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Emerson Whiskey Co.: Bowies ‘N Bourbon At BLADE Show

BLADE Show

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May 24, 2023

Emerson Whiskey Co.: Bowies ‘N Bourbon At BLADE Show

Ernest Emerson to debut Emerson Whiskey Co. and the Whiskey Knife at BLADE Show ’23.

A perennial favorite at the BLADE Show, Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc., has chosen this year’s event to introduce the Emerson Whiskey Co., along with two limited-edition commemorative knives to celebrate the launch.
Ernest said he chose BLADE Show ’23 for the new-company-and-knife premiere partly due to the many fond memories of sipping adult beverages with friends, customers and associates at shows in general. And what bigger and better knife show for the debut than the world’s biggest and best, the BLADE Show?

“I have shared many whiskey toasts and shots with my friends in the knife community over the years,” he notes. “In fact, at many shows it seemed like I spent more time talking about whiskey than about knives.”

Emerson Whiskey is a straight bourbon whiskey, which Ernest said must meet stricter standards than other types of whiskey. One of the requirements is that to be called straight bourbon it must be aged at least two years in virgin, charred, white oak barrels. “The best bourbon sweet spot for aging is four to five years,” he explains, “which produces the best combination of smooth flavor, mellow color and unique taste. Older-aged bourbons can—and many times do—pick up more of the tannins from the barrels and, as a result, sometimes require an additional charcoal filtering process to settle down the taste. When it is bottled, it cannot be less than 80 proof.

“The best and most unique tastes are from what is called a ‘single barrel’ run, where the finished bottled bourbon or whiskey comes from a single barrel [cask] and is not blended with any other barrels. Our bourbon is one which we handpicked and tasted out of dozens of barrels before we all agreed that we had found the one that we deemed the best.” As Percy Sledge sings in Take Time To Know Her, “It’s not an overnight thing.”

Emerson and his family spent over two years bringing the effort to fruition. “I must say, this involved a lot of dead-ends and quite a number of not-so-good whiskeys—and then, finally the stars aligned and it was all truly worth the effort. We found it,” Ernest recalls. “This Kentucky straight bourbon is distilled at a legacy distillery located in the heart of bourbon country—Owensboro, Kentucky. Aged for four years in new, white oak, charred barrels, this whiskey has all the delectable tastes and charm so sought after by all bourbon enthusiasts.” The first offering will be a single barrel run with each bottle individually hand signed and serialized by Ernest.

Special-Edition Emerson Whiskey Knife

At the BLADE Show, Emerson also will release two limited-edition versions of an all-new design he has dubbed “the Whiskey Knife.” There will be a custom edition, handmade by Ernest in his custom shop, limited to only 20 pieces. There also will be a production version in a limited run of 80 units. The knives will be serial numbered 001-100 starting with the custom versions and continuing through the production run.

Knife and Tags — The Whiskey Knife custom edition features long single backspacers. They are color keyed in gold anodizing to match the liners, pivot screw and thumb disc.

The linerlock design of the Whiskey Knife is instantly recognizable as an Emerson with many of the design traits he developed for his tactical knives over the years. Fully extended the knife is 8.4 inches with 3.5 inches of the total in a blade of 154CM stainless steel with a classic clip-point bowie look.

“The design needed to be a workingman’s knife suitable for a variety of tasks, and the bowie-style-blade design ties it back to the roots of historical American culture. After all,” Ernest grins, “what could be more American than Kentucky bourbon and a bowie knife?” The folder’s handle reinforces the theme. “The scales are made from the charred oak barrel staves, which have been fully stabilized,” he notes. “On the custom knives, the titanium liners and backspacers are hand polished and anodized to a beautiful golden hue, along with the titanium pivot screw and thumb disc. The front handle scale features ‘The Emerson Whiskey Co.’ brand burned into its surface.”

Emerson Whiskey Knife — All 100 issues of the Whiskey Knife are serialized on the blade just below the thumb stud, and correspond with the special copper tags on both the bottle and knife.

The production version is the same model and same size as the first 20 custom knives. “The key difference is that the blades are not hand ground and the liners not highly polished,” Ernest qualifies. “The specs for the production knife are the same as the custom knife, except that they do not have the solid titanium backspacer and the .09-inch-thick titanium on the lock side.”

