Steve Shackleford, Author at BLADE Magazine

Distal Taper: Why Knives Have It

Knife Collecting

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October 30, 2013

Distal taper is a concept long used by knifemakers in different parts of the world. Characterized by a reduction in thickness of the blade from guard to tip and spine to edge, distal taper results in a knife that is both lightweight and exhibits excellent edge geometry. The concept is also employed on knife tangs, whereby the tang is tapered in thickness from the guard to the butt.

Since knives with distal taper are both lighter in weight and have super edge geometry, they are easier to handle and cut better—all other things being equal. Who can argue with those kinds of results?

As far as we know, exactly who first used distal taper is undetermined. Some Sheffield-made kitchen knives from the 19th century exhibit the trait, and the concept no doubt was used long before that. A number of custom knifemakers apply distal taper to their knives today, following in the footsteps of such makers as Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© members William Scagel, Bob Loveless (http://www.shopblade.com/loveless-legend-w5287) and Bill Moran, as well as Ted Dowell and others.

What about you? Do you own any knives with distal taper? If so, tell us about them—what styles they are, who made them, etc. Or do you use the concept on the knives you make? Tell us about it/them. Why do you like knives with distal taper? Why, in your opinion, is the concept important? If you apply the concept to your knives, how do you go about doing it?

By the same token, if you don’t think distal taper is all that important, tell us why. Is it overrated as a concept or what exactly? Don’t hold back. And don’t worry, you won’t hurt our feelings.

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

How Did You Use Your Knife This Weekend?

Knife Collecting

Steve Shackleford

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October 28, 2013

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How did you use your knife this weekend? Did you cut open a box or two, prepare meals, cut loose thread from an item of clothing, peel an apple or just whittle to pass the time? Maybe you performed some survival or bushcraft tasks, such as carving a drinking cup, practice building a makeshift shelter or some baton work to split small kindling. Whatever it was, tell us about it—the circumstances, what job you put the knife to, what knife you used, and how the operation came out. Did the knife do the job or did you have to go to your knife array for a smaller/bigger/different type of knife to complete the task?

I had the opportunity to use my carry knife of the day, a Spyderco Native5 in a G-10 handle and 3-inch blade of CPM S35VN stainless steel, yesterday while with my great nephew Carter at the annual Cherokee Pow-Wow at Red Clay State Park just south of here on the Tennessee side of the Georgia border. Carter and I were watching the American Indians perform a traditional dance when Carter spied a young girl holding a toy bow with rubber-tipped arrows. We asked where she got it, made a beeline for the exhibitor tent that sold them and bought one.

Carter wanted to test the bow, of course, so we proceeded to an open field in the scenic park, where we inspected the bow and arrows. The arrows were taped tightly to the bow with masking tape, so I pulled out the Native5, cut the multiple winds of tape and Carter proceeded to launch arrow after arrow into the cool October sky. “It’s a good thing you brought that knife,” Carter said.

How about you? How did you use your knife?

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

Embrace the Skull-Cutter Craze

Knife Collecting

Steve Shackleford

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October 24, 2013

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If you like knives, swords, cleavers and other edgeware embellished with skulls, the knife industry’s skull-cutter craze is for you. And it’s ideal for Halloween, too!

Knives with skull motifs are nothing new. Knifemakers long have offered knives embellished with skulls, along with other ghoulish characters such as goblins, gargoyles, dragons, witches and warlocks, ghosts, the Grim Reaper—the current issue of BLADE® (www.blademag.com), on newsstands now, has such a knife made by D.B. Fraley and owned by Jon Ukman on the cover—and others. However, the veritable explosion of the motif in recent years seems to have sprinkled skull shards worldwide on the knife scene.

"Butch the Cleaver" is Anders Hogstrom's answer to the skull-cutter craze. (SharpByCoop photo) — Anders Hogstrom’s “Butch the Cleaver” is one of several models addressing the skull-cutter craze. (SharpByCoop photo)

Meanwhile, the skull motif has engendered a knife cottage industry of sorts. Ernest Emerson, one of the world’s leading makers and author of the legendary CQC-6, has an apparel line through his Emerson Knives, Inc., that features skulls on any number of clothing items. Companies such as Schmuckatelli sell small skulls that serve a dual purpose of both adorning knives and anchoring knife lanyards. There are others.

