Joe Kertzman's Blog

Daniel Terdiman, staff writer for CNET News, always thought it would be cool to see how Victorinox Swiss Army Knives were made. His wish came true on a recent trip to the central Swiss town of Ibach, and the Victorinox factory. 

As he notes, “There’s no doubt about it, a visit to the Victorinox factory in this small town in central Switzerland affords a guest a visual feast, and as part of Road Trip 2011, I was lucky enough to get to gorge on it.”

Read Daniel’s full article and see 39 pictures he took in the factory by clicking this link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20078593-52/where-the-swiss-army-knife-gets-made/

Meet Brent Harp, one of the very few Bob Loveless protégés to be trained in Loveless’s shop alongside Jim Merritt. A detective in the Redlands, California, Police Department, Harp first met Loveless in 1986, when he was trying to learn how to heat-treat steel to make his knife blades harder and hold a better edge.

Last month, Harp was featured in Southern California’s The Press-Enterprise newspaper regarding his knifemaking and keeping the Loveless legacy alive.

To read the feature, go to: http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20110918-perris-knife-maker-keeps-the-legacy-alive.ece

ABS master smith Kirk Rexroat made the Gillette (Wyoming) News Record over the summer, in a well-written newspaper feature describing his otherwise quiet Wright, Wyoming, neighborhood that has become accustomed to hearing his hammer hit the anvil on a typical afternoon. 

To excerpt a few paragraphs: 

The mechanical whacking could be a little unsettling if the neighbors didn’t know what it was, but it is just something that they expect to hear once in a while along the otherwise quiet street.

After a few more thumps, another pause, and a man wearing soiled leather gloves and mirrored sunglasses walked into the sunny yard next to the hut. His mountain man white beard gave way to a wide grin and a warm hello.

A forge roared behind him, heating steel that will be painstakingly massaged and ground into some of the highest quality knives in the world on the two 100-year-old trip hammers.

The 53-year-old man is Kirk Rexroat.

Just because he has reached the status of Master smith in the knife-making world doesn’t mean that Rexroat has stopped learning.

The mine welder and metal fabrication specialist has been shaping custom knives for about 30 years, but it isn’t a lack of innovation that has made him world renowned.

“He made his first knife with sandpaper in our living room out of an old truck leaf spring,” said Rexroat’s wife, Holly, while shooting him a glance. “Your knives have come a long way since then.”

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700146156/Wyo-knife-makers-craft-still-has-edge.html

Les de Asis of Benchmade was interviewed by Marketplace.org (http://marketplace.publicradio.org) for a feature article on small-to-mid-sized companies that have actually continued hiring through the economic recession.

For the full story, follow this link:  

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/08/pm-knife-maker-hires-amid-us-economic-woes/

Being sure that future generations have the ability to own and carry the knife of their choice is at the core of the American Knife & Tool Institute’s mission and efforts to influence and change knife laws.  But without instilling an appreciation for man’s oldest tool in younger people, it won’t matter how effective the organization is at eliminating restrictive knife laws.
 

To Share the Knife Heritage with more youth, AKTI and the Mule Deer Foundation have partnered. The AKTI will be distributing thousands of its revised youth safety pamphlets through the M.U.L.E.Y. Events to mentors, parents and youth. This is an exciting opportunity to reach a lot of young people about knife safety, use, and importance in their dailiy lives.
 

AKTI continues behind the scenes in New York State and several other states to lay the groundwork for successful changes to knife laws in the next legislative sessions. The chance to own a Buck 119 and support AKTI’s Legislative Fund ends today August 31st at 11:59 pm. Full details about this first AKTI online auction, the knife and photos are available at AKTI Monthly Auction. <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pev5ilcab&amp;et=1107392177275&amp;s=1968&amp;e=001wqsrVn6J0OeIHiM8SuOjuz-69eRjq7fB0n5WgK8a2mCao9Wv3GjXwIM0o2QYO7ZDk_xL6Dx1FaLg0rsQpT_YA6bIbSuE0rXGc07reeDkRdwCXznUefvKug==>
 

Thanks to Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) for the September AKTI online auction knife – a CRKT Onion Skinner LTD.  The 3-1/2″ blade is premium Bohler K110 stainless at 58-60 Rc., with a high hollow grind, a fine satin finish and a 3/4 tang.  Details and photo will be on the website <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pev5ilcab&amp;et=1107392177275&amp;s=1968&amp;e=001wqsrVn6J0OeIHiM8SuOjuz-69eRjq7fB0n5WgK8a2mCao9Wv3GjXwIM0o2QYO7ZDk_xL6Dx1FaLg0rsQpT_YA6bIbSuE0rXGc07reeDkRdwCXznUefvKug==>  September 1st. Remember, your successful bid makes a contribution to the costs involved in working with lobbyists, legislators and law enforcement.

Under the Headline “The Knife Rack Goes High-End,” the New York Times ran a feature article in the June 14, 2011 edition about a new line of J.A. Henckels high-end, high-carbon-steel chef’s knives that are designed by Olympia, Washington, knifemaker and shop owner Bob Kramer.

According to the Times, hundreds of the knives, priced as high as $349.95 for a 10-inch chef’s knife, were purchased by cookware chain Sur la Table, and 20 percent of the inventory sold in 10 days. 

For more on Kramer, see his website: http://www.kramerknives.com/home.htm.

To read the New York Times feature, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/dining/the-knife-rack-goes-high-end.html?_r=1&ref=knives