Blade ‘N Bourbon Package

Emerson will offer two special packages featuring a bottle and knife—one with the custom model and the other the production version. “The custom package is a matched set limited to only 20 offerings serialized 001-020,” Ernest explains. “It consists of the handmade edition of the Whiskey Knife paired with a serialized, matched bottle of Emerson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The handles are handcrafted white oak, fully stabilized and made from the origin barrel of the Emerson whiskey. Both knife and whiskey come with engraved copper plaques hand stamped by me to memorialize this beautiful and stunning pairing of fine cutlery and superb Kentucky Straight Bourbon.” Price for the custom package is $1,375.

Whiskey and Knife — Everything ties together in the Emerson Whiskey production package, from the copper tags to the serial number on the blade, and Ernest’s signature and issue number on the bottle.

There will be 80 production packages available, serialized 021-100. “Each of these knives is also hand signed by me, making it a true signature series to match the hand signed bottle that it is partnered with,” Ernest says. “They also feature the copper engraved and hand stamped tag certifying its unique pairing to the corresponding knife model.” The price for the production package is $499.

The BLADE Show always has a few twists. Is there an Emerson Whiskey on the rocks with a twist of lime.

Read More About The Blade Show:

2022 BLADE Show Knife-Of-The-Year® Award Winners
2022 Blade Show Custom Knife Award Winners
BLADE Show West 2022: A Salt Lake Surprise
2023 BLADE Show Texas Factory And Custom Award Winners

Reflecting On Attending 40 BLADE Shows

BLADE Show

Les Robertson

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May 6, 2025

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BLADE Show ’25 is the author’s 40th BLADE Show—and counting

In the spring of 1985, my fellow U.S. Army lieutenant and knife collector Fletcher Crews told me about the BLADE Show. Having never heard of it, I asked him what it was. His response: “It’s like a gun show but with knives.”

Later in May of that year we took our wives on a road trip from Clarksville, Tennessee, to the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, the show’s former time of year and venue. We allowed ourselves four hours to cover the show. (Don’t get ahead of me; we didn’t know what we were in for.) You have undoubtedly seen TV commercials telling you about someplace in Florida that is the “happiest place on earth.” Those who say this have never been to the BLADE Show!

The highlight of the show for me was meeting BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Jimmy Lile and seeing and handling the Sly II knife he made for the original Rambo movie, First Blood. For those of you who were not fortunate enough to meet Jimmy, he was everything you hear. He was outgoing and friendly, making you feel like he had known you for years. He only made being able to see the knife in person that much better. After all, this is the knife that started me on a path I am still on today.

The BLADE Show has been the Happiest Place on Earth for decades—including here in 2007—and will be this coming June 6-8, too. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

Heading back to Clarksville, I realized that planning had already started for the 1986 BLADE Show. As it turned out, I would make a life-altering decision shortly after returning home. Several weeks later, my wife Kathy and I were having dinner with Fletcher and his wife Karla.

Karla said, “If you did this as a business, you could go to more shows and write off your expenses.” Jerry Seinfeld famously said on his TV show, “You don’t even know what a write-off is.” That was true of me then but I still liked the sound of it. The following week, I went to a CPA and filled out the paperwork to form Robertson’s Custom Cutlery. I realized I had made a tactical error by only allowing four hours for the show. In 1986, I corrected that. I was, in fact, third in line to get in.

The doors opened and hundreds of people rushed into the room, all taking different paths to the hundreds of tables. I went to the first table closest to me and within 15 minutes was out of money. It was at this show that I learned my next vital lesson. As I walked among the rest of the tables and booths, I realized I had set a land speed record for buyer’s remorse. The essential lesson I learned was to have a plan.

Armed with my recently acquired KNIVES ’86, the plan began to take shape. The book has photos and an equally important index of makers’ contact information in the back. It started me on my path to creating what would become my Robertson’s Maker Market Matrix. In the early days, I used the Matrix exclusively to figure out what specific knives I wanted to buy.

The Sly II, aka the original Jimmy Lile First Blood knife, is the knife that got the author started on his career of buying and selling custom knives 41 years ago. The 9-inch sawtooth blade is bead-blasted D2 tool steel. The hollow handle is cord wrapped with an aircraft-grade aluminum buttcap. Overall length: 14 inches. The leather sheath is custom made. The author’s collector value for one of the originals: $4,000-$6,000.