Of course there will be those who slam the knife industry for introducing morbid themes on what they are utterly convinced are gruesome tools of death. But we’ve heard all that balderdash and even the most irrational of anti-knife fanatics know better by now.

What about you? Do you subscribe to the skull theme, even just a little bit? If not, don’t worry. There apparently are scores of knife enthusiasts who can’t get enough of it. And with Halloween just around the corner, many knifemakers and those in the knife/skull cottage industries are loving every minute of it.

For the latest knives, knife news and much more, keep it edgy with www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

Ohio Classic Knife Show Starts at 1 p.m. Today

Steve Shackleford

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October 18, 2013

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Ohio Classic Knife Show Starts at 1 p.m. Today

The Ohio Classic Knife Show hopes to build on the momentum of recent knife shows as it holds its annual event today and tomorrow.

Both the California Custom Knife Show held this past weekend and the Knifemakers’ Guild Show held last month were successes by a number of accounts, and the Ohio Classic hopes to build off their momentum as well as some of its own.

For instance, purveyor/collect Jon Ukman noted of the Cal show, “It was outstanding! I bought about 70 knives—and that is a good show.” Purveyor Dave Stark of Steel Addiction Custom Knives also had words of praise for the Cal show. Meanwhile, ABS bladesmith Johnny Perry, who helped display a collection of Bill Moran knives for the Moran Foundation at the Knifemakers’ Guild Show last month, said the Guild Show was a good one as well.

Held at the Pritchard-Laughlin Civic Center in Cambridge, Ohio, the Ohio Classic runs from 1 o’clock this afternoon until 7 tonight, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. In addition to some of the custom industry’s top makers, the show will include some leading factory knife exhibitors and also a cutting competition tomorrow. In addition, Jeff Fournier from Mule Team Canvas will give a demo on canvas dying.

Exhibiting knifemakers include Tom Downing, Blind Horse Knives, Ryan Daniels of Queen Cutlery, Phillip Booth, Wayne Hensley, Pete Crowl, Andrew Demko, George Trout, Mickey Yurco, Greg Gottschalk, W.C. Johnson, James Downs, Thad Yeater, Gary Wheeler, BLADE® field editor Kim Breed, Lon Humphrey, Craig Steketee, Mark Carey of Spartan Blades, Bill Behnke and many others. Also exhibiting will be Charles Turnage of Turnage Productions, photographer Terrill Hoffman, purveyor Jerry Schroeder, Pop’s Knives and Supplies, Brad Vice of Alabama Damascus, Brad Stallsmith of Peters Heat Treat and many others.

For more information visit www.ohioknifeshow.com.

For the latest knives, knife news and more, keep an edge on it with www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

Enter KA-BAR’s Pumpkin Carving Contest

Steve Shackleford

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October 15, 2013

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Break out your favorite KA-BAR knife, grab a pumpkin and commence to carving—it’s time for KA-BAR’s third annual Pumpkin Carving Contest!

The winner will receive a free KA-BAR knife. The contest runs through Halloween, Oct. 31.

Using your favorite KA-BAR knife, carve a pumpkin and photograph the result. The photograph must also include the KA-BAR knife you used to do the carving. Upload the image to any of the KA-BAR social media channels—see below for a list of them—and you are officially entered.

Since you’ll need to upload the shot, you’ll need to use a digital camera. If you don’t have a digital camera, borrow one from a friend, or shoot a print and have a friend scan the image and upload it for you.

Be sure to follow all standard safety procedures when carving, including using a sharp knife—to ensure it’s sharp, touch the edge up beforehand—and when carving, cut AWAY from you and anyone else in the vicinity. You might even want to keep a box of bandages and other medicinal items on hand while you carve. You never can tell when you might get a bit klutzy (hey, it happens to all of us from time to time, right?).

If you have any questions about rules, eligibility, etc., contact [email protected]. They will be happy to help.

