Steve Shackleford, Author at BLADE Magazine

New BLADE® On Newsstands Now!

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December 31, 2013

Get the lowdown on the latest knife hotbed of Russia in the new BLADE®—on newsstands NOW!

Sporting the Hati flipper folder by Russia’s hot knifemaking brother team of Sergei and Igor Shirogorov on the cover, the March BLADE features the headline story on the explosion of all things knife in Mother Russia. From the custom knives of the Shirogorovs and others, the factory knives of Olamic Cutlery and Kizlyar, and the explosion in the buying of American-made custom and factory knives by Russians, today’s knife market is warming up nicely in the Land of the Bear.

If you’re into making knives, the new issue has two stories that should fit your sheath. In fact, one is part two of Ed Fowler’s pouch sheath how-to. The other is Pat Covert’s pictorial on how Bob Dozier makes a frame-lock folder.

Like bushcraft knives? If so, join Mike Haskew as he taps the expertise of some leading makers and users of same in discussing “5 Keys To Top Bushcraft Knives.”

From the early days of Bill Moran to some of today’s leading custom knives, wood knife handles with the tiger-stripe look seem to have a mesmerizing effect on knife enthusiasts. Discover which woods have it and what all the hubbub is about in “Tiger Woods.”

The year past was a momentous one in the world of knives, and BLADE was there to cover all the head-turning events. Relive the year that was in “Dancing On The Edge.”

And, winding up BLADE’s 40th anniversary series on the top knives and makers of the past 40 years is part three of the installment on the top custom makers over a segment of that stretch—this time the top 16 from 2001-2012.

There’s much more—and it’s all in the new March BLADE.

For the latest knives, knife news, trends and more, stay honed at www.blademag.com.

Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

Steve Shackleford

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December 26, 2013

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Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

An all-inclusive ivory ban that would target ancient ivory such as mammoth and mastodon in addition to elephant ivory likely will pass without your help by the end of day today, Dec. 27.

A Presidential Advisory Committee that met on Dec. 16 recommends a total ban of ivory within the USA to the task force on Wildlife Trafficking. The ban would apply to the sale of all ivory in any form and include pre-ban and antique ivory in knives, guns, musical instruments, pianos with ivory keys, etc. The ban would affect collectors, makers and anyone who sells within or to the USA. The committee will file its report on Dec. 28, so any entreaties opposing the proposed ban must be e-mailed by no later than today in order to be registered and considered before the report is filed.

The address to send your email to is [email protected]. Copy and paste the following letter—though feel free to tailor it as you see fit—to an email, and email it to the above address:

Dear Advisory Committee,

I stand against a total ban of all ivory sales in the USA.

As called for in the Presidential Executive Order, I ask that the recommendations continue to allow for “legal and legitimate commerce.”

The ivory market in the USA is stable and/or declining, and seizure records indicate that a high proportion of the seizures were personal effects lacking the correct paperwork, not the so-called blood tusks reported on by the media. The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) analysis indicates that the amount of ivory by weight seized annually has not increased in recent years. We are not the consumers of the poached ivory. Therefore, banning ivory sales within the USA will do nothing to save the remaining world population of elephants.

The CITES MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) September 2013 report analysis, page 64, states, “Africa’s elephant populations are managed sustainably,” and that in 2013 the quote for permits for legal elephants was 1,350 animals. There is legal trade that can be monitored with DNA testing and permitting. Enforcing and policing a ban would require funds that should be used to support the ban on imports already in effect.

I fully support CITES rules, closing international borders to elephant ivory trade, a law already in effect that should be fully supported and enforced. I stand against a total ban of all ivory commerce within U.S. borders, a decision that would be an enforcement nightmare. Like Prohibition of the 1920s, it would cause a new wave of illicit commerce where a legitimate one now exists. Museums, antique dealers, collectors, artisans and individual citizens have invested in a legal and valuable material. Sanctioned trade in ivory that is legal (culled and pre-ban) and comes from unthreatened sources (mammoth, boar, warthog, antique and recycled products) can pose no possible threat to elephant herds in the wild.

I believe our mutual goals are the same and a solution can be reached. Please keep the focus where it belongs. To increase the elephant population, the killing must be stopped in Africa and at its borders.