Using KNIVES ’86 and the information within helped me identify what I wanted and implement my purchase plan. Early in 1987, I started to contact knifemakers, asking them what they were bringing to the show or if they could deliver the particular knife I wanted there. The plan was in place and it was implemented to perfection. I received all five knives I had ordered. With the pressure off, I was allowed to move through the Holiday Inn and Convention Center show hall and really enjoy everything the BLADE Show had to offer.

Gil And Bruce

The 1987 show was memorable for more than just the five knives I bought. I was introduced to legendary Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Gil Hibben, who invited me and others to dinner. He was a gracious host with fascinating stories to tell. At that same show, fellow custom knife purveyor Bob Neal (miss you, buddy) introduced me to Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bruce Voyles, who owned both the BLADE Show and BLADE, and edited the magazine, too. Bruce couldn’t have been nicer. What impressed me most was his encyclopedic knowledge of older factory slipjoints, multi-blade folders and antique bowies.

In 1992, Bruce gave me another of my favorite memories of the BLADE Show—he asked me to judge the custom knife competition. I’ve judged at more shows than I can remember, but there is nothing like seeing all those knives from some of the best makers in the world all in one room. Bruce introduced me to current BLADE editor, Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Steve Shackleford, who, during a conversation at the 2006 BLADE Show, asked me if I would like to write an article for BLADE. Nineteen years later he continues to ask me to write for BLADE. Bruce and Steve were also instrumental in having me—sometimes with Bob Neal—conduct seminars for both custom knife collectors and makers at several BLADE shows.

At the 1988 BLADE Show, I set up for the first time. With the exception of the show in 1990, I had a table at each BLADE Show until 2011. Having a table at the BLADE Show was an incredible learning experience. It taught me that there is always more to learn about custom knives. Also at the show, custom knifemaker Dave Broadwell and I collaborated and came up with the final design for the MLR Sub-Hilt Fighter. Since then, Dave has made well over 100 MLRs for me in different configurations.

At the 1997 BLADE Show, the author talked to RJ Martin about making a few folders for him. RJ went home and came up with a knife he called the Q30. He later modified it and the result would become his signature model, the Q36, an iteration of which appears here. He went on to win the Best Tactical Folder award at the BLADE Show four years in a row. Today, RJ’s order books are closed. (SharpByCoop image)

At a mid-’90s Knifemakers’ Guild Show, I met a talented maker who at the time was making what I considered the finest Japanese tacticals in the world. However, at the 1997 BLADE Show we talked about him making me a few folders. He went home and came up with a knife he called the Q30. He later modified it and the result would become his signature model, the Q36. He went on to win the Best Tactical Folder award at the BLADE Show four years in a row. His name: RJ Martin.

At the 2015 BLADE Show I met Steve Randall and his wife, Alison. Steve reminded me a lot of the exceptional maker John White. Steve’s knives were clean, incredibly well made and fairly priced. Today, table 3R is always my first stop to check out his knives.

For me, there are many people I talk to throughout the year but I only get to see them once a year at the BLADE Show, and that makes the show even more special to me. Two of those fellow knife nuts are Jack Alsop and Alan Snow.

At the 1987 BLADE Show the author met Gil Hibben, who promptly invited the author and others to dinner. Hibben’s 50th Anniversary Bowie features mirror-polished 440C stainless steel and macassar ebony. The guard and pommel are brass. Blade and overall lengths: 9.5 and 14.25 inches. Hibben’s price for a similar knife: $1,900. (Robertson’s Custom Cutlery image)

What I appreciate most about the BLADE Show, aside from the knives, is the camaraderie of the people there. They are literally from all over the world. They are willing to share their knowledge that, for many, has taken a lifetime to acquire. Like I said previously, forget that place in Florida. The BLADE Show is the happiest place on earth. See you there!

More On The Blade Shows:

BLADE Show Beer: Brew That Taps Into Blades
2025 BLADE Show Texas Custom Knife Award Winners
2025 BLADE Show Texas Factory Knife Award Winners
2024 BLADE Show West: Recap Of Salt Lake City Show

2024 BLADE Show Texas Custom Award Winners

Elwood Shelton

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February 26, 2024

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2024 BLADE Show Texas Custom Award Winners

See who took home the hardware from the custom knife competition at BLADE Show Texas

With its roots in fine custom knives, BLADE Show Texas tends to draw the top names in makers. In turn, the custom knife awards competition turns out to be a heavyweight slugfest of some of the country’s most accomplished blade artisans. The 2024 competition at the Feb. 23-24 show lived up to this expectation completely.

