BLADE Show

Hosted in Atlanta, Georgia in May or June every year, the BLADE Show truly is the World’s Largest Knife Show. It features the most diverse array of knives from manufacturers, knifemakers, collectors, dealers and purveyors, all under one roof. The BLADE Show plays host to the Blade Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame© induction ceremony, seminars, demonstrations and much more.

Visit BladeShow.com for tickets, travel information, exhibitor registration and sponsorship opportunities.

BLADE Show Will Feature Steampunk How-To

The BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will feature a seminar by ABS master smith Wally Hayes on how to make a steampunk tanto.

The BLADE Show will have a seminar on how to make a steampunk tanto.
The BLADE Show will feature a seminar by Wally Hayes on how he makes his steampunk tanto.

Slated for May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show is the world’s largest and most important knife show. Hayes, meanwhile, is one of the world’s hottest makers, and his Steampunk knifemaking how-to will be the Sunday of the show, June 2, at 11 a.m. in Room 103 of the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Steampunk knives are inspired by the science fiction genre that features steam-powered machinery from such novels as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne. “I first saw a Steampunk knife made by Van Barnett and talked to him about it at the 2012 BLADE Show,” Hayes writes in his how-to story in the May BLADE®. In fact, Barnett’s Steampunk folder won Best Art Knife at last year’s BLADE Show and was voted one of the top 14 custom knives of the 21st century in the current July BLADE. A number of other makers have made the style as well.

An accomplished guitarist as well as an award-winning knifemaker, Hayes made a Steampunk tanto for Richard Fortus of the rock band Guns N Roses. Fortus requested it as a gift for a friend. A similar model served as the cover knife for the May BLADE.

In addition to his upcoming Steampunk seminar, Hayes has conducted a number of BLADE Show seminars in the past, including one of his most popular on how to wrap a Japanese knife handle. He will have a table showing his knives at the BLADE Show, and so will Van Barnett, among scores of others.

For the latest in BLADE Show and other knife industry news, subscribe to BLADE

www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl042513

World Championship Cutting Competition at BLADE Show

Defending champ Ted Ott and a host of challengers will compete for the 11th Annual World Championship Cutting Competition at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

 

The World Championship will be conducted by BladeSports International (BSI) the Saturday of the show at 4:15 p.m. in “The Courtyard”—the parking lot of the show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Waverly. Current qualifiers include Ott, past champ Gary Bond, Donavon Phillips, Jim Cottingham, Michael Eubanks, Dwight Schoneweis, Dan Keffeler, Bud Robbins and Chris Rowland. Whether more will qualify by the time of the competition, including at least one international contestant, remains to be seen.

 

Speed, power, technique and a good knife are all important ingredients to winning the competitions. All certified beforehand by BSI, the knives must be no longer than 15 inches overall, with a blade 10 inches or shorter and no more than 2 inches wide. There are no thickness or weight limits. The majority of the knives are custom made, with the balance being factory.

 

 The contestants perform a number of cuts, all of which are timed. Points are deducted from the total time for successful cuts, and the low score wins. While some cuts such as slicing through hanging ropes, water-filled plastic bottles and chopping 2x4s are standard fare, there are usually a couple of surprise cuts for which the competitors cannot prepare. The knives are inspected after each round and disqualified if the blade is damaged.

 

 For more on the BLADE Show, subscribe to BLADE® www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl042413

 

Ted Ott show's his championship form at last year's BLADE Show. (Point Seven photo)
Ted Ott won last year’s BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition. (Point Seven photo)

How To Photo Knives Seminar at BLADE Show

Eric Eggly of Point Seven Studios will show you how to photograph knives in a special seminar at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) and Living Ready Expo 2013 May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

In “How To Photograph a Knife,” Eggly will cover the foundation of knife photography and share some simple, easy-to-use tips and techniques to create your own stunning knife photos. The seminar will be the Saturday of the BLADE Show, June 1, at 4 p.m. in Room 104. All BLADE Show ticket holders are admitted free of charge (seating is limited; first come, first served).