KA-BAR social media channels include https://www.facebook.com/KABARKNIVES and

https://twitter.com/KA_BAR

https://plus.google.com/u/0/108773739377759118633/posts

For the latest knives, knife news and more, keep it at www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

And happy trick or treating and Happy Halloween!

How To Reserve Your Hotel Room For the BLADE Show

BLADE Show

Steve Shackleford

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October 9, 2013

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How To Reserve Your Hotel Room For the BLADE Show

It’s that time of year again—when people start tearing their hair out trying to reserve their hotel rooms for the following year’s BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com).

Of course, the fact people are already lining up for their lodging seven months before it starts is testimony to just how important the show has become worldwide. And, needless to say, we love it!

Slated for June 6-8, 2014, at the spacious Cobb Galleria Centre just outside Atlanta, the show is the world’s largest and assembles more exhibitors, knives, seminars and assorted cutlery events than any other. As such, all knife enthusiasts want to attend and the rush for hotel rooms starts earlier every year.

Many folks have been calling the show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Waverly, and the Sheraton located across the street from the Galleria, requesting hotel rooms with the the special BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) discounted rate—and they have been told by both hotels’ reservation officials that they cannot call the applicable hotels direct to reserve a room for the show.

Those hotel reservation officials are, of course, correct.

There are two ways to reserve a room for the show: either visit

https://aws.passkey.com/event/10704610/owner/2698962/home or call 855-547-8429. The website is now live and the phone number is for our special call center.

By the way, this is NOT a new hotel reservation system for the show. It’s the same format as it has been for the past three years. Again, do NOT contact the hotels direct to make reservations for the weekend of the world’s largest knife show.

For the latest knives, knife news and more, stay with www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

New BLADE Says Boo! on Newsstands Now!

Steve Shackleford

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October 8, 2013

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D.B. Fraley’s Torrent 5.0 “Grim Reaper” says boo to you on the cover of the latest BLADE® (www.blademag.com), on most newsstands TODAY!

Sporting extensive gold-inlay by engraver C.J. Cai in a fitting Halloween motif, the big flipper folder was five years in the planning and completion stages and its owner, Jon Ukman, is thrilled with the spooky result.

Elsewhere in the new BLADE (www.blademag.com):

•Discover which is best for you—a hunting knife that folds or is fixed—and why;

•See who our expert panel selects as the top 14 makers of the Golden Age of Modern Custom Knifemaking;

•Choose from a gaggle of top factory or custom slicing knives for that holiday turkey or ham;

•Learn whether the “Agent” by Jonathan Mcnees can pass the “steel-door-can-opening” test;

•Know a top traditional folder when you see it through “What To Look For in the Best Slip Joints”;

•Sample the top annual hammer-forged knives of the American Bladesmith Society as named at the 2013 BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) & Living Ready Expo;

•Read how collectors’ custom knives almost caused at least one divorce;

•Experience the week-long festivities of the Buck Collectors Club’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration in concert with Buck Knives;

•Follow the chops, cuts, slices and other blade-performance derring-do of the 11^th Annual BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) World Championship Cutting Competition;

•Learn what it takes to get started making tomahawks;

•Check out the latest knives, including the new bushcraft fixed-blade design for Colonial by Abe Elias, in “What’s New”;

•Absorb 3 keys to functional sheaths;

•Get the lowdown on makers Ron Appleton, Peter Rassenti, Ryan Lemaire, Patrick Randall, Rusty Waide and Robert Weinstock in “Knifemaker Showcase”;

•Also: see what the next knife show is nearest you; what to look for in the next issue; and much more, all in the January 2014 BLADE (www.blademag.com).

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

Steve Shackleford

Distal Taper: Why Knives Have It

How Did You Use Your Knife This Weekend?

Embrace the Skull-Cutter Craze

Ohio Classic Knife Show Starts at 1 p.m. Today

Enter KA-BAR’s Pumpkin Carving Contest

How To Reserve Your Hotel Room For the BLADE Show

New BLADE Says Boo! on Newsstands Now!

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