The judging hall buried in the catacombs of the Ft. Worth Convention Center was packed to the gills with exceptional specimens in 12 categories. To say the 3-judge panel had their work cut out is an overstatement as large as the Lone Star State itself. But after much debate and some furrowing of brows, this team of custom knife experts came up with the top picks from each category.

This included Best Of Show (and Best Bowie), Mike Quesenberry’s dog-gone outstanding bowie knife—a creation that sucked the air out of the room. A testament to how competitive the competition was, the judges for the first time awarded “Contender” awards in three categories for knives that were worthy of top honors, but were just edged out of the highest award.

Best Of Show: Mike Quesenberry

Edited CustomBestOfShow — Photo: SharpbyCoop

Best Art Knife: Mike Quesenberry

Best Bowie: Mike Quesenberry

Bowie Contender: Franco De Souza

Best Damascus: Franco De Souza

Best EDC: Karis Fisher

Best Fighter: Franco De Souza

Best Folding Knife: Jared Oeser

Best Hunting Knife: James Rodebauh

Hunting Knife Contender: Peyton Ramm

Best Kitchen Knife: Harvey Dean

Best Slipjoint: Tim Robertson

Slipjoint Contender: Phil Jacob

Best M.A.C.K.: Princeton Wong

Best Of The Rest: Jason Knight/Winburn Steel

Edited Best of the rest — Photo: SharpbyCoop

Check Out Previous Custom Award Winners:

BTAC Recap: Knives and Guns Rule

BLADE Show

BLADE Staff

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December 15, 2025

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BLADE Tactical Knife Show joins forces with CANCON Carolinas.

The best of both worlds—knives and firearms—drew edged and gun enthusiasts alike to the 2nd Annual BLADE Tactical Knife Show (BTAC) held in conjunction with CANCON Carolinas November 7 at The Clinton House in Clinton, South Carolina.

In addition to enjoying CANCON’s unlimited suppressed shooting with free ammo in various shooting lanes and perusing one-of-a-kind artisan gear items, patrons had access to the adjacent BTAC Invitational Knife Pavilion to shop among hundreds of tactical knives by some of the industry’s top custom and factory knifemakers.

Located just inside the front entrance of CANCON Carolinas, the BTAC Invitational Knife Pavilion drew gun and knife enthusiasts alike.

Mark Carey of Spartan Blades said folding knives seemed to appeal most to the combo knife/gun event’s patrons, who he described as “mostly gun people but many that know knives.” He also complemented CANCON as “an excellent on-range show; well set up, safe and secure.”

Mike Sweeney indicated folders under $200 sold best for Heretic Knives, while BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Daniel Winkler stated smaller/concealable pieces were top sellers for Winkler Knives.

The future of both the knife and gun industries were among the patrons on hand.

“The smaller pieces have lower price points, but there wasn’t a differentiation in handle materials or treatments from our perspective,” he wrote. “Customers familiar with our brand asked specifically for the smaller pieces.”

The roster of exhibitors consisted of Arsenal Edge; Attn2Detail Mercantile; Bastinelli Knives; Brad Zinker; Carver Knife Co.; Clark Custom Knives; Dauntless Manufacturing; Grizzly Forge; Heretic Knives; Hoffman Blacksmithing; Hypercut Manufacturing; ABS master smith Jason Knight; Keanison Knives; KeyBar; Krein Knives; McNees Knives; Microtech; Nicholas Nichols Knives; Nottingham Tactical Inc., Primitive Woodsman; Scorpion 6 Knives; Sparrow Knife Co.; Spartan Blades; and Winkler Knives.

More On The Blade Shows:

2025 BLADE Show West Recap: Flying High In The Rocky Mountains
2025 BLADE Show West Custom Knife Award Winners
2025 BLADE Show West Factory Knife Award Winners
Photo Gallery: BLADE Show 2025 in Pictures

BLADE Show 2022: International Exhibitors Return

BLADE Show

BLADE Staff

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April 27, 2022

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BLADE Show 2022: International Exhibitors Return

With the end of the travel ban, exhibitors from nearly every continent are slated to converge on BLADE Show 2022.