Under the direction of Eggly, Point Seven has been the official BLADE Show photographer for many years. A full-time commercial photographer, Eggly has photographed knives for decades and often has said he does so in no small part due to his passion and love for knives and the knife community in general. He travels to a number of knife shows nationwide, including the American Bladesmith Society Knife Expo in San Antonio, Texas, and was presented with a special award for outstanding service by the ABS at the 2011 BLADE Show.

Point Seven is based in Maumee, Ohio. As Eggly notes on his website, “It’s important that I know my subjects. Without that special interaction and understanding, there’s simply no story to tell.” 

 

For more on the BLADE Show, visit

www.bladeshow.com and/or subscribe to BLADE® Magazine

www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl041913

Learn how to photograph knives at the BLADE Show.
Eric Eggly of Point Seven will show you how to photograph knives at the BLADE Show. Eggly (left) is shown here receiving an award for outstanding service to the American Bladesmith Society by past ABS Chairman Greg Neely at the 2011 BLADE Show. (Point Seven photo)

The Gunny’s Back and The BLADE Show’s Got Him!

The 2013 BLADE Show will once again welcome R. Lee "The Gunny" Ermey."
R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey will sign autographs and pictures at the 2013 BLADE Show.

The BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will host R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey as he returns to sign autographs, pose for photos and chew the fat with show patrons at the SOG Specialty Knives & Tools booth show Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The BLADE Show will be May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

At press time, SOG was conducting a contest to win one of two pairs of tickets to dinner with SOG personnel and The Gunny the Saturday night of the BLADE Show. The contest was slated to run on the SOG Facebook page through May 22, with the winner chosen and confirmed on May 24. The Gunny also will be the keynote speaker at the Knife Rights banquet the Saturday morning of the BLADE Show.

It will be The Gunny’s second tour at the BLADE Show for SOG. The retired Marine, veteran motion picture and television actor, and all-around supporter of the U.S. military—especially the Marines—also appeared at the SOG booth during the 2011 BLADE Show to sign autographs and pictures and otherwise interact with BLADE Show patrons.

The Gunny’s credits include History Channel’s Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey, Mail Call and his breakthrough role as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. In addition to being a spokesperson for SOG, The Gunny also designed knives for the company: the Gunny Folder and Gunny Fixed Blade.

The Gunny enlisted in the Marines in 1961 and medically retired as a staff sergeant in 1971 for injuries incurred during his tours, which included 14 months active duty in the Vietnam War. He also served as a drill instructor.

For more on The Gunny’s BLADE Show appearance and the BLADE Show in general, subscribe to BLADE® www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl041713

Educating the Future Of Knives

The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) recently announced it will present a series of informative articles on its website, www.akti.org, that address various aspects of the knife owner’s experience. The first of the series will relate tips and advice on introducing young people to knives.

2-Customer-son

Among those giving insights in the new AKTI youth knife series will be A.G. Russell. Here a father demonstrates a knife for his son at A.G. Russell Knives retail store in Rogers, Arkansas. (A.G. Russell Knives photo)

“I was always taught that the age of reason was 7, which is also Cub Scout age when I got my first knife,” commented Dan Piergallini, president of the Gator Cutlery Club. “Safety was always stressed, and supervised use of a knife is a must. Also, one must insist that the knife never be taken to school no matter how much you want to show it off.”

Billeb-Jan-2012Along with Piergallini, AKTI Executive Director Jan Billeb, Becky Reid of Shepherd Hills Cutlery, and Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member A.G. Russell will provide insights on their experiences in promoting safety, awareness, respect and proper knife use among young people.

AKTI Executive Director Jan Billeb (left).

Look for the story on kids and knives and subsequent offerings from AKTI to provide timely and relevant perspective on topics of interest to the cutlery community.

“We are excited to bring these informative articles to AKTI members and knife enthusiasts everywhere through our website,” Billeb said. “Introducing knives to the next generation is a key element in promoting their safe use and increasing the understanding of knives as valuable tools that are important in our everyday lives.”

