Steve Shackleford

Knifemaker Claude Montjoy of Clinton, South Carolina, passed away Sept. 23. He was 74.

A member of the South Carolina Association of Knife Makers, Montjoy was a full-time maker who sold his first knife in 1982. He made knives by the stock removal method and built folders, including slip joints, locking liners and interframes, and also hunters, boot knives, fighters and some art knives.

Services were held Sept. 24. Condolences may be expressed online at www.grayfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the First Baptist Church of Joanna, 301 Magnolia St., Joanna, SC 29351.

Ray Appleton, maker of the “I.Q.” and other puzzle-type, “multilock” custom knives, passed away Saturday. He was 88.

The tall, lanky, likable Appleton caused quite a sensation with his puzzle/multilock knives in the late 1980s. Beautifully carved, anodized titanium folders, they were way ahead of their time (see “Ray Appleton Redefines the Folding Knife,” January/February 1988 BLADE®). One of their main endearing features is that Ray would build them with hidden mechanisms, etc., so you had to figure out how to open them.

BLADE field editor Ed Fowler, a long-time acquaintance of Ray’s, had nothing but good things to say about the talented maker. “Ray was my hero when I was a kid in high school and remains a hero to me,” Fowler observed.

According to Ray’s son, Ron, an accomplished maker in his own right who will display his knives at the upcoming Art Knife Invitational, Ray had not been in a knife shop in at least seven years. Ray had moved to Montana to live with his daughter and spend time with his grand kids and play on the computer.

Buck Knives Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of Haley Heath and “Family Traditions with Haley Heath” to a multi-year license agreement which includes a signature line of hunting knives designed for female hunters. 

This unprecedented partnership in the cutlery industry will enable Buck Knives and Haley Heath the opportunity to fulfill a long overdue need in the cutlery marketplace.  “I am incredibly excited to be the first female featured with her own line of hunting knives from the number one brand in hunting, Buck Knives,” stated Heath.  “We have a great opportunity to create a new line of female specific products.  From my travels and interactions with people around the country, I know this is a need and I am happy to work with Buck Knives to provide knives to all the other ladies who enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. Buck Knives has been producing quality USA made knives since 1902 and to work with them is awesome.”

 Chuck Buck, Chairman of Buck Knives stated, “We are all so pleased to be able to work with Haley, G.O., and the entire Heath family.  They represent everything we believe in when it comes to family, outdoors and hunter safety.  I have no doubt that Haley and G.O. will be great ambassadors for Buck Knives.” 

“Family Traditions with Haley Heath” is a popular program on the Sportsman Channel that epitomizes today’s generation of hunters and shows first-hand how family traditions can be passed down in powerful ways. Haley, a 5th-generation hunter, “Ultimate Outdoorsman Finalist” and the first woman to receive The Sportsman Channel’s “Viewer-Favorite” award, hosts the show.  She hosts the show with her husband G.O. and their son Gunner and daughter Dakota for the true “Family Traditions” experience.