On the heels of the cancellation of BLADE Show 2020, last year’s 40th Annual BLADE Show was the smash success everyone in the knife business longed for, got and celebrated with the most pointed of passions. However, one thing was missing: due to pandemic travel bans, many international knifemakers were unable to attend.

That is no longer the case with this year’s show set for June 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Top makers from every continent but Antarctica were scheduled to exhibit at press time, all bringing their latest and greatest knives. Due to the show’s cancellation in 2020 and last year’s travel bans, for many it will be their first BLADE Show since 2019.

Buy Your BLADE Show Tickets

Sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works, the BLADE Show is year-in and year-out the world’s biggest and most important knife event, where more knives—new, old, custom, factory, etc.—are exhibited, bought and sold than any other knife show. Over 900 exhibitor booths and tables featuring factory and custom knife, sharpener and other knife accessory makers, knifemaking, steel and handle material supply companies, knife collections, knife purveyors and other cutlery entities too numerous to mention will showcase their wares as the world knife community descends on the Galleria Centre. All will renew friendships, make new ones, and visit with the living legends of the knife industry, today’s knifemaking stars and those of tomorrow.

The latest, hottest custom knives, factory knife debuts (page 24), the educational knife instruction class schedule of BLADE University (see sidebar) and action-packed free demos (see sidebar) await the hordes of show patrons that will descend on the Galleria Centre. The BLADE Magazine 2022 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards (see sidebar), the custom knife judging competition (see sidebar) and the knife collection display competition are others. The ABS Knife Auction (page 34), the formal inductions of the latest members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® (see story beginning on page 50), and some of the best knives the ABS and the Knifemakers’ Guild and unaffiliated makers in general have to offer are still others.

And don’t forget The Pit, the after-hours meeting place in and around the sunken bar of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, where show patrons and exhibitors will congregate into the wee hours beginning the night before the show through the end of the weekend to compare knives, swap lies and otherwise celebrate the year’s most momentous cutlery weekend.

For the above and other show features, check the following pages and the BLADE Show Section on pages 50-65 for the sharpest three days anytime, anywhere.

2024 ABS Award Winners And New Master & Journeyman Smiths

BLADE Staff

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July 30, 2024

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2024 ABS Award Winners And New Master & Journeyman Smiths

Fabulous forged knives, new smiths, new chairman top ABS annual meeting.

Some of the finest forged knives of the year, the newest American Bladesmith Society master and journeyman smiths and a brand new chairman helped highlight the annual meeting of the ABS held during BLADE Show 2024 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

ABS master smith Kevin Cashen officially began his first term as ABS chairman at the annual meeting, succeeding ABS master smith Steve Dunn who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. It was a bittersweet transfer of the office for all concerned, though a sparkling array of award knives and an impressive group of new master and journeyman smiths that includes those from Brazil, Europe, China, New Zealand and the USA were an appropriate way to greet the new chairman and pay tribute to the former one.

ABS Annual Awards

Award Winners

W. W. Scagel Award: Butch Sheely
Paul Burke Award: Robert A. Wilson
Distinguished Service Awards: Karen Cashen, Joel Worley
W. F. Moran Award: Matthew Parkinson
Antique Bowie Award, JS: Mace Vitale
Antique Bowie Award, MS: Karis Fisher
Joe Keeslar Award: Jason Chen
B. R. Hughes Award: Fabio Barros
Chairman’s Awards: Kevin Cashen, James Rodebaugh

Fabio Barros

It was a weekend Brazil’s Fabio Barros probably will never forget. Not only was he the sole applicant to gain the coveted rating of ABS master smith, he also won the B. R. Hughes Award for the best knife submitted by such an applicant. In the eyes of some, that he was the only successful MS applicant might have detracted from his Hughes Award—if not for the fact that the same knife also won Best Art Knife at the concurrent BLADE Show.

B. R. Hughes Award
Winner: Fabio Barros
Knife name: Leidi Barros Dagger
Maker/designer: Fabio Barros
Blade material: Apricot pattern mosaic damascus w/four-sided roughing
Construction: Take down
Handle: Fluted ebony with gold-braid wire wrap Guard, shim and pommel: Black oxidation with gold appliqué
Pommel stone: Onyx
Sheath: Shark leather w/gold inlay
Display: Ebony case w/exquisite finish
Knife to know: The knife is named in honor of Leidiana Barros, wife of Fabio Barros; the handle design is inspired by the queen in a chess set

Karis Fisher

Karis Fisher added to her trophy case by winning the Antique Bowie Award for the best bowie in a 19th-century style by an ABS master smith. It was another feather in the cap of the young smith, who won for a reproduction of the Searles/Fowler bowie—with it being her first attempt at a repro to boot. Added Karis, “I’ve always wanted to try and make a reproduction, and I was drawn to the Searles bowie due to the mix of complexity and clean and timeless design.”