To read the article on kids and knives visit www.akti.org/education/kids-and-knives.

For more information, call 307-587-8296 or visit www.AKTI.org. Follow AKTI at http://www.Facebook.com/SaveOurKnives and http://twitter.com/SaveOurKnives.

BLADE Show Will Welcome “The Hammer”

Larry “The Hammer” Harley, one of the stars of National Geographic’s hot new TV series, Lords of War, will exhibit his knives and conduct a seminar at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Meet The Hammer in person at his BLADE Show seminar 3 p.m. Saturday in Room 104 of the Cobb Galleria and ask him any and all questions concerning knives, swords, his TV show and more. And bring the kids, too. Larry’s presentation is suited for the entire family. He also will be exhibiting his knives in the BLADE Show hall at table 9Q .

The BLADE Show will welcome Larry "The Hammer" Harley of TV's "Lords of War."
Larry “The Hammer” Harley, one of the stars of National Geographic’s “Lords of War” TV show, will exhibit his knives and conduct a seminar at the BLADE Show.

Harley has long been known to knife enthusiasts as a fine knifemaker, an ABS journeyman smith and among the more colorful characters in the knife industry. It is small wonder that the National Geographic Channel picked him to be one of the stars of its Lords of War television series. On the show Larry appraises any and all knives, swords and edged weapons, and also helps test fire the antique and other guns appraised—and he almost always outshoots his Lords of War co-stars in the process.

The Hammer’s credits are many. In addition to making knives for many years, he has involved himself in the knife industry in a number of ways. He conducted knife hog hunts for several years and was among the first to win at the early ABS cutting

competitions. He is also extremely active in teaching bladesmithing to youngsters, including a heavy involvement in same with the ABS. He has conducted hammer-ins for both youths and adults at his shop in Bristol, Tennessee. His son Richard has been making knives for a number of years now and is quite good at it. Though The Hammer may come across as a good ol’ country boy—which he is—he is also highly educated and well-versed in a wide range of topics. Meet him at the BLADE Show. You will enjoy it.

For the latest in BLADE Show happenings and all the hottest knives, knife news and more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine at www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl041013

Ernest Emerson Will Offer BLADE Show Seminar

Ernest Emerson, one of the leading names in both custom and factory knives, will conduct another of his always popular seminars at the 2013 BLADE Show and Living Ready Expo at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta May 31-June 2.

Entitled “Fight Like A Madman,” the seminar will give you the tools to train “your most effective weapon” against violence: your mind. “Train the mind and the body will follow,” Mr. Emerson noted. “Confront evil with the tools to stop it dead in its tracks.”

A pioneer of tactical folders with such pieces as his world-famous CQC-6, Mr. Emerson has been conducting seminars at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) for many years now. He always delivers in terms of information any and all can use in their daily lives. An accomplished martial artist in addition to being a world-class knifemaker, Mr. Emerson has developed a self-defense regimen called Emerson Combat Systems that has been taught to police officers, military units and civilians. His knives and systems have been celebrated in magazines, books, television, on the Internet and just about every media form known.

Mr. Emerson’s BLADE Show seminars focus more on the mental approach to dealing with outside threats to you, your family, your friends and those around you. As the saying goes, before you do anything well you’ve got to get your mind right, and Mr. Emerson stresses the importance of that in his BLADE Show seminars.

Mr. Emerson will conduct his BLADE Show seminar in the usual place and time: Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in Room 104 of the Cobb Galleria Centre. All BLADE Show ticket holders are admitted free of charge. However, seating is limited, so first come, first served.

For more on the BLADE Show, stay tuned to www.blademag.com and or subscribe to BLADE® Magazine at www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?lid=ssfbbl040313

Ernest Emerson's seminars are always among the best attended at the BLADE Show.
Ernest Emerson will return for another of his popular seminars at the 2013 BLADE Show.
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