 2014 BLADE® he tied for No. 13 with Shane Taylor and Jason Knight among the top custom makers of the years 2001-2012. As Larry Connelley of KnifeArt.com noted in that issue of BLADE, “Warren’s knives exhibit extremely clean workmanship, combined with outstanding design and a solid business ethic.” The story went on to note, “From art knives to utility and higher-end designs to competition cutters, Osborne’s work has covered as many bases as just about any other maker.”

As good friend and fellow award-winning maker Tom Overeynder observed, “What a great friend and craftsman Warren was. He will be missed by all who ever met him.” Added BSI Executive Director Donavon Phillips, “Warren was a friend and mentor to so many. I feel like I should say more but the words won’t come to me right now.”

Funeral services were held Thursday, Jan. 7, at the Wayne Boze Funeral Home on 1826 W. Hwy. 287 in Waxahachie. Instead of flowers, please make any donations to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Makers to Watch in 2016 Top New BLADE®

Steve Shackleford

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December 29, 2015

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The makers to watch in 2016, tomorrow’s blade material today, deep-belly vs. recurve blades and more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Headlined by the cover knife by one of the makers to watch for the new year, Jared Price’s tactical folder in bacon-pattern stainless damascus, the latest issue focuses on five cutlers who are building some of today’s most exciting custom knives. In addition to Price, those makers are ABS journeyman smiths Karl B. Andersen and Ben Breda, Michael Raymond and Richard Rogers. Find out why they made our list, examples of their hottest knives and more.

SM-100 is a recently developed titanium alloy that exhibits key traits desirable in a great blade material. Also known as HIPTiNite, the material is used on special models by Strider Knives, knifemaker Eric Bono and others. Get the background story on this intriguing material in Pat Covert’s story.

Machetes and big knives have been appearing in droves in the factory industry, and a number of them opt for either full, wide blades or those with the “S” curve, or recurve. See how the two styles perform, including a sidebar on the concept of weight-forward blade design, in “Belly Up To The Recurve Bar” by Abe Elias.

Also this issue: check out the stories that made headlines over the past year in “It Was A Keen ’15”; enjoy an excerpt from the World’s No. 1 Knife Book, KNIVES 2016, entitled “Chopped Champions” by Joe Kertzman; consider four of the latest factory slip joints and how the traditional design is evolving in general in “Slippin’ and A-Slicin'”; read about the latest knife maintenance products and how they keep your knives performing well and looking good in “Nourish Your Knives”; see how two custom fillet knives compare in Kim Breed’s tests; check out ABS master smith Henry Torres’s hunter’s axe and the many options Henry offers thereof, and much more, all in the latest BLADE®.

7 Pearl Knives For Dec. 7

Steve Shackleford

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December 7, 2015

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Perry pearl. — John Perry employs the classic gunstock-lobster pocketknife pattern to showcase the mother-of-pearl. (Chuck Ward image)

Osborne pearl. — Gold engraving by Martin Butler borders the stunning black-lip mother-of-pearl inlay in Warren Osborne’s interframe folder. (SharpByCoop image)

7 pearl knives for Dec. 7 somehow seems oh so fitting. Dec. 7, 1941—the date which lives in infamy marked the USA’s entry into World War II and the awakening of a military dynamo that would vanquish Japan and play a crucial role in the defeat of Germany in Europe. Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor early that day thrust America headlong into the maelstrom that would change the world forever.

With the 74th anniversary of that momentous event upon us, we thought a fitting way to observe it would be with knives sporting one of the most beautiful of handle materials: mother-of-pearl. Called pearl by most, the material is coveted on higher-end knives and makes for a most worthy edged presentation.

Herein are seven of those knives in memory of Dec. 7. Enjoy!