Respectfully submitted,

____________________________ (TYPE YOUR NAME)

Damascus: The Wonder Of It All

Knife Collecting

Steve Shackleford

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December 18, 2013

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Ron Newton's damascus is spellbinding. — ABS master smith Ron Newton calls the damascus on his bowie “Newt’s Wootz.” (Chuck Ward photo)

Damascus steel has fascinated blade enthusiasts since 11th-century Crusaders first brought tales of it home from the Crusades—and the steel lives in style today on many of the custom knife industry’s leading blades.

One of the things that makes damascus so appealing is the almost infinite number of patterns in which it is forged. From its modern introduction on the American knife scene by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bill Moran at The Knifemakers’ Guild Show in 1973 to today’s array of assorted patterns, mosaics, stainless versions and more, the steel is almost always a visual feast.

Moran named the ladder-pattern damascus, seen herein on the sub-hilt piece by Bill Behnke, after the Biblical Jacob’s Ladder. Note the “rungs” that run vertically on the blade from guard to tip, constituting the “ladder.” Steve Nolte’s wide skinner herein showcases the steel known as mosaic damascus, or also “canned steel.” There are any number of versions of it, and they are most all breathtaking.

Ron Newton’s “Newt’s Wootz” on his bowie herein is another of the maker’s astounding damascus steels. The damascus blade has a “Newt’s Wootz” core with 9mm handguns and AR-15 rifles plugged into the core and surrounded by tight Turkish twist bars of 1095 and 15N20 carbon steels. The two phrases in the core read “Right to keep and bear arms” and “Just try to take them.” The guard and finial knob are of a single twist damascus. The handle is six-bar Turkish twist damascus.

For the latest knives, knife news, trends, tips and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

Steve Shackleford

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December 12, 2013

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New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

Frost Cutlery’s new retail knife store will host a Duck Dynasty celebrity Saturday, Dec. 14.

Tim Guraedy, better known as “Mountain Man” from A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV show, will be at The Knife Shoppe to meet and greet customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free to the public.

Mountain Man is one of several guests Frost will have in the coming months to help promote The Knife Shoppe located by the company’s headquarters and warehouse in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Boasting 9,000 square feet of space, the new store features a wide range of knives and knife brands—not only Frost knives but also those of Buck, Schrade and many others. Swords, hatchets, sharpeners and a wide assortment of other edge-related items also are on the menu.

Frost opened the story this past Black Friday. Company officials decided the store was long overdue to attract the millions of motorists that pass by Frost Cutlery on Interstate 75 each year.

Owned and operated by Jim Frost, Frost Cutlery generates $30 million in annual revenue, including $18 million from Cutlery Corner, a four-hour live knife show the company films and broadcasts four nights a week. The show reportedly reaches 90 million viewers in weekly replays. Frost Cutlery is known for a wide range of knives in its own brand, perhaps most famously the line of Dale Earnhardt knives it has done for many years.

The Knife Shoppe’s store hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sunday. For more information call 423-305-6911.

For the latest knives, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

Pending Knife Laws Need Your Help

Knife News Wire

Steve Shackleford

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December 10, 2013

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State knife laws designed to protect your rights are pending in Florida and Tennessee, according to a Knife Rights news release.

In Florida, SB458 is a knife law preemption act. Knife law preemption prevents local governments from passing knife ordinances more restrictive than the state’s current laws.

If passed, it would make Florida the eighth state to implement knife law preemption. Florida State Senator Thad Altman reintroduced the bill for the state’s upcoming 2014 legislative session.

In Tennessee, state senator Mike Bell has introduced SB1438, which would complete the job of updating the state’s knife laws. Along with Knife Rights, Bell helped pass knife law preemption in Tennessee last year. However, the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association (TSA) assisted in defeating an attempt to overturn the state’s outdated ban on automatics and knives with blades over 4 inches long.

Meanwhile, according to the release, Knife Rights has worked closely with TSA Executive Director Terry Ashe to address TSA’s concerns over the removal of the ban while at the same time eliminating its oppressive effect on the state’s law-abiding citizens. SB1438 is the result of those negotiations.