Antique Bowie Award, MS
Winner: Karis Fisher
Knife: Searles Reproduction
Blade length: 9.25”
Blade material: 52100 carbon steel
Blade width: 2”
Blade @ thickest: .25”
Blade grind: Double ground
Guard material: Stainless steel
Handle material: African blackwood
Ferrule and butt material: Stainless steel
Ferrule and butt embellishment: Coined liners
Overall length: 14.5”
Special features: Half-moon cutout in blade and raised checkered panels on handle
Knife to know: The knife is based on the Searles-Fowler bowie made by Daniel Searles in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1828
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $2,500

The Challenge: “The most challenging part of this build was definitely the planning of the knife and trying to stay true to the original while building it solely off pictures.”

Matthew Parkinson

ABS journeyman smith Matthew Parkinson won the W. F. Moran Award for the best knife in the Moran style for his interpretation of a Moran fixed blade. “It wasn’t based on any one knife of his but more a general sort of impression of his body of work,” Matthew wrote. “That is to say, it is my design trying to work within his style—an interesting challenge!”

W. F. Moran Award
Winner: Matthew Parkinson
Blade length: 7.25”
Overall length: 12”
Blade material: 1084 carbon steel
Blade @ thickest: 3/16”
Blade width: 1.125”
Guard and pins: Bronze
Handle: Maple
Inlay: Sterling silver
Maker’s price for a similar knife: $1,100

Maker’s remarks: “The Spanish Notch is just a detail to the choil rather than a plain rounded choil. I saw several similar examples on a knife that Mr. Moran had made and thought it might be a nice touch. The groove at the base of the handle is a carved molding. This is a detail I use frequently in knives that don’t have stabilized wood handles, as inlaid handles normally are. It helps keep a clean, even fit but still allows the wood to move, at the same time adding a nice visual feature that adds to the overall design.”

The Challenge: “I think the most challenging part of doing these is working within another maker’s aesthetic, especially one like Mr. Moran who has a huge and varied body of work. That’s the part that teaches you the most, I think. I find building one of these can give you insight into why another maker chooses one feature over another, or why a line or form is there. Those design ideas become incorporated into your own style and help you grow as a maker.”

Mace Vitale

Mace Vitale captured the Antique Bowie Award for the best bowie in a 19th-century style by an ABS journeyman smith for a knife inspired by an antique piece made by Otto & Koehler of New York around 1850. The unusual knife features a markedly upturned blade tip and an ever-so-slightly downturned handle with a modified coffin-style butt featuring two carved lines and two rows of individually carved oblique divots that run its length. “The carving on the handles I’m positive were for extra grip. The knife has an excellent feel in the hand,” Mace observed. “There has been a bit of discussion as to the purpose of the original. As a knifemaker it was pretty clear to me when I picked up the original that it was very purposefully built to be a fighting knife.”

Antique Bowie Award, JS
Winner: Mace Vitale
Knife: Inspired by an antique fixed blade from New York makers Otto & Koehler from around 1850
Blade length: 6.5”
Blade material: W2 tool steel
Blade width: 1.25”
Blade @ thickest: 3/16”
Blade grind: Flat
Fittings and pins: Nickel silver
Handle: Mammoth ivory
Overall length: 11”

The Challenge: “The most difficult part of building this knife was trying to keep all the parts going the way I wanted. When making a knife like this, it is put together and taken apart many, many times, and I found myself constantly putting the handle or guard on upside down. I was glad once it was done.”

Jason Chen

Newly minted ABS journeyman smith Jason Chen of YunNan, China, won the Joe Keeslar Award for the best knife submitted by a successful JS applicant for a spotless reproduction of a bowie not unlike the antique L. Kimball knife. The fact Jason prevailed over the best knives of 13 other successful JS applicants adds to the difficulty of his winning this year’s Keeslar Award. He is to be congratulated—as are all of those receiving top honors at the annual ABS meeting.