INSIDE SB458

As for Florida’s SB458, it contains a number of stipulations that should appeal to anyone in favor of controlling oppressive governance, including the provision that certain elected or appointed officials are liable for damages and attorney fees as the result of violations of the act. It would also mandate the termination of employment or removal from office of an official in violation of the act.

SB458 would also impose penalties for enacting or failing to repeal rules or ordinances that conflict with the act, and also prohibit the future enactment of rules and ordinances relating to knives, common pocketknives and weapons by any entity other than the legislature. It would also prevent a state agency or political subdivision from enacting a rule, ordinance or tax relating to knives, knifemaking components, common pocketknives or weapons, including but not limited to the use, transportation, possession, carry, sale, transfer, purchase, gift, licensing or registration of such knives or weapons.

Huber Bowie At Auction Dec. 6-8

Knife Collecting

Steve Shackleford

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December 5, 2013

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A knife listed as a J. English & Huber “Sheffield Works” bowie will be among those put up for bid by Rock Island Auction Co. Dec. 6-8.

In addition to the knife, other knives, swords and firearms will be sold at the auction.

Some have suggested that James Bowie carried a Huber bowie. The Bowie Knife by Norm Flayderman includes parts of a dissertation by Dr. Tom Stapleton that suggests Huber made the knife that James and Rezin Bowie bought when they visited Philadelphia in the early 1830s. Those who read BLADE® know that BLADE field editor/ABS master smith Ed Fowler is a huge fan of vintage Huber bowies.

According to The Bowie Knife, examples of the J. English Huber are among the first and best looking of the American bowie style that originated in the early 1800s. Based in Philadelphia, the company that made the knives was in business circa 1831-36. The “Sheffield Works” in this instance was located in Philadelphia, not Sheffield, England. This has caused confusion among bowie authorities over the years. Sheffield Works was owned by Joseph English with Henry and Frederick A. Huber.

Also according to The Bowie Knife, bowies made by English could be in the running as the first to employ the “familiar ‘curved and hollowed’ clip point” seen on many antique examples.

The knife auction site lists the condition of the knife as “fine overall,” with the blade showing evidence of machine sharpening/polishing, with a few tiny chips on the tip and leading edge. The collar and pommel “are both very good, with some minor handling marks.” An inscription panel is missing from the right side of the grip, which also exhibits some age cracking and “a highly attractive grain and color.”

The site lists the estimated price for the knife at a low of $8,500 and a high of $13,000.

For the latest knives, knife news, trends and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

Steve Shackleford

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December 3, 2013

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BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide—your ticket to everything knife—is on newsstands now!

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide (BKG) is the only knife buyer’s guide in a magazine format that gives you all the contact information for all the major players in the custom and factory knife industries—all in an easy-to-access format that provides each knife source’s physical and web addresses, phone numbers, specialties and much more.

In addition to being your No. 1 source for accessing the knife, knifemaker, knife company, sheath, knifemaking materials, purveyor, accessory and everything cutlery related that you need, BKG also contains the stories that help you identify and obtain the perfect cutlery product for you. Included in this issue are:

•What To Look For in EDC—We went right to the professionals who work in the business for a living and asked them what they look for in an everyday carry (EDC) knife, including size, price point, blade steel, taste and intent, “the essentials,” and much more;

•Sheaths Today: Dressed For Success—Sheath styles, materials, the top makers and more, this story takes you inside the minds of some of the industry’s leading sheath makers for their take on the subject as only they can provide it;

•Out-Of-Site Knives—Buying knives on the internet is the way a lot of folks do it these days. But do you know what to look for in the best custom and factory sites? BKG takes you inside some of today’s hottest sites and details the services they provide, the knives they sell and much more;

There’s much more in this issue, including new knives for 2014; knife guards that both protect and adorn; what makes some of the latest factory tactical knives tactical; today’s top knife steels and who makes them; special deals on how to make a knife on a budget; some of today’s top custom knife purveyors; sharpening made easy and much more.

For the latest knife news, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

Steve Shackleford

New BLADE® On Newsstands Now!

Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

Damascus: The Wonder Of It All

New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

Pending Knife Laws Need Your Help

Huber Bowie At Auction Dec. 6-8

BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide On Newsstands Now!

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