New ABS Masters & Journeymen

Five applicants presented for ABS master smith and one passed. Twenty-four applied for ABS journeyman smith and 14 were approved. The panels of judges were chosen by the ABS. The smiths who made the grade were:
ABS master smith: Fabio Barros, Brazil;
ABS journeyman smiths: Cameron Alarcio, California; Jason Chen, China; Pieter-Paul Derks, Netherlands; Zane Dvorak, Ohio; Robin Gagchian, France; Chris Gardner, Nevada; Aidan Garrity, Connecticut; Erik Greiner, Texas; Tony Lewis, Arizona; Dan Lewis, New Mexico; Tony Severio, Louisiana; Warren Thacker, Tennessee; Thiago Vidotto, Washington; and Liam

More On ABS:

2024 ABS Auction: Bidding Looks To Be Forge Hot
2023 ABS Awards: Who Earned What From The Foremost Bladesmith Society
2022 ABS Auction: What Crossed The Block In Atlanta
Knifemaking: ABS Master Smith J.D. Smith’s 4 Principles

Major In Knife At BLADE University

BLADE Show

BLADE Staff

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May 30, 2023

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Summer school never looked so good with the 10th Annual BLADE University.

Cutlery classes taught by Michael Walker, the inventor of the linerlock, Bob Kramer, world-class maker of chef’s knives, and father-and-son damascus wizards Devin and Larrin Thomas are among the highlights of a full slate of knifemaking instruction for the 10th Annual BLADE University.

Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE University will be held in conjunction with the 42nd Annual BLADE Show June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Classes begin Friday, June 2, and conclude Saturday, June 3.

While most classes are held in the Cobb Galleria, some also are conducted under the tent in The Courtyard, aka the parking lot of the show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly.

BLADE University gathers some of the world’s best knifemakers, bladesmiths and other cutlery professionals to teach a wide range of subjects for the knife aficionado and novice alike. If you love knives, BLADE University has a related topic that will interest you.

Get Your Blade Show Tickets Now!

BLADE University Friday

8-9:30 a.m. Fundamentals of Grinding, The Courtyard. AmeriBrade and guest makers provide a general overview on grinds, technique and different equipment. The class is interactive and the AmeriBrade team answers questions and demonstrates suggestions for common grinding issues.

Michael Walker knives — BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker (inset), maker of this stunner in damascus and anodized titanium, will present his first-ever BLADE University class on several topics, including his revolutionary linerlock. (SharpByCoop knife image)

10-11 a.m. Exploring the Performance of Pattern-Welded Steel, Room 103. How does damascus perform? What are the best steel combinations for high-performance damascus? Is there really a “damascus cutting effect”? Learn about the experiments Devin and Larrin Thomas have performed on the strength, toughness and edge retention of damascus steel.

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Designing Kitchen Knives, Room 104. ABS master smith Bob Kramer reviews some of the considerations to ponder when designing kitchen knives. He explains the path he took to make household cutlery and why he made the choices he did.

1-2 p.m. CRKT Presents Q&A with Michael Walker, Room 104. BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker answers questions regarding the linerlock he developed in 1981 that revolutionized folding knives. He also discusses the evolution of the many other locking systems he designed post-linerlock, how to secure a patent, and his process for fine-tuning details on his knives. Questions are determined in advance, though Michael entertains limited questions from those attending as well.

1:30-2:30 p.m. Dancing with the Devil: Algorithms, SEO and Ecommerce, Room 103. Ben Petersen, co-founder of Knafs, a “goofy brand of knife-related products and ideas,” explains how to sell knives online and build your brand while navigating Google, Amazon and Meta.

Steve Schwarzer and Ron Hardman — In “3D Printing for Canister Patterns,” ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer (right) and Ron Hardman (left) show you how to use a game-changing advancement to forge patterns on a budget that were previously unthinkable.

2-3 p.m. What’s Hot in Knife Steels, Room 103. The heart of the knife is the blade steel, and few know steels like those who produce and sell them for a living. Three among the leaders in the field are Mike Norris Damascus, Nichols Damascus and Vegas Forge Damascus. Join representatives from each company as they discuss today’s hottest steels and what makes the steels so much in demand. They explore each steel’s performance, ease of sharpening, looks, other desirable traits and more.

3-4 p.m. Forging Ancient Materials and Why It’s Important Today, Room 107. Hosted by award-winning knifemaker Ilya Alekseyev, the panel explores how and why practicing forging methods used by the craftsmen of old translates into modern materials, and why it is important to establish proper forging techniques with such materials.

3:30-4:30 p.m. Hands-On Knife Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp. You get hands-on practice and experience sharpening blades using a variety of sharpeners and abrasives, from whetstones to belts.

4:30-5:30 p.m. Unlearning Bad Habits: My Unique Path to JS, Room 107. Matt Stagmer focuses on knifemakers that have been in the craft for many years and how the path to becoming an ABS journeyman smith differs from someone learning those standards from day one. Included are tips and tricks to retrain your hands and mind.

BLADE University Saturday

8:30-9:30 a.m. Decorative Custom Knife Filework, Room 113. Knifemaker Kyle Daily of KHDaily Knives shows you his preferred files and the equipment he uses to make his five most popular filework patterns. The class outlines how to lay out your pattern and takes you step-by-step to being successful. Kyle does a hands-on demo and fields more-detailed questions at the end.

In “Reproducing Traditional Pocketknives,” Tim Robertson covers patterning traditional slipjoints from original factory knives in detail, including methods of disassembly, correct scribing techniques and proper hole layout. His three-blade stag slipjoint is a textbook example of his award-winning work. (SharpByCoop image)

8:45-9:45 a.m. How To Forge a Hunting Knife, The Courtyard. ABS master smith Timothy Potier demonstrates how to forge a full-tang drop-point hunter. Using his propane forge, Timothy goes through the entire process, including forging the blade to shape from tool steel. He also discusses heat treating, normalizing and more.

9:30-11 a.m. How To Run a Successful Knifemaking Business, Room 104. ABS master smith Bob Kramer shares his 35 years of experience running a successful knifemaking business and tips to employ along the way.

9:45-10:45 a.m. Reproducing Traditional Pocketknives, Room 107. Tim Robertson covers patterning traditional slipjoints from original factory knives in detail, including methods of disassembly, correct scribing techniques and proper hole layout (including changing the hole diameter). He also covers methods of using paper patterns commonly found on the Internet.

11 a.m.-12 p.m. 3D Printing for Canister Patterns, Room 113. Learn how to leverage 3D printer technology to make mind-blowing canister damascus patterns. ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer and Ron Hardman show you how to use this game-changing advancement to forge patterns on a budget that were previously unthinkable.

Grinding a knife — AmeriBrade and guest makers provide a general overview on grinds, technique and different equipment in “Fundamentals of Grinding.”

2-3 p.m. Let the Pros Critique Your Knife, Room 104. A panel of top cutlery craftsmen share decades of knowledge and experience in critiquing your custom knife. Award-winning makers Lucas Burnley and Luke Swenson, ABS master smiths David Lisch and Mike Quesenberry, and damascus-forging pioneer Devin Thomas examine your knife and tell you what’s good about it, what’s not and how you can make it better. Bring one knife only. Questions from attendees will be entertained throughout.

2:15-3:15 p.m. Hands-On Knife Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp. You get hands-on practice and experience sharpening blades using a variety of sharpeners and abrasives, from whetstones to belts.

2:30-3:30 p.m. Writing for a Knife Publication, Room 107. Author/knifemaker Jason Fry and a panel of industry insiders share the tips and tricks it takes to get into the knife writing industry. Topics include idea submission and topic selection, interviews and content generation, methods for obtaining quality pictures and more.

4-5 p.m. Folder Design, Room 104. David Carver of Carver Knife Company teaches techniques on making a folding knife that works well, looks good and feels great in the hand/pocket.

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BLADE Show West 2022: A Salt Lake Surprise
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Best Of Show: Mike Quesenberry

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Bowie Contender: Franco De Souza

Best Damascus: Franco De Souza

Best EDC: Karis Fisher

Best Fighter: Franco De Souza

Best Folding Knife: Jared Oeser

Best Hunting Knife: James Rodebauh

Hunting Knife Contender: Peyton Ramm

Best Kitchen Knife: Harvey Dean

Best Slipjoint: Tim Robertson

Slipjoint Contender: Phil Jacob

Best M.A.C.K.: Princeton Wong

Best Of The Rest: Jason Knight/Winburn